CRISIS IN THE PERSIAN GULF : GULFWATCH: Day 159
A daily briefing paper on developments in the Persian Gulf crisis.
The Political Front:
The White House said it will work with Congress in shaping the language of a resolution on the use of force in the Persian Gulf. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, said debate would probably begin on a resolution to support continued sanctions and diplomacy, and directing President Bush to get congressional approval before going to war.
Bush cleared his schedule to deal with the crisis, and the White House conceded it may affect the superpowers summit now scheduled for Moscow next month.
The Military Front:
Iraqi defectors flew six helicopters to Saudi Arabia. Some of the defectors reportedly asked political asylum.
In Baghdad, Yasser Arafat said his Palestine Liberation Organization would side with Iraq in a war.
A State Department spokesman, meanwhile, said that the United States had detected planning for possible pro-Iraqi terrorist acts, especially in Europe and the Middle East. But he emphasized that there is no evidence of any imminent attack.
Deaths of U.S. Military Personnel in Gulf:
* In and near Saudi Arabia: 54 * Outside the gulf area: 41 * Total: 95
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