(CNN)A secret push by President Donald Trump's senior adviser
Jared Kushner to sell advanced arms -- including F-35 stealth fighter jets --
to the United Arab Emirates has caused confusion and frustration among agencies
and congressional committees that would normally be involved in such a sale but
have been left in the dark.
Kushner is supporting the administration's
discussions with the UAE about the potential advanced arms sale, which have
been led by the NSC Senior Director for the Middle East, Miguel Correa, a
senior administration official said.
The tight hold on details about these discussions
has created confusion across the US government, two State Department officials
and multiple congressional aides tell CNN.
Trump said the potential sale was "under
review" during a press conference on Wednesday. He also said the Emirates
have the funds to pay for the military hardware.
Expecting closer cooperation
On Thursday, Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of
state for foreign affairs, said at an Atlantic Council event that "the UAE
has indicated that it wants F-35s. The first time we made this request was 6
years ago. We ought to get them. It should be easier to get them." Gargash
added that discussions about the F-35 are not connected to the deal with
Israel.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said in a
statement Thursday that "we have been flying the most advanced model of
the US-made F-16 for more than 15 years. Facing new threats and more
sophisticated adversaries, the UAE will continue to upgrade and improve our air
defense capabilities. The F-35 has been part of these plans for more than six
years."
"With the signing of the new accord and the
added assurances it provides, we expect closer security cooperation among all
three countries including on air defense and systems," the statement continued.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the
Emirati military was given a classified briefing by administration officials on
the F-35 fighter jet in recent weeks.
Reports of a possible arms deal surfaced Tuesday
when one of Israel's leading newspapers alleged there was a "secret
clause" in Israel's deal to normalize relations with the UAE -- one that
would allow the UAE to buy billions of dollars in advanced military hardware
from the US, including drones, F-35 stealth fighters and other weaponry.
The story raised hackles in Israel because of the
potential threat to Israel's military superiority in the region. Israel has
long opposed sales of strategic weapons systems to other countries in the
Middle East and under US law, any arms sales must take Israel's qualitative
military edge into account.
It is unclear if there is a direct correlation
between the discussions over the possible arms sale and the agreement which was
inked last week, but Trump administration officials have indicated that the agreement
paved the way for these discussions.
Kushner was directly involved in discussion with
the Emirates and the Israelis in the lead up to the agreement last week, he
told reporters.
The National Security Council did not reply to a
request for comment.
Any sale involving the F-35 would require serious
scrutiny from Congress, said two congressional aides. But relevant committees
in Congress have not been notified of an arms sale to UAE involving F-35s and
there is no unofficial review underway either, the aides said. There is
frustration among members of both parties about the lack of communication from
the administration on these discussions, the aides added.
The State Department office that handles arms
sales has not been formally been notified of a request for the purchase from
the Emirates, which is required to trigger a formal review process, State
Department officials tell CNN.
Arms sales take years to come to fruition,
particularly ones that involve such advanced defense systems.
Earlier this month a group of Trump administration
national security officials visited the UAE. Discussions focused on the UAE
relationship with China, said a source familiar with the trip. It is unclear if
there were also sideline discussions about the possible arms sale.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office
said in a statement Tuesday that Israel repeatedly raised concerns about the
possibility of advanced arms sales to "any country in the Middle
East" in the weeks before the normalization deal was announced. Trump
announced that agreement, heralding it as a "significant step towards
building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East."
CNN's Mostafa Salem and Becky Anderson contributed
to this report
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