AMMAN, July 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A British newspaper said that American military planners are preparing to use Jordan as a base for an assault on Iraq later this year or early in 2003. However, Jordan rejected the use of force against its neighbor, amid reports the U.S. was planning a strike to topple the Baghdad regime, news agencies reported Sunday, July 7, 2002.

"Dialogue is the only means capable of solving the Iraqi question and we hope Iraq and the UN would pursue dialogue to bring an end to the suffering of the brother Iraqi people", Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Adwan said Sunday, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

After two-days of talks in Vienna, Iraq's Foreign Minister Naji Sabri and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan failed Friday to come to an agreement on the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq.

Iraqi officials blamed Washington for the breakdown of the talks accusing it of looking to escalate the issue as part of its plan to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein.

"Jordan is doing its best to undertake contacts to lift the siege imposed on Iraq and to prevent military action against our brother country," Adwan added. He denied "categorically" press reports saying the United States will use Jordan as a base for a strike on Iraq.

"Jordan refuses to be a base for any action against a brother country, or allow its territory or airspace to be used for this goal", Adwan added.

Jordan, one of the main U.S. allies in the Middle East, is completely dependent on Iraq for petrol and buys it at a discounted rate.

British press reports this weekend said that the U.S. was planning to launch a strike on Iraq from neighboring Middle Eastern countries, with Jordan used as a main launching pad for the attack.

Although leaked Pentagon documents appear to show that Turkey, Kuwait and the small Gulf state of Qatar would play key roles, it is believed that Jordan will be the 'jumping-off' point for an attack that could involve up to 250,000 American troops and forces from Britain and other key U.S. allies, according to The Observer.

Jordan, with good roads and communications, would be perfect for the launch of an American armored force, military analysts said. Its capital, Amman, is linked to Baghdad by a 600-mile motorway that cuts through a virtually featureless desert - perfect terrain for U.S. tanks and high-precision air-launched munitions.

Iraqi dissidents in Amman told The Observer that hundreds of American advisers arrived in Jordan in the past few months.

The Amman-based Iraqi National Accord (INA), comprising many of the key Iraqi military dissidents, held talks in Washington about plans for a strike on Iraq. They expect the U.S. to begin with intensive bombing and missile raids launched from the Gulf and Turkey, leading to a military rebellion within Saddam's elite Republican Guard.

The INA, they say, could play a military role from Jordan. They envisage a military coup, leading to transitional military rule.

Eye-witnesses claim preparations are under way at the Muafaq Salti air base in Azraq, 50 miles east of Amman on the road to Baghdad.

Meanwhile, contacts between U.S. and the Iraqi opposition groups increased, with four main groups holding talks in early June with U.S. officials on plans to unseat Saddam.