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Hamas campaign claims 13 Israeli lives

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, August 21, 2002

ISRAEL, U.S. TO CONSULT ON HOMELAND SECURITY TEL AVIV Ñ Israel and the United States plan high-level talks to coordinate efforts to protect their population against a weapons of mass destruction attack.

The talks are expected to take place later this week and will be led by Israeli National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. Uzi Dayan. Dayan will attend a closed security conference hosted by Homeland Security chief Thomas Ridge.

Officials said Dayan will also meet his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice as well as State Department counterterrorism coordinator Francis Taylor. For Dayan, this will be his last U.S. trip as national security adviser. He is scheduled to leave the post on Sept. 6.

Dayan will be accompanied by a delegation comprised of police and emergency service officials. He will discuss with his U.S. counterparts cooperation on homeland security, including the protection of civilians from a weapons of mass destruction attack.

Officials said Dayan is also expected to focus on U.S. help for Israeli preparations to brace for any Washington-led war against Iraq. They said Dayan is expected to request military assets, including PAC-2 missile defense batteries, as well as sufficient alert in advance of a U.S. war.

Dayan is also expected to review a range of scenarios relating to any offensive against the regime of President Saddam Hussein. This will include the prospect that Iraq fires ballistic missiles tipped with biological or chemical warheads toward the Jewish state.

Officials said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has relayed to the Bush administration that Israel will respond to any Iraqi missile attack. They said the administration wants to explore under what circumstances would Israel attack Baghdad. They said Washington has assured Arab states, including allies, that Israel would not be part of any U.S.-led offensive against Saddam.

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