European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes Bernard e. Trainor Iraq s use of chemical arms May signal a trend american military officers say Iraq s routine use of chemical weapons against Iran in their eight year War could encourage the common use of Poison Gas in future wars Between third world  is a poor Man s Way to wage War a Pentagon officer said. The fact that there has been Only limited negative world reaction Over the use of chemicals in the War the first widespread use since world War i May be seen As tacit repudiation of an International agreement outlaw ing chemical warfare the officer  aug. 1 an Independent team of experts appointed by the United nations issued a report accusing Ira of using chemical weapons on an intense and fre quent scale against Iran in the Gulf War. And Ira accused Iraq of two More attacks last week in which it said 2,700 people were  began extensive use of chemical warfare in 1983, when its army was on the defensive and having difficulty stopping the human wave Battlefield attacks by Iran s revolutionary guards. At first it was an actor desperation an american general said. But As the War progressed the iraqis incorporated the use of chemicals in their artillery planning As a Standard prac  f the general said the iraqis when defending against an iranian attack used persistent chemical agents usually Mustard Gas so the effects would linger an contaminate the areas through which the iranians were , when they themselves were on the offensive the iraqis systematically targeted iranian command posts artillery and Supply Points with dissipating chemicals to kill and disable them but to leave the free of chemicals by the time attacking iraqi troops reached them. In most cases both defensively and offensively the iraqis used artillery barrages to release the chemicals. Iraqi chemical attacks brought International criticism this year when the iraqi air Force bombed the iraqi town of Halaja in iraqi Kurdistan with Mustard Gas after it had fallen to the iranians. Thousands of civilian kurd were reportedly killed in the attack. But for the most part there has been no widespread Public protest Over Iraq s chemical  the bombing of Halaja Iraq used chemicals extensively in its offensives around Fao Basra maj noon and in attacks along the Central front after the recent iranian agreement to accept a United nations Call for a , too has used chemical weapons but not As frequently or extensively As the iraqis have. Each Side blames the other for starting the use. Figures for total casualties from chemical weapons in the Iran Iraq War have not been made  say that any nation capable of producing chemical fertilizers can manufacture some form of Poi son Gas which Means most armies in the world can have chemical weapons if their governments decide to produce them. The chemicals can Burn Blind and suffocate those in their  warfare made its appearance in the world War i As a Means of breaking the military stalemate on the Western front. Thousands of casualties were suf Steve Gerstel modern warfare feed by both sides in the War As the results of its use but it did not result in a decisive breakthrough by either the allies or the Central Powers. After the Warthe use of chemical weapons but not their Possession was outlawed by signers of the 1925 Geneva protocol. Both Axis and Allied armies in world War ii maintained extensive chemical arsenals for Contin gency purposes. But neither Side used them even Dur ing the most desperate Battles. This gave Rise to a widespread belief that practical considerations As Well As International agreement precluded use of chemical weapons in a War. It was believed that if both sides were locked in Battle each would be deterred from resorting to chemical weapons because of fear that the other would respond in kind. Until the Iran Iraq War this belief strongly influenced american military thinking on chemical War fare. Despite the fact that soviet military doctrine incorporated chemicals in its operational planning few american military officers believed the soviets  fire such weapons in a War with the West As Long As the nato Alliance maintained a credible chemical deterrent. War games tended to confirm this belief. American officers still say they doubt if the soviets would use chemical weapons unless a War escalated Toa nuclear level and got completely out of hand. The magnitude of the implications of chemical use by the superpowers is a deterrent itself some say. It is in the third world that the american military authorities see the greatest danger of the proliferation of chemical warfare. They Point out that there is wide imbalance in chemical arsenals around the world. The temptation to use chemicals to quickly get the upper hand in a regional War will be hard to resist for the Side that feels it has the chemical Edge a senior officer  also said the Mutual deterrent theory did not hold True in the Iran Iraq War and questioned its valid Ity. People Don t refrain from using machine guns just because the other Side also has machine guns he said. New York times news service the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoon son this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government. Helms close to Graffiti in Senate sex Harangue there can no longer be any doubt if there Ever was that sen. Jesse Helms loves to Shock the Senate with the language of sex. The words just Roll off his Tongue. If he were a kid he d have soap in his Mouth if he were a teen Ager he d be told to take a cold Shower if he were Anold Man which he is he d be ushered out of the living room. But Jesse Helms is a member of . Senate so his constant haranguing Over three Days had to be stoically  matter that All those Little tourist Chil Dren in the visitors galleries were treated to words they either Don t or should not know about yet. Words like sodomy homosexuality Safe sex soft porn aids condom anal sex fornication. Not once but Over Andover again. Helms the conservative Republican senator from North Carolina used the words in pressing four times his Amend ment that would deny any Federal Money for anti aids education programs except those that stress abstinence and family values. The correctness of his position aside the Senate is uncomfortably split on the Issue Why did Helms treat the Senate to his salacious tour de Force much of Helms material was drawn from educational material partially paid for with tax dollars including a comic Book and a video that he Calls garbage and worse. The material apparently is quite graphic. But neither the comic Book nor the video Are new to his colleagues. They have viewed both Courtesy of collector Helms who has shown them to senators. Even president Reagan was treated to a View of the comic Book. Everyone Reagan and the senators were properly outraged. So then Why did Helms feel impelled to go through his lurid performance again considering that he made the comic Book and the video Public a year ago it is intriguing that senators who opposed him and senators who voted with him did not feel obliged to stoop to the details that Helms enumerated Over and Over. This is the senator moreover who did not raise his voice or offer an Amend ment during the entire consideration of the drought Bill or the farm and food agricultural appropriations Bill. Yet Helms is third ranking member of the Senate agriculture committee. It would be unfair to dwell solely on Helms penchant for the sword without mentioning sen. Gordon Humphrey r n.h., equally conservative but not nearly As skilled As his North Carolina col league. Humphrey not willing to let Helms hog the spotlight turned in an Amend ment of his own that would forbid the promotion of homosexuality. In debating the amendment which took up maybe half an hour Humphrey three times pointed out to his col leagues All persons of ascending maturity that there Are anatomical difficulties in sex Between people of the same gender. It hardly seems that nature has fitted two men for example or two women to have sexual relations Humphrey said. What a startling revelation for members of the Senate. The Senate better be careful can Graf Fiti on the chamber Walls be far behind United press International