By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated
Press Writers
January 15, 2008
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block
U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided
bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some
members that the systems could be used against Israel.
The Bush administration on Monday notified Congress of its
intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar
arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf.
Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
does not intend to consider a resolution of disapproval, said
spokeswoman Lynne Weil. Otherwise, Lantos declined to comment.
The arms deal creates a dilemma for lawmakers, especially
for Democrats eager to challenge President Bush's handling
of foreign policy. At the same time, they see Saudi Arabia's
cooperation as crucial to the war on terror and in deterring
aggression from Iran.
"We need to be convinced that the sale makes sense militarily
and ensure that it in no way harms our security or those of
our allies," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We must also
make certain that the administration does not just try to use
a few arms sales to substitute for the comprehensive, coherent
strategy we need for the region."
Timed to coincide with Bush's trip to Saudi Arabia, the notification
opens a 30-day window during which lawmakers can object to
the sale, which envisions the transfer of 900 Joint Direct
Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, to the Saudis, the State Department
said.
The proposed deal follows notification on five other packages
to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and brings
to $11.5 billion the amount of advanced U.S. weaponry, including
Patriot missiles, provided to friendly Arab nations under the
Gulf Security Dialogue, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
Administration officials say the total amount of sales as
part of the dialogue is estimated at $20 billion, but they
also have cautioned that the figure is subject to what equipment
the receiving countries actually purchase.
The sale is a key element in the U.S. strategy to bolster
the defenses of its Arab allies in Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing
majority Sunni Muslim Gulf nations against threats from Shiite
Iran.
A principal aim of Bush's Mideast visit is to convince the
Saudi leadership as well as those in Kuwait, Bahrain and the
United Arab Emirates that he remains committed to preventing
Iran from destabilizing the region, despite U.S. intelligence
findings that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons development
in 2003.
Congress has already been briefed on the entire Gulf Security
Dialogue arms package, which includes the sale of the Navy's
Littoral Combat system as well as the JDAMs kits. During these
meetings, the administration assured lawmakers that there would
be proper restrictions on the JDAMs sale to ensure that the
weapon would not pose a threat to Israel.
"We've spent a lot of time ensuring that we abide by
our commitments to a qualitative military edge for Israel," McCormack
said. "We are committed to maintaining that qualitative
military edge for Israel."
Members who still oppose it say they are concerned it would
give Saudi Arabia a technical edge that could be used to attack
Israel.
Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner of New York and Robert Wexler
of Florida said they will push for a resolution condemning
the sale. Their resolution already has some three dozen co-sponsors.
"It's mind-bogglingly bad policy because the Saudis at
every turn have been uncooperative" regarding U.S. interests
in the Middle East, Weiner said in a statement on Monday.
At least one Republican, who previously registered his concerns
with the deal, said he wasn't ready to support the deal just
yet.
"The administration must guarantee to Congress' satisfaction
that selling JDAMs to Saudi Arabia will not harm U.S. forces
or our democratic ally Israel," said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. "At
this time, I do not have enough information to support the
sale."
Still, senior congressional aides said it was considered unlikely
that the required two-thirds majority in Congress could be
found to stop the sale.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
said the Israeli government would not comment on the arms deal.
Previously, Israel has indicated it does not oppose the deal
and Washington plans to counterbalance the sales to Arab nations
with $30 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state
a more than 25 percent increase over the next 10 years.
Notifications to Congress of specific transactions are made
in "piecemeal" fashion, McCormack said. He added
that the 30-day deadline for lawmakers to raise opposition
to the previous five sales had passed.
The five earlier agreements included two sales to the United
Arab Emirates for a Patriot missile system and support for
an airborne early warning system; one to Kuwait for Patriot
missile system upgrades and two to Saudi Arabia for "targeting
pods" and upgrades to AWACs airborne warning and control
aircraft.
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