GULF WATCH: Day 91 : A Daily Briefing Paper On Developments In The Crisis

Diplomatic Front:

While declaring that he has “had it” with the reported mistreatment of American hostages, President Bush said he was willing to give economic sanctions more time to work before considering military action against Iraq.

Joining the chorus of foreign leaders warning that a gulf war appears imminent was Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Hostage Front:

A Kuwaiti businessman who escaped his country said that a number of Asian workers trapped in occupied Kuwait have died of starvation. Trade Front:

The international embargo against Iraqi oil exports is costing Baghdad about $1.5 billion a month at pre-invasion prices, the State Department said, and “some signs of real shortages” of industrial goods, raw materials, machinery and other products are evident within Iraq.

The price of crude oil could soar to more than $100 a barrel if war breaks out, a panel of experts told members of Congress.

The government of Iran denied a televised report that it was accepting shipments of oil from Iraq as compensation for damages it sustained during the eight-year war between the two countries. Arab Troop Deployments in Gulf: Saudi Arabia: 117,700

United Arab Emirates: 43,000

Oman: 25,500

Egypt: 17,000

Syria: 15,000

Morocco: 5,000

Bahrain: 3,350