GULF WATCH: Day 119 : A Daily Briefing Paper On Developments In The Crisis
Diplomatic Front:
The U.N. Security Council is expected to approve a resolution today authorizing military action if Iraq does not withdraw from Kuwait by Jan. 15. Iraq assailed the U.N. resolution as “leading the entire world to a ruinous war” and called on President Bush to initiate a dialogue between the two countries. Iraq also urged the Security Council to consider a Middle East peace settlement that would address the Palestinian issue. Political Front:
Two former joint chiefs of staff, Gen. David Jones and Adm. William J. Crowe, told Congress that the United States should refrain for now from military action and instead give sanctions more time to work. The testimony ran counter to the Administration position that the standoff cannot continue indefinitely. Military Front:
The anticipated Jan. 15 deadline for an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait could help undermine the morale of Iraqi military forces and would “tend to up the ante” in the current standoff, said Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of U.S. forces in the gulf. U.S. Forces in the Persian Gulf:
U.S. troops 240,000
Tanks en route 400
Armored fighting vehicles 300
Air Force planes 300
Navy aircraft 200
Navy planes en route 200
Helicopters 250
Warships 55
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