GULF WATCH: Day 62

Diplomatic Front:

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a resolution stating support for President Bush’s actions in the Persian Gulf crisis and the deployment of U.S. troops to deter Iraqi aggression. But lawmakers were worried that the resolution could be used to justify future offensive military action. A similar measure was approved by the House on Monday.

The European Community said it will contribute $1.5 billion to the “front-line” states of Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to help compensate them for costs associated with the crisis. Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu arrived in Egypt on a seven-day Mideast tour expected to focus on aid to affected countries.

The Soviet Union complained that Iraq is delaying exit visas for Soviet specialists whose contracts have expired and who want to go home. Meanwhile, Jordanian truck drivers claimed that Saudi Arabian customs officials were damaging their trucks.

Military Front:

The aircraft carrier Independence sailed into the Persian Gulf, becoming the first U.S. aircraft carrier to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since 1974. The Independence, which carries about 75 aircraft, will sail back to the Arabian Sea in about a week, the Pentagon said.

The Navy and Marine Corps are practicing large-scale amphibious landings at an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea, the Pentagon confirmed. The exercises, which involve 18 ships and 90 aircraft, are designed to familiarize U.S. troops with landing procedures in an actual Middle East desert environment.

A French warship, the Doudard de Lagree, fired warning shots at a North Korean freighter that was said to have defied an order to stop for inspection in the strait linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The freighter, the Sam Il Po, was searched and released.

Crisis Indicators:

* Total U.S. troops deployed in region: 170,000-plus

* Iraqi troops in and near Kuwait: 430,000

* Average pump price of unleaded regular gasoline: $1.346 a gallon, up $0.036 from last week, according to an American Automobile Assn. survey.

* November crude oil futures: $33.95 a barrel, down $3.14.

* Unleaded gasoline futures: $0.8693 a gallon, down $0.0698.

* Heating oil futures: $0.9203 a gallon, down $0.08.