File: 082696_d50028_110.txt
Page: 110
Total Pages: 274

the Persian Gulf crisis. (AP, January 11.)

J~~uary~1~\~~~y After months of talks, Saudi Arabia has given the U.S. the green light to commence

military operations against Iraq, if necessary, according to U.S. and Saudi diplomats. A senior State
Department official says President Bush would not need to consuif further with the Saudis but would
be expected to give them a "notification" of his decision if he concludes that war is necessary.
(W~~i~on Post, January 12, p. 8.)

U.S. military officials say they believe Iraq has been seeding Kuwaiti territorial waters with new
Iraqi-made mines that have recendy begun floating into international shipping channels. (Washington
P~t, {anuary 12, p. 17.)

The Bush Administration says Iraq is planning terrorist attacks worldwide against the U.S. and the
Persian Gulf allies. Many government agencies are taking countermeasures both in the U.S. and abroad
to incicase airport security, tightening screening at entry points and briefing corporations on how to
thwart. attacks. (New York Tim~, January 12, p. 12.)

Pentagon says U.S. and allied forces massed in the Persian Gulf now number more than 615,000
(including 370,000 Americans) and are facing 540,000 Iraqi troops in and near Kuwait. (Reuters News
Service, January 11.)

January 12
Saturday After three days of solemn, often eloquent debate, Congress votes President Bush the
authority to go to war against Iraq. The Senate approved the use of military force by a vote of 52 to
47 while the House approved the use of force by a vote of 250 to 183. (New York Times, January 13,
p.1-.)

Syrian President Assad calls on Saddam Hu-ssein to withdraw his forces from Kuwait immediately
so the Arab world could close ranks and confront Israel, which Assad describes as the Arabs' true
enemy. (New York Times, January 13, p. 8.)

January 13
Sunday U.N. Secretary (3eneral Perez de Cuellar emerges from two and a half hours of talks with
Saddam Hussein saying he could report no progress on persuading Iraq to pull out of Kuwait by the
January 15 deadline. Hussein encouraged the Secretary General to continue his efforts if there was any
will to advance the peace effort, but stuck to his insistence that any accord include a conference on the
Palestinian question. (New York Times, January 14, p. Al.)

Troops from the British SAS and American Special Forces flew into Kuwait last month and returned
to Saudi Arabia with a captured surface-to-air missile and its crew. (London Times, January 13, p. 1.)

2-86