WASHINGTON, July 28 The Bush administration plans to ask Congress to approve arms sales to Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that may eventually total $20 billion.
The proposed arms deal includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to Saudi fighters and new naval vessels, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The proposal has caused some anxiety for Israel and some of its supporters in Congress, the newspaper said. However, senior administration officials said they believed those concerns had been resolved -- in some measure through a promise of $30.4 billion in military aid to Israel during the next 10 years.
Administration officials said they were concerned that the size of the Saudi deal -- and the inclusion of advanced weaponry in the transaction -- could combine with general concern about Saudi Arabia's role in Iraq to generate opposition in Congress to the deal.
The proposal will be formally presented to Congress this fall, the Times said.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
