AP Catch of the Week: Upcoming $20 Billion Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
Posted Sep 19, 2007 2 comments
Looming $20B Arms Sale Raises Concerns
Sep 18th, 2007 | WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's proposed multibillion-dollar weapons sale to Saudi Arabia brought new allegations on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the monarchy has been lax in countering terrorism.
The kind of weapons that the Saudis would purchase and other details, including any U.S. conditions on how they might be used, have not been disclosed yet by the administration.
The sale is part of a broader effort to strengthen U.S. friends in the region, with Israel and Egypt due to receive major boosts in military aid. One goal is to counter Iran's hard-line policies, including suspicions it is building nuclear weapons.
Keynoting the skepticism at a hearing, Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said the Bush administration has been unable to persuade Saudi rulers to stop the flow of fighters to Iraq and to attend a proposed regional meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Then why," he asked, "should we believe that they see the war on terror as we do, and why sell them those weapons?"
"In the end," he said, "selling them arms won't guarantee their cooperation, much less their love."
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was more blunt in his criticism of the Saudis.
He said the United States had permitted the Saudis to "get off the hook" on failure to counter terrorism. "They have to prove they are not in a secret coalition with terrorists" to harm Americans, Rohrabacher said.
....
The other witness at the hearing, Lee S. Wolosky, a Washington lawyer who was on the staff of the National Security Council in the Clinton and Bush administrations, said Saudi-based individuals have provided support in recent years to Sunni extremists in Iraq. He also quoted the 9-11 commission's conclusion that Saudi Arabia has been a "problematic ally" in the fight against Islamic extremism.
Spread the Research:
Filed in: News
Next entry: Ludwig von Mises Has Good Advice for Young Activists
Previous Entry: New World Economics: Simulations Controlling Reality in 2007
Comments
Sorry, but the comments for this entry have expired.
-
-
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.1. saudimedic on Sep 19, 2007 at 12:37 PM permalink
In the new book out by an American Paramedic who worked on the medical staff of King Abdullah, He wrote of secret visits by Bush Sr. To Saudi. The book “Paramedic to the Prince” gives a rare insight into Saudi culture and society. Given a five star rating this book is a must read for anyone interested in Middle East politics.
2. Alcoholic 007 on Sep 24, 2007 at 8:48 AM permalink
"They have to prove they are not in a secret coalition with terrorists”
Kind of like Iran is Guilty Until Proven Innocent?
I fucking hate this US bullshit.. the administration says that they value freedom so much, but then they go and call out some country with no evidence, bomb the hell out of them, find no WMD’s, then turn their target on the next closest state of Iran.
Seriously.. what the fuck?
You hear/read the news?
Presidential candidates are claiming that “Iran is the biggest terrorist state and supported of terrorist operations.”
WHAT A LOAD OF HORSE SHIT!!!!!
*sigh*
I suppose all we can do is think positive and project positivity.. either that or we all need to get plane tickets to Iran and support them in their own land, with tourism… but I don’t see that happening!
:-(
Hope and think for the best!
Positivity!