
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 5, 1991                   TAG: 9102050511
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA                                LENGTH: Medium

IN SOME WAYS, TIME IS ON SADDAM'S SIDE

A Saudi prince was asked whether President Bush or Saddam Hussein can claim time as an ally in the Persian Gulf war.

"It depends," he said, "whether you are talking about military standards or Middle East standards."

As the war nears the three-week mark, it is not an idle question.

Bush insists he will not be rushed into a bloody ground war with Saddam's formidable army, and appears content to hold off on an allied ground offensive until he is convinced U.S. casualties will be minimal.

"He wants us to proceed in a very cautious, methodical manner," Bush's defense secretary, Dick Cheney, said Monday.

Saddam, on the other hand, sometimes appears intent on drawing the allies into a ground war sooner than they planned. At other times, he seems content to simply survive the relentless air attack and claim the mantle of leadership among the throng of Arabs who revile the United States.

Even if Saddam loses Kuwait, many Middle East experts believe he could remain a feared and, in some circles, revered.

"By Middle East standards, so far it is a draw or maybe even Saddam is slightly ahead," said the Saudi prince, who declined to be further identified. "To say that worries us is an understatement, yes indeed."

There were other worries voiced by the prince, and by Middle East experts as well. Among them:

It is getting warmer in the desert again, with scorching temperatures about two months away. Many of the front-line U.S. Army and other ground troops were not here last summer to acclimate.

"I had two guys treated for frostbite the other day, yet I'm worried about the heat," British Capt. Bob Ferguson said last week. "The unbearable heat will be here before we know it. We've got to get this resolved by then, and we will."

Muslim religious holidays are approaching, including Ramadan in March, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Cultural sensitivities likely will be heightened during Muslim religious periods.

by CNB