(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-15 09:31

"We've spent a lot of time ensuring that we abide by our commitments to a qualitative military edge for Israel," McCormack said. "We are committed to maintaining that qualitative military edge for Israel."

Members who still oppose it say they are concerned it would give Saudi Arabia a technical edge that could be used to attack Israel.

Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida said they will push for a resolution condemning the sale. Their resolution already has some three dozen co-sponsors.

"It's mind-bogglingly bad policy because the Saudis at every turn have been uncooperative" regarding US interests in the Middle East, Weiner said in a statement on Monday.

At least one Republican, who previously registered his concerns with the deal, said he wasn't ready to support the deal just yet.

"The administration must guarantee to Congress' satisfaction that selling JDAMs to Saudi Arabia will not harm US forces or our democratic ally Israel," said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. "At this time, I do not have enough information to support the sale."

Still, senior congressional aides said it was considered unlikely that the required two-thirds majority in Congress could be found to stop the sale.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the Israeli government would not comment on the arms deal.

Previously, Israel has indicated it does not oppose the deal and Washington plans to counterbalance the sales to Arab nations with $30 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state -- a more than 25 percent increase over the next 10 years.

Notifications to Congress of specific transactions are made in "piecemeal" fashion, McCormack said. He added that the 30-day deadline for lawmakers to raise opposition to the previous five sales had passed.

The five earlier agreements included two sales to the United Arab Emirates for a Patriot missile system and support for an airborne early warning system; one to Kuwait for Patriot missile system upgrades and two to Saudi Arabia for "targeting pods" and upgrades to AWACs airborne warning and control aircraft.

   1 2   

   1 2