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Qatar confirms presence of 4,000 U.S. troops

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Thursday, October 17, 2002

ABU DHABI Ñ For the first time, Qatar has provided details of the U.S. military presence in the emirate.

Qatar said 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been deployed in the emirate. The emirate also said the headquarters of U.S. Central Command would be moved to Doha.

The disclosures came during an interview of Qatari Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani on late Wednesday.

During the interview, the foreign minister denied that Qatar would be a launching pad for a U.S.-led attack on Iraq.

"The United States did not ask us for permission to carry out a military action from Qatar," Hamad said.

But the foreign minister maintained that Doha told the Gulf Cooperation Council as early as 1999 that U.S. Central Command would be moved to Qatar. He said the United States started developing relations with Qatar after the 1991 Gulf war.

Qatar hopes to complete the Al Udeid air force base by the end of the year. The base contains 120 U.S. aircraft, including air refueling platforms, as well as equipment for an armored brigade.

Hamad said 4,000 U.S. soldiers serve in Al Udeid along with Qatari troops. The foreign minister said most of the U.S. soldiers work in support roles. He did not elaborate.

The foreign minister said Qatar did not intend to replace Saudi Arabia as the key military ally of the United States. He acknowledged tension between the two countries but said Doha intends to continue cooperation with the kingdom.

On Saturday, Qatar hosts a conference that will focus on relations with the United States. The three-day conference on U.S.-Islamic relations is being organized by the Washington-based Brookings Institute and will include strategists from the United States and GCC and Arab countries.

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