SAUDIS MIGHT TURN TO IRAN ON AMERICAN HOSITILITY 

WASHINGTON --- Feb 14: Those were only some 93 members of Republican and Democrat lawmakers, saying Saudi Arabia is funding terrorism. But they might soon become many, egged by an ‘anti-Islamic’ lobby in Washington DC. With Bush’s term coming to an end and Democrats poised to take the helm, the writing is on the wall, that Saudi Arabia will not be supplied with US military technology as before.  

It is also a fact worth mentioning, that in spite of ‘Millions’ of dollars directly paid to  US and ‘Millions’ more the US stand to gain through ‘Petro-Dollar cycle’, US never had supplied ‘Saudi Arabia’ with superior weapon technology as it did, does and will do to ‘Israel’.  This unfair treatment is now aggravated by ‘vested’ ‘Anti-Islamic’ interest in the ‘Middle-east’ backing the ‘Senators’ voicing ‘Anti-Saudi’ rhetoric. 

Will this make ‘Saudi’ turn east and benefit Saudi – Iranian ties and make ‘Iran’, the regional Super Power, the major supplier of arms to Islamic Middle-East. If that happens the implications are many. To begin with Iran’s fledgling Military Manufacturing Industry will be given a big boost and its image as a regional heavyweight may one day make it a ‘World Heavy Weight’ as well. 

Previously the Bush administration announced Jan. 14 that it intended to sell $123 million (€84.61 million) worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia. They were part of a larger arms package with an estimated $20 billion (€13.76 billion), for Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries. 

With the thirty day period for lawmakers to object the deal ending on Thursday, at least 13 Republicans and 80 Democrats had signed a resolution opposing the sale, Rep. Zach Wamp, a Tennessee Republican, told reporters at a news conference. Though, he acknowledged that the resolution was not scheduled for a vote, the very fact of such opposition and finger pointing might frustrates Saudis against US friendship. 

Considering the new warmth between the Saudi and Iranian leadership after the Lebanon war, it will not be surprising, if future ‘Saudi’ strategy in defense deals look towards east, instead of a West, that is becoming more and more unfriendly.  When the arms deal was announced last month, California Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he did not intend to consider a disapproval resolution. But Lantos died last Monday. 

The arms sales were Bush’s, strategy to shore up defenses against Iran. But contrary to the very basis of the strategic thinking comes the move of the lawmakers. Bush, who was visiting Saudi Arabia when the arms sale was announced, has called the Arab nation a partner in peace and security.

 But contrary to that statement of Bush, vested interests that might be pushing US law makers from the behind had made them accuse that “oil money from the Saudi royal family funded numerous nonprofit organizations that, in turn, supported terrorism”.

 In other word these ‘Law makers’ supported by ‘vested interests’ in US are accusing the ‘Saudi Royal Family’ and the ‘Ruler’ himself as ‘Terrorists’. Such branding by US lawmakers though is not new. But this is probably for the first time serious charges are being leveled against the ‘Saudi royal family’ to the ‘Chagrin’ of ‘Saudi Leadership’.

 Republican Reps. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Sue Myrick of North Carolina joined Wamp in calling for more Republicans to oppose the sale. "I don't see why Saudi Arabia has a need for this technology, very frankly," Myrick said. "It's an offensive technology. It just doesn't make sense to me. And so my attitude is, if they're our friends ... then they need to act like our friends and stop financing radical elements of terrorist organizations."

 Curiously ‘Myrick’ cannot see anything wrong it the transfer of “more offensive technology transfer’ to Israel, which might lead to a race for such ‘offensive technologies’ in the middle east. As ‘Saudi’s’ are increasingly start feeling the step-motherly treatment meted out them, against Israel, the chances of their leaning towards other regional and alternative Superpowers like, Iran and China becomes inevitable.