Yet Kuwaiti officials see the task ahead as far more than a matter of money and logistics.

And the major American construction contractors with experience in the gulf confirm that they are in discussions with Kuwaiti officials about oilfield work, often sending delegations to Saudi Arabia to pursue the jobs.

Mr. Baker is to visit Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt and meet with Kuwaiti officials, but it was not clear if this would occur in Kuwait City.

Some who have had contact with Kuwaiti officials said the Government did not know how much it might have to borrow ultimately since it was still unsure of how long reconstruction would take and the final cost.

However the plan was foiled and Kuwaiti officials arrested 16 persons suspected of carry out the plot after a car bomb was found.

American and Kuwaiti officials described the ambush as a terrorist attack.

Senior Kuwaiti military officials and diplomats from coalition countries said there was no sign of a real threat from Mr. Hussein, who moved 70,000 troops south in 1994.

American and Kuwaiti officials have said that those interrogations began last Wednesday.

The plan was foiled and Kuwaiti officials arrested 17 people suspected of carry out the plot after a car bomb was found.

Many Kuwaiti officials and Western diplomats now refer to those who remain missing as hostages, rather than prisoners of war.