Posted on 08/01/2007 11:13:17 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A plan by the United States to give over $50 billion in arms to Middle Eastern nations has sparked intense opposition from top German officials. Germany's foreign ministry coordinator for German-American relations, Karsten Voigt, criticized U.S. plans to arm Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Israel. Adding more weapons into an area bristling with arms will not produce peace, he said... The U.S. plan is an attempt to shore up allies and maintain the balance of power in the region, according to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Arab countries would receive U.S. arms to counterbalance Iranian and Syrian military upgrades. Israel would be given arms to not only counterbalance Iran and Syria, but also to counterbalance Saudi Arabia's upgraded arsenal. State-of-the-art military equipment Saudi Arabia would receive includes satellite-guided bombs, improved missile defenses, new navy ships, and air force upgrades. The U.S. proposal evoked especially strong criticism in Germany, a country which is trying to position the European Union as the new Middle East peace broker. Politicians from both Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (cdu) and the Social Democrats slammed the U.S. plan. Ruprecht Polenz, a cdu member and the head of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee, called the region a "powder keg," and said America threatened to destabilize the whole region... Polenz also says the U.S. is running the risk of creating a Middle East arms race. Social Democrat Johannes Jung supported Polenz, saying, "The region needs to be disarmed, not armed." He also went so far as to say, "As so often, all level-headed people are waiting for a new U.S. administration."
(Excerpt) Read more at thetrumpet.com ...
And bunker building.
“Andorians with knives. You hate ‘em, I hate ‘em.” “And what’s with those antennae anyway?”
Which will look the other way at German nuclear proliferation to rogue nations in the Middle East.
Edwards Attacks Saudi Arms Deal
NY Sun | August 2, 2007 | Josh Gerstein
Posted on 08/02/2007 2:24:11 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1875118/posts
Gee, that’s awfully thoughtful of the German government. Perhaps the reason the Germans and the French don’t want us arming the Middle East because that happens to be one of their big markets, especially for military hardware? Seems like a valid reason to me, although the U.S. is by far the largest exporter of military goods.
LOL! Oh, This is too funny!!
Polenz also says the U.S. is running the risk of creating a Middle East arms race.
No, numnuts, we are responding to the one already in place.
“As so often, all level-headed people are waiting for a new U.S. administration.”
As so often is the case, I wish that another German politician named Johannes Jung would die soon.
The WMD distributing, Muslim-Hitler-wannabe supporting Germans need a big nice cup of STFU.
Germany will be punished by recieving less oil :)
Germany against arming Israel? That should recieve a very strong uproar from Israel.
Germturds need to mind their own business (what little there is of it) and let us make our own decisions. I am sick of Euro-styled feeblemindedness. Thank you very much! (Wouldn’t it serve them right if we elected someone even more conservative than President Bush?)
I adore your tag. It says it all. If they don’t like it, screw ‘em!
After the US,Germany is the largest arms supplier to Israel.They are currently building 2 advanced diesel/electric subs for the Israeli navy.
Like Germany is in a position to tell anyone about selling arms?
Remember that little pipeline the french and germans had going to sadman insane?
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