U.S. Set to Offer Huge Arms Deal to Saudi Arabia

[cal04]

Source: NYTimes

The Bush administration is preparing to ask Congress to approve an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that is expected to total $20 billion over the next decade at a time when some United States officials contend that the Saudis are playing a counterproductive role in Iraq.

The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.

But administration officials remained concerned that the size of the package and the advanced weaponry it contains, as well as broader concerns about Saudi Arabia’s role in Iraq, could prompt Saudi critics in Congress to oppose the package when Congress is formally notified about the deal this fall. In talks about the package, the administration has not sought specific assurances from Saudi Arabia that it would be more supportive of the American effort in Iraq as a condition of receiving the arms package, the officials said.

The officials said the plan to bolster the militaries of Persian Gulf countries is part of an American strategy to contain the growing power of Iran in the region and to demonstrate that, no matter what happens in Iraq, Washington remains committed to its longtime Arab allies in the region. Officials from the State Department and the Pentagon agreed to outline the terms of the deal after some details emerged from closed briefings this week on Capitol Hill.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/washington/28weapons.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1185586400-js90h9MbgtWictoY57d9iQ

[musette_sf]

1. but but but but

i thought we were "angry" with them!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2931325&mesg_id=2931895

more Junior High Romance as Diplomacy :mad:

[Eugene]

6. Of course they're angry. The Saudis make BushCo look bad.

The Bush administration is never unhappy enough
to stop business as usual.

[Historic NY]

2. Oh great how many 911 hijackers were.......

Saudis. These weapons only prop up the corrupt Saudi Royal family that numbers about 10k. People of priviledge to have weapons to oppress their subjects or perhaps to have more 911's.

[sakabatou]

3. Aren't we not supposed to deal w-

Oh right, oil and guns :puke:

[mzmolly]

26. About 98% of them.

Bush supporter of terrorism. I may have to watch F911 again just for a refresher. :puke:

[ohio2007]

29. to bad the world needs that Saudi oil tap full open

It would have been worth a world depression to hit the outhouse of Saud.

[superkia]

33. I just watched it again last week

and the forced my mother to watch it. She always gives me the your crazy line when I talk to her about our governments plans but after seeing just that film, she has really opened her eyes. Shes always believed the government was for the wealthy but she never looked any further. I wanted her to watch Aaron Russo's film but she said it would just upset her?

[Amonester]

4. Fuzzy math (the bu$che's accounting method: in the Red...)

Let's see...

Sale to Saudi Arabia (mostly, of sh*t to murder innocent human beings) = $20,000,000,000.00 = income (for war-profiteers)
Subsidy to Israel (mostly, of sh*t to counter-murder innocent... hb's) = $30,400,000,000.00 = expense (for the taxpayers)

Net loss: $10,400,000,000.00 (the bu$che accounting method...) :mad:

And yes... that's BILLIONS.

How about a "free" Universal Healthcare program? Losses would amount to a lot less... :grr:

[liberal N proud]

5. Setting up the next terrorist attack on US Soil?

Put weapons in the very country where a majority of the 9/11 hijackers were from?
:wtf:

[ohio2007]

31. but there is no al Queda so selling arms to them is a moot point.

[liberal N proud]

32. Except when they need a media diversion

Then a little bit of al Qeada can be used to instill fear in those who still will believe them.

[leftupnorth]

7. U.S. Set to Offer Huge Arms Deal to Saudi Arabia

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 27 — The Bush administration is preparing to ask Congress to approve an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that is expected to total $20 billion over the next decade at a time when some United States officials contend that the Saudis are playing a counterproductive role in Iraq.

The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.

But administration officials remained concerned that the size of the package and the advanced weaponry it contains, as well as broader concerns about Saudi Arabia’s role in Iraq, could prompt Saudi critics in Congress to oppose the package when Congress is formally notified about the deal this fall. In talks about the package, the administration has not sought specific assurances from Saudi Arabia that it would be more supportive of the American effort in Iraq as a condition of receiving the arms package, the officials said.

The officials said the plan to bolster the militaries of Persian Gulf countries is part of an American strategy to contain the growing power of Iran in the region and to demonstrate that, no matter what happens in Iraq, Washington remains committed to its longtime Arab allies in the region. Officials from the State Department and the Pentagon agreed to outline the terms of the deal after some details emerged from closed briefings this week on Capitol Hill.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/washington/28weapons.html?hp

---

Friday Night News Dump.

[whistle]

8. BushCo is arming Israel and the Saudis...why not give Iran weapons also

...so they can all slaughter one another before the 2008 election?

[ohio2007]

27. Iran buys at wholesale

Iran buys 250 long-distance Sukhoi fighter-bombers, 20 fuel tankers, from Russia



snip
Some of the plane’s systems are products of the French Thales Airborne Systems company. Moscow’s contract with Tehran for the sale of the Su-30MKM must therefore be cleared with Paris.


snip

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=4449
Iran has many merchants of death knocking at their door

[AntiFascist]

38. Saudi Arabia may align with Iran --- no shit!

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/070515/2007051502.html

Saudi - Iran ties to foil enemy plots: Rafsanjani
Saudi Arabia-Iran, Politics, 5/15/2007

Regular consultations between Iran and Saudi Arabia would prevent enemies of Islam from achieving their goals particularly on creating discord among Shiite and Sunni Muslims, Iran's Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said yesterday.


Rafsanjani made the remark in a telephone conversation with Saudi King Abdullah. The two sides exchanged views on ongoing developments in the region particularly the latest situation in Iraq.

They discussed problems of the Islamic world and expressed hope that cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia would lead to settlement of such issues.

Rafsanjani said cooperation among officials of the Islamic world would resolve problems in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine.

King Abdullah said Iran has established a consolidated bond among Islamic nations and governments through its wisdom and farsightedness.

[Captain Hilts]

9. As a reward for Sept. 11th or for arming Sunni militias in Iraq? nt

[Drum]

14. Yeah really!! nt

[tabasco]

10. Selling weapons to our enemies.

Just like Reagan.

[noel adamson]

11. And Prescott Bush and all of them going way back....

...because these fascists devils ARE our enemies. Sorry for the large graphic...i tried to just post a link to it but the image displayed instead...



Vesting order 248] relieving Bush and his American and German Nazi partners of their Union Banking which was used to arm Hitler almost a year after Pearl Harbor was attacked.

[legin]

17. thanks !

I think possibly the really interesting director is E. Roland Harriman, brother of W. Averell Harriman who was US Ambassador to britain at the time of this windup order.

This 3,991 shares owned by this one guy and sort of 1 each owned by the rest is interesting...

One could ask the question, perhaps, that this was a just a u.s. government front company.

[legin]

18. The u.s./british funding/aiding of total arseholes

e.g. Saddam Hussein, Marcos etc. etc. etc. may go back further in history.

[noel adamson]

24. It goes way back legin

One of the most often quoted sources on this is Major General Smedley Butler;

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.

[noel adamson]

23. it may be more accurate to say that maybe the U.S. government is a front...

...for these companies.

[donkeyotay]

37. "American Dynasty" by Kevin Phillips

goes into a fairly detailed history of the bush family and the Harrimans. Originally it was W.A. Harriman and Company, then it was Brown Brothers Harriman, which is the Brown in Kellog, Brown and Root. War has been very good business for some people.

[ohio2007]

30. We are selling weapons to "the enemy of our enemy" but that doesn't change a

thing.
They are still our enemy.
?
Why do some people wish they would like us again ?

[entanglement]

12. The Saudis are a big buyer of arms - their MIL budget is the 8th or 9th largest in the world

and probably one of the largest as a fraction of GDP.

[ohio2007]

28. those petro $ we give them have to flow in some direction

Europe and Russia get the lions share of that defense spending

[onewholaughsatfools]

13. we can't allow this

everyone should contact their congressmen, senator and whoever else that can stop this. we all are aware of Saudi Arabia being part of the ones who are killing our troops

[Indenturedebtor]

15. Wow nice

Kill two birds with one stone... further destabilize the region and funnel our tax dollars to the military-industrial complex. Well at least this government is effective at something :(

[Vidar]

16. We'll bankroll terrorists in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan & Columbia any day.

[hatrack]

19. We gotta move these refrigerators, we gotta move these color tee-veeeeeeeeeeeeeeees . . .

Same shit, different day.

Saudi hijackers? What are you talking about?!?

[Gregorian]

25. They have a war on drugs, but they hand out weapons.

Until Americans wake up and demand common sense, this shit won't stop. And it's all funded by tax dollars. I don't think people realize it. They donate a quarter of every day they work to this crap.

[onehandle]

20. U.S. to ARM country that FINANCED and MANNED 9/11!

Setting up U.S. arms makers to profit over many future wars.

[Doctor_J]

21. Yup, that's them

It's nice to have friends in high places

[SpikeTss]

22. And next Bush will lift the sanctions against our enemy Libya ... OH WAIT!

He already did not just that, but also allow these brutal madmen over there
to build a nuclear reactor. :scared:

[HootieMcBoob]

34. Horrible Idea

I hope this doesn't happen. When will they ever learn that the reason they want to blow us up is because we support dictators in places like Saudi Arabia.

[David__77]

35. Best wishes for the fall of the house of Saud.

The US will prop it up till the bitter end.

[Triana]

36. 16 of the 18 9-11 hijaackers were from Saudi, no?

To add to the question of why the binLaden family were flown back to Saudi after 9-11 when all other flights were grounded (to 'protect' them), why again, now, the cozy relationship with the Sauds? Well. Duh.