European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 1, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns George will Jaruzelski Poland walking a moving Tightrope Poland s president. Gen. Wojcicch Jaru Celski is also Poland s Sphinx. His eyes hidden behind tinted glasses the usually Stony set of his Mouth betraying no emotion he certainly docs not smile promiscuously. But at a recent meeting with five americans the Stone cracked and he smiled even laughed. A Man. He said Musingly is on a Tightrope stretched High above a Street with no net below. It is raining the wind is gusting. And he is playing a violin. Jaruzelski crooked his left Arm and with his right he vigorously Drew an imaginary Bow across an imaginary violin and people say he s no Paganini " the general laughed at his jest. The Tightrope metaphor is a tantalizing exercise in reticence a Quality essential to survival in the soviet orbit. Toward what is the Tightrope Walker edging democracy the general dressed like a banker docs not say that. But he sounds like a polish Patriot As he favors his american guests with a Litany of the difficulties civil War racial strife depression american democracy has experienced in 200 years. Again his message is at most implicit. It seems to be we arc doing quickly and stealthily what you have done with much turmoil when you were less constrained by Lime and circumstances.  sounds like a conservative Republican when giving examples of excessive entitlements Long paid pregnancy leaves for example that must be pruned if Poland is to become productive. The Rococo system of controls must be dismantled and the thick fabric of subsidies must be unravelled. But this Means a blast of inflation. Because things must get worse before they can get better Jaruzelski Speaks like a Chicago Alderman Bent on assembling a Broad social base for the government. Poland is suffering shortages of almost everything meat machinery poetry but perhaps its most pressing need is a new More Inspirit ing metaphor to replace the medicinal metaphors. Everyone Here Talksabout the coming doses of bitter  when necessities such As milk and meat arc in a blink four to 10 times More expensive it May seem unfeeling even fatuous to Call for a More cheerful vocabulary. However another name for the bitter Medicine Poland has just begun to taste is  Over the Long haul Freedom is fun. It works. A foreign ministry official pausing with a for Ful of Baltic herring reminds a visitor we Are not alone in the  reticence about the russian Bear to the East comes naturally in a nation that has had the mis Fortune to exist when it has existed it disappeared from the european map from 1793 to 1918 near Large voracious neighbors. Anthony Lewis someone once said rather  of Poland s history if you pitch your Lent in the Middle of fifth Avenue you should expect to be hit by buses. Tanks in Poland s Case. Europe s Northern Plain is perfect for Blitzkrieg. But today East Germany s population is leaking Westward through the porous papier mache curtain be tween Hungary and Austria. And Between Poland and Russia the Baltic slates arc in a roiling boil. They arc reminding the world at exactly the right moment of this exquisitely embarrassing to the Kremlin fact the soviet Union is the Only nation that was Allied with Hitler when the War began but did not As a result suffer a rupture of its regime. The soviet regime with All the troubles piled on its plate probably cannot afford to think much about let alone intervene in Poland. But soviet pressure need not come noisily with clanking tanks. It could come silently in reduced flows of Iron Oil and Cotton. And Solidarity now faces an identity crisis. It cannot be both what it has been and what it now is both a Trade Union and a government a militant Arm of an interest and a conciliating  s communist party has acquiesced so far in Solidarity exercising Power. Is Poland still a communist country if by that phrase one Means a country with a majority of convinced communists there never has been a communist country anywhere. However today the Aims and values of Poland s government More closely resemble those of All the n a to govern ments than those of any Warsaw pact government with the possible exception of Hungary , Poland s communist apparatchiks still control enough institutions to cause the new govern ment to fail. Do the communists want it to we come Back to the Sphinx the Man who is not Paganini. One Longs to insinuate this thought in among Jaruzelski s information about the United states the eyes of visitors to Washington arc drawn irresistibly to a towering Monument to a general. His greatest act was one of renunciation a refusal to keep or receive Powers that would have had a stunting a elect on his nation s nascent democracy. C with Englon Post Wii Lwi Osup South african Leader gives signal for change a  hours after . Do Klerk became its acting president South Africa substantially cased a problem threaten ing the transition of neighbouring Nami Bia to Independence. Its officials recalled to base 1,200 policemen former Mem Bers of a brutal paramilitary unit who were accused of harassing civilians. The decision was do Klerks and it sent an important signal. It told other countries involved in the namibian situation notably the United Stales that he cares about their Good opinion and wants the agreed process in Namibia to go ahead. As he look office de Klerk said the Lime was right for peaceful solutions in the Region. The dominant characteristic of his predecessor . Botha was the use of Force. During his 11 years in Power. South Africa made military at tacks on All its neighbors agreeing Only under pressure this year to a settlement in Namibia and Angola. The Issue that oddly and suddenly led Botha to resign May have pushed do Klerk further in the direction of regional peacemaking. Botha objected to a scheduled de Klerk meeting with president  of Zambia. That meeting now has expectations built into it. But the real test of a South african Leader s commitment to change is always at Home. So far every one of them has flunked that test unwilling to sacrifice any significant part of the Power held by the White minority. Will . Do Klerk be different or will he talk of Reform As so Manv of his predecessors did but rely on Force to keep denying the Black majority in Basic rights of citizenship his own history gives  clues. What is said about him always is that he is a pragmatist. His brother Willicm a distinguished former editor has Long argued to him that practical As Well As moral Rea sons Call for giving the majority of South africans their rights. But his National party competes for seats in a parliamentary House elected by Whites Only. There is an election on sept. 6. And do Klerk is not going to Rock the boat before then. The National party has already lost so much Sui.  majority. But if the party does Well enough so that de Klerk becomes More than acting president some people close to him be Lieve he will move quickly to show that he docs want change at Home. If so there arc Many ways he can Send meaningful i Uii Liidi Ai if u3 Ainuu in 31 support on the right to the con that it is in danger of losing its signals to the people he has to convince his fellow citizens whose skins arc nonwhite. Law provides a number of opportunities for convincing gestures. For exam ple numbers of prisoners under death sentence Many of them connected with the opposition to the White regime have asked to have their sentences commuted and arc awaiting presidential decisions. Mercy would matter. Several recent cases have extended the already extreme severity of South Afri can Law. A trial in Dolmas brought trea son convictions for what most of the world would Call peaceful political Dis sent. In Upington 14 people were sentenced to death for a single murder Al though some were not present at the killing they were said to have had the common purpose of wanting the Vic Tim a policeman dead an official Law commission pro posed this year that South Africa adopt a Bill of rights including familiar Ameri can protections against  government has not yet reacted. Its response could be especially important because the leading anti apartheid group the african National Congress has also been speaking of the need for a Bill of rights. Of course the real Issue is talking to the Anc and hero there May be reasons for cautious hone that the South african government s stiff resistance May be easing. Botha asked Nelson Mandela the imprisoned Anc loader to Tea Las month. And All kinds of significant White groups lava jars. Writers Liberal politicians has richly met Anc Lead ers abroad. After the Bolu of in Cla meeting do Klerk said he we us  with the Anc if it committed is of to the Pur suit of peaceful  that seems less of an obstacle than the longstanding official View that the Anc must first abandon its guerrilla Campaign. It comes close to what some think the Anc would be willing to offer to suspend violence during talks. Do Klerk knows what he would have to do finally to make real political negotiation possible. He would have to free Mandela and other political prisoners end the state of emergency proclaimed by Botha and end the ban on the Anc and other opposition groups. Only a determined Optimist could expect such Steps soon and South Africa history is studded with the Graves of optimists. But do Klerk could begin by sending signals that he cares Onby vote times