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http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2002-daily/10-10-2002/world/w1.htm Daily Jang (Pakistan) October 10, 2002 US looks to Qatar for Iraq strike staging ground -The United States used the desert base in 2001 in the war to oust the Taliban government from Afghanistan, and Udeid could be a launch pad for any strike on Iraq.... -US officials said Washington has poured in money to expand the remote $1.4 billion facility, to be finished by December, into a major air base and military staging ground. Some 600 members of the US Central Command, including regional commander General Tommy Franks, are expected to move to Qatar in November for an exercise, and Washington is considering a permanent shift.... UDEID, Qatar: The United States said on Wednesday it was lobbying Qatar to allow American forces to hit Iraq from its Al Udeid air base. "The US and Qatari government are negotiating to allow the base to be used in any operation against Iraq," Colonel Tim Scott, commander of the US air-wing in Udeid, told journalists on a visit to the Gulf base which Washington is expanding. The tiny Gulf Arab state sits on the world's third biggest natural gas reserves and is within striking distance of Iraq. Qatar publicly opposes any attack on Baghdad, but Gulf-based diplomats say Doha has much to gain by currying favour with the world's only superpower. The United States used the desert base in 2001 in the war to oust the Taliban government from Afghanistan, and Udeid could be a launch pad for any strike on Iraq, especially given reluctance by long-time US Gulf ally Saudi Arabia to join in. US officials said Washington has poured in money to expand the remote $1.4 billion facility, to be finished by December, into a major air base and military staging ground. Some 600 members of the US Central Command, including regional commander General Tommy Franks, are expected to move to Qatar in November for an exercise, and Washington is considering a permanent shift, officials said. Udeid is a multi-purpose base able to handle all kinds of aircraft, including B-52 bombers, and boasts one of the longest runways in the Middle East, 4,500 metres (14,760 ft) long. It can take up to 120 jets. Journalists were taken on a tour of Camp Andy, home to 3,000 or so troops, but not the state-of-the-art facilities that have been constructed in Udeid over the past nine months. Rows of camouflaged tents sat baking in the desert heat while tanks and other vehicles idled on the sand. Qatari and US guards, their rifles at the ready, patrolled Udeid's fortified perimeter and manned checkpoints with sniffer dogs. US officials say the airbase has three hardened concrete underground shelters which can each hold 40 aircraft capable of operating in a biological or chemical attack. Once complete, the base would host 10,000 troops. Construction work at the base 45 km west of the capital, Doha, began three years ago but was hastened in November when Saudi Arabia refused to let US troops head to Afghanistan from its Prince Sultan base. Al Udeid's fast development has raised speculation that the United States will shift its regional command centre from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, particularly after a strain in ties with Riyadh after the September 11 suicide plane attacks. ------------------------------------------------------- http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1033848838236 Financial Times October 9, 2002 US canvas city gears up for war with Iraq By Roula Khalaf In the desert on the west coast of the Gulf, 2,000 American service personnel are stationed at Camp Andy, a drab collection of air- conditioned tents rapidly wearing out from sun and heat. The tent city has its own dining areas, a cinema, a basketball court and bunkers, all rapidly set up after September 11, when the US turned Qatar's al-Udeid into its largest aircraft refuelling base for military operations in Afghanistan. While the US centres its diplomatic efforts on the United Nations in New York, it is at places such as al-Udeid that it is preparing for war. Temporary as it may look, the US-inhabited part of the Qatari base has caught the world's eye as the Pentagon has appeared to play it up as one of the operating sites in a possible military campaign against Iraq. Four US cargo aircraft are lined up less than a mile away. They are some of the 24 cargo and refuelling aircraft the US maintains at the base, which has a runway long enough to handle the heaviest transport aircraft and bombers. Dozens of army trucks are parked near by. Aircraft shelters blend into the desert landscape. The only concrete-built, permanent site is the emir's lounge, where visitors can rest on sofas and treat themselves to water and tea. The temporary US facilities are being upgraded. According to Colonel Timothy Scott, the base commander, Qatar is also expanding the camp and Washington is negotiating with the government to have joint use of the more permanent facilities. To satisfy growing curiosity and fend off charges in the Arab world that it is secretly planning to assist the US in an Iraq war, the Qatari government is lifting the veil on al- Udeid. On Wednesday it allowed local and foreign journalists on a tour of the base. But the visit was limited to areas used by the refuelling wing of the US air force, and officials said they were not in a position to discuss any matters that relate to the US Army Central Command. No one would point to the location of the most intriguing piece of the al-Udeid puzzle - the underground computers and communications equipment said to have been moved there to form the nerve centre in a new Gulf war. Nor would they speak of the underground shelters that diplomats say can house 80 aircraft. The air command and control centre that analysts say is being built in al-Udeid is a possible alternative to the more sophisticated Prince Sultan base in Saudi Arabia, a US ally that has become increasingly squeamish about the American military presence. Riyadh has said use of its territory could be possible only if a US campaign is authorised by the UN. It has placed restrictions on the US military, frustrating Pentagon officials. In a region where anti-US sentiment is rising and American military installations are targets for attacks - a US marine was killed in Kuwait on Tuesday - the tiny peninsula of Qatar has proved to be an accommodating friend to the US. The government can afford to take unpopular measures. The country has a population of 150,000 (and 450,000 expatriates), the third-largest gas reserves in the world and a per capita income of $27,000. The US presence, say western diplomats, is considered an insurance policy in a small country with often stormy relations with larger neighbours. d3 Part of the headquarters staff of US Army Central Command will move from Tampa, Florida, to al- Udeid in a few weeks, ostensibly for an internal military exercise. But the Pentagon has indicated the move could become permanent. Al-Udeid is probably the safest environment for the US in the region, Col Scott said. Barbed wire and a wide perimeter protect against intruders and the Andy Camp is a few miles down the road, at little risk of car bomb attacks. Most important to the US, however, is freedom of operation. With few restrictions on rules of engagement, the US air force's co-operation with the government in the Afghanistan campaign is "absolutely outstanding," said Col Scott. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, said the US has not asked to use the base in a military campaign against Iraq. But he indicated a demand would be considered. "Our people know about the American presence, there's nothing secret about al-Udeid," he said. "We'll discuss with the US many issues, if it's reasonable or not. The Americans respect us and we respect them, we take into account our special relationship." Al-Udeid's possible participation in war will also depend on the level of assistance the US receives elsewhere in the region. "All the facilities [in the region] are important, every piece of the puzzle has a role to play," said a western diplomat in Doha, the Qatari capital. "It's all designed so that if you lose one of the places you can use another one." ------------------------------------------------------- http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2002-daily/10-10-2002/world/w10.htm Daily Jang (Pakistan) October 10, 2002 Kuwaiti troops could intervene in case of Iraq war: chief of staff KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti army could intervene in neighbouring Iraq if the United States launches an assault on the country, the armed forces chief said Wednesday. "We are limited by our constitution, which says that we are a defensive force," General Ali al-Mumen said in an interview with a group of foreign journalists. "We are here to defend Kuwait. If we look at it literally, we should not cross our border, but when things start flying, I don't know what will happen," he said. Mumen said the "greatest danger" for Kuwait was the missiles arsenal of Iraq, which under UN disarmament terms is allowed to possess missiles with a range of up to 150 kilometres (90 miles). "Chemical weapons are always in our minds; he (Iraqi President Saddam Hussein) would have no hesitation to use them if he were cornered," said the general. "He used it when he was not cornered, so we would be naive to think that he will not do it again," he said. But the general said the Kuwaiti armed forces were "mentally prepared. We are always taking our precautions, to make sure that our security is well looked after." As for the Iraqi army, he said morale was running "very low." "It depends on what portion of the army, but even the ones that we think very loyal, when things go the other way, they will not be that loyal," predicted the general. Kuwait has deployed 10 US Patriot missile batteries in case of Iraqi attack, Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah said last week. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? 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