THE United States De fence Secretary, Mr William Perry, warned Iraq yesterday to withdraw its anti aircraft missiles from a southern no fly zone or face possible US retaliation.
"The only way that Iraq can avoid a strike is to remove his radar equipment and missiles from south of the 33rd parallel," Mr Perry told reporters after meeting officials in Bahrain.
"We will not tolerate any threat to the safety of our air crews. Iraq will experience a very strong response," he said.
Mr Perry said Iraq had fired six missiles at US aircraft patrolling no fly zones over the last week.
Mr Perry warned Iraq to withdraw its air defence systems from south of the 33rd parallel, part of the no fly zone over southern Iraq that the United States extended earlier this month after Baghdad's incursion into Kurdish areas in the north.
A US operation to evacuate 2,500 refugees fleeing northern Iraq for fear of reprisals from President Sad dam Hussein and his Kurdish allies got under way yesterday, US officials said.
The US intends to evacuate the 2,500 Kurtis, via Turkey, to the Pacific island of Guam where they will stay for two or three months, a U diplomat said Diyarbakir, in south eastern Turkey, early today.
A first group of 336 refugees was expected to arrive yesterday at Diyarbakir airport.
Among the 2,500 people expected to leave northern Iraq, ultimately for the United States, there are some who are likely to have worked for the US Central Intelligence Agency in its failed attempt to oust President Hussein by covert means.
The majority, however, have been employees of the Military Co ordination Centre (MCC), set up as part of Operation Provide Comfort, launched in 1991 by the Gulf War allies to protect Iraqi Kurds. Its headquarters are in Incirlik, Turkey.
Others worked for the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and perform jobs ranging from guards to drivers, interpreters to cooks, according to sources in northern Iraq and Turkey.
The US embassy in Ankara said the Turkish government had been very co operative and "the entire operation will be finished very soon."
Informed sources in Ankara said the United States had asked the Turkish government to shelter the refugees for the 45 days needed to complete formalities. But Ankara has agreed only to a seven day transit period.
The Saudi Defence Minister, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, said yesterday he did not expect a fresh US strike against Iraq after Baghdad announcement would suspend its air defence attacks on US and allies warplanes.
Asked if he expected a military confrontation between the United States and Iraq after the Iraqi move, Prince Sultan told reporters: "No. I do not think so.
Russia does not recognise US and allied no fly zones in Iraq's north and south and Baghdad has every right to shoot at warplanes enforcing them, a Russian diplomat in Baghdad said yesterday.
"We do not recognise either of the no fly zones, in the north and south. .. This country has the right to protect itself. When they (Iraqis) have warplanes of another country flying over their airspace they have right to shoot," Mar Vladimir Titorenko deputy head of the Russian mission in Baghdad, said.
Col E.D. Doyle adds:
The importance of Arab countries' agreement with US actions is shown by Jane's Defence Weekly.
It quotes Mr Joel Johnson, of the American Industries Association, who says Saudi Arabia had "$20 billion worth of infrastructure built to US standards under the supervision of the US Army Corps of Engineers" prior to 1990.
All this was available to the Gulf War coalition and "Desert Storm" could not have been done without it.