WASHINGTON, July 28, 2007
White House To Push Mideast Arms Sales
Officials To Press Congress For Increased Aid, Weapons Sales To Friendly Mideast Nations To Counter Iran
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King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia greets U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before a meeting in Riyadh on Jan. 15, 2007. (AP/Saudi News Agency)
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce proposed extensions and enlargements of foreign aid to Israel and Egypt, and a proposed arms sales package to Persian Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia, before she leaves on a trip to those nations Monday, the officials said.
The Israeli and Egyptian proposals would lock in U.S. commitments for the next 10 years. The total for Israel would rise from $2.4 billion to about $3 billion a year, and Egypt would continue to receive $1.3 billion a year.
The Bush administration also wants Congress to give their stamp of approval to an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia. The New York Times reports that the deal would include advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels.
Those packages, like existing 10-year packages that expire next year, represent long-standing U.S. commitments to Israel, its principal ally in the region, and Egypt as the first Arab nation to make peace with Israel and a moderate, secular ally and a traditional shepherd of Israeli-Arab peace efforts.
Overall, the aid and arms packages would total $20 billion, according to The Times, which is double what officials first estimated when details first became public this past spring.
Terrorism expert Sajjan Gohel says the Saudi arms sale might not be a good idea. "Weapons would be sold to a regime that is not only despotic but is also trying to undermine democracy in Iraq by assisting Sunni insurgent groups," he told CBS News.
"It shows that the Bush administration isn't looking really at the long-term, but seems to be more concerned about trying to secure oil reserves and deposits in Saudi Arabia than actually protecting their own soldiers in Iraq," Gohel said.
Officials said the money and the proposed weapons sales would strengthen U.S. allies at a time of uncertainty in the Middle East. The United States accuses Iran of developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies, but that development could set off nuclear arms race in one of the world's most volatile regions. At the same time, sectarian violence and wholesale murder in Iraq threaten to spill outside Iraqi borders and inflame a confrontation between Shiite and Sunni Muslims elsewhere in the region.
Iran, whose leader has repeatedly said Israel should be wiped off the map, is viewed by Israel as its main enemy. Shiite Iran also unnerves the closest U.S. allies in the region, all except Iraq led by Sunnis.
Rice plans to announce Monday the proposed sale of $5 billion or more in sophisticated weaponry for Saudi Arabia and other rich Gulf states. The sales have been expected, and some details leaked out this year.
The sale would include advanced weaponry and air systems that would greatly enhance the striking ability of Saudi warplanes.
Israeli leaders have worked to block the deal, which requires congressional approval. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently told the Israelis that moderate Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia would be able to get the weapons elsewhere, including from Russia.
Word of the administration pending arms and aid initiatives comes as a New York Times article published Friday claiming that White House officials are angry about Saudi Arabia giving financial support to Sunni groups, including opponents of Iraq Prime Miniter Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, and that the country has been serving as a conduit for Saudis and other foreign fighters to enter Iraq to aid the insurgency.
Asked to comment on the article, State Department spokesperson Scott McCormack said, "We're confident that the Saudi Government is actively engaged on the issue of trying to cut off the flows of illicit funds to illicit groups that are seeking to destabilize Iraq. They are also on the case of doing what they can to stop the flow of young men going from Saudi Arabia into Iraq via Syria, who are bent on blowing themselves up or blowing up others.
"You're never going to completely be able to cut off that flow, despite the best efforts of the government," McCormack said. "There are some historical tensions within the region. The fact is that they need to be overcome if you're going to realize a different kind of Middle East."
The comprehensive regional aid-and-weapons package is meant to compensate Israel for the U.S. sale of weapons to potential enemies, but the Arab arms sales nonetheless are certain to draw opposition from pro-Israeli organizations and human rights organizations.
A senior defense official said Friday the sale to Saudi Arabia and other moderate Gulf states will be on the table when Rice and Gates visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia next week.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details have not been made public, said there are a number of pending arms sales to countries in the region leaders hope to complete in coming months.
The official said the weapons sale is critical for the Gulf region "to deal with what has been a changing strategic threat from Iran and other forces."
But Gohel told CBS News that the sale to Saudi Arabia is of particular concern because "we're dealing with a country which at the moment is very unstable.
"We talk about not wanting to deal with state-sponsors of terrorism like North Korea, Syria and Iran, but what difference is Saudi Arabia when they are allowing their citizens to go to Iraq, many of whom are killing U.S. soldiers?" he said.
"[Our] biggest problem since 9/11 is that we turn to countries to provide us with the solution, countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, whereas in fact they were behind the problem in the first place."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 226 CommentsPosted by singinrick at 03:11 PM : Jul 29, 2007
singinrick,
look what the last oxfam (UnitedNations based)says about Iraqis... it's heartbreaking.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/30/africa/30iraq.php
'One survey cited in the report, completed in May by the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, found that 43 percent of Iraqis live in "absolute poverty," on less than $1 a day.'
-All you need now is you go and preach them love and sacrifice on the cross. Iraq is a fertile land for such conversions, now. It's your undreamt of opportunity, my son.
Your last post is right on, as usual.
It is yet one more example of how Capitalism and the free-market economy is NOT the Valhalla of economic systems that most people in this country think it is (espeically the Neo-Cons).
As the defense contractors have demonstrated, they have done everything to prevent anyone (especially the government) from getting in the way of their unlimited profit potential!
Neither mass bloodshed, nor total collapse of regional or world peace has swayed the decisions made by the defense contractors of America (and other countries).
What good is the 2nd Amendment when most Americans neither have the will or the brains to use what we have in order to take back our government!
Posted by j-whitman at 03:42 PM : Jul 29, 2007
Amen.
Great link thank you.
here's the correct one:
www.zeitgeistmovie.com
Posted by j-whitman at 04:05 PM : Jul 29, 2007
.........
I invite all of you to watch the online movie:
Zeitgeist
(www.zeitgeistthemovie.com)
Fast forward through the first 9 minutes, as that is all visual fluff, but the first 40 minutes talks about religion, and Christianity, and it's one helluva eye opener!
j
Nobody can argue with you about that. Current situation is the evidence of what you are saying. Again, I think Cheney is not a christian either. He worships money and he can do anything for making money. He is an old Cardiac patient. I don't know what he is going to do with that much money. No money is enough money for a guy like cheney.
Posted by j-whitman at 03:53 PM : Jul 29, 2007
It's now even worse, when they think any body who opposes an incompetent liar in the white house is evil, since he is on a mission of god.
Bush might be on a mission of god but I am sure about Cheney that he is not interested in anything else making as much money as possible, from the US tax payers and to avoid paying tax by moving his Company head office in a Tax free country, which is number 1 country in the world when it comes to money laundering for terrorism.
Posted by j-whitman at 03:42 PM : Jul 29, 2007
j
they are not mentally capable of reasoning. Now they are selling weapons to Saudi Arabia from where 15 out of 19 hijackers came to United States to attack us on 9/11. They are also giving an Iranian-based Islamic Radical "MALIKI", US tax dollars in the name of REBUILDING IRAQ and US weapons in the name of ARMING IRAQI SECURITY FORCES, which he is using to kill our finest men and women in Uniform.
They support CHENEY in moving HALLIBURTON head office and CEO to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (a country whose Royal family members were having lunch with OSAMA BEEN-FORGOTTEN when Sir Bill Clinton tried to execute him).
You yourself always prove from your own points that your bible is full of contradiction.
If Israelites were ordered to war it was ok but if muslims fight war using their religious book, then it's wrong. It clearly shows that Bible and koran are same when it comes to killing and violation of human rights. You are again proving my point that radical islam is nothing but an extreme form of christianity.
Posted by singinrick at 03:11 PM : Jul 29, 2007
I don't care what your Bible tell you as long as you keep your Bible to your own self and don't bring into US politics. Your religion and your bible is your personal business. I do have a problem when I see American Money, American lives and America used for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN LAND. You can't fool Americans forever in the name of BIBLE, GOD, CHRISTIANITY and JESUS. This is 21st century.
you said
"You share the same views as radical Islam which is why you post the same exact things on these boards every single day trying to win over the gullible to your side".
I think exactly the same about you. You share the same views as radical islam. You oppose HOMOSEXUALs' right of marriage just like RADICAL ISLAM, you oppose WOMEN's right to choose ABORTION just like radical islam, etc.
singinrick, I am a lot more dangerous for you then radical islam. They are your brothers who can kill people but can't come up with valid and undeniable reasons to prove their points. When you'll be confronted by my brothers and sisters from Universities of Colorado, Illinois, Burkley, Wisconsin, etc and my Holly wood brothers and sisters, you will forget radical islam.
If Europeans were not brought into Palestine after WWII to occupy the land of those Palestinians by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER, because BIBLE said so, Alqaeda would not get enought recruits to fly panes into buildings becasue Koran says so.
Arabs favor us by giving us their OIL in cheaper prices and the enemeis of United States in return support and protect their those enemies who were brought into Palestine after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the actions of HITLER, on the cost of AMERICAN MONEY, AMERICAN LIVES and USA herself, because AMERICANS are GOD-NEGLECTED and NON-AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS in PALESTINE are GOD-CHOSEN, because USA is an UNHOLY LAND and NON-AMERICAN LAND "OCCUPIED PALESTINE" is a HOLY LAND.
Do you think that all Jewish men take the Talmud seriously and think nothing of having intercourse with a three year old? No, of course not.
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