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US to ink 30 billion dollar arms deal with Israel
Washington (AFP) Aug 14, 2007 The United States will sign a pact this week providing 30 billion dollars in military aid to Israel over a decade, the State Department said Tuesday. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who will make a three-day visit to Israel from Wednesday, "will sign the memorandum of understanding on the new 30 billion dollar, 10-year military assistance package," the department said in a statement. The package was unveiled by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 30 as part of a new military pact with US allies in the Middle East in a bid to "counter the negative influences" of militant groups Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah as well as arch enemies Iran and Syria. They include a 20-billion-dollar weapons package for Saudi Arabia, a 13-billion-dollar package for Egypt, and reportedly arms deals worth at least 20 billion dollars for other Gulf states. The military aid to Israel reflected an increase of more than 25 percent, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said, describing the package as a considerable improvement and very important element for national security. "Other than the increase in aid, we received an explicit and detailed commitment to guarantee Israel's qualitative advantage over other Arab states," he had said following recent talks with US President George W. Bush. With current US defense aid to Israel standing at 2.4 billion dollars a year, the new package will hike the value of assistance to the Jewish state by 600 million dollars a year on average, officials said. The two countries are increasingly alarmed by Iran's nuclear ambitions, which have already incurred international economic sanctions. Iran insists its nuclear program is designed for peaceful, civilian energy purposes. Burns will meet with Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and other Israeli officials during the visit in which "discussions on regional security, including the challenge posed by Iran" would be held, the State Department said. Burns will also meet with Palestinian Authority leaders regarding "the development of a political horizon" and American humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. The United States is striving to forge a deal for the establishment of a Palestinian state ahead of an international meeting called for by Bush in the fall. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said last week he had positive talks with Olmert in the West Bank city of Jericho, the first time in seven years that such a high-level meeting has taken place on Palestinian territory. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Army chiefs of 19 nations hold secret talks in Australia
Sydney (AFP) Aug 14, 2007Army chiefs from 19 countries, including the United States, Japan and India, met secretly in Sydney ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit in the city next month, the country's army chief revealed Tuesday. |
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