THE BIG TICKET ITEM

Pending Arab arms purchases from the United States now form a 'huge backlog' , according to a US State Department official. The US Administration is now engaged in the politically sensitive task of making recommendations for major arms sales to Arab countries, reliable sources in Washington have said. An estimated one billion dollars' worth of foreign military sales is up for approval by the new Congress, including, as one Administration official described it, the 'big ticket' item of the supply of F-15 fighter aircraft for Saudi Arabia.