U.S., Saudis Stage Practice Invasion : Mideast: Iraq calls the six-day amphibious exercise near the Kuwait border a ‘provocative act.’

U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces today began a six-day amphibious exercise in the Persian Gulf code-named “Imminent Thunder.” Iraq called it a “provocative act” because it was close to Kuwait.

The exercise involved 1,000 U.S. Marines, 1,100 aircraft and 16 ships, including the aircraft carrier Midway, which arrived in the region earlier this month.

It was the largest use of aircraft in a single training exercise since American forces began being deployed in the region under Operation Desert Shield in early August.

There have been three previous amphibious exercises in the gulf since Iraq’s Aug. 2 invasion of Iraq, but they were believed to have been held farther south.

The exact location of Imminent Thunder was not revealed under military policy and a news blackout was imposed for the initial phases. Press reports have said the exercise would be 10 miles from the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. No live ammunition will be fired.

The exercise was not intended to provoke the Iraqis, U.S. Navy spokesman Cmdr. J. D. Van Sickle said. “The purpose is to give participating forces training in joint and combined operations and to enhance amphibious warfare skills,” he said. “Exercise Imminent Thunder is part of our Desert Shield training.”

Military officials said there was no particular significance to the name of the operation and that its timing was not linked to any operational plans.

But it is being held as the United States doubles the number of aircraft carriers in the gulf region to six and sends in 200,000 additional military personnel to join the estimated 230,000 already deployed. The entire U.S.-led multinational force arrayed against Iraq numbers more than 300,000.

Also today, Syria and Egypt rejected a proposed Arab summit on the Persian Gulf crisis, effectively killing chances for the gathering that Morocco’s king said was possibly the last chance for peace.

Presidents Hafez Assad of Syria and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt became the latest Arab leaders to join Saudi Arabia in rejecting the summit. They said they were doing so because Baghdad insisted upon keeping Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it would not participate in the summit unless Baghdad promised beforehand to leave Kuwait, which it invaded Aug. 2.