European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes wednesday januaryt6, 1991 0p it William . Must respond to aggression in Lithuania Phoenix Ariz. A the Winner of last years Nohl peace prize the politician who entranced a Gullible world with talk of Reform and glasnost the supplicant we have just Given a billion dollars in food Aid to help keep in office the soviet Leader supposedly working behind the scenes to Cut a Deal in the persian Gulf a has just ordered his tanks into Lithuania to Roll Over the bodies of patriots resisting his timing of the brutal and bloody crackdown is no Accident. He knows the focus of world attention is far from the scene of the crime he has Jong planned. Under cover of the . Deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait Mikhail Gorbachev used his new stall Vesque Power to perform a stalinist act to use the red army a and its elite a Black berets a this generations brow shirts a to Force Freedom yearning people asserting their legitimate Independence to submit to communist Rule. A . A the parallel to Hungary 1956 is inescapable. People filled with Hope an International crisis elsewhere and the red army tanks Roll in to crush the Freedom fighters. In this Case patriots armed Only with Sticks barricaded the doors of their television Tower with furniture. A a column of 30 tanks and armoured vehicles crashed through with Case rolling Over Brave bodies in the name of order and annexation. The elected president of Lithuania desperately tried to reach Gorbachev by Telephone. Only a few Days before the soviet Leader falsely assured the republics that a peaceful solution would be found. The dictator in Moscow would not take the Call. So much for the apology sure to be advanced now As it was in Georgia two years ago that the murder of peaceful protesters took place without Gorbachev a knowledge. , we will be assured Are clean. Blame those mean red army colonels acting without orders or that rogue Kab or the tank backed Quisling who Call themselves salvation Quot the soviet Niedria will not show the crushed bodies. Glasnost is finished having served this regimes purpose. But the free world Media will not treat the Story As secondary news in Light of the Gulf crisis. We Are Able to cover two wars and Chew gum at the same time. As president Landsbergis urged us to recognize Quot this is it is one sided War tanks against Sticks but it is not some a internal matter of the soviet unions fit Only for our Cluck clucking. The United states has never recognized the russian occupation of the Baltic states As Legal. The War raging now is not in uprising not punishment for separatism. It is aggression against an Independent nation asserting its sovereignty by refusing to allow its occupiers to impress its Young men into the soviet army. Walter r. Mears of iwo i a iwo c to 0 co to of v c a to. O o ? it v o 6o or96o�c a z o a 0 o o o ,90�6 q .00 a o6pc� o qom of of no moral difference exists Between Quot naked aggression in Kuwait arid brutal aggression clothed in a 51 year illegal occupation of Lithuania. There is this practical difference however we cannot Stop this superpower aggression by Force of Arnis. That does not mean the world is helpless or that we should discourage underground resistance by lithuanian patriots. Is the Bush administration so Gulf Blin dered to limit reaction to the presidents perfunctory condemnation or John Sununu a appeasing Call for yet More useless a incentives toward liberalization what Moscow s dictator needs arc big disincentives in a hurry. Calling off a Summit meeting to avoid shaking a bloody hand or Only cutting off free food Aid is nothing. A . A step one for the . Is to introduce a Resolution condemning this aggression in the . Security Council. Let the soviets veto it. The soviet Peoples and the balts will know where the world stands. Step two is for Eastern and Central european nations a that includes Germany a to Call for a special meeting of the Csc to condemn the soviet threat to the peace of Europe what a that outfit for if not this step three is to reaffirm our recognition of the three Baltic nations to invite ambassadors and to seek diplomatic embassies in Vilnius Riga and Tallinn Gorbachev will say no. We can wait. So can arms talks. Will this the new world order his action requires response. The soviet unions further support in the Gulf is unnecessary. Its . Vote is irrevocable and it is already shipping arms to Iraq to use against our soldiers. A v a. A. A . These Steps will not free the captive nations Butwill Heap world disgrace on the Gorbachev regime and give heart to the men women and children who have shown they arc willing to Lay Down their lives for the right to be a free. Quot a. A . A a ,. C new York times. A a bottle Unrot amp is persian Gulf coalition after enlisting a troubled Congress in the looming War against Iraq president Bush faces a second front a the deadly soviet crackdown in Lithuania a divisive crisis for the coalition confronting Saddam Hussein at an Solidarity is crucial. Bush said the congressional backing he sought and received for the use of offensive Force in the persian Gulf would buttress International Unity in demanding that Iraq w withdraw from Kuwait by Midnight. He said an unmistakable message that War is at hand holds the last Best Hope that Baghdad will relent and withdraw from the neighbouring country it invaded and annexed. R with that Gull confrontation., nearing u re the Brink the killings in Vilnius a where soviet troops stormed a lithuanian broadcast Center a led sunday to Western condemnation recalling the Days before the cold War thawed. Quot the soviet Union has not been a military partner but it a major . Diplo malic ally in trying to get Iraq to yield Kuwait with Force if necessary. Cooperation Between Washington and Moscow has been the closest since world War 11. With the deadline nearing soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev is said to have offered to Send an emissary to Baghdad in yet another Effort to Avert War. Those missions and the coalition message to Saddam can hardly be served by discord in the International lineup against him. The european Community denounced the soviet crackdown nato leaders met in emergency session and Secretary of state James a. Baker 111 said i in Ankara that enduring .-soviet cooperation w As at risk. During an eight nation Mission to Confer with other leaders in the coalition against Iraq Baker has sent a series of messages to resigning soviet foreign minister Eduard a. Shevardnadze on the gathering crisis in Lithuania at least two of those messages urged Moscow to press Baghdad to withdraw from Kuwait t he Centrepiece of his journey was the Jan. 9 meeting in Geneva with iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz. They met for More than six hours but did not make any Progress toward a peaceful Resolution to the Gulf crisis. Each Side had said in Advance it would restate its ease the United states de. Maturing withdrawal Iraq insisting it will not quit Kuwait. A 1 Quot so the outcome Ayas predictable if not _ inevitable. And with it the congressional votes approving the use of Force were All but guaranteed. The 52-47 vote in the Senate Wras the closest but the message was nonetheless Clear. A. A a. A. A a it is the functional equivalent of a dec la rat Ion of War of that there can be no doubt a said sen. George j. Mitchell a Maine the majority Leader who had voted to wait longer in the Hope that ceo nomic sanctions would Force iraqis hand. Rep. Les Aspin d-wis., chairman of the House armed forces committee supported Bush arid said later the Lithuania crackdown and killings show Why sanctions work lie said Reliance on sanctions on holding the International coalition inline and that w Ould effectively tie . Hands on other issues. Aspin said if sanctions were the Only weapon available the administration afford to condemn the soviet action against lithuanian Independence. Bush had said saturday before the killings that he had spoken to Gorbachev expressing .< concern Over the situation the soviets know our position clearly a Bush said denying the adminis a rat Ion had shelved the Issue of the breakaway Baltic republics in order with the Gulf crisis. As his administration deals with both Bush needs also to broaden support for the possible War Congress has authorized. Speaker of the Plouse Thomas s. Foley who had voted to wait said now that Congress has spoken it Wall Back american forces. But Foley also noted the a Maxim that Quot first you commit the country and then you commit the troops a t think the country is still confused and concerned a Foley said. And that can Only be compounded by. The new crisis. Quot we cannot allow our preoccupation with the Gulf crisis to Blind us to the dangers in the Baltic slates a said British foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd travelling in the Middle East. Now Bush must Deal with both and at the same time rally americans for a possible War. Athe associated press a the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to he considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government
