European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Flora Lewis nato Unity needed to Deal with arms cuts Barcelona up san there is a perverse double Strain in Europe now As some governments worry about loss or american defense commitment and others demand More concessions for the favor of . Use or bases. I reflects he confusion As Moscow and Washington move 10 their firs agreement thai would really Cut some arms. There is something Peculiar about states seeing american support for their defense at a conces Sion they provided that should be rewarded by . Concessions on Trade Turkey support against a local adversary Greece id Portugal withdrawal of planes Spain. There is also some thing Peculiar about complaints against removing medium Range missiles from Bot East and West by one stale that booted out All Ameri can forces in 1966 France and another Lylial accepted . Missiles on condition Washington be prepared to negotiate them away West Germany. All this surfaced at the annual conference of the International Institute for strategic studies in Barcelona. It is an organization of Security professionals but narrow and partisan Domestic politics arc intruding allover. As Host Spain used the occasion to voice through it defense minister Narcis Sens its Side of an increasingly peevish argument with the . On the presence of a Wing of 72 american f-l6s with a nato Mission Serra presented a series of remarkably contradictory grievances. He blamed the allies fur not letting Spain into nato while Franco was alive and blamed . Tor its defense Accord with Franco. He said the Carl Rowan allies were satisfied they could defend Europe without Spain then but they should appreciate the great contribution Spain made by joining them now though it would t join in tasks beyond the limits of exclusively National  this gobbledygook is realty about lingering resent ment at what Many spaniards considered . Support for Franco the inevitable historical Cost for backing a dictator. And it is an attempt by Spanish socialists to wriggle out of the mistake they admit they made by opposing nato before they came to Power. Robert o Neill the retiring director of the International Institute rapped Spain sharply for its parochialism though he sought to balance his remarks and take account of Spanish sensitivities. Saluting Spain Tor its Brilliant transition to democracy he said the allies looked Forward to growing cooperation. What we do not look Forward to he said is protracted wrangling Between the . And the Spanish government Over Torrejon the fighter Bale near Madrid and the f.6s, which could do serious political damage to the Alliance and carry wider strategic consequences. Spain for its part knows that Europe do snot want to be seen As asking the . To withdraw forces it is going to be extremely difficult to hold those that Are Hyrc he said and they will need to be held Tor a Long time yet if the balance of forces is not to tip seriously against the  he called on both sides to show Tine political judgment and just a Little  these were angry words from the usually exquisitely tactful o Neill an australian scholar and they rep resented the feelings of the major european govern. Mints As shown in a strongly pro nato speech by Runato Ruggiro an italian minister. The difference Between the major and minor euro Pean Alliance members is that the first Sec . Efforts As the bulwark of their own defense and Stone of the second Are tempted to use bases As hostages for their other demands. To some extent Washington has invited this by making it sound As if bases around the world serve primarily american purposes. The . Ambassador Reginald Bartholomew is trying hard to find a Way around the dispute that serves both Allied Security and Spanish Pride americans Are justified in getting impatient when europeans take them for granted As whip Ping boys in their own internal quarrels. But they should not jump to the conclusion that the defense partnership is no longer Worth the Cost and Effort or that they arc not wanted. The strains highlight the need for renewing the Western strategic consensus which can Only be done by a full review of nato policy in changing Circum stances. There will almost surely be further far More important arms reduction negotiations once he mis Sile pact is signed. Each step into the unknown sols off All kinds of alarms. Spain wants to be in nato but does t know what it wants to do. Nato wants id Case the threat of War but does t know which Way is safest. It s time for the West to think it through again together my vein Tymn How strict drastic changes urged to save air traffic system Abe you convinced by now that we americans have to gel anti Union politics the ideologies of deregulation and privatization and general Faa incompetence and Alibi ing out of our increasingly dangerous skies if not what do you need beyond the facts of the Northwest airlines tragedy in which More than 130 people died when a plane crashed on Takeoff in Detroit president Reagan s helicopter be coming involved in a near miss with a Small plane piloted by an awol army private in California near midair collisions rising o 615 in the first seven months of this year As against 478 in the same period of 1986? flight controller recorded errors and Many if not most Are hushed up rising from 668 in the first seven months of 1986 to 783 this year it is about time we All concluded that our lives Are at greater risk every Lime we Board an air plane because this administration is still teaching a lesson to the 11,500 air controllers who struck in 1981, and were tired by president Rea Gan and that on every Day since that strike we have been at risk because at so Many airports the air controllers arc even now less experienced overworked secretly in Short Supply and often hostile to their employer. It is time we lowered a Boom of outrage on the Federal aviation administration Faa which is Overly influenced by lobbyists Tor the 330,736 people who hold private licenses a disturbing few of whom sometimes Fly while booked up drugged up with impaired vision or under other dangerous Ireum slants. The Faa has suspended the License of Ralph w. Myers the awol army Man Tir. Who was accused of a serious breach of Security by flying perilously close to or. Reagan s helicopter. The Faa would not Tell me recently How Many or few Pri vate licenses it revoked last year claim ing it was Loo Busy with the Detroit trag Edy. But the new York times reports that even in cases of near collision Only one Pilot out of seven is subjected to disciplinary action. Unyielding advocates of deregulation and privatization cite $99 tickets from new York to los Angeles As justification Tor their stand. But who wants a bar gain fare the advertised ones Are hard to find at the expense of Safe maintenance who wants a cheap fare that is available Only because the airline has Tut pay and is at War will its pilots maintenance engineers baggage handlers and or flight attendants who is eager to Fly on an airline that is fighting for economic survival and Cul Ling All kinds of Comers because of the Challenge of Fly by try newcomer airline that arc spawned by a Quick Buck lure of deregulation the Faa has been covering up the truth and feeding americans ideological Bull for much too Long. Members of the National transportation safety Board seem finally to have been shaken into speaking the truth. Incidents Are occurring All Loo frequently and we re coming up with some disturbing trends said it sol spokes Man Michael Benson. For Loo Long America s air safety officials have Kepi one cof on stubborn while House  and the other on skies overloaded a Uli peril. Until the people demand an end to this nonsense we will to from one Rush or midair collision. 10 another. And Irre will be no end to the mourning. Nonfat Arr win. I