60 foreign military officials in Oman

Lt Gen. Khamis bin Humaid Al Kalbani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan's Armed Forces, said a good many foreign military observers have already arrived in the country and the rest are due soon to attend the joint military exercise with Britain code named Swift Sword 2, now in its final stages.

He said in an official statement that in all 60 observers from brotherly and friendly countries, including chiefs of staff of the fellow GCC states, were invited.

"They will join the troops at the exercise area today and there are no reservations about the exercise activities."

He did not name other countries invited to send their observers, but initial reports said these included the United States, Pakistan, India, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt.

The chairman of the British House of Commons' Defence Committee and a number of MPs have also arrived to visit the site of the exercise, the second between the countries but the first in 15 years. Britain remains a major supplier of arms to Oman.

Lt Gen. Kalbani's statement has come obviously to dispel any impression being created by the western media that some of the 23,000 British troops here for the drill, the largest in the region since the 1990 Gulf war, might take part in the U.S.-led strike against Afghanistan.

It is also the largest British troop deployment outside the country since the 1983 Falklands war. Some foreign reports suggest that some of the British troops might stay on in Oman beyond the designated period.

Oman has made it clear that the exercise, planned three years ago, has nothing to do with the present international crisis, and the aim is to sharpen the combative capabilities of the armed forces of Oman and Britain.

The statement came only two days after Air Vice-Marshal Mohammed bin Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman, denied reports that appeared in a section of the American media that the U.S. commandos, who carried out landing operations in Afghanistan, took off from one of the Omani bases.

"These reports are incorrect," he said, adding "the Sultanate has never offered the right to attack any state using Omani territory and air space." The Air Vice Marshal said it so happened that the exercise has coincided with current events in Afghanistan.

He said no state has shown any concern about the conduct of the exercise or its timing and the GCC states and other neighbouring countries were informed about the intentions of the drill well in advance.

"I think the exercise has attracted considerable admiration in the region, because of the United Kingdom's commitment to the security of the region and the Sultanate.