European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday november 27, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 3 Mem nmn .41 a s a amps Randy Pruitt a caravan of camels roams the saudi arabian desert near the Border with Kuwait a the kind of sight that can give watchful . Troops a bit of a turn.8-foot-tall foes no just stinking nuisances Eastern saudi Arabia up when it. Christman Hampton checks the Thermal Cannon sights on a crazy Lou a his my tank he often has to remind himself that enemy soldiers done to usually stand 8 feet tall. He a just drawn a Bead on another Camel. A if a Camel turns its Back to you or turns directly to the front he looks like a person. If he turns sideways he a Back a Camel again said Hampton 23, of fort Stewart a. A so we re always going a wait a minute. Is this a lot of troops out there a and somebody goes a nah its a Bunch of a for . Forces stationed in the Region getting used to camels is part of adjusting to the new terrain. And to hear the troops Tell it the a ships of the desert Are stubborn foul tempered and mean. They spit when irritated and Are arrogant to Boot. A they stink a said air Force sgt. A. Johnson 24, of grand prarie Texas. A they Are very Johnson who works As an air cargo specialist in the United Arab emirates said a . Army officer once brought a Camel to the base for the americans to ride at $3.50 a turn. There weren to Many takers. A we did have one Brave girl a she Rode it. But that a the Only one a Johnson said. A she said it was an experience. She said it Wasny to like a horse or nothing. A nobody would dare to go near the camels i guess due to the reason they were so smelly a Johnson said. A they were spitting and there was Green stuff coming out of their Mouths. In a not sure what it was. It must have been something they the famed a desert rats of the British 7th army brigade also have had their trouble with camels a trying to keep them out of an area where the unit was conducting live fire exercises. A there was a great problem with them on the live firing which we did a capt. Tim Wilson said. A we had live firing in a key Camel grazing area apparently and they fetch about $3,000 each. So we have to be staff sgt. Dave Sparks said his reconnaissance unit was responsible for keeping the camels Clear of the firing Range. They spent four Days repeatedly chasing the animals away with their armoured vehicles Only to have the beasts return each time. A when a Camel decides it wants to go in a certain direction a Sparks said a it goes in a certain for Hampton who dubbed his tank a crazy loud after his lieutenants rank the problem is that camels keep wandering in front of his gunfight. A in the Thermal sights they look like people a said Hampton a platoon Leader. A but you have to realize the average person is not 8 feet tall. Basketball player minute Bol maybe but the average person is not 8 feet other than that the animals Are a nuisance More than anything else. A the camels generally done to bother us a he said. A a they re stubborn. If you re driving Down the Road in your tank and a Herd of camels is sitting there there a a 50-50 Chance the Herd of camels May not get try to get message to Saddam Baghdad Iraq apr Western diplomats aware of hidden microphones Are talking to the Walls hoping to convince president Saddam Hussein that the threat of a Gulf War is real and that it would be devastating. Iraqis leaders seem to believe they can avoid War Long enough to make it impossible the diplomats say. Its not that they believe president Bush is bluffing. They recognize there a a danger of War. But they remain confident they can outlast the threat the sanctions and the International coalition aligned against them. A a we re trying to convince them that its real and imminent. We re trying to show them what they re facing. We re walking around talking to the Walls telling them about b-52 strikes a a Western Diplomat a we talk about our own fears and Hope the message is passed along to Saddam by the iraqi intelligence agencies bugging them the diplomats said. They spoke on condition of anonymity. Another Diplomat suggested he should hire the contractors who built Saddam a new presidential Palace to have them build a Bunker in his front Yard. Saddam will not Back Down or withdraw from Kuwait As Long As he believes he can withstand the embargo break the International will behind it and forestall attack with Clever hostage releases and behind the scenes deals the diplomats say. A a Saddam a problem is that if he withdraws his losses will be irrecoverable a a european Diplomat commented. A i think he sees serious disorders if he in the Drivers seat Winston Churchill dons a helmet Sun minister paid a visit to British troops in Day and sits in a challenger tank. The the saudi desert As part of a 14-member grandson of Britain a wartime prime parliamentary delegation. Iraqis Are already questioning Why they fought for eight years with Iran Only to give Back much of what they had won after the invasion of Kuwait. The diplomats argue that Saddam cannot afford to Cave in to International pressure after invading Kuwait. So they say he plays for time dealing with hostages and hinting to visiting delegations that perhaps there a a Chance to negotiate. A the iraqi leadership believes that unless they give him a reason to go to War that president Bush like All presidents will look for a Way to avoid going in a another european Diplomat said. Iraqis plan to release All its hundreds of foreign hostages in batches Between dec. 25 and March 25 is cited As an example of How Iraq believes it can forestall attack. Iraqi officials speaking on condition of anonymity candidly admit that the threat of War is the highest Between late december and March and that the hostage release is a Man Euver to delay Bush and weaken the american resolve to attack. People on the Street in Baghdad seem less afraid of War then they did in late August and september when the Allied troop buildup in saudi Arabia began. A there will be no War. America is a great country a country that cares for its people. It wont waste their lives in a War a said one Baghdad resident who asked to be identified Only As Yousef. His sentiments were repeated often by other iraqis and by some Indian and moroccan workers who have elected to stay at their jobs in Iraq despite the crisis. Some Western diplomats contend the Public has been lulled to sleep by iraqi propaganda reports of growing opposition to War in America and the West. But other diplomats say that Many in Iraq who have benefited from some of Saddam a policies Are convinced he is a cunning Man who will prevent War and survive the crisis. A this is a Republic of fear no doubt a said one asian Diplomat. A but its also a country where the common Man has benefited greatly. Its not a Pyramid standing Only on fear of Saddam despite the sanctions spot shortages of some goods and soaring prices for others Many iraqis believe the crisis is Only a Short term inconvenience. A America will never go to War Over Kuwait a said one iraqi who said his name was Ahmed. A Why should it a
