Pentagon OKs $6 bln in arms sales to Saudi Arabia

[cal04]

The Bush administration said on Thursday it approved the sale to Saudi Arabia of 24 UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, radios, armoured vehicles and other military equipment worth more than $6 billion (3.25 billion pounds).

Congress has 30 days to block the sales, although such action is rare.

The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said the principal contractors for the different sales included Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp., General Electric Co., Harris Corp., ITT Corp., General Dynamics Corp., and Raytheon Corp..

The agency said in a mandatory notice to Congress that the arms sales would help strengthen Saudi Arabia's military and its ability to help the United States fight terrorism around the world. The deal comes amid escalating fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1059092006

[Selatius]

1. Saudi Arabia is worried about its own people rising up in revolution

The House of Saud knows its reputation of being a lap-dog to the US, and it knows its own brutal policies with respect to its own population. They are afraid of their own people.

[magellan]

2. So we're going to sell them weapons so they don't have to be afraid

Bloody brilliant. You gotta love the Repug mindset: I don't give a fuck what you think, I've got GUNS AND BOMBS.

[lapfog_1]

3. They are also very much afraid of a new Persian empire

with Iran, Iraq, and now Lebanon becoming militant Shi'a.

Don't be surprised if the Saudi's, at some time in the future, finally reply favorably to the offer from Bin Laden... namely that his fighters would come and defend the Holy Land (in this case Mecca) from the invaders (in this case, the Shi'a).

But only if Bin Laden signs a peace accord with the House of Saud first.

[leesa]

4. Stirring the pot. It's all good fer bidness! Our entire economy depends

on permanent war. We will need LOTS of AlQaedas and lots of Hezbollahs and so on and so forth. Thank goodness we know how to create them so easily. Booga. Booga.

[TahitiNut]

5. Exactly! War is good for business -

... and those who profiteer from human misery and death.