U.S. APPROVES PLAN TO BOLSTER SAUDI GUARD

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Bush administration has approved a U.S. plan to
bolster the Saudi National Guard.

The U.S. project aims to modernize the 12,000-member force, regarded as the
most pro-Western wing of the Saudi military. The National Guard is headed by
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.

The Defense Department plan envisions the sale of training, equipment and
support to the National Guard in a project estimated at nearly $1 billion.
The project would refurbish many of the aging and neglected systems
purchased by the force over the last decade.

The proposed contract is the biggest approved by the United States since the
kingdom ordered $2.7 billion in missiles and related systems in 2000. The
Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress that
the newly proposed contract could reach $990 million.
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