Kuwait has agreed to a 10-year defense pact with the United States that will allow the Pentagon to use Kuwaiti bases and stockpile military hardware in the emirate.
The agreement, endorsed by Kuwait on Wednesday, also aims to achieve "close cooperation between the two countries to boost the military capabilities of the Kuwaiti armed forces through programs and training," said Dhari al-Othman, minister of state for Cabinet affairs.The minister, quoted by Kuwait's official news agency KUNA, said he hoped the pact would help "deter any aggression or threat to Kuwait's sovereignty."
The United States has repeatedly moved back its plans to withdraw from Kuwait the last contingent of troops sent to the region to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.
In Washington, a senior Bush administration official confirmed Wednesday that the defense agreement had been under negotiation with Kuwait but said formal notification of its acceptance hadn't yet reached Washington.
The Pentagon announced last week that the Bush administration was seeking a defense agreement with Kuwait, with Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams stressing that Washington did not intend to keep permanent bases in the oil-rich emirate.
KUNA said Wednesday's announcement came after a Cabinet meeting headed by Sheik Saad al-Salem al-Sabah, the crown prince.
Al-Othman was quoted as saying the agreement would cover the use of Kuwaiti facilities, pre-positioning of defense materiels and logistical support.
Kuwait is still struggling to rebuild the nation's 16,000-member army, which crumbled after the Aug. 2, 1990, invasion by hundreds of thousands of Iraqi troops.