GULF WATCH: Day 61

Diplomatic Front:

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein followed up a call for dialogue by announcing he will release nine Frenchmen who had been held as “foreign guests.”

President Bush, meanwhile, told the U.N. General Assembly that all nations hope military force will not be required to drive Iraq from Kuwait. But he won applause by vowing anew that the annexation of Kuwait “will not stand.”

At a U.N. summit on children, the exiled emir of Kuwait described horrific crimes and hardships inflicted by Iraq on his country’s children.

Military Front:

Elements of the 101st Airborne Division honed urban warfare skills in the rubble of an abandoned oasis village--practice that would come in handy if they are called on to liberate Kuwait city or defend Saudi Arabian towns. They also have been studying pocket cards of Arabic phrases such as “hands up,” “lie down” and the like.

Moving to calm fears about Israel’s security, the Bush Administration announced plans to send two batteries of Patriot anti-missile missiles to Israel. Israel announced that its more than 4.5 million citizens will be given gas masks, but the government said the move is not related to recent threats from Hussein.

Economic Front:

World oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel, responding in part to conciliatory words from President Bush and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for November delivery dropped $2.42 from Friday’s close to $37.09 a barrel. Unleaded wholesale gasoline for November delivery was down 4.8 cents to 93.91 cents a gallon, while November home heating oil fell 5.89 cents to $1.003 a gallon.

Crisis Indicators:

* Iraqi deployment in the Persian Gulf:

* Total Iraqi forces: 1,000,000

* Iraqi forces in/near Kuwait: 430,000

* Total Iraqi tanks: 5,500

* Iraqi tanks in/near Kuwait: 3,500

* Total Iraqi artillery pieces: 3,500

* Iraqi artillery pieces in/near Kuwait: 1,700