Vital Perspective

Pentagon Plans to Sell Nearly $5 Billion in Tanks, Helicopters to Arab States

This morning it was reported by al-Jazeera that the U.S. plans to sell arms worth $4.6 billion to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman. In the newly proposed sale, battle tanks worth $2.9 billion and AH-64 Apache helicopters worth $400 million will be sold to Saudi Arabia. The UAE would get $808 million worth of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and Bahrain would get $252 million worth. Jordan would get a potential $156 million in upgrades to 1,000 of its M113 A1 armored personnel carriers (APCs). Javelin anti-tank missiles worth $48 million would go to Oman under the deals put forward by the Pentagon's defense security agency, which administers all  government-to-government arms sales.

Notices of proposed U.S. arms sales are required by law once they pass certain value thresholds. Congress may block a sale if both houses pass resolutions of disapproval within 30 days of formal notification.

On Hezbollah, Arab League Divided Over Legitimacy of Attacks; Syria Supports

Foreign ministers of 18 Arab countries held an emergency summit in Cairo on Saturday over Israeli action in Lebanon, but squabbles over the legitimacy of Hezbollah's attacks on Israel --including the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers-- appeared likely to keep participants from reaching a consensus, delegates said.

The Saudi foreign minister appeared to be leading a camp of ministers criticizing the Hezbollah's actions, calling them "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts."  "These acts will pull the whole region back to years ago, and we cannot simply accept them," Saudi al-Faisal told his counterparts. It appeared that Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, the UAE and the Palestinian Authority were in agreement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, however, lashed back al-Faisal, asking "How can we come here to discuss the burning situation in Lebanon while others are making statements criticizing the resistance?" Moallem called Hezbollah's action "legitimate acts in line with international resolutions and the UN charter, as acts of resistance," delegates said.

Ahmadinejad Calls on Islamic Countries to "Remove" the "Zionist Regime"

The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, attending a meeting on Iraq in Iran, slammed Israel for the "increasing aggression against the Palestinian people," and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on Islamic countries to mobilize against Israel and "remove" the "Zionist regime."

"The basic problem in the Islamic world is the existence of the Zionist regime, and the Islamic world and the region must mobilize to remove this problem," Ahmadinejad said at the opening of the two-day conference.

"Today there is a strong will... to remove the Zionist regime and implement a legal Palestinian regime all over Palestine. The continued survival of this regime means nothing but suffering for the region... The biggest threat today for the region is the existence of the fake Zionist regime," he said.

Arab League S-G Amr Mussa also went on the offensive, condemning Israel for its "increasing aggression against the Palestinian people" and the international community for its "silence".

"The Arab foreign ministers participating in today's Tehran meeting expressed their strong condemnation of this continuing and increasing aggression against the Palestinian people," Mussa said in a statement on behalf of officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The statement said the officials also "voiced sorrow over international silence, and held United Nations Security Council members responsible for the dangerous violations of international laws and treaties."

Bahrain Expells Head of U.S.-Based Pro-Democracy NGO

Bahrain has given the representative for a U.S.-based pro-democracy NGO until Friday to leave the country. Fawzi Guleid, head of the Bahrain office of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), would not comment on the government’s decision. He has reportedly begun preparations to leave Bahrain after the denial of his application for a renewed residency permit.

NDI, which promotes democracy worldwide, was invited into Bahrain to help the nascent democratic transformation after the launch of reforms in the country in 2001. The group began operating in early 2002, ahead of Bahrain’s first municipal and parliamentary elections in almost three decades.

In 2005, NDI came under attack by Islamist members of Bahrain's parliament, who questioned whether the Washington-based institute was serving U.S. interests and accused it of violating Bahraini law banning foreign bankrolling of local political activities. NDI describes its goal in Bahrain as encouraging a more inclusive and viable democratic transition by fostering civil participation by both individual citizens and accountable political societies.

Bahrain Offers to Establish Counter-Insurgency Center for Gulf States

Bahrain has offered to help establish a counter-insurgency center for the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi King Abdullah called for the establishment of such a center during a conference in Riyadh in 2005.

The proposal, designed to improve security coordination by the six GCC states, was again raised during a May 6 summit by Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh. The summit reviewed threats from Iran and al-Qaeda to the Gulf Arab region.

"As terrorism is one of the topics that directly affects the region, it was discussed by the leaders at the summit," UAE FM Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said.

U.S. Participating in Massive Military Exercise with Middle East, Gulf States

The largest military exercise this year in the Gulf region is underway to improve skills and confront conventional and insurgency threats. Until May 18, the U.S., Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE will all be participating in the exercise "Eagle Resolve".

Bahrain Expresses Fear Over Iranian Nuclear Program, Hamas Government

The government of Bahrain fears Iran's nuclear ambitions and Hamas' control of the Palestinian government, Ambassador Naser M. Y. Al Belooshi said Wednesday at a private reception.

"We feel very unsafe. We are not sure that something like Chernobyl will not happen again," Al Belooshi said. "We would like to see a more united front against Iran. The United States is leading the charge, and other countries should follow."

Al Belooshi also said Bahrain would not finance the Palestinian Authority under Hamas' leadership. "We are concerned about cutting aid to the Palestinians, but we do not want terrorism to prosper. We would like Hamas to sit with Israeli officials and negotiate peace," he said.

Arab Freedom Deficit Puts Denmark's Arla Foods Back on Track in ME

Cheese, butter and medicine from Arla Foods, the Danish company that suffered an intense boycott in the Middle East since the cartoon controversy erupted, is finding its way back onto store shelves in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, the UAE, and most recently Qatar... but at what price?

"The retailers in the region were forced to pull out the Danish products, including medicines, from their shelves following a call from a section of clerics over the region. Arla Foods, was the main target of the boycott. But now, with Arla coming out openly against the Danish Government the ban has become a non-issue and we have resumed distributing the products," said Muhammed Unni Olakara of Transind Food Suppliers in Doha, Qatar.

We took a look at what Arla had done, and found out that it had put out a full-page advertisement in 25 Arab newspapers that among other things, said that "Arla Foods has distanced itself from the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten's actions in publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. We do not agree with the newspaper’s reasons for publication."

Arab customers still don't get it. Arla's statement distanced the company from the newspaper, not the government. Therein lies something very telling... as the above quotes show, there is no separation between the Danish government and the press in the mind of the Arab consumer.

As the violence raged two months ago, the Danish government tried to get that message across to no avail. Now it appears as if the same mentality that led to riots, deaths and torched embassies is what's going to get Arla back on track in the region.

Hamas Leader on Gulf Tour, Pledges Continued 'Resistance' Strategy

Speaking from Yemen on Monday, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said on al-Jazeera TV that "Hamas won't give up the option of armed resistance against the occupation," and that "[resistance, i.e. terrorism] is a strategic option that will not be retreated from until the liberation of all the occupied Palestinian territories from the river to the sea."

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, after a meeting with Mashaal, reaffirmed his country's support to the Palestinians' "struggle for regaining their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as capital." Mashaal was in Yemen to drum up political and financial support; three bank accounts were opened to collect donations for Palestinians.

"Those who believe that negotiations and accepting the proposed conditions would lead us to get our rights are deluded," Mashaal told an Islamist gathering on the next leg of his trip to Bahrain. He left Bahrain Tuesday heading to the oil-rich UAE for talks with officials there. He is also expected to visit Kuwait and Libya.

Hamas, with no background outside terrorism, has been unable to bring other Palestinian factions into the fold for their government. This is of course the fault of the U.S. government. Arabic News reports that "Hamas accused the U.S. of pressuring other Palestinian groups in order not to take part in a new government under its chairmanship and to justify its plans to attack the Palestinian people."

Mubarak Traveling Across Gulf States to Discuss Regional Issues

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak started a Gulf tour on Sudany in the UAE and Bahrain. He will later travel to Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during which he will discuss several issues, including the Syrian-Lebanese crisis, Hamas, and the Iranian nuclear crisis.

According to Arabic News, "both the King of Bahrain and Mubarak called for 'halting the unjustified Israeli escalation against the Palestinian people.' The two leaders urged the Palestinian and Israeli sides to return back to the table of negotiations in order to find a final solution for the Arab-Israeli conflict so as to ensure the national legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially the establishment of the Palestinian state on their own native soil with Jerusalem as capital."