960410

Jordan lets US

planes use base

for flights

AMMAN: Jordan has agreed to allow U.S. war planes to use its territory as a base for flights to enforce a U.N.-mandated "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq, officials and diplomats said on Wednesday.

The 34 jets involved in the land-based "Airpower Expeditionary Force" will start flying into Jordan on Friday and use a Jordanian base for two months.

"The Airpower Expeditionary Force planes will take off from the Azraq base daily, fly through Saudi airspace to southern Iraq and return at the end of their mission," a senior Jordanian official told Reuters.

"And no Jordanian pilot will take part in these sorties, this has been agreed on in advance."

It will be the first time Jordan has allowed any allied war planes to use its territory to fly over Iraq.

The development reflects improved Jordanian-U.S. relations which were strained by Jordan's perceived support for Iraq during the 1990-91 Gulf crisis.

The United Nations imposed a "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq in the wake of the Gulf crisis sparked by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August, 1990.

The United States will also help train Jordanian airforce pilots. Amman is due to receive a first batch of 16 F-16 aircraft in late 1997.-Reuter