From correspondents in Washington

July 28, 2007 03:30pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

THE US plans a series of arms deals worth at least $US20 billion ($23
billion) with Saudi Arabia and five other oil-rich Persian Gulf states,
it was reported today.

The plan also includes new 10-year military aid packages to Israel and
Egypt, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US officials.

The deals are aimed at shoring up US allies in the Middle East and
countering "a more aggressive Iran", as one administration official put it.

The arms deals, which include the sales of a variety of sophisticated
weaponry, would be the largest negotiated by this administration,
according to the Post.

The military assistance agreements would provide $US30bn in new US aid
to Israel and $US13bn to Egypt over 10 years, the paper said.

Officials said the arms sales to Saudi Arabia were expected to include
air-to-air missiles as well as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which turn
standard bombs into "smart" precision-guided bombs, the report said.

They said the common goal of the military aid packages and arms sales is
to strengthen pro-Western countries against Iran at a time when the
hard-line regime seeks to extend its power in the region, the paper said.

"This is a big development, because it's part of a larger regional
strategy and the maintenance of a strong US presence in the region," the
Post quoted a senior administration official as saying.

"We're paying attention to the needs of our allies and what everyone in
the region believes is a flexing of muscles by a more aggressive Iran,"
the official said.

"One way to deal with that is to make our allies and friends strong."

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