ABU DHABI Ñ Kuwait and Jordan exchanged intelligence reports in secret talks Sunday night about Iraq's missile capability.
In a meeting with Kuwaiti Interior Minister Mohammed Al Khaled Al Sabah,
Jordan's intelligence chief discussed the prospect of security coordination
and the threat of a preemptive strike by Iraq.
The two countries are said to be concerned that Iraq
plans to launch a sabotage campaign against Western interests within Jordan
and Kuwait to foil any U.S. military campaign, Middle East Newsline reported.
Both Jordan and Kuwait have been cited as leading participants in the
U.S.-led war against terrorism as well as efforts to topple the regime of
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
About 10,000 U.S. troops are in Kuwait and
earlier this month Jordan completed a major special operations forces
exercise with the United States. Jordan has ruled out the use of its
military bases for a U.S. attack on Baghdad.
Iraq is said to have between 20 and 80 Al Hussein medium-range ballistic
missiles, with a range of 650 kilometers. Baghdad has also launched an
effort to convert its short-range missiles to that of medium- and
intermediate-range.
The Kuwaiti Al Rai Al Aam daily reported on Wednesday that
Jordanian intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Saad Khair held talks for three hours
with his Kuwaiti counterparts.
The newspaper, regarded as one of the most authoritative in the Persian
Gulf, reported that the two sides discussed Iraq's military capability and the prospect of an Iraqi missile attack on Kuwait or Jordan.
"The two countries share the same apprehension regarding the outbreak of
war and the prospect of an Iraqi missile attack, which has led to the
exchange of information in this regard between Kuwaiti officials and their
guests," a senior Kuwaiti source told the newspaper.
The newspaper said the Jordanian-Kuwaiti meeting was to have included
intelligence officials from other Gulf Cooperation Council states. But the
arrival of the GCC envoys was delayed.
At the same time, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz
held a meeting of military chiefs on Tuesday to discuss regional and
security issues. The meeting was said to have focused on Saudi readiness to
defend against any Iraqi attack.
