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To: Heretic who wrote (32922)	12/16/1998 1:08:00 PM
From: Captain James T. Kirk	Respond to of 95453

U.S. Forces Awaiting Any Order To Attack Iraq By Charles Aldinger WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. bombers and warships armed with more than 400 cruise missiles stood ready in the Gulf Wednesday and defense officials said they were awaiting an expected order from President Clinton to strike Iraq. The officials, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that any strike by U.S. forces could come quickly in response to a new U.N. report Tuesday that Iraq had broken its promise to cooperate with arms inspections. ''I would say, personally speaking, that such a move is very likely without any warning. But I am not aware of any order now,'' said one official. A White House spokesman said Clinton presided over an early morning meeting attended by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense William Cohen and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Henry Shelton. The decision over whether to strike at Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was being seen in the light of other major concerns pressing on Clinton, including his looming impeachment by the House of Representatives and the crisis in the Middle East peace process. Clinton, just returned from a grueling trip to Israel, had been expected to spend the day trying to rally support against impeachment on charges arising from his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The House was expected to vote Thursday or Friday, but congressional sources said Republicans discussed whether they would go ahead with the vote if bombing started. U.S. officials said more than 200 aircraft and 20 warships, including 15 B-52 bombers, were deployed in the Gulf region carrying hundreds of cruise missiles and other bombs. White House spokesman P.J. Crowley said the foreign policy advisers arrived at the White House at about 7 a.m. EST (1200 GMT) for the meeting, which lasted for an hour. He could not say how long Clinton participated in the session. ''They discussed the situation in Iraq,'' Crowley said, declining to give further details. Earlier Wednesday, another U.S. official said that U.S. officials would have to study the U.N. report to decide ''appropriate next steps'' adding: ''I don't want to foreshadow the use of force one way or the other.'' The U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) Tuesday reported that Baghdad was not cooperating with its inspections meant to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, a situation that U.S. officials described as ''very serious.'' Oil prices jumped on world markets following reports of a possible attack. In the opening minutes of trading in New York, oil futures rose 70 cents to $12.25 a barrel. In mid-November, U.S. and British forces were on the verge of massive bombing attacks on Iraq. The attacks were called off at the last minute after Saddam reversed Baghdad's Oct. 31 refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. U.S. officials said then that if Saddam went back again on his pledge to allow free inspections there would be no further warning. The only indication of an impending attack, one senior official said, would be the withdrawal of UNSCOM personnel. Butler concluded Tuesday that Iraq had failed to restore full cooperation with his weapons experts. ''Iraq's conduct ensured that no progress was able to be made in either the fields of disarmament or account for its prohibited weapons programs,'' he said in a sharp report to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council. U.N. weapons inspectors were evacuated abruptly from Iraq to Bahrain Wednesday, and all of the world body's international staff have now left Iraq, a U.N. official said. There has been no other sign of an impending strike ahead of the month-long Muslim holy observance of Ramadan, which begins this weekend. Pentagon officials declined to say whether Cohen was considering changing plans to travel to Brussels later in the day to attend an important two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers on the alliance's future strategy. The Pentagon said the force in the Gulf region included 15 heavy B-52 bombers armed with air-launched cruise missiles on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, and eight cruisers and destroyers capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles. Also in the Gulf armada was the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Britain, a strong supporter of the U.S. position on Iraq, has several warships and at least a dozen Tornado attack jets based in the Gulf. In addition to more than 200 U.S. warplanes and support aircraft, including those on the Enterprise and at bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other moderate Gulf states, the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is scheduled to arrive in the Gulf within days to replace the Enterprise. The Navy alone has more than 350 Tomahawk missiles stockpiled in the Gulf region, a package that could cause major damage to Iraqi military targets. Eight of the 15 B-52s on Diego Garcia arrived only days ago to replace the seven others in a normal rotation. That rotation is not scheduled to be completed until next week. Each of the planes can carry up to 20 long-range cruise missiles. Four swing-wing B-1 heavy bombers are also based in Oman and dozens of F-15, F-16 and A-10 attack jets in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon told reporters Tuesday that the United States had 24,100 military personnel in the Gulf region. Responding to questions, Bacon stressed that despite the impeachment proceedings Clinton had full moral responsibility and authority to make any decision on Iraq policy. ''The president is the commander-in-chief (of the armed forces),'' Bacon said. ''I think that he has the full authority given under the Constitution to take any action he needs to take in protection of our national interest, whatever he decides that is.''