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Friday, April 06, 2007

Israeli concerns delay U.S. arms sales to Sunni Arab states

A major arms sale package that the Bush administration is planning to offer Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies to deter Iran has been delayed because of objections from Israel, which says the advanced weaponry would erode its military advantage over its regional rivals, according to senior U.S. officials.

Israeli officials, including a former defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, visited Washington in recent months to argue against elements of the planned sales. In particular, the Israelis are concerned about the possible transfer of precision-guided weapons that would give Saudi warplanes much more accuracy in striking targets, officials said.

The United States has made few, if any, sales of satellite-guided ordnance to Gulf countries, several officials said. Israel has been supplied with such weapons since the 1990s and used them extensively in its war against Hezbollah last summer.

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