Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
F-16 |
Egypt's hosting of President Barack Obama's "mutual respect" speech to the Muslim world came at the same time the Obama administration quietly was agreeing to Egypt's longstanding request to purchase some 24 F-16 fighters, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
According to informed sources, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates relayed the commitment in his May 5 meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The Egyptian request for Lockheed Martin’s F-16s and other munitions had been denied repeatedly by the former Bush administration over Egypt's record on human rights and democracy. Those munitions included the Longbow Apache helicopter, mobile air defense systems and the Joint Direct Attack Munition which is a guidance kit that converts existing unguided or "dumb" bombs into "smart" munitions.
Lockheed Martin chief executive officer Robert Stevens confirmed that the company had been notified of the Egyptian request.
The 24 F-16s would replace some of the other 220 F-16s of varying capability that Egypt has acquired on five separate occasions beginning in 1980 under direct U.S. Foreign Military Sales and through the Netherlands and Turkey.
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The Obama administration's approval comes at a time when Egypt has become increasingly concerned that it is being targeted by Iran and its proxy, Hezbollah. Indeed, Egypt uncovered some 49 people who were implicated in a recent attempt by Hezbollah to attack a popular tourist attraction in Egypt.
Obama made his speech on U.S. relations with the Muslim world on June 4 following a brief visit to Saudi Arabia. By making his speech in Egypt, Obama in effect legitimized what some observers call Mubarak's "quasi-dictatorship." Not only did the Obama administration insist that human rights activists be invited but also 10 members of the Muslim Brotherhood which formally is outlawed in Egypt but is tolerated.
The fact that the Obama administration insisted on an invitation to the Muslim Brotherhood is a slap in the face to those who oppose the Salafist/Islamist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the Sunni base with which the terrorist organizations al-Qaida and Hamas are aligned.
To some observers, the invitation to the Muslim Brotherhood and to human rights activists was a price Mubarak could afford to pay to underscore his image of supporting parliamentary democracy in exchange for the Obama administration commitment to sell the 24 F-16s and other munitions.
The commitment also seemed for now to assuage Mubarak's concerns over Obama's desire to open communications with Iran. Sunni Egypt and Shiite Iran have been ardent foes since Egypt gave sanctuary to the deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahavi following the 1979 Iranian Revolution that brought to power the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
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