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US set to approve some arms sales to UAE, Saudis

 


WASHINGTON The Biden administration plans to halt the sale of many offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia approved under the Trump administration, but this will allow the sale of other material that can be interpreted as having a defensive purpose, officials said on Wednesday Americans.

The plan, which was presented to Congress last week, is part of an administrative review of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that the White House announced shortly after the inauguration of President Bidens.

The original sales met strong opposition last year from Democrats in Congress, who are angry with countries’ involvement in the Yemen war and wary of the transfer of advanced military technology to authoritarian Middle States. -East linked to China.

The Biden administration will approve $ 23 billion in arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, according to a State Department spokesperson, including F-35 fighter jets and armed Reaper drones. Biden administration officials signaled at the time of the review that these weapons, sold to the Emirates shortly after the signing of a diplomatic deal with Israel brokered by the Trump administration, were likely to be approved.

The fate of President Donald J. Trumps in arms sales to Saudi Arabia had been less clear. Biden, who has said he wants to reset relations between Washington and Riyadh, announced in February that he would end all US support for offensive operations in the Yemen war, including relevant arms sales, but the House Blanche did not provide further details. .

Since then, US officials have debated weapons sold under the Trump administration that could presumably be used in Saudi Arabia’s self-defense, including those from missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. , that the Saudis are fighting in Yemen. Even as officials in the Biden administration have criticized Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, they have repeatedly pledged to help the Saudis defend themselves.

After the review, the Biden administration plans to halt the sale of offensive air-to-ground weapons used by fixed-wing aircraft primarily fighter jets and drones to Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials said. This includes systems capable of transforming ordinary bombs into precision guided munitions. The suspension aims to address one of the main concerns of the war in Yemen: the killings of civilians, including many children, as a result of the use of these bombs by the Saudi-led coalition.

The Raytheon Company, the largest bomb supplier, has pressured the Trump administration to continue sales, despite growing outcry from humanitarian groups, members of Congress and some members of the State Department.

The suspension does not cover sales of other types of weapons to Saudi Arabia, US officials said. Weapons used by helicopters would still be permitted, as well as ground-to-ground ammunition and small arms. Electronic equipment, including jamming technology, would also be permitted. The Saudi Arabian military receives almost all of its weapons from the United States.

You can’t cut it all off while your partner suffers the daily attacks from an opponent when you’ve made public statements about your commitment to their security, said Kirsten Fontenrose, director of the Atlantic Council who served as director. of the National Security Council for the Persian Gulf Region. at Trump’s White House.

The New Washington

Update

April 14, 2021, 10 a.m.ET

The review does not recommend suspending arms sales to the UAE. This fact emerged on Monday, after the Justice Department officially informed lawyers of the decision, which officials say was made this year in a lawsuit against the New York Center deal. for Foreign Policy Affairs nonprofit.

The Emirates played a big role in the war in Yemen, but have retreated recently. As part of last year’s negotiations to try to persuade the Emirates to normalize relations with Israel, the Trump administration has told Emirati officials it will speed up the approval of sales of F fighter jets and drones. -35.

U.S. officials said Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken received the report this week from other State Department offices and must approve it. The report would then be submitted to the National Security Council for final approval.

Many other members of the House remain concerned about the proposed sale of $ 23 billion in arms to the United Arab Emirates, said Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Democrat of New York and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. . He said he had many questions about any decision by the Biden administration to go ahead with the Trump administrations that proposed transfers of fighter jets, drones and ammunition to the Emirates.

Israeli officials and some members of Congress have expressed concerns that sales of F-35s would weaken what they called Israel’s qualitative military advantage over other countries in the region, and that Congress is demanding presidential administrations that they maintain it as a question of law. Israel is currently the only country in the region to have F-35s.

Other US officials have expressed concern over the sale of the F-35, one of the military’s most advanced pieces of equipment, to the UAE as they develop a closer relationship with China, notorious for its espionage. technological. U.S. officials are concerned, among other things, about the radar and stealth capabilities of the F-35s and some drone technologies.

Ms Fontenrose added that some officials were also concerned that the Emirates would use US-made weapons, including Reaper drones, in the Libyan Civil War, where they intervened. She said the Emirates had provided the Trump administration with assurances on this front.

The State Department official, who requested anonymity to discuss policies that had not been officially announced, noted that it would take years to complete the Emirati arms deal, and during that time, the administration would ensure that the country meets its obligations, such as protecting American technology and ensuring that American weapons are not used in contexts that violate human rights and the laws of conflict.

Mr. Meeks echoed this point. Fortunately, none of these transfers would happen anytime soon, he said, so there will be plenty of time for Congress to consider whether these transfers should take place and what restrictions and conditions would be imposed.

Mr. Trump’s deal with the Emirates was approved shortly after he agreed to join the Abrahamic Accords, which for the first time normalized diplomatic relations with Israel.

Some Democrats complained that arms sales appeared to have been an inappropriate incentive for the Emirates to agree to the deals, which largely formalized a relationship that had grown increasingly friendly over many years.

I still don’t believe it’s in our best interests to fuel a spiraling arms race in the Middle East, said Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut and top congressional critic on arms sales and weapons. US ties with the Arab Gulf States. I requested a briefing from the administration regarding the status of the UAE and Saudi sales review.

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