Govt says US has not asked to launch attack on Iraq

Djibouti says the US has never asked for permission to use its territory to launch attacks against Iraq. According to government spokesman Rifki Abdouldaker Bamakhrama, Djibouti was "opposed to any action of the kind", the Djibouti news agency (ADI) reported. "The Unites States has never asked the Djibouti government for permission to use its territory as a staging ground for attacks on Iraq or on any other country in the region," he said. The presence of US and other western forces in Djibouti fell within the framework of the international coalition against terrorism, he added. He described as "unfounded" reports by certain American newspapers that US forces stationed in Djibouti were preparing for an eventual attack on Iraq. Recent press reports said hundreds of US troops have been conducting military exercises in Djibouti which has put its ports and airport at their disposal.