US to ink $30 bn arms deal with Israel

WASHINGTON: The United States will sign a pact this week providing USD 30 billion in military aid to Israel over a decade, the State Department has said.

Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who will make a three-day visit to Israel from today, "will sign the memorandum of understanding on the new USD 30 billion, 10-year military assistance package," the department said in a statement yesterday.

The package was unveiled by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 30 as part of a new military pact with US allies in the Middle East in a bid to "counter the negative influences" of militant groups Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah as well as arch enemies Iran and Syria.

They include a USD 20 billion weapons package for Saudi Arabia, a USD 13 billion package for Egypt, and reportedly arms deals worth at least USD 20 billion for other Gulf states.

The military aid to Israel reflected an increase in value of more than 25 per cent, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said, describing the package as a considerable improvement and very important element for national security.

"Other than the increase in aid, we received an explicit and detailed commitment to guarantee Israel's qualitative advantage over other Arab states," he had said following recent talks with US President George W Bush.

With current US defence aid to Israel standing at USD 2.4 billion a year, the new package will hike the value of assistance to the Jewish state by USD 600 million a year on average, officials said.