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from announcements made this week, will be joined soon by additional

French  forces.


      Overall,  the message  this truly  unprecedented  multinational force

has sent to Saddam Hussein has been and remains strong and unwavering.

With over 220,000 allied troops en route or in place alongside US forces, a

credible collective security force stands ready to defeat Saddam's

aggression.


Maritime   Interception Effort


      One of the key elements of the coalition's effort to isolate Iraq is the

ongoing maritime interception of ships bound for Iraq to ensure

compliance with UN sanctions.     Implementation of these sanctions by the

over  100  warships  from   14 different navies involved--an  enormously

complex operation--has clearly been one of the most successful such

undertakings   in  history.


      To date, more than 4,900 ships have been intercepted by US and

allied ships.  Of these, over 570 were boarded and 22 diverted for not

being in compliance with the UN sanctions.     Allied forces are beginning to

rotate  crews  and  ships, demonstrating  continued and   long-term support

for this effective multinational effort.  A multinational naval conference

was   held in  September to streamline operating procedures and improve

communications     and interoperability between the *various  naval forces.

We expect these very successful consultations to continue.

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