Iraq to Deploy 250,000 More Troops in Kuwait : Gulf crisis: Gorbachev asks for ‘patience,’ dashes U.S. hopes for Soviet support in U.N. on military action.

Iraq said today it will send 250,000 more troops to bolster its armies in occupied Kuwait, while Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev dodged endorsing the use of military force against Iraq.

The Iraqi News Agency, INA, said President Saddam Hussein and his generals believe the United States and its allies would need vast reinforcements in the Persian Gulf before attempting any counter-invasion of Kuwait, occupied by Iraq on Aug. 2.

“What the evil American Administration needs is a 3-to-1 ratio to be technically able to attack. . . . This means that America has to mobilize a 3-million-strong force with arms and equipment matching those of our forces,” INA said.

“This takes the (Iraqi) superiority to its requested level and leaves no room for others to try to match it,” it added.

Gorbachev urged patience in the Persian Gulf crisis as he began a meeting with President Bush during a 34-nation summit in Paris. His comments appeared to dash U.S. hopes for winning immediate Soviet support for a U.N. resolution authorizing military action to force Iraq out of Kuwait.

Asked whether he would endorse such a resolution, Gorbachev said, “Well, I think we all need patience. But that does not mean that we are going to relax, that we are going to retreat.”

Bush tried to deflect questions, saying he was looking forward to their talks and a dinner tonight.

“I’m very pleased with the way the Soviet Union and the United States can work together in the United Nations. There continues to be very open-minded communications, and I have no reason to be anything other than very satisfied,” Bush said.

Gorbachev told reporters: “I think you must know we’re not going to change our position. We certainly will seek to resolve that situation, and we must be firm in our position.”

Iraq had 1 million men under arms when the gulf crisis erupted but has since been regularly calling up reserves. INA said 150,000 of the Kuwait reinforcements will be reservists.

The decision to send the 250,000 reinforcements was taken at a meeting in Baghdad between Hussein and his top army commanders.

Iraq also lashed out at the West for its cool reaction to an offer to free all foreigners in three months starting at Christmas and urged hostages hiding in Kuwait to surrender.

More than 240,000 U.S. troops are in the gulf as part of the 370,000-strong force facing Iraq. Washington is sending another 200,000 over the next few weeks to give its armies an offensive edge.

INA gave no estimate of the numbers of Iraqi troops in Kuwait. Western diplomats estimate there are already about 430,000 in the emirate and southern Iraq.