U.S. lawmakers raise doubts on sale of
smart bombs to Saudi Arabia
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[April 11, 2017]
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S.
lawmakers said on Monday they had requested more information from
President Donald Trump's administration about the potential sale of
precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia, expressing concern about
civilian casualties in Riyadh's campaign in Yemen that delayed the deal
last year.
Thirty mostly Democratic lawmakers signed the letter to U.S. Secretary
of State, Rex Tillerson, and Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, citing
expectations that the administration plans to go ahead with the sale.
"As you know, the previous administration made the decision in December
2016 to halt a planned sale of precision-guided munitions (PGM) to Saudi
Arabia due to concerns over widespread civilian casualties and
significant deficiencies in RSAF's (the Saudi Air Force's) targeting
capabilities," the letter, dated Friday but released on Monday, said.
"According to recent reports, however, the State Department has now
reversed course and removed the suspension on these PGM sales," they
said in the letter, led by Representative Ted Lieu, a Democratic member
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The State and Defense Departments do not comment on planned arms sales
before formal notification is sent to Congress.
In December, then-President Barack Obama's administration decided to
halt the sale of the systems, manufactured by Raytheon Co, that convert
bombs into precision-guided munitions because of concerns about the
extent of civilian casualties during Saudi Arabia's campaign in Yemen.
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Congressional aides told Reuters the Trump administration was on the
verge of sending a formal notification to Congress about the sale, which
would trigger the formal 30-day review to allow members of Congress to
attempt to pass legislation to stop any sale.
Trump has said he wants to clear the way for U.S. arms sales abroad, to
bolster efforts by U.S. partners to fight militant groups and help
create U.S. jobs.
His administration recently told Congress it also planned to pursue
sales to Bahrain and Nigeria that had been delayed under Obama by human
rights concerns.
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Congressional aides said they expected an effort to pass legislation to
stop the PGM sale. However, such legislation has never succeeded. A
measure seeking to block the sale of tanks to Riyadh failed in
September.
"It is in our national security interest – as well as that of our Saudi
partners - to ensure that the RSAF has the ability to avoid civilian
casualties before the U.S. sells them any additional air-to-ground
munitions," the letter said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by G Crosse)
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