145;Maverick146; Oman blames Saddam for Gulf146;s woes

There's a churning going on in the Gulf and its manifesting itself in the cross-currents of the crisis over Iraq. Even as the war of words h...

There8217;s a churning going on in the Gulf and its manifesting itself in the cross-currents of the crisis over Iraq. Even as the war of words hots up between the US and parts of Europe over Washington8217;s intention to use force against Saddam Hussein, a sullen silence masks the Arab world8217;s ongoing preparation to ready itself against 8216;8216;any eventuality.8217;8217;

But scratch the surface and the silence falls apart. Significantly, the anger is directed not only at the impending 8216;8216;foreign occupation8217;8217;, but within. At Saddam Hussein, for giving the Americans the excuse to permanently paddle in the region, but also for refusing to do anything that could have alleviated the decade-old suffering of his own people.

Sheltered from the heat of the frontline, Muscat, the capital of Oman, is a good place to watch the weeks inexorably rolling towards war. Apart from the fact that it is the most democratic country in the Gulf 8212; it became the first country last week to announce universal suffrage in national elections to be held in October 8212; Oman8217;s patriarch Sultan Qaboos had, until the second Palestinian 8216;intifada8217; began two years ago, even allowed trade relations with Israel. Anywhere else in the Arab world that would be considered 8216;8216;heresy8217;8217;, analysts here said, pointing out that in Oman it was merely called 8216;8216;pragmatism.8217;8217;

Such a pragmatic sentiment is increasingly in full flow in the Gulf. In private conversations and telephone interviews, Saddam Hussein is being squarely held responsible for the problem at hand.

8216;8216;He Saddam must go. Since he refuses to go on his own, let the Americans or anybody else unseat him. But let it happen quickly. Let not the war prolong itself,8217;8217; a variety of people said.

Senior government officials are as voluble, off the record, as the Arab street. 8216;8216;Why should we defend Saddam when he has refused to implement UN resolutions?8217;8217; they asked Indian journalists travelling through Oman. Beginning with the Iran-Iraq war that took up much of the Eighties, the Gulf War in 1991 and this conflict, they said, Saddam has refused to allow peace to return to the region.

Equally, the region knows it can do little about an impending US-led war. An influential Omani banker put it succinctly : 8216;8216;What choice do we have? Is the US going to give up?8217;8217; Between Iraq and the Indian Ocean, the banker added, the Gulf simply had no option but to quietly acquiesce in the games that superpowers chose to play.

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Which is why, Oman8217;s Foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi said in an interview, Iraq8217;s neighbours were already positioning themselves to deal not only with possible war, but also with the consequences of war. 8216;8216;How the US creates understandings with Iraq8217;s neighbours will make a difference,8217;8217; he said.

Under the circumstances, the Foreign and Defence ministers of the six Gulf states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council 8212; Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrein 8212; quietly met over the weekend in Riyadh and decided to send a contingent of some 6000-odd troops to 8216;8216;defend8217;8217; Kuwait against any aggressive intentions by Baghdad.

Diplomatic sources in the Gulf said Kuwait was expected to issue a 8216;8216;red alert8217;8217; emergency notice by the middle of the month.