ARAB-US RELATIONS - Dec. 22 - Pentagon To Deploy Large Numbers To Gulf.

The US Army engages in live-fire military exercises close to the Iraq/Kuwait border. (These exercises are the largest in the GCC region since the end of the 1991 Gulf war). The action comes as the Pentagon indicates it will begin moving large numbers of troops and military hardware to the Gulf. US defence officials say the coming weeks will see more visible movement of troops and military material to the region, including the deployment of 50,000 ground troops in the new year. This will double the number of US military personnel currently stationed within striking distance of Iraq. In addition, at least four of the US Navy's largest, fast-moving cargo ships are either being loaded near US bases or making their way to the Gulf in recent days. In the most intense sabre-rattling to date, thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and armoured personnel carriers from the 3rd infantry division, expected to supply some of the main fighting forces in the case of an invasion, take part in the exercises. In an effort to turn up the pressure on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration also says it will provide new intelligence to UN weapons inspectors. Responding to pleas from UN weapons inspector Hans Blix for intelligence about suspected sites for chemical and biological weapons, US officials say they will begin handing over more detailed information, including photos taken from spy satellites. Some allied officials have been reluctant given the possibility of leaks. Blix vowed he would conduct a more aggressive investigation of Iraq's weapons declaration, which he has determined contains serious omissions. The Iraqis said they welcomed any questions from the US or UK about the gaps, continuing a public posture of co-operation. Saddam's aide Amir Al Saadi said he would welcome agents from the CIA to join the search for weapons, insisting that the Iraqi programme has been scrapped. Al Saadi said: "We are ready to deal with each of those questions if you ask us. We do not even have any objections if the CIA send somebody with the inspectors to show them the suspected sites". He also said Baghdad would provide the UN with a list of scientists who have participated in the weapons programme so they could be interviewed by inspectors. The questioning of the scientists outside of Iraq, which is permitted by the UN resolution 1441, has become a priority to US officials, who hope such interviews may produce evidence of Iraqi duplicity. Israel also stepped up its defence preparations as 1,000 US troops prepared to arrive for joint exercises with the Israeli forces. The US embassy was reported to be planning to relocate most of its activities to Eilat. Israel has promised to stay on the sidelines unless attacked by non-conventional weapons.