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Obama to notify Congress of $60bn arms sale to Saudis

14 September 2010 02:27 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The Obama administration is set to notify the US Congress of a $60bn (Â£39bn) weapons sale to Saudi Arabia, reports quoting US officials say, APA reports quoting BBC.
The deal to sell advanced military aircraft to the Saudi kingdom is aimed at shoring up an Arab ally against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The arms deal, set to support 75,000 US jobs, would be among the largest yet.
The notification will set off a review where lawmakers could push for changes, impose conditions or block the trade.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan was quoted by Reuters as saying that Congressional notification was expected within "the next week or so" but he declined to comment on details of the proposed package.
’Naval deal’
The Obama administration will authorise the sale of F-15 fighter jets and Apache, Black Hawk and Little Bird helicopters, reports in the US media said.
The US and Saudi Arabia were also discussing a naval arms deal, potentially worth $30bn, but the timing of that deal was unclear and would not be included in the upcoming congressional notification, Reuters quoted an unnamed defence official as saying.
The administration is required to notify the Congress in advance of arms sales.
Congressional officials warned lawmakers could try to block the deal, but analysts say the prospect of job growth in the US defence industry could encourage lawmakers to approve it.