U.S. senators seek to halt Trump’s $23bn UAE arms sale
- par Thibaud Popelin
- dans Monde
- — Nov 19, 2020
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They said the State and Defense Departments also refused to respond to inquiries about how the administration would deal with national security risks associated with the proposed sales.
Murphy prepared a bill in this regard in cooperation with Robert Menendez, the leader of the Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and Republican Senator Rand Paul, who otherwise generally supports President Trump but opposes U.S. military interventions. Many lawmakers fear that it may alter the balance of power in the Middle East; there are also concerns that the UAE sales would violate a longstanding agreement with Israel that any USA weapons sold in the Middle East would not impair its "quantitative military edge" over neighboring countries.
Senior Democrat of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez, together with Senators Chris Murphy and Rand Paul, presented four initiatives that prohibit the sale of up to 50 F-35 fighters to the UAE, as well as 18 MQ-9B reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other advanced weapons systems worth $ 23.37 billion, Menendez's press service reported.
Weaponry involved includes the world's most advanced fighter jet, more than 14,000 bombs and munitions, and the second-largest sale of USA drones to a single country.
"There are a number of outstanding concerns as to how these sales would impact the national security interests of both the United States and of Israel".
"As a result, Congress is once again stepping in to serve as a check to avoid putting profit over United States national security and that of our allies, and to hopefully prevent a new arms race in the Middle East".
The sales of weapons remain uncertain as the resolutions can possibly delay the sales but it cannot stop them.
The Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees have the right to review and attempt to block weapons sales.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had authorized the sale earlier this month, saying it was in keeping with the administration's Middle East peace efforts.
Lawmakers have also expressed concern about whether the UAE sales would violate a long-standing agreement with Israel that any US weapons sold in the Middle East would not impair its "quantitative military edge" over neighboring states.
Advocates, and now lawmakers, have anxious aloud that, in spite of the Trump administration's assertions the deal will enable the UAE to address threats posed by Iran, the armed drones and precision-guided munitions included, could be used in Yemen or Libya.
"I support the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but nothing in that agreement requires us to flood the region with more weapons and facilitate a risky arms race", Murphy added.
US law covering major arms deals lets senators force votes on resolutions of disapproval.
In addition to their concerns about escalating tensions in the region, Democrats have argued that the outgoing Trump administration should not make major foreign policy moves during the presidency - especially those that could deter the incoming Biden administration.
