European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday january 25, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a Page 7scientists fear crop damage from Oil fire by Frank d. Roylance Baltimore evening Sun Cornell University astronomer Carl Sagan says that iraqi president Saddam Hussein a orders to Torch kuwaiti Oil Wells if carried far enough could unleash smoke Clouds that would disrupt agriculture across South Asia and Darken skies around the world. A you need a very Small lowering of the average Tern a creatures of the Northern hemisphere to have serious consequences for agriculture a Sagan said. Other scientists say that such a disaster would require fires at hundreds of Wells burning for months but they agree the potential exists in Kuwait for a very catastrophic environmental Impact. A Saddam has threatened to blow up Kuwait soil Fields if attacked by Allied ground forces. He has also vowed to spill Oil from supertanker into the persian Gulf and set it ablaze to foil amphibious landings. On tuesday . Military sources said that iraqi forces had set fire to Oil Wells and storage tanks at Al Zafra a Small Oil Field in Southern Kuwait. Also storage facilities were ablaze at the Shuaibi and Mina Abdullah refineries. The fires apparently were intended to foil Allied a a smart weapons and spy satellites. Ali Suhail an executive with Kuwait Oil co. Now in Bahrain said that the iraqis had not yet blown up facilities at magma and Burgan two of the largest Oil Fields in the world. Regardless of damage inflicted on kuwaiti Oil Wells world supplies will not be affected analysts say. The global Energy Market months ago discounted the availability of Oil from Kuwait As other producers filled the void following the aug. 2 invasion. After the occupation of Kuwait a  Boycott against the iraqis prevented them from Selling Kuwait soil. Sagan and Urcla scientist Richard Turco have compared the potential for disaster with the 1815 explosion of the Tamora Volcano in Indonesia. That event sent enough Ash and debris into the sky to make 1816 the a year without summer in the United states. The climatic disruptions would be far less serious than the a nuclear Winter scenarios Sagan has helped to describe to Congress based on calculations of the effects of smoke from whole cities ignited through thermonuclear  relative scale of the potential disaster in Kuwait has been suggested by other scientists calling it a Saddam autumn i. John w. Birks a professor of chemistry at the University of Colorado and a co author of the original 1982 nuclear Winter theory said tuesday that significant climatic effects would result Only if the iraqis ignited 300 to 500 pressurized Oil Wells or nearly half the kuwaiti total. That Many Wells would bum 2 million barrels a Day about half of Kuwait a pre invasion production. In a month the fires would pump 1 million metric tons of soot into the atmosphere. At that Point the airborne pollutants would reach a balance with new soot added at the same rate old soot washes out with Rains. A if they were ignited and burned out of control for several months i believe you would begin to see envy Romenta consequences in. Iran Afghanistan Pakistan and India a Birks said. The dark sooty Clouds would be a Patchy a Birks said but where they linger for several Days a i would expect sub freezing temperatures to  station in the Clouds a photo the pilots of a Marine Kc-130 Tanker Man Euver their plane top photo into position to refuel combat planes Over saudi Arabia. The refuelling allows attack air Craft such As the Carrier based Navy a-6 intruder Bottom photo to Complete missions deep within iraqi Terro Rity. Ft-1 by Robert l. Jackson the los Angeles times Miami a an International arms Deal it who has supplied an estimated $1.6 billion Worth of weapons to Iraq believes the worst part of the .-Iraq conflict lies ahead. Sarkis g. Soghanalian whose annual earnings of $12 million rank him among the worlds richest arms brokers says that despite intensive american bombing of Iraq the ground War will be agonizingly slow because the dug in iraqis Are a fierce and hardened  a he is a Man who should know having supplied Iraq with the bulk of its weapons during its Long War with Iran during the 1980s. And he spent considerable time on iraqis front lines with its troops and com manding officers. Soghanalian also is facing trial in april in Miami Federal court on charges he conspired to ship to Iraq 103 civilian helicopters modified for military use. The december 1987 indictment alleges that he violated the Federal arms Export control act by seeking to Arm the helicopters with Tow anti tank missiles. A when i was supplying Iraq with weapons they were at War with Iran a greater enemy of the United states a he said. A i had no idea that the United states one Day would Challenge Iraq. Who could foresee this. Although the Reagan administration was officially Neutral during the Iran Iraq War and outlawed weapons sales to both nations Soghanalian said there was a private tilt toward Iraq on the part of Many . Officials because of Iran a past hostage taking. His claims that he was in touch with . Intelligence officials is bolstered by a reference in the diary of former White House aide Oliver l. North dated feb. 7, 1984. In what seems to be a reference to arms support for the .-backed nicaraguan rebel forces the entry in North a handwriting reads a Sarkis a delivered weapons. Gratis a Soghanalian 61, a turkish born lebanese citizen lives in a palatial heavily guarded Home but has spent most of his working life in the Middle East. Most of the weapons he supplied Iraq were French made artillery pieces and soviet manufactured cannons so his special expertise lies with iraqis ground War capabilities. A iraqi soldiers will not easily surrender a he predicted. A i done to mean to imply we done to have equally Strong troops. But. Allied forces Are More motivated by humanitarian concerns a he said. A we worry about killing civilians. That will 1 take Clearing out Kuwait City particularly  Soghanalian added that the conventional weapons he provided to Iraq including Long Range howitzers capable of hurling a Shell 20 Miles May hold up better in the harsh Sand blow climate of the Gulf than what he called a the More fragile a sophisticated High tech weapons operated by . Troops