
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994                   TAG: 9411010037
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: DOHA, KUWAIT                                LENGTH: Medium

CLINTON CHEERS U.S. TROOPS

Flanked by battle tanks in the desert, President Clinton saluted U.S. troops Friday as ``the steel in the sword'' that forced Iraq to retreat from Kuwait's border. To loud cheers, he all but promised ground forces that they'd be home by Christmas.

``Don't forget to do your Christmas shopping,'' Clinton teased more than 1,500 Americans at a dusty encampment known as Tactical Assembly Area Liberty 50 miles from the Iraqi border.

Military officials said, however, that a sizable American presence would be maintained to carry out ``near continuous'' exercises even as ground troops are rotated home.

In a scene made for television, Clinton spoke from a camouflage-draped lectern on a platform suspended between two tanks, their machine guns manned by helmeted soldiers.

Facing toward Iraq, Clinton declared that Baghdad would not be allowed to intimidate its neighbors or disregard U.N. mandates. ``Iraq got the message in a very big hurry'' because U.S. troops got to the region in such a hurry, he said.

Though far from home, Clinton was thinking about domestic politics 11 days before elections in which Democrats fear heavy losses. From the desert, Clinton went to talks in Kuwait with the emir, Jaber al-Sabah, and then borrowed a room in the presidential palace to tape a statement for U.S. consumption.

``We had good news from the home front today, Clinton said, noting that economic growth was 3.4 percent in the third quarter while inflation remained low. ``I'm very, very encouraged by this. We have growth, better jobs. Low inflation.''

Asked when troops would return home, Clinton said he'd base his decision on the advice of military officials, who are arranging withdrawal schedules. ``We'll make a decision pretty soon,'' he said.

On the last leg of a six-nation Middle East trip, Clinton flew from Jerusalem to Kuwait for six hours and then to Saudi Arabia. He urged the Persian Gulf allies to set up a fund to repay the United States for defending Kuwait.

The trip to Kuwait was something of a victory lap for Clinton, who ordered the buildup of American troops in the Gulf region this month to force a withdrawal of 70,000 Iraqi troops massed at the border of Kuwait.

Persian Gulf encounters and foreign policy triumphs have been a tonic for presidential poll ratings. Former President Bush's approval ratings shot above 90 percent immediately after the Gulf War, and the beleaguered Clinton has strengthened in the polls after this month's showdown with Iraq.

by CNB