1.   Senators are demanding to know whether the vice-president is in any way connected with the arms suppliers.

2.   The latter hurt Israel far more than the Arab states because France had long been an important arms supplier to Israel.

3.   But Germany is also accused by Kurds of being a principal arms supplier to Turkey.

4.   By far, its biggest arms supplier has been Russia, which has sold China MiG fighter jets, surface warships and submarines, and missiles.

5.   China, long a major arms supplier in Africa, has shipped Ethiopia rifles and ammunition, and more has been contracted for, U.S. officials said.

6.   Since the end of World War II, Yugoslavia has been an important customer of Russian arms suppliers and oil and gas exporters.

7.   Paris is also a major arms supplier to Qatar, whose military personnel routinely travel to France for training.

8.   Beijing is the major arms supplier for the junta, which faces decades-old rebellions by ethnic minorities in the east seeking greater autonomy.

9.   Britain is a main arms supplier to the Gulf island nation.

10.   Both Qatar and the U.A.E. have defense agreements with France, a traditional arms supplier to both.