Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 12, 1994 TAG: 9410120071
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From wire reports
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The United States suggested imposing a wide off-limits zone on Saddam Hussein's forces near Kuwait's border. Baghdad must ``stop being the bully in the neighborhood,''the Clinton administration said.
Five days after the crisis began, the Pentagon said some Iraqi units had moved away from their combat positions toward rail stations for loading onto trains. ``There's fairly broad movement'' among the 80,000 Iraqis assembled at the Kuwaiti border, said Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Clinton was cautiously optimistic that Iraq was pulling back from the brink of a military showdown.
``I'm hopeful,'' Clinton said. ``It's a little early yet to reach a final conclusion. We're watching it very closely.''
Despite signs of a pullback, Shalikashvili said that ``considerable units'' of Iraqi forces still were in place near Kuwait and that it was uncertain how far back the retreating troops were moving.
``I'm not at all prepared to say the crisis is over in any way,'' said Shalikashvili.
As a result, officials said they will continue to consider launching a pre-emptive strike or creating a demilitarized zone in southern Iraq. Senior U.S. officials said a pre-emptive strike was unlikely unless Iraq appears to reposition itself to invade Kuwait.
Clinton's policy won bipartisan praise from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who were briefed by Pentagon and CIA officials.
``The president is right by not relenting at all and deploying more forces,'' said Sen. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz., the committee chairman. ``Any movement of [Iraqi] troops there is certainly not convincing.''
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the committee vice chairman, called Clinton's actions ``timely and very prudent.''
American forces continued to rush to the Persian Gulf, with 19,000 troops in place and 44,500 more in various stages of deployment. An additional 156,000 troops were on alert but had not received orders to move.
Despite the promised pullback, the United States and its allies appeared determined to prevent Saddam from triggering another crisis at will.
One idea being discussed with allies called for the U.N. Security Council to declare a wide off-limits zone for Saddam Hussein's forces in southern Iraq near the Kuwait border.
``There's a no-fly zone now [in southern Iraq], but we are looking at ways to kind of move them back and make sure that they stay behind a certain area so that we are not faced with this kind of thing again,'' said Madeleine Albright, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Another option would be to press Iraq to sell $1.6 billion worth of oil and use the proceeds to feed and otherwise assist the Iraqi people. The United Nations already has authorized Saddam to make such sales under controlled conditions, but he has rejected the idea.
Making the rounds of television talk shows, Albright said Saddam had to ``stop being the bully in the neighborhood. ... What we're doing now is looking at all the options so that he cannot continue to mess with all of us all the time.''
She said the United Nations was fed up with Saddam's tactics and that the Iraqis had ``blown it big time'' if they thought their aggressive tactics would lead to easing of the rigid economic sanctions.
Shalikashvili sidestepped when asked how far Iraq had to pull back and what the United States would do to prevent another showdown. He said those questions were up for further discussion.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher, breaking off from Middle East peace talks, was to fly to Kuwait today to follow up on Clinton's efforts to reassemble the international coalition that defeated Iraq in 1999.
Backed by U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency analysts, Christopher will meet with leaders of the Persian Gulf countries and with British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd.
Christopher met in Jordan with King Hussein, who pledged his country to the defense of Kuwait ``very clearly and very openly.'' It was a marked contrast to four years ago, when Jordan helped Iraq circumvent a U.N. boycott.
Until midday Tuesday, U.S. officials were skeptical that Iraqi troops were moving from the border. ``Saddam Hussein cannot fool the satellite photographs. They have not moved back,'' Vice President Al Gore said shortly before noon.
Shalikashvili said that 200 American planes and 52 allied aircraft were operating in the region.
Keywords:
INFOLINE
by CNB