Friday, August 3, 2007

Opposition to Saudi arms deal grows

by Kevin Bogardus from The Hill

A bipartisan effort in Congress to stop a proposed multibillion-dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia is gaining steam, and 114 lawmakers have now declared their opposition to the plan, which the Bush administration says would stabilize the Middle East ... While Ferguson was the lone Republican to support the effort earlier this week, the number of GOP lawmakers who vowed to take action has swollen to 18. “It represents the tip of the iceberg,” said Weiner. The New York Democrat expects the number of lawmakers willing to block the deal to grow once the details of the arms sale reach Capitol Hill, likely this September. Press reports describe Saudi Arabia as buying satellite-guided munitions and naval vessels, among other items, worth up to $20 billion, from the United States.

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