BushCo's Arms Deal with Saudi Arabia -- How is this NOT about an arms race in the M.E.?

Saudis’ Role in Iraq Frustrates U.S. Officials

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Now, Bush administration officials are voicing increasing anger at what they say has been Saudi Arabia’s counterproductive role in the Iraq war.They say that beyond regarding Mr. Maliki as an Iranian agent, the Saudis have offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq. Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/world/middleeast/27saudi.html

US plays down reported tension with Saudis ahead of arms talks

While not addressing the Times report specifically, White House spokesperson Dana Perino insisted Friday that Washington and Riyadh are working closely on security issues.

"We have very strong relations on counter-terrorism measures," Perino said.

"We have worked very closely with Saudi Arabia."

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Brookings Institution expert Daniel Benjamin told AFP that Riyadh was preparing for the possibility of Iran-backed Shiite Muslims taking full control of Iraq, where they are the majority.

"There have been plenty of reports of the Saudis buying up (Sunni) tribes in Iraq as a hedge against Shiite hegemony and against Iran specifically," Benjamin said.

"It certainly doesn't help the (US) administration at all if one of its closest allies in the region is fueling instability," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070727/wl_afp/usiraqsaudimideast_070727220623;_ylt=AnDuJPeUx3Ao7zuboR8iLnuQOrgF

U.S. Plans New Arms Sales to Gulf Allies
$20 Billion Deal Includes Weapons For Saudi Arabia

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 28, 2007; Page A01

The Bush administration will announce next week a series of arms deals worth at least $20 billion to Saudi Arabia and five other oil-rich Persian Gulf states as well as new 10-year military aid packages to Israel and Egypt, a move to shore up allies in the Middle East and counter Iran's rising influence, U.S. officials said yesterday.

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U.S. officials said the arms sales to Saudi Arabia are expected to include air-to-air missiles as well as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn standard bombs into "smart" precision-guided bombs. Most, but not all, of the arms sales to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman -- will be defensive, the officials said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072702454.html?hpid=topnews

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

By DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: July 28, 2007

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 eventually total $20 billion 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.

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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.

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Worried about the impression that the United States was starting an arms race in the region, State and Defense Department officials stressed that the arms deal was being proposed largely in response to improvements in Iran’s military capabilities and to counter the threat posed by its nuclear program, which the Bush administration contends is aimed at building nuclear weapons.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/washington/28weapons.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1185625926-OPH31omZirKEgu2CasMWMA