Moscow's Helping Hand?

Can the Soviet Union denounce Saddam Hussein's takeover of Kuwait, support the U.N.-imposed economic sanctions against him, and yet keep its own military advisers on the job in Iraq? The idea is troubling -- though perhaps not as sinister as some Western observers have suggested.

Peter Schweizer, an analyst with the little-known American Foreign Policy Council, created a stir last week when he wrote in the New York Times that 3,000 to 4,000 Soviet advisers were in Iraq with access to the top leadership. Therefore, he said, Moscow "almost certainly" knew about the Kuwait invasion ahead of time and may have abetted it.

The allegation drew a hurt and incredulous response from the Kremlin, which asserts that it has only 193 "military specialists" in Iraq who teach how to use and maintain Soviet-built armaments but do not give operational advice. Just four days after the Iraqi land grab, however, a Soviet spokesman gave a different figure: about 1,000. The discrepancy aroused suspicions of Soviet fudging. U.S. intelligence officials supported an estimate of 500 to 1,000 advisers, but were convinced that the technicians were not at a level high enough to justify a big fuss, though naturally Washington would rather they went home. According to several sources, they have given the West detailed information on the weapons and their deployment.

The Kremlin says the advisers will stay on until their contracts expire, though it has not said when that will happen. Among the reasons for Moscow's reluctance to yank them out swiftly are fears that Saddam would retaliate by taking hostage the 9,000 Soviet citizens stuck in Iraq. The Soviets are also eager to maintain a toehold in Iraq for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the crisis.