“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East,” the statement said.
“Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.”
Hours earlier, Prince Mohammed met with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who characterized Saudi Arabia as “part of the solution” in Yemen, which has been ripped apart by civil war.
Before the start of the meeting, a reporter asked Mr. Mattis whether he planned to raise concerns with Prince Mohammed about civilian casualties. Mr. Mattis said the United States was working with other countries to pursue a political solution in Yemen.
He said Saudi Arabia has supported the government in Yemen’s capital, Sana, which is recognized by the United Nations. “We are going to end this war. That is the bottom line,” Mr. Mattis said. “And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen but also security for the nations in the peninsula.”
The strife in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, began in 2014, when Houthis, Shiite rebels aligned with Iran, invaded Sana. Those rebels later ousted the government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a staunch ally of the United States, who was once praised by American officials as a leading partner in the fight against terrorism.
Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s neighbor and a major regional power, began a concerted bombing campaign in early 2015 to help push back the Houthis. But that campaign has long raised the ire of human rights organizations for repeated bombings on civilians, something the Pentagon has admitted it has little oversight of.
One of the last acts of the Obama administration, in December 2016, was to block a transfer of precision munitions to Saudi Arabia because of concerns about civilian casualties that American officials attributed to poor targeting.
That decision blocked the sale by Raytheon of about 16,000 guided munitions kits, which upgrade so-called dumb bombs to smart bombs. It was roundly excoriated by Raytheon and Saudi royal officials.
Since taking office, President Trump has developed a far friendlier relationship with the royal family, and the crown prince in particular, than President Barack Obama had.
A Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana White, said Mr. Mattis did not bring up the mounting civilian casualties in Yemen during his discussion with Prince Mohammed. Instead, she said, the defense secretary discussed the continued cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia through additional training and military education.
“Clearly,” said Sarah Margon, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch, “the Trump administration has failed to understand — or simply doesn’t care about — the gravity of the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. Instead of using their leverage smartly to push the visiting Saudi crown prince to stop abuse, the White House is signaling support for large-scale abuse — by unconditionally backing Riyadh with millions more in weapons sales.”
Ms. Margon called on the Senate to “step up to the plate and make clear U.S. support will not go unchecked this time around.”
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