GULF WATCH: Day 122 : A daily briefing paper on developments in the crisis : Diplomatic Front:
Iraq’s ruling Revolutionary Command Council accepted President Bush’s offer to send Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Baghdad for talks with Saddam Hussein. But the council insisted on linking any resolution of the crisis to Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories.
Military Front:
The United States and Saudi Arabia are preparing to initiate covert psychological warfare against Iraq if war breaks out in the gulf, according to U.S. military sources.
Pakistan will send 10,000 more soldiers to Saudi Arabia, adding to a current deployment estimated at 2,000, officials said.
A U.S. airman was killed in a vehicle accident at an air base in Saudi Arabia, military officials said. He was the 50th U.S. serviceman to die since the deployment began.
Political Front:
Sen. Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said President Bush should propose a special war tax to help finance the cost of military operations if fighting breaks out in the gulf.
Turkey’s Armed Forces:
* Troops near Iraqi border: 100,000
* Paramilitary forces: 35,000
* Troops designated for Saudi Arabia: 5,000
* Tanks in region: 50
* Combat aircraft: 50
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