U.S. shell Amraam missiles to Saudi Arabia

U.S. shell Amraam missiles to Saudi Arabia

RIYADH (AFP): The United States has agreed to sell Amraam air- to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia and to step up joint military exercises with the Saudi army, a senior U.S. defense official announced here on Sunday.

At a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and his Saudi counterpart Prince Sultan, the two sides also decided to form a joint committee to study the threat from chemical and biological weapons, he said.

"We told the Saudis we would sell them Amraams," a day after a similar announcement in Bahrain, the official said, asking not to be named. "The details are still to be worked out."

Washington agreed last year to sell the sophisticated Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles to the United Arab Emirates, the first Arab country to have such approval.

Prince Sultan and Cohen "also agreed that they're going to increase joint exercises involving their armies."

Cohen said it was "a very productive meeting," in which Iran and Iraq also figured, the official said. After the talks, the defense secretary called on Crown Prince Abdallah.

He was to due to leave later Sunday for Oman, the third leg of a Middle East tour.

On Saturday, Cohen informed Bahraini leaders that "the U.S. has just taken the final step necessary to approve the Bahraini request" to purchase Amraams, which can be fitted onto F-16s or F-15s in the Bahraini and Saudi air forces.

Saudi Arabia has for years been considering plans to buy F-16 fighter jets to replace its aging warplanes. Bahrain already has 12 F-16C/D fighters, and last year ordered 10 more the fighters.

The U.S. Congress has 30 days to raise any objections to the sale of Amraams to Bahrain. The sale would involve 26 of the missiles and a trainer for delivery in 2002, a senior U.S. defense official said.

It was not immediately known how much the deal was worth, but the missiles cost about US$386,000 apiece. They have an all- weather, beyond visual range capability, and have been used against targets in Iraq.

Cohen told U.S. troops manning a Patriot anti-missile battery on Sunday to be ready to "take on" Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, as he inspected the site at Riyadh air base.

"We have to be able to respond to virtually any type of challenge or crisis," he told 100 troops gathered under camouflaged netting.

On Saturday, Cohen met Saudi King Fahd who reaffirmed Riyadh's support for Washington, saying it was "our duty and pleasure to provide help and support to the United States," according to a U.S. official.

In Bahrain, Cohen's visit was overshadowed by the sudden death of the emir, Sheikh Issa ibn Salman al-Khalifa, who had a heart attack on Saturday just five minutes after their meeting.

Iraq's ruling Baath Party newspaper said it was brought on by "the harsh words which he heard from the U.S. defense secretary."