A third U.S. aircraft carrier has moved into striking range of Iraq, and a fourth will head there soon, American defense officials said Monday.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, one of the Navy's newest Nimitz-class carriers with more than 5,000 sailors and naval aviators aboard, re-entered the Arabian Sea over the weekend, the officials said, according to AP.
The arrival of a third carrier, joining the USS Constellation and the USS Harry S. Truman, means the number of American forces in the Persian Gulf region is now close to 100,000. The number is expected to approach 180,000 within a few weeks.
The Navy is prepared to send a fifth carrier, the USS Kitty Hawk, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. If it goes, it probably would be replaced in the Pacific by the USS Carl Vinson, officials saID.
Meanwhile, a French-British summit opens Tuesday with a focus on Iraq. During talks at a northern seaside resort, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to try to persuade President Jacques Chirac to ease his anti-war stance.
In Le Touquet, the British leader is inclined to repeat an argument he advanced Monday in the House of Commons - that the United Nations could be discredited if it fails to follow through on demands that Saddam disarm.
Blair and Chirac spoke by telephone Monday ahead of their summit. Blair's office said of the phone call that both leaders were pleased the summit would bring "clear results on issues including European defense, immigration and asylum and education." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
