GULF WATCH: Day 101 : A daily briefing paper on developments in the crisis : Military Front:
Members of Congress visited U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia and told reporters afterward that Iraq’s withdrawal from Kuwait would not by itself end the Persian Gulf crisis. House Defense Committee Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.) said Baghdad’s ability to produce chemical and biological weapons must be destroyed as well.
Either Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is “dumber than a stump” or “his ego is too big” to allow him to recognize the probability of defeat in a Persian Gulf shoot-out, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Gary Luck told reporters in Saudi Arabia.
Diplomatic Front:
In Paris, Secretary of State James A. Baker III said the United States and its allies remain united in their desire to drive Iraq out of Kuwait but have differences over how long sanctions should be given to work. Baker met with French President Francois Mitterrand on the last stop of an eight-nation diplomatic tour.
Projected Non-Arab Troop Deployments in the Gulf:
* United States 430,000
* Britain 15,000
* France 13,000
* Pakistan 5,000
* Bangladesh 5,000
* Turkey 5,000
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
