CAIRO: The United States sent its Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns to Israel yesterday for a three day trip where he will sign a memorandum of understanding on a new decade-long military aid package with Israel worth $30 billion.
A US official told AFP that Burns would make similar trips to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies “at some point to also sign new deals with them. However, he will not be making these visits on this occasion.
US Embassy spokesperson Margaret White told Daily News Egypt that there was no further information as of yet on when Burns would make his trip to Egypt.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had declared on July 30 that these new military aid increases to US allies in the region was to “counter the negative influences of Iran and Syria as well as groups such as Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda.
The packages to Arab countries include a $13 billion deal with Egypt, a $20 billion pact with Saudi Arabia and a further $20 billion package for other Gulf states.
Israel receives $2.4 billion annually in military aid from the US, so the new package delivers an increase of some $600 million a year.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had previously stated after a meeting with US President George Bush that “other than the increase in aid, we received an explicit and detailed commitment to guarantee Israel s qualitative advantage over other Arabstates.
There had been some concerns in Israeli quarters about the increased military packages to the neighbouring Arab countries.
During his visit, Burns will meet with Olmert, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The State Department said that on the agenda are “discussions on regional security, including the challenge posed by Iran.
The statement added that Burns will also meet with Palestinian leaders to discuss US humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people as well as ways towards “the development of a political horizon.
“We are working with these states to fight back extremism, Rice told reporters July 30, “and to give a chance to the forces of moderation and reform.
“There isn t a doubt that Iran constitutes the single most important single-country strategic challenge to the United States and to the kind of Middle East that we want to see, she added.
