Local Editor
The United States has formally approved defence contracts totalling more than $1 billion with Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom’s crown prince continued his American tour.
The State Department confirmed it green-lit a $670 million deal for anti-tank missiles, a $106 million contract for helicopter maintenance and $300 million for ground vehicle parts.
An official said the deals had been in the pipeline since President Donald Trump has announced more than $100 billion in possible new contracts on a visit to Riyadh last year. “This proposed sale will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country,” the Defence Security Cooperation Agency said.
Western governments are under pressure from rights campaigners, including some US lawmakers, to halt or limit arms sales to Saudi Arabia as its forces fight in Yemen’s brutal war.
But the United States, France and Britain continue to pursue lucrative deals to sell and maintain equipment in the kingdom’s vast, high-tech arsenal - and Riyadh is an avid client.
In theory, the US Congress could still block the latest deals announced Thursday, but on Tuesday the Senate voted down a bill to halt US support for the Saudi intervention in Yemen. These contracts are therefore now expected to be nodded through after the State Department and Pentagon gave the go-ahead and Trump publicly celebrated the prospect of the sales.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
