【生词摘录】
State Department n. 美国国务院
in addition to adv. 除……之外
educated guess 有一定依据的猜测；依照经验、专业知识等所作的猜测、估计等
conference call n. 电话会议
continuation n. 继续，续集，延长，延长物
acknowledge v. 承认，答谢，报偿
counter v. 和...相反，反对，提出抗衡的计划；反驳；抗辩；阻遏
US Increases Military Aid to Israel 25 Percent, Plans to Sell Arms to Gulf States (1/3)
The State Department says for the next 10 years military aid to Israel will increase from $2.4 billion a year to $3 billion. Military aid to Egypt will remain at $1.3 billion a year, in addition to an economic aid package still being negotiated.
The announcements came along with confirmation of reports that the United States is in the final stages of negotiating a large military sales package for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.
Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns would not confirm media reports indicating the sales will total $20 billion, but he called that figure an 'educated guess.'
In a conference call with reporters, Burns also said the sales of mainly defense systems reflect the importance the United States attaches to the role of those countries in the broader Middle East.
Burns says the arms sales are not a new initiative, but rather a continuation of U.S. security assistance to the region. Still he acknowledged that the sales are related to two of the main U.S. goals in the Middle East - the efforts to stabilize Iraq and to counter Iranian influence.
