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The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has signaled its intent to consider a rash of foreign military sales to Egypt, including the transfer of anti-tank missiles. The government of Egypt has also requested anti-ship missiles, engine upgrades for its fleet of F-16 jet fighters and Fast Missile Crafts worth an estimated $1.18 billion. The proposed sale is expected to "contribute to the foreign police and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the...

The Obama administration is moving toward possible new arms sales to Taiwan, including design work on diesel-electric submarines, a U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Wednesday. China strongly opposes arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a renegade province, as interference in its domestic affairs. New submarines could help challenge any Chinese seaborne assault on the self-governing island, which Beijing reserves the right to take by force. Also progressing toward notification to the U.S. Congress is the sale to Taiwan of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, said Robert Kovac, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for defense trade. In...

Phuket 'Scene of FBI, North Korean Arms Dealings' By Alan Morison Monday, August 24, 2009 SOME remarkable meetings take place on Phuket, and we are not talking Asean summits, even though it was good for the island to have US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drop by in July. This particular meeting, reported for the first time today, is a different kind of gathering, more reminiscent of the one involving a Vietnamese lawyer who now stands accused of plotting to overthrow his country's leaders after meeting other alleged ''conspirators'' on Phuket. Let's call it the Uncle Sam Sham Scam. This...

Libya’s sudden decision to end its years in the international wilderness and embrace the West has abruptly transformed one of the world’s most isolated countries. Iason Athanasiadis reports from a nation in flux There is something of the pasha in Khalifa Mahdaoui, a descendant of one of Libya’s most influential tribes. It is not just the red fez perched on his head as he ambles in his suit and tie from his ground-floor office to the trellised porch outside, lights a menthol cigarette and takes a sip from the dainty cup of Turkish coffee delivered by an aide.The impression is...

"U.S. Defense Department official said Georgia was not ready for weapons acquisition, the issue pushed by President Saakashvili before the Vice President Biden’s visit to Tbilisi. Celeste A. Wallander, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, however, also told a congressional panel on July 28, that the issue was “not off the table” in the future. She made the remarks at the hearing of U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe after she was asked to comment about President Saakashvili’s statement made in an interview with The Washington Post asking the U.S. to provide Georgia with defensive...

North Korea earns over US$2 billion annually in arms deals with Iran, according to Larry Niksch, a specialist in Asian affairs with the U.S. Congressional Research Service. Niksch made the claim at a conference ["Engaging China to Solve the North Korea Problem"] Tuesday hosted by the Cato Institute in Washington on China's role in North Korean affairs. He called on China to block flights between Pyongyang and Tehran in addition to financial sanctions against the Stalinist country. Scientists and engineers as well as missiles, missile parts and technical drawings for missiles are being transferred by air between the North and...

The creeping reach of Chinese arms SINGAPORE, June 13 — Is China returning as a major player in the international arms market? According to data released by the United States Congressional Research Service, Beijing signed arms exports agreements worth US$3.8 billion (RM13.3 billion) in 2007 – its highest sales figures in more than a decade. In recent years, Chinese overseas arms sales have averaged more than US$2 billion a year, considerably higher than during the 1990s, when Beijing averaged less than US$1 billion a year in arms exports. In fact, China has not enjoyed sales this strong since the late...

TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Japanese government decided Saturday to relax its rules on arms exports to allow more joint development and production of weapons with other nations and enable shipments to countries with which Japan co-develops arms. The move is aimed at reducing procurement costs and stimulating the domestic defense industry by promoting joint development and production of key arms, such as next-generation fighter jets, with the U.S. and Europe. Japan currently bans almost all weapons exports. Exceptions include those for the missile defense system being jointly developed with the U.S. In 1967, then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato introduced a policy prohibiting...

Senior Israeli military circles are staggered by the discovery that US president Barack Obama had approved a large Turkish arms sale to the Lebanese army, including the services of Turkish military instructors. This was taken as further proof that the US president is deaf to Israel's immediate security concerns. Lebanese president Gen. Michel Suleiman has more than once threatened neighboring Israel. When he signed the arms deal in Ankara Tuesday, April 21, he once again pledged publicly to place the Lebanese army at the disposal of the Shiite terrorist Hizballah in any confrontation with Israel. If that happened, said one...

MOSCOW (AFP)--Russia's foreign ministry Thursday condemned media "attacks" on arms dealer Viktor Bout, saying the case was straining U.S.-Russian ties. Bout, who is fighting extradition from Thailand to the U.S. on charges he trafficked weapons to conflict zones, has been prejudged by a series of articles in the Thai and foreign media, said a ministry spokesman, Andrei Nesterenko. "In these articles our countryman, whose guilt hasn't been established in court, has already been proclaimed a criminal," Nesterenko told reporters. "We consider such attacks clearly provocative and leading to the goal of moving Bout's case from the legal to the political...

A United Nations Security Council committee confirmed on Tuesday that Iran violated U.N. sanctions by trying to send a ship with weapons to Syria..... including those than can pierce armor, and anti-tank explosives may have been destined for Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Hizbullah in Iran or Syrian-backed Iraqis.....

The Chinese rockets have a range of 40 kilometers. They are very similar to the 122 mm Soviet-made Katyusha that was used extensively by Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War and are slightly more sophisticated than an Iranian-made Grad-model Katyusha that is also in Hamas's arsenal.

HONG KONG, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The People's Republic of China is increasingly challenging Russia in the African arms trade, offering lower prices on weapons that, ironically, are often made in China with Russian technologies. Chinese products are less expensive than Russian and Western systems. They are similar to the Russian systems that many African countries are familiar with, and they are also easy to maintain and easy to use in training. Many countries in Africa are therefore switching allegiance to the People's Republic of China for their weapons purchases. A typical example is Sudan. At a 2007 military parade,...

(IsraelNN.com) Following a meeting last week between leading Lebanese legislator Sa'ad Hariri and Russian leaders, Hariri was quoted by Russian media this weekend as saying Russia will sell heavy weaponry to Lebanon. Previously, Hariri Hariri said that he hoped Russia would help Lebanon claim Mt. Dov from Israel. said that he hoped Russia would help Lebanon claim Mt. Dov from Israel. Russia is expecting Lebanon to recognize the independence of the breakaway Georgian districts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Hariri, the son of the assassinated popular former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, represents the Western-backed majority in the Lebanese parliament. Russia...

Russia defied the United States yesterday by announcing plans to sell military hardware to Iran and Venezuela. The head of the state arms exporter said that he was negotiating to sell antiaircraft systems to Iran despite American objections. Russia has already delivered 29 Tor-M1 missile systems under a $700 million (£386 million) deal with Iran in 2005. Russia's strategic aircraft, the Tu-160 or White Swan, world's largest supersonic bomber. A pair of them touched down in Venezuela this week as Moscow announced big new arms sales “Contacts between our countries are continuing and we do not see any reason to...

Foreign Affairs: Russia has disclosed that it will sell military hardware to Tehran that will protect Iran's nuclear facilities. The time left to halt the Iranian nuclear threat has thus grown that much shorter.Russia's state arms dealer also said Thursday that it will sell anti-aircraft systems, armored personnel carriers and fighter jets to Venezuela. That in itself is worrisome. But the sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran is downright alarming. It's conceivable that, once in place, the system will be able to protect the regime's nuclear facilities from an airstrike. Should Iran then be able to continue...

While Russian arms sales are sliding, American weapons exports are surging. Russian expects to sell $6 billion worth of weapons this year. But Russia exported $8 billion worth of weapons last year, and there were hopes that sales might reach $10 billion this year. The sudden fall in Russian arms sales comes from problems with the two largest customers; China and India. Meanwhile, U.S. sales are currently about $32 billion a year. The United States and Russia have long been the largest exporters of weapons, accounting for about 70 percent of world sales over the last decade. Traditionally, the U.S....

MOSCOW [MENL] -- Russia has approved the sale of the S-300PMU2 air defense system to Iran. Russian government sources said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved the sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran in 2008. The sources said the two countries have concluded delivery and other arrangements for the export of the air defense platform.

TEL AVIV — Israel has acknowledged the sale of unmanned aerial vehicles and other Israeli security support to Georgia which has prompted complaints and threats from Moscow. Officials said the Defense Ministry approved the sale of several tactical UAV systems to Georgia in 2007. They said Georgia has used the unidentified UAVs for border reconnaissance missions. Georgia has credited Israeli military assistance after claiming the destruction of at least 11 Russian combat aircraft and 50 main battle tanks. "Israel should be proud of its military, which trained Georgian soldiers," Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobshvili told Israel Army radio on Aug...

A mysterious explosion in a suburb of Teheran that killed 15 people last Saturday was likely an attack on a Iranian military convoy carrying arms to Hizbullah, the Telegraph reported Friday. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards imposed a news black-out immediately after the blast, but the UK newspaper reported that it looked like sabotage was responsible for destroying the convoy as it traveled through Khavarshahar. The newspaper noted that the company responsible for moving the military equipment, LTK, was owned by the Revolutionary Guards and was allegedly involved in shipping arms to Hizbullah. Last Saturday's incident was the latest in a...

A mysterious explosion in a suburb of Teheran that killed 15 people last Saturday was likely an attack on a Iranian military convoy carrying arms to Hizbullah, the Telegraph reported Friday. The Revolutionary Guards imposed a news black-out immediately after the blast, but the UK newspaper reported that it looked like sabotage was responsible for destroying the convoy as it traveled through Khavarshahar. The newspaper noted that the company responsible for moving the military equipment, LTK, was owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and was allegedly involved in shipping arms to Hizbullah. Last Saturday's incident was the latest in a...

London-based Daily Telegraph reports of mysterious blast in military convoy leaving Revolutionary Guards Base last weekend. At least 15 people killed in explosion, but Iranian authorities seeking to silence incident Was sabotage responsible for disrupting a shipment of arms from Iran to Hizbullah? The London-based Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday of a mysterious explosion which devastated an Iranian supply convoy intended to reach Hizbullah. According to the report, the strong blast took place in one of Tehran's suburbs as a military convoy left a Revolutionary Guards' ammunition storehouse. At least 15 people were killed in the explosion. Western sources reported...

For an organisation that prides itself on being a well-run administrative machine, the leadership of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards is having a rather testing time. It’s not just last Saturday’s mysterious explosion in a suburb of Tehran that killed 15 people that is causing the leadership sleepless nights, although the nationwide news black-out imposed immediately afterwards does suggest the Revolutionary Guards, the storm troops of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, are rattled. Details are only now starting to reach the outside world, and it looks increasingly like sabotage was responsible for devastating a military convoy as it travelled through Khavarshahar. The company responsible...

Russia has managed to sell Saudi Arabia $4 billion worth of weapons. Half of that is for 100 Mi-35 and Mi-17 helicopters. The Mi35 is the export version of the most recent Mi24. This is a twelve ton helicopter gunship that also has a cargo area that can hold up to eight people, or four stretchers. The Mi24 can carry rockets, missiles bombs and automatic cannon. It is used by over thirty countries, and has a pretty good reputation for reliability. The design is based on the earlier Mi-8 transport helicopter. Thus the Mi-17 is also a 12 ton helicopter,...

TAIPEI: Taiwan's new President, Ma Ying-jeou, wants to improve ties with the US and do arms deals to bolster the island's military capacity, he said in his inauguration address yesterday. Washington has long been Taiwan's main arms supplier, despite switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. "We will strengthen bilateral relations with the US, our foremost security ally and trading partner," Mr Ma said after swearing the oath of office. "On top of that, we will rationalise our defence budget and acquire the necessary weaponry to form a solid national defence force." Taiwan asked to buy 66 F-16...

Mugabe regime ordered 77 tonnes of Chinese arms three days AFTER disputed electionsBy IAN EVANS and WILLIAM LOWTHER - More by this author » Last updated at 21:33pm on 18th April 2008  A huge cargo of Chinese guns and ammunition sits marooned aboard a ship off South Africa. It would have been used to arm the tyrant Robert Mugabe's thugs in Zimbabwe. But dockers in South African port of Durban won't unload the 77 tons of mortars, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. Scroll down for more...Danger cargo: The ship is believed to be carrying 77 tonnes of...

BELGRADE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Serbia has reached a deal with Iraq to export weapons and military equipment worth 235 million U.S. dollars, Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said Monday. "We expect that the money will be deposited, and that we will show that despite challenges, the country is stable, and the Serbian military industry has the capacity to produce what has been agreed upon," Sutanovac told the official news agency Tanjug. Serbia's government collapsed on March 13 due to infighting between the ruling coalition over Kosovo and EU integration. Early parliamentary elections have been called for May 11. Sutanovac...

Iran is smuggling missiles to Hezbollah through Turkey, a senior idf official has said. Citing a source within the Israeli government, research department Brigadier General Yossi Beiditz told EU ambassadors in a briefing last week that Iran continues to ship arms and equipment to terrorists via planes traveling through Turkish airspace or overland in trucks disguised as Turkish cargo carriers. From Turkey, the missiles travel through Syria before being delivered to Hezbollah compounds in Lebanon. One clear example of this smuggling operation occurred in May 2007 when Turkish officials confiscated a train shipment of Iranian weapons, including 300 rockets, registered...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese sales of assault rifles and other small arms to its ally Sudan have grown rapidly during the Darfur conflict despite a U.N. arms embargo, a human rights group said on Thursday. Human Rights First, a U.S.-based nonprofit group, said a detailed study of Sudanese and U.N. trade data showed that China was virtually the sole supplier of small arms to Sudan, which pays for the weapons with its growing oil revenues. "The people of Sudan's Darfur region will endure more death, disease and dislocation, and this will be due in no small part to China's callousness,"...

US-India defence deal 'to counter China' By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi and Richard Spencer, China Correspondent Last Updated: 3:37am GMT 26/02/2008 America is attempting to forge a strategic alliance with India with a series of arms deals as the South Asian nation bolsters its defences against China. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, will arrive in New Delhi to strike a common position on Beijing with the Indian government. Indian army tank India has become one of the largest buyers of defence equipment His arrival comes as New Delhi decides whether the US firms Lockheed Martin and Boeing, or...

AUSTRALIA could be trusted with the United States' Lockheed F-22 Raptor fighter, US defence secretary Robert Gates says. Currently an Act of the US Congress bars any foreign sales of the Raptor. The aircraft is the US Air Force's most advanced fighter and its sale is prohibited to any foreign country, under a 1998 amendment to a budget bill moved by Wisconsin Democrat Congressman Dave Obey. Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said last week he would write to Congressman Obey to gauge his views on a change in the law. Last night, Mr Gates, who was in Canberra for the annual...

WASHINGTON — Hoping to block a $120 million sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia that goes through on Friday, Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and two other Republican lawmakers on Tuesday urged their colleagues to oppose President Bush’s plans. A resolution signed by 80 Democrats and 13 Republicans opposes the sale of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to Saudi Arabia. Rep. Wamp called it “a mistake” to be selling high-tech weapons to a country that consistently bankrolls terrorist organizations. “We have tried to buy friends with arms, but usually it doesn’t work, and they turn around and use them against us,”...

Last month, the president announced his intention to sell Saudi Arabia some of our most sophisticated weapons. This is a bad idea, and you should let your representative know it right away. The proposed $20 billion deal includes “satellite-guided weaponry” and “high-tech munitions,” including 900 JDAM bombs. The JDAM is arguably the smartest “smart bomb” in our arsenal. Its electronics can “guide the bomb to its target regardless of weather.” And, it is also resistant to the jamming of its GPS system. According to Reuters, the deal appears to be part of an “effort to persuade Saudi Arabia . ....

Boeing sees high Asia arms sales to offset U.S. Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:54am EST By Daryl Loo SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Boeing Co's (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) defense unit expects rising Asian military budgets to drive double-digit sales growth in the region and help offset flat U.S. defense spending, its chief Asia-Pacific salesman told Reuters on Thursday. Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), the Pentagon's No. 2 supplier behind Lockheed Martin (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research), sees revenue growth of up to 15 percent from Asia this year, as countries in the region lift their defense budgets to upgrade ageing equipment. "We believe...

French policies more conducive for smooth defence ties: Dassault Sandeep Dikshit “We are a country which sells military equipment without preconditions” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dassault is one of the six contenders for $10-billion IAF tender for fighter planes “Our market is for countries that want to be independent of the U.S.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW DELHI: Competing for one of the biggest contracts for fighter aircraft in recent times, aviation major Dassault has contended that the policies of the French government are more conducive than those of the U.S. for a smooth defence relationship. Dassault is one of the six contenders for the estimated...

New US Weapons Sale for Saudis By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY – 6 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — 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...

US president George W. Bush is to promise $20 billion in advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia as he travels through the Gulf states to garner support for further sanctions against Iran. Yet even that gesture will not be enough to convince moderate Arab states to shun Iran, in a sign of its growing status as a Muslim world superpower. The weapons deal, which is to include precision-guided missiles, first surfaced last autumn but was postponed over opposition in the US Congress. Now the Bush administration is to notify Congress on Monday of its intent to conclude the deal, as Mr...

Bush expedites Saudi smart bomb deal HERB KEINON and YAAKOV KATZ , THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 8, 2008 Amid Israeli security concerns and in an apparent effort by US President George W. Bush to go to Riyadh next week bearing gifts, the Bush administration has moved up by a day the date on which it will formally notify Congress of plans for a $20 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Although the administration had originally planned to inform Congress of the deal on January 15, it will now do so on January 14. Bush, according...

HONG KONG, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Is China preparing to export its J-10A fighter aircraft to Iran? Most likely, say military observers in Moscow and Tehran. The Russian Kommersant Daily reported that an Iranian aviation company agent had confirmed that China would export to Iran 24 J-10A fighters between 2008 and 2010 at a price of $1 billion. Allowing this information to surface at this time appears intended to embarrass, and warn, the United States. China is sending the message that it too can play the arms export game -- reminding the United States to think twice about its arms...

Putin meets top Saudi official as Russia eyes arms sale 17 hours ago MOSCOW (AFP) — Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz held talks here Friday with President Vladimir Putin expected to pave the way for the first purchase of Russian weapons by the kingdom, a close US ally. Greeting the crown prince at the Kremlin, Putin said discussions would address a range of an international issues, while the prince described Russia as a "friend", news agencies reported. Neither side made any public statement following the Kremlin talks. A Russian diplomat in Riyadh, speaking earlier this week, said he...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 – Recent weapons cache finds in Iraq indicate that the Iranian government is living up to its promise to Iraqi leaders to stem the flow of weapons across the border into Iraq, a senior U.S. general in Baghdad told reporters today. Army Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons, Multinational Corps Iraq’s deputy commander for support, said coalition troops and Iraqi security forces continue to find Iranian weapons in caches they uncover. “But most of these weapons appear to have been in Iraq for months,” he said. “So we have not seen any recent evidence that weapons continue...

Israel may sell Arrow and Ofek to Turkey By YAAKOV KATZ, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT ANKARA Israel and Turkey are holding high-level talks on a possible sale of the Arrow ballistic missile defense system and a model of the Ofek spy satellite to Turkey, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Turkish officials said senior Israeli defense delegations had recently met with their counterparts in Ankara for talks on the sale of the systems, two of Israel's most advanced military platforms. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to visit Ankara in January to continue the negotiations. On Sunday, President Shimon Peres arrived in...

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday said he plans to buy 5,000 Dragunov sniper rifles from Russia to protect the oil-rich nation from a possible U.S. invasion. The self-styled socialist revolutionary and open critic of Washington has bolstered the OPEC nation's weaponry by buying planes, helicopters and assault rifles from Russia to prepare for a guerrilla-style resistance to a foreign invader. "I'm going to buy 5,000 Dragunov rifles from Russia ... with telescopic sight, the best in the world, with infrared night-view," Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast held on a beach along Venezuela's eastern coast....

VIENNA, Austria - The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog criticized U.S. moves to assist in the supply of weapons to its allies in the Middle East, saying the money would be better spent on regional development projects. In an interview with the Austrian newsweekly Profil, to be published Monday, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said a U.S. strategy to support a weapons buildup in countries such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt was not helpful for improving security in the Middle East. "Pouring more money into arms is not going to resolve the...

The latest wrinkle in the long-running tale of US arms sales to Taiwan occurred last week when seven Taiwanese lawmakers from four different parties arrived in the United States on an 11-day visit to conduct a feasibility study for a submarine-procurement deal.

Congress wants an additional briefing on a proposed $20 billion U.S. arms package to Saudi Arabia. Leading House and Senate members have questioned the deal. Some of them have warned that advanced U.S. weaponry to Riyad could fall into the hands of Al Qaida or its supporters. Congressional sources said the House and Senate would be briefed by the administration after their return from summer recess. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Tom Lantos has asked for a briefing on the arms sale package in September. "Right now, the committees have a general idea of what the administration wants to...

Admiral Gorshkov contract in jeopardy over lack of funds - paper 14:18 | 01/ 08/ 2007 MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - The overhaul of a Russian-made aircraft carrier sold to India under a 2004 contract will be delayed indefinitely due to insufficient financing and poor management of the project, a Russian daily said Wednesday. The contract to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier to India, which state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport signed with the Indian Navy in January 2004, covers the modernization of the ship and equipping it with modern weaponry, including the MiG-29K Fulcrum aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and...

F-22s for Americans only: Congress denies sales to Japan, Israel The F-22 fighter jet. East-Asia-Intel.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON — Congress has blocked hopes by close U.S. allies to procure the U.S.-origin F-22 fighter-jet. The House Appropriations Committee has passed legislation that would ban the export of the F-22 to any foreign government. Officials said this would stymie plans by Israel and Japan to obtain the advanced fighter over the next three years, Middle East Newsline reported. "It would be a blow to any U.S. ally that has been negotiating with us for the F-22," an official said. Also In This Edition...

Bush Admin. won't sell Israel new stealth bomber ZOA: BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS WRONGTO SEEK $20 BILLION ARMS SALE TOJIHAD-SUPPORTING SAUDIS New York - The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has described as "deeply mistaken" plans announced by the Bush Administration to conclude a $20 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia on account of continuing Saudi support for Islamists waging jihad against Israel and the West, its lavishing of funds on Islamist institutions disseminating hatred of Jews and other non-Muslims and rewarding suicide bombers who murder Israelis . The arms package is expected to include Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) -...

A plan by the United States to give over $50 billion in arms to Middle Eastern nations has sparked intense opposition from top German officials. Germany's foreign ministry coordinator for German-American relations, Karsten Voigt, criticized U.S. plans to arm Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Israel. Adding more weapons into an area bristling with arms will not produce peace, he said... The U.S. plan is an attempt to shore up allies and maintain the balance of power in the region, according to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Arab countries would receive U.S. arms...