GULF WATCH: Day 153 : A Daily Briefing Paper on Developments in the Crisis
Diplomatic Front: President Bush said in a television interview that “no price is too heavy to pay” to repel “the aggression of Saddam Hussein against Kuwait.” He accused the Iraqi president of committing genocide against the people of Kuwait.
Iraq dismissed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s warning of a “merciless hell” if war erupts in the Persian Gulf as “hollow words.” The official Iraqi News Agency said Iraq will not be intimidated and called Mubarak a “clown and liar” controlled by the United States.
In Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union and 51 other organizations called on Congress to adopt a resolution intended to prevent Bush from starting a war with Iraq without congressional approval.
Military Front: A U.S. Army officer serving in the Persian Gulf apparently committed suicide by shooting himself with his M-16 rifle, military officials said. They identified the soldier as 1st Lt. Shannon Kelly, 23, a member of the 101st Airborne Division from Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Arab Nations’ Troop Deployments:
* Saudi Arabia: 117,700
* United Arab Emirates: 43,000
* Oman: 25,500
* Egypt: 17,000+
* Morocco: 5,000
* Syria: 4,000
* Bahrain: 3,350
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