Rice: $20 billion Arab arms sales 'will help bolster forces of moderation... to secure peace and stability in the Gulf region'

Above: Some 900 weapons makers and security firms from around the world, including the U.S., competed for military customers at the IDEX arms expo in Abu Dhabi in February.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that a new multibillion dollar U.S. military sales package for Arab nations will help secure Iraq and promote stability in the Gulf.

Embarking on a four-day tour of the region with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Rice said in a statement that the proposed U.S. package, estimated to be at least $5 billion (3.6 billion) and as high as $20 billion (14.6 billion), "will help bolster forces of moderation and support a broader strategy to counter the negative influences of al-Qaida, Hebollah, Syria, and Iran."

"We are helping to strengthen the defensive capabilities of our partners and we plan to initiate discussions with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states on a proposed package of military technologies that will help support their ability to secure peace and stability in the Gulf region," she said.

The new sales to Arab countries, notably Saudi Arabia, would be counterbalanced with a more than 25 percent increase in military aid to Israel over the next 10 years, enabling the Jewish state to keep its military advantage over neighbors with whom it has no peace deal.

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