European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 7, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes columns Stephen Broening Shultz made personal decision to bar Arafat Washington and sir Don t mean maybe. Not a Chance that Yasser Arafat would get into the United Stales this unit. Not on George Sheftz s watch. Especially nol on George Shutlz s watch. The Secretary of slate s decision to refuse an entry visa 10 the chairman of the Palestine liberation organization was firm and very personal. The diplomatic world might Sec Arafat As a Stales Man now willing to consider eventual negotiations with Israel if last month s session of the Palestine National Council was any indication and worthy of addressing the United nations general Assembly in new York. Bui not Shultz. Who remembers Leon Klinghoffer the american who was killed in 1985 when palestini ans hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro. Strapped into his wheelchair Kling Hollcr was pushed overboard into the sea. Abu Abbas the palestinian responsible for the hijacking was at the pc conference As a member of the executive committee. While the Council was preparing a statement with a qualified renunciation of terrorism the Hijacker was asked by an american reporter about Kling Boffer s murder. With a Smirk Abu Abbas said perhaps he was trying to swim for George Shultz noted that. So when in came Lime to consider Arafat s re quest for a visa so he could speak at the general As Sembly Shutlz did l hesitate in determining that the Plo Leader was an accessory to terrorism. A he would later explain asserting thai the Plo had been involved in More than 30 terrorist actions in the past three years. Arafat is the chairman he must know about the activities of these people and his organization must give them sustenance and support. So be condones Shultz overruled his lop Middle East advisers who argued that the United states should do nothing to impede the Plo in ils apparent March toward Modera Tion. Let him speak they said1, test his conversion. The Secretary also rejected the advice of the Secretary of defense the Cia and the National Security Council. President Reagan who left it up to Shultz did t inter Vene. Unshakable Shutlz stood through the Diplo Matic storm that ensued. I think in was die right Deci Sion he said As almost All of America s friends in Europe and the Middle East urged him to reconsider i stick by in ,. He s a stubborn dutchman an associate re marked of Shutlz. Regret was the reaction of Egypt the biggest Arab recipient of american Aid As it was of France and Javier Perez de cd Clear Secretary Genera of the unil de nations. Unjustifiable and disappointing said Jordan. From saudi Arabia Kuwait Bahrain and Qatar came deep from Italy the swedes were Sharp Inopportune and the West germans were More circumspect the decision in the View of the Federal government is not conducive to encouraging the peace process in the Well recq6nize t j0r ri6httd exist if Rhyu rk06nizeour ri6htwhere Middle even Britain Loya Britain had reservations. " Only Israel stood by the United Stales when it came to a vote in the general Assembly last week on denouncing Shuttz s decision and asking dim to recon Sider it was 151-2. The two were the United stale and Israel. Shultz said he had no regrets. If the thing i bid remembered for is most of All a Strong and great re solve to resist and combat terrorism he said i la feel that it s a proud now the general Assembly in getting ready to move ils scheduled debate on Palestine to Geneva to Arafat can take part. The Mountain u going to Mohammed Mart . Officials share Shiltz f dislike of Ararat. But some of them Sec Shultz a decision As a form of self indulgence at the possible expense of . Interests in drawing formerly irreconcilable parties into a Suc pcs Stu peace negotiation. It is they perhaps and president elect George Bush without a doubt who will have to Deal with the con Shultz leaves office in january when Reagan does. -.-. Among the immediate and possibly Short term elects Are the enhancement of soviet influence in the Arab world and the International isolation of the United slate on an Issue in has attempted to control. Among those criticizing Shutlz Are some in the Bush Camp. The vice president was merely informed of the Secretary s decision nol consulted about in in Advance the key thing for George Bush is not a gel locked into anything before he takes office in the Middle East or anywhere else. What Schuliz did a Cal toward Locking us in said a Bush associate the pc statement of the Plo s new political program was clearly a step Forward and should have been Given More credit. Bush needs to buy and sell Lime in the Middle East and nol gel rushed into some precipitous course of action. He should Send distinguished people to the area As a signal of his interest. He has to avoid a Zero sum game the associate continued. Another associate said Bush May have an unexpected advantage from the Arafat ban in he aftermath of Shultz s action he said any Steps the new administration lakes to draw the Plo into the peace process will appear All thai More conciliatory and effective. Tit Bif Tomomi Sun David Broder shedding Light on Washington my favorite let Ter this year came from a Reader in Zanesville Ohio and it read in Ilsen David about your column. This morning 1 know infants who can t read and Middle aged illiterates who can t write and old fools who can t think straight. I m trying to guess your .-.,. Well i am 39, which is either too Young or Loo old to attempt to Summa Rize what i think i be Learned about this Field of journal ism. It s a wonderful life of course full of surprises overflowing with the variety and vitality of the people you meet and occasionally giving you the feeling that. To u be brought to i ight some Nugget of information some in sight which May have helped Advance the dialogue of democracy about one Inch in a useful direction. But if you re at All honest with yourself you also recognize the limitations of journalism not just the Way each of us Falls Short of his aspirations for full comprehension and communication of the Story almost every Day but the Way the Media in All its forms Falls Short of meeting the information needs of this society of ours. -. -. What we Supply in the space around the ads or in the Lime Between commercials is such a rough approximation of reality i Marvel thai people have conic to rely on it As much As they do. Yet somehow it works. We see Lime after Lime for exam ple that the voters sort through the millions of words and images we transmit in covering a Campaign and find their Way to a Fol of the essential truth about these candidates they sniff out the phony from the real the poseur from the politician who merits pc Riecl As our journalism and our democracy arc they do work somehow despite the inevitable distortion As we struggle against deadlines and the limits of space and time to compress Complex reality into the dimensions of our pages and our news programs. One of the Media s redeeming Vir tues is thai we know How far we fall Short of the Mark. We be always been Tough on ourselves our editors our publishers and owners in our after hour critiques and barroom Bull ses Sions. Increasingly thai internal criticism is becoming Public and increasingly we re inviting our readers and listeners to share in that shop talk and 16 add their own voices to the Dia Logue so that we might learn How to do our jobs belter tomorrow than we did Vivash Nifon insider. Today. That s a healthy process but it can Lead to our becoming More inhibited in our Pursuit of news Loo cautious and introspective for our own Good. There must be 37 seminars this month and next on the role of the press in the 1988 Campaign. That s got to be 36 Loo Many. Sure we had a role but we were not the Campaign we did t establish super make Willie Horton a household name or. Invent the flexible freeze or declare with All solemnity thai competence nol ideology is the Issue of this election. The people who did that were politicians and we Are journalists. And our Job is not to emulate them or sup Plant them but to hold their feet to the lire and Devil them with questions and make them if they can explain and justify what they do redeeming virtue of the press i be known and been part of is its Pine Riecss its sense of apart Ness its insistence on going its own Way especially ils determination to keep ils distance from government not Only to avoid censorship bul to avoid Coop tation. Subversion by seduction. The insidious inhibition of intimacy. That s the thai worries me a lot about our business especially Here in. Washington. The blurring of the lines Between journalism on one Side and politics and government on the colder. Jim Baker state designate is a Welcome guest Here tonight and goodness knows there s Relief and refreshment in trading jokes and barbs after hours. Bul his business is managing campaigns and running big parts of gov can Man t. A and our business is reporting on him and people like him. Different roles. Different skills. Different Stan Dards and values. That sounds obvious and for most of us it is. But there s a devel Oping pattern encouraged Mosi perhaps by television bul visible also in the print medium to create a new hybrid creature an androgynous blending of politician and journalist called the Washington insider. One. Day he or she is a Public official or political operative the Neil a Joor palist or television commentator. Then the insider slips into the phone Booth and emerges in his original Guise As a politician or government official. Tiff Point Ort Cipr tied in 0m cow not and tit Loon on inn pig f of hmm wot of to Utho and tit in new 10 a Iii Dahl to of tit. Eli i ind Surmi or ii Una old set la
