Official deny secret report on US military bases to attack Iraq

In its Sunday's issue, the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyasah quoted Gulf and Arab sources and information sneaked from a secret report issued by the military central command of the NATO that ten Arab, Middle East and Asian states will be bases for the stationing of American and British forces which are being built up to direct a military attack against Iraq.

The paper said that Egypt which is among these countries set two conditions for its participation. The first is that no attack should be made outside the UN resolutions and the second is the continued efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The paper added that according to the NATO report the American and British forces will be positioned in addition to Egypt in each of Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Israel and Diego Garcia base in the Indian ocean.

However, an official source denied a report in the Kuwaiti Al-Seyassah newspaper purporting that US forces will be stationed in a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, in anticipation of a military strike against Iraq.

ÊÊÊ In statements to MENA on Sunday, the source described the report as totally baseless and added that this issue has never been addressed with the Americans.

ÊÊÊ He added that the denial includes claims that Egypt has put two conditions to allow US forces space in Egypt.