SANTIAGO U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen warned Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein Monday to take no comfort from the cutback in U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, saying they could still strike hard if the need arose. Cohen said the reduction of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf should begin in the next several days and would be completed in a couple of weeks, reducing the force roughly to where it was before the showdown with Iraq began last fall.

Besides the aircraft carrier USS Independence, which already was headed home, the United States plans to bring back its F-117 Stealth fighters, B-52 bombers, and other warplanes sent to the region last November. But Cohen said the United States and its allies agreed to maintain a presence, that presence can be augmented and reinforced in a matter of just 48 hours, and he (Saddam Hussein) should take no comfort in the fact that we are rationalizing our force structure there.

The Naval Force staying behind will have more ships capable of firing cruise missiles than before the crisis, and the United States is leaving in place a lot more equipment to make a speedy return possible, Cohen said. We have great firepower there. We have prepositioned equipment. We have solid support of our Persian Gulf allies. We have the support of our NATO allies, he told reporters here.

Cohen outlined the U.S. plans in the Persian Gulf as he began a visit to Santiago, the second leg of a South American tour to strengthen military ties with Chile, Argentina and Brazil. The plan for the Persian Gulf is to leave roughly 17,000 to 20,000 military personnel in the region, down from about 37,000, according to Cohen. (AFP)