-Caveat Lector- I wonder if there is a connexion ... Via Reuters: Monday December 14 3:11 PM ET U.S. Warns Americans In Gulf WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department said Monday it has warned American diplomats and citizens in seven Gulf states of a potential attack on U.S. targets, possibly in the next 30 days. Deputy spokesman James Foley said the warning was ``based on information we deem to be credible and serious.'' The threat applies to Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Yemen. Embassies in those countries warned Americans over the weekend they have ``information indicating a strong possibility that terrorist elements are planning an attack against U.S. targets in the Gulf, possibly in the next 30 days,'' Foley told reporters. He refused to be more specific about the threat but implied that any U.S.-related facility -- private or government -- could be at risk. ``All American citizens should remain alert to any suspicious activity and take precautionary steps to reduce the profile and vulnerability of any U.S. facilities,'' he said. ``The embassy reminds Americans to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness and to lessen their vulnerability,'' including by maintaining a low-profile and varying times and routes of regular travel, he said. The United States has issued such warnings with increased regularity since it bombed alleged terrorist sites in Afghanistan and Sudan in retaliation for the terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania last August. Osama bin Laden, a Saudi dissident believed to be living in Afghanistan, has been indicted as the man behind the attacks. The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his apprehension and conviction. Foley refused to say if Washington believed bin Laden might be behind the latest threat. He said U.S. ambassadors in the seven Gulf states have been asked to review security at their embassies but he was not aware that any American diplomatic personnel were being withdrawn from the region. Wednesday December 16 11:31 AM ET Saddam Recalls Gulf War As Tension Rises <Picture: Reuters Photo> Reuters Photo BAGHDAD (Reuters) - President Saddam Hussein urged his people to confront Western ``aggression'' as they did in the 1991 Gulf War as Iraq and the United States edged closer to military confrontation Wednesday. Saddam invoked the memory of what Iraq calls the ``Mother of all Battles'' as U.N. weapons inspectors pulled out of the country, accusing Baghdad of refusing to cooperate. The United States and Britain, which came within minutes of attacking Iraq when it last defied arms inspections just over a month ago, both stressed they could strike without warning this time. President Clinton, bracing for an impeachment vote later this week by the House of Representatives, met foreign policy advisers to discuss the crisis. Britain said Iraq was making a grave error. Saddam met top aides to discuss ``necessary precautions and measures to confront American and British aggression,'' a statement by the Iraqi leadership said. ``We call on you, Iraqis, women and men, after relying on God, to throw out their dreams and their failed visions and prove by solid facts that they will fail as they have failed during the Mother of Battles,'' the statement said. Ninety-two inspectors and support staff of the U.N. Special Commission on arms inspections (UNSCOM) were evacuated to Bahrain following a U.N. report accusing Iraq of breaking its promise to cooperate fully with their work. UNSCOM is in charge of efforts to eliminate Iraq's biological, chemical and ballistic arms. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which deals with nuclear weapons, said it was also pulling its inspectors out of Iraq. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said the U.N. report was aimed at giving the United States justification for military strikes. ``The report is ill-intentioned and in particular aimed to justify American and British military aggression against Iraq,'' Aziz was quoted as saying by the official Iraqi News Agency. Russia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, while a French government spokesman said Paris still hoped a military strike could be avoided but realized this might not now be possible. U.N. sources said border monitors from Lloyds of London, who check the import into Iraq of humanitarian supplies, had been asked to evacuate the country. But oil industry sources said monitors from a Dutch company who check Iraqi oil exports remained at their posts. Iraq, laboring under international sanctions, sells about 1.8 million barrels per day under an ``oil-for-food'' deal with the United Nations that enables it to buy food and medicines. Industry sources said the sales continued as normal Wednesday, but oil prices rose sharply as tensions increased. A U.S. official said Clinton, just back from a grueling Middle East trip and trying to rally support to avoid impeachment, had discussed Iraq at a meeting with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense William Cohen and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Earlier, another U.S. official said Washington 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 United States has 201 aircraft and 22 warships in the Gulf region. The Defense Department said U.S. firepower 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. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the U.N. report showed Iraq had carried out a ``plan of deceit'' to prevent arms inspectors from conducting their work. A spokesman for Blair said possible air strikes could not be organized at ``the click of a finger.'' The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, due to start later this week, was a serious consideration in deciding the timing of any attack, he added. But Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said Saddam should expect no warning if Britain and the United States decided to launch air strikes. Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov as saying Iraq should continue cooperating with arms inspections. But he said the Security Council should consider the performance of UNSCOM chief Richard Butler, of whom he was sharply critical. In New York, a report by Butler issued late Tuesday said that Baghdad had imposed new restrictions on disarmament efforts. This made it impossible for inspectors to determine that Iraq had eliminated its prohibited weapons, a key requirement for lifting the stringent U.N. sanctions. These were imposed in August 1990 after Iraq's troops invaded Kuwait, from which they were forced out by a broad U.S.-led military alliance in the Gulf War. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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