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Tuesday, November 16, 2010     FOLLOW UPDATES ON TWITTER

Letter from Congress questions strategy, rationale for Saudi arms deal

WASHINGTON — The decision by President Barack Obama to sell $60 billion worth of fighter-jets and helicopters to Saudi Arabia has encountered significant and growing opposition in Congress.

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Nearly 200 House and Senate members from both parties have signed a letter that questions the unprecedented Saudi weapons deal. The letter, organized by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman and ranking Republican, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, had garnered 198 signatures when it was sent to the White House on Nov. 12.

"We are writing to raise concerns and pose a number of strategic questions about the impact such sales would have on the national security interests of the United States and our allies," the letter to Obama read.


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[The administration has also been drafting another request for a huge naval deal with Riyad. Congressional sources said Saudi Arabia has sought $30 billion worth of naval platforms, weapons and subsystems from the United States, Middle East Newsline reported.]

The congressional letter, signed by both Democrats and Republicans, demanded information on Saudi military requirements, ability to absorb combat platforms, regime stability and whether Israel could eventually be threatened by the advanced F-15s and Apache attack helicopters. The letter also questioned Saudi policy and whether it was helping U.S. interests.

The administration was said to have been surprised by the congressional response to the Berman-Ros-Lehtinen letter. Officials, citing lack of Israeli opposition, had predicted that congressional interest in the Saudi deal would wane after the November elections, in which the Republicans won the House.

"But we feel comfortable that we have done adequate pre-consultations members of Congress that there will not be a barrier to completing this sale," Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro said on Oct. 20.

The letter does not openly oppose the U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia. But congressional sources said formal objections could be raised within the House and Senate that would delay the deal.

"First, Congress needs a serious discussion with the administration that would justify this and other major sales planned for Saudi Arabia," a Republican congressional aide said.



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