NICOSIA Ñ Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is said to be reviewing his nation's military industry dangers of a confrontation with the United States.

Saddam has been meeting with his military industry chiefs and reviewing weapons and ammunition output, Arab diplomatic sources said. They said Baghdad has also pressed for accelerated deliveries of systems bought from the former Soviet Union.

The sources said Saddam reshuffled his military chiefs in an effort to improve procurement and deployment of new weapons and systems. They said one goal is to accelerate deployment of tank transporters and anti-aircraft subsystems from Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine.

On Sunday, the Iraqi president met Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Tawab Malaweish. Malaweish was recently appointed as the new minister for military industrialization.

The meeting also was attended by Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashem Ahmad as well as military engineers and scientists.

The official Iraqi News Agency said Saddam warned the defense chiefs of a war with the United States. The president was quoted as urging the chiefs to improve the capabilities of Iraqi's armed forces.

Iraqi officials have reported increased U.S. and British air patrols of the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. The diplomatic sources said Iraq's military has been placed on high alert as people have been streaming out of Baghdad in fear of a U.S. attack.

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