France Armed Forces Persian Gulf

The illuminated yellow cross shines brightly these days inside the Crypt of the Wooden Hand. Legionnaires in crisp khaki uniforms and white kepis--caps with flat, round tops and stiff visors--march the length of the "Sacred Way" parade ground at the center of the headquarters compound here with a renewed sense of purpose.

French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday rebuffed Secretary of State Warren Christopher's plea for help in enforcing the expanded "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq, dashing U.S. hopes of refurbishing the Persian Gulf War coalition.

By a slight margin, the French want their armed forces to fight alongside the United States in the event of war with Iraq, according a poll released Friday. Of 800 people surveyed this week by the IPSOS polling firm, 47% said they favored French participation in a multinational force if war broke out, while 43% were opposed. The poll, conducted for the weekly magazine Le Point, said 46% of the respondents hoped U.S. forces would confront Iraq directly, while 34% hoped this would not happen.

Mines damaged two American warships in the northern Persian Gulf on Monday, ripping a 16-by-25-foot hole in one and slightly injuring seven sailors. Allied forces, meanwhile, launched heavy air strikes against Iraqi troop positions on Monday, as well as initiating artillery duels across the Kuwaiti border. The United Arab Emirates joined the air battle, flying four missions with French-built Mirage 2000s against the Iraqis inside Kuwait.

Diplomatic Front: President Bush offered to send Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Baghdad to meet with Saddam Hussein and invited Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz to Washington to discuss a possible peaceful solution to the gulf crisis. But the President said he would not engage in discussions that would result in anything less than Iraq's complete withdrawal from Kuwait. If Iraq does not pull out of Kuwait by the Jan. 15 deadline set by the U.N.

France's defense minister, accused of restricting his nation's military role in the Persian Gulf because of his own deep opposition to the war, is under increasing attack from political opponents and even prominent colleagues in the governing Socialist Party who want a clearer, broader French commitment to the allied war effort.

In cities from Copenhagen to Rome, lights burned late in government offices and citizens sat glued to television sets to catch the first sketchy details of the globe's newest war. And in Tokyo, the Japanese government quickly declared its support for the United States in the gulf war. News of the attack broke shortly after midnight European time, and initial official reaction from America's European allies was cryptic.

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger said Tuesday that Western military power in the Persian Gulf will continue to grow, indicating that the United States and several other nations are planning to send additional warships and men to the troubled region.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, offering the most direct indication to date of how and when a ground assault into Kuwait could begin, said early today that allied troops might launch a land offensive to draw Iraqi troops into a death trap well before warplanes have done their worst damage.

They lifted off on a moonless night on runways etched in the Arabian desert from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, bound for a rendezvous in Iraq that would mark the beginning of war.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, offering the most direct indication to date of how and when a ground assault into Kuwait could begin, said early today that allied troops might launch a land offensive to draw Iraqi troops into a death trap well before warplanes have done their worst damage.

As the sun climbed over Kuwait in the early hours of last Thursday, Cmdr. Youssef could see a dull glint to the northeast, near the horizon. It was Kuwait city, catching the morning light. For the first time in more than five months, he was seeing home.

France's defense minister, accused of restricting his nation's military role in the Persian Gulf because of his own deep opposition to the war, is under increasing attack from political opponents and even prominent colleagues in the governing Socialist Party who want a clearer, broader French commitment to the allied war effort.

They lifted off on a moonless night on runways etched in the Arabian desert from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, bound for a rendezvous in Iraq that would mark the beginning of war.

In cities from Copenhagen to Rome, lights burned late in government offices and citizens sat glued to television sets to catch the first sketchy details of the globe's newest war. And in Tokyo, the Japanese government quickly declared its support for the United States in the gulf war. News of the attack broke shortly after midnight European time, and initial official reaction from America's European allies was cryptic.

American and British troops will conduct most of the offensive operations in a Persian Gulf war--and probably sustain the greatest casualties--while French and Arab forces handle defensive assignments well behind the front lines, military officials said Monday.

American and British troops will conduct most of the offensive operations in a Persian Gulf war--and probably sustain the greatest casualties--while French and Arab forces handle defensive assignments well behind the front lines, military officials said Monday.

French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday rebuffed Secretary of State Warren Christopher's plea for help in enforcing the expanded "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq, dashing U.S. hopes of refurbishing the Persian Gulf War coalition.

Diplomatic Front: President Bush offered to send Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Baghdad to meet with Saddam Hussein and invited Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz to Washington to discuss a possible peaceful solution to the gulf crisis. But the President said he would not engage in discussions that would result in anything less than Iraq's complete withdrawal from Kuwait. If Iraq does not pull out of Kuwait by the Jan. 15 deadline set by the U.N.

The illuminated yellow cross shines brightly these days inside the Crypt of the Wooden Hand. Legionnaires in crisp khaki uniforms and white kepis--caps with flat, round tops and stiff visors--march the length of the "Sacred Way" parade ground at the center of the headquarters compound here with a renewed sense of purpose.