GULF WATCH: Day 164 : A daily briefing paper on developments in the crisis : Congressional Front:

In a dramatic endorsement of President Bush’s Persian Gulf strategy, Congress voted to authorize use of force if Iraq remains in Kuwait beyond midnight Tuesday. After three days of debate, the Senate approved the authorization by a vote of 52 to 47, the House, 250 to 183.

President Bush applauded the congressional vote, saying it would send Iraqi President Saddam Hussein the clearest signal yet that he must abide by the U.N.-mandated deadline. Bush acknowledged that Hussein could not carry out a complete withdrawal in three days but said that starting “a rapid, massive” removal of troops would be sufficient to avert war. If he fails to do so, Bush said, “we are ready, and we are determined.”

Diplomatic Front:

U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar arrived in Baghdad for talks today with Hussein. The secretary general, met by Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz, told reporters that he had “come to talk with the Iraqi authorities about the prospects of peace” but denied he carried a specific plan to avert war.

The United States abandoned its embassy in Baghdad and evacuated its remaining diplomats to Germany. The State Department ordered Iraq to reduce its embassy staff in Washington to four “to reduce Iraq’s capability to orchestrate terrorism in the event of gulf hostilities.”

With Secretary of State James A. Baker III at his side, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shareh said his government could not accept Israeli participation in the military coalition against Iraq, even if Israel intervenes in response to an Iraqi attack. Earlier, as Baker met with Syrian President Hafez Assad, a Damascus radio announcer read an appeal from Assad calling on Hussein to withdraw in the name of Arab unity.

Operation Desert Shield Communications:

Daily mail deliveries: 310 tons

Temporary post offices: 140

Daily fax messages: 8,300

Phones installed: 3,350

Desert phone centers: 12