European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes columns William f. Buckley  soviets Gas Oil embargo a use of Force Mikhail Gorbachev Promise not to use Force requires that we define the use of Force in order to ask whether that is exactly what he is now engaged in doing to Lithuania. The Standard vision is that of soviet tanks rolling into town Over the bodies of students As in Budapest 1956 or simply coming in to demonstrate just who is in charge Here As in Prague 1968. It is Clear that Gorbachev intends to avoid military melodrama to the extent he can do so and that he counts heavily on his current activity to be classed As something other than the use of Force. And technically he is Correct to Stop the Supply of Oil and Gas is not to use a Force a interpreted As a machine gun Bullet striking Down a dissenter or a punch in the jaw. We should have known what to expect when on March 12, hard liner Yegor Migachev reported after a Kremlin meeting a we will not use Force. We must resolve this by political Means. Tanks will not help in this  but to engage in Ristic distinctions Here Isnit something that we should let ourselves be talked into. By such definitions it is not a use of Force if a prison Warden stops feeding the inmates. They simply die but not from bullets or Billy clubs from other causes. The lithuanians Are about to show us what happens to a Small country when its Oil and Gas supplies Are shut off. It is no wonder that Japan has spoken most sternly about what to do in the event the soviet Union pursues its present policies. Japan can easily imagine what would happen if there were an interruption in its supplies of Oil. Accordingly Tokyo has threatened to suspend All economic programs with the soviet Union if it uses  we have yet to hear from Tokyo whether in its judgment Force is already being used. With drastic rationing Lithuania can last an estimated six to eight weeks without soviet Oil. Can it Purchase Oil elsewhere a move by Sweden to deliver Oil was met by soviet insistence that any Oil delivered from abroad be paid for by Lithuania in dollars. Dollars of course Are As Short in Lithuania As soviet prestige. But since the soviet Navy controls the question of who arrives and who does not arrive in soviet ports the soviet Union is in effect saying to the rest of the world that it will not tolerate our helping Lithuania during the current crisis. Meanwhile president Bush a spokesmen have Given out the word that the administration does not wish to retaliate against the Oil Gas crisis on the grounds that to do so would suggest that every time the soviet Union makes a move that we disapprove of we will make a counter move. And of course it is . Rosenthal  Correct that in diplomatic affairs counter moves do not always work. If the soviet Union ejects six . Diplomats we can eject six soviet diplomats. But the chess game becomes garbled when say the soviet Union takes one hostage or overruns one country. As a general Rule sanctions Are asymmetrical. Our eyes should focus on the main Chance and this has to do with soviet economic weakness. Here we Are Best off encouraging our allies to take More prominent stands. The overtures by Sweden and by Japan Are Welcome. We should hear from France Italy and Britain. The soviet Union stands most quickly to husband its diminishing economic strength by cutting its Aid to Cuba North Korea Angola Afghanistan and Ethiopia. Around $ 18 billion per year. Beyond that it needs to turn around its Economy and this begins by substantially disbanding its military. To encourage moves in this direction the primary role of the United states should be to Broad cast intensively the deteriorating situation in Lithuania and to publicize dramatically the forceful nature of the soviets Mode of retaliation. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan d-n.y., has ably argued that the soviet Union has publicly committed itself to positions it is now violating. It was the soviet Union that proffered the final historical evidence that its occupation of the Baltic Powers is a legacy of a Deal entered into Between Stalin and Hitler a Deal manifestly illegal under a series of provisions to which the soviet Union has subscribed and indeed affirmed. If what were happening now in Lithuania had happened As recently As one year ago we would dismiss it As typical soviet behaviour. We need to marshal the weapons that we have inherited from the evolution of the new soviet state. It became what it is because Gorbachev wished it. He should be made to endure the consequences of a nation that has gone to some pains to present itself As civilized. C Universal press Syndicate big lie of Arab Oil embargo should be exposed this is an astonished one column look at a Story of world importance that involves politics War race National survival and lots of Money. The astonishment comes from the realization that the Story gets so Little attention that most of the world does not know it is taking place. Fear is one reason but greed hypocrisy and duplicity Are far More important. The Story is about Oil and South Africa. No country can function without steady supplies of Oil. Most of the nations of the world have declared Oil embargoes against South Africa. But the Oil keeps coming right in enough for All of South africans Industrial and military needs enough to keep South african cars on the Fine roads. In South Africa simply disclosing information about which countries the Oil is coming from can be punished by seven years in prison. Put aside for the moment political questions about sanctions against South Africa. I believe sanctions Are justifiable. A right or wrong it is obvious that Pretoria would have been severely weakened years ago perhaps fatally weakened if Oil had not been coming into the country. As we All have been told repeatedly great Affinity exists Between the Oil producing Arab states and the anti apartheid movement in South Africa. Conclave of Arab nations regularly stress brotherhood and endorse strengthening the Oil embargo. And on to we All saw Yasser Arafat hugging Nelson Mandela in Zambia and getting from him his Strong endorsement against Israel. The links Between the african National Congress and the arabs were probably emotionally strengthened by arms deals Between South Africa and Israel. Whatever government comes to Power when Israel stumbles its Way through its ludicrous political process i Hope it announces the end of those deals soon after it takes office. About a week after would be Nice. And maybe someday the african National Congress and anti apartheid movements around the world will have the courage to announce and denounce what All their leaders know but do not like to talk about publicly most of the Oil for the Republic of South Africa comes from Arab states. When the fall of the Shah of Iran closed iranian oilfields to South Africa the Arab states stealthily but enthusiastically took up the Slack by increasing their own shipments. Year after year in cynical betrayal of their promises Arab nations have sold Oil directly or by transshipment hocus pocus to South Africa a at a Premium Price. Professor Arthur Jay Klinghoffer of Rutgers University a specialist on Oil politics says that Over the past decade the leading suppliers of crude Oil to South Africa have been saudi Arabia the United Arab emirates and Oman. The latter two became increasingly important recently As saudi shipments decreased. Other Arab states that have sold Oil to South Africa Are Qatar Bahrain Kuwait and to a lesser degree Egypt Iraq and South Yemen. Gulf Oil Klinghoffer reports amounts to 80 percent of South african imports. That is Worth about $2 billion a year to the exporting arabs. Interesting but not really shocking. The Arab states Are Oil businesses. Arabs Are not the Only businessmen to put Money Over Mouth profit Over principle. Right american savings institutions. But in my everlasting innocence i think it shocking that non Arab governments and anti apartheid movements that denounce Israel for dealings with South Africa or the . For importing South african steel remain so silent about the massive Arab double Cross of anti apartheid the Oil lifeline to South Africa. American supporters of Israel criticize her on every important subject. I would appreciate receiving copies from Arab american organizations of statements they have made criticizing the Arab states for talking embargo and shipping Oil. The same please from african american leaders particularly critical of Israel for dealing with South Africa. But it would be wrong to focus on this Issue simply As a telling difference of attitude Between supporters of Israel and the arabs. This is. More important neither the West nor the soviet Union have done much if anything to expose the big lie that is the Arab Oil embargo. The information is available. All that is needed is the will and a healthy allergy to hypocrisy. It is not too late for the anti apartheid movements to Start doing the Job of making the truth known. In about a week would be Nice. C new York times