European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6_ a a the stars and stripes saturday february 9,1991mzexmis of  Wei a Nix  a a a every pow to get food Gas mask by the stars and stripes saudi Arabia a iraqi soldiers taken prisoner by Allied forces will be Given food if they Are hungry and Gas masks if they have none. A a we re set on treating our prisoners nicely a said staff sgt. Mark Granas a military police squad Leader from Klamath Falls ore., with 82nd airborne div. Military investigators evidently want to be the first to feed the iraqis giving them another tool with which to extract information. The decision to provide the Gas masks is in accordance with the Geneva convention which covers treatment of prisoners. However,.it taxes the american military a ability to Supply them. At Many front line positions there Are Only enough masks for the Allied soldiers spokesmen said. But Many iraqi troops have their own masks and will be allowed to keep them. Others particularly reservists Are More poorly equipped and would be in need of protective gear said capt. David Boggs assistant chief of logistics with the 82nd�?Ts 2nd brigade. To Date the allies hold fewer than 1,000 tows col. John Easton commanding officer for civil affairs of the 2nd Marine div attributed the Low figure to the fact that the two opposing armies have not met in great numbers yet. A i expect that situation to change a he said. Some reports have said that the marines have prepared for 100000 prisoners but Easton would not confirm that figure. A we have been advised to prepare for a Large number a he said. At one recently built holding a re Ai several Miles from Iraq positions can accommodate As Many As 500 pos but there is no overhead cover to shelter them from the cold Winter weather and they will sleep on Beds of Sand and stones. The prisoners will be guarded by troops armed with m-16 Rifle Sand m-60 machine guns and ringed by concertina or razor wire. They will be. Kept there no More than 24 hours before being moved to a rear  said he could not yet Tell How representative the pos Are of the entire iraqi army. But the ones who have Given up on their own Are demoralized and do not support the War Effort five defectors taken into custody by the 1st Cav were fairly typical. Led by a Corporal the prisoners told their captors that their tank commander knew of their plans to defect and told them he would cover for them. They also said Many soldiers had left their units and gone Home. When an american officer turned up a Heater to warm his chilled captives one iraqi muttered in English a a a thank  the defectors usually come in pairs or threes. Most fear for their families safety if their defection becomes known. But one american found a defector who did no to worry about his family. The iraqi told him a fall i have Back Home is a brother and i done to like him  Tai article was compiled by Ron Jensen Middle East Bureau from information gathered by Pentagon Media Pool reporter red Cross panel frustrated by inability to see prisoners by Ron Mckinney Staft writer Stuttgart Germany a the International committee of the red Cross does not know when it will be Able to visit Allied prisoners of War in Iraq an official said thursday. A we were quite a bit frustrated. Its never pleasant. Not to be Able to do what you re supposed to do a said Jean Philippe Avoyer a Legal adviser to the  Geneva convention gives the committee an unconditional right to visit pos. Using this right committee delegates have already visited about 300 iraqi prisoners held by Allied forces in saudi Arabia he said. Avoyer was the guest speaker at a Gulf crisis american red Cross Campaign breakfast held thursday at the Patch Barracks officers club. Quot. Referring to iraqi questioning of Allied prisoners on television Avoyer said the Geneva convention mandates that they be protected from insults and Public curiosity. V Quot to show pos on to making All kinds of declarations this is certainly contrary to that. This must be quite humiliating 1 could imagine to be shown on to a he said. A these Are the rules which belong to i would almost say to humanity. They should be accepted in every  a a a a a a.  his talk in Stuttgart came five Days after another member of the organization criticized the appearance of iraqi pos on saudi television. Arnold Luethold a Delegate of the red Cross International committee said feb. 2 that any filming of pos for a television broadcast is a breach of the Geneva convention regardless of the intent. The Delegate said the committee had contacted the warring parties to Call attention to their convention obligations. During iraqis eight year War with Iran red Cross delegates  iranian pos in Iraq throughout the conflict which began in 1980. That history gives the organization Confidence that it will be allowed to visit Allied prisoners of War in Iraq Avoyer said. A it shows that Iraq is not oppose do As a matter of principle to i arc visits a Avoyer said. The iraqis mistreated pos during the War he said. A we have not seen it ourselves but there were Strong reports from iranian prisoners saying that pos had been executed. We had consistent reports that. Peo pie of the Adverse party military personnel had been executed whether on the Battlefield or later on a he said a /  a a a a it a a a a Quot a Avoyer said that because of the reports the committee released its findings. A we do that Only in exceptional circumstances a he  Patriot for patriots the new Bulova Patriot watch is available for . Troops serving in the persian Gull the limited edition watch will retail for $150 with profits being donated to the Uso.  of iraqi Navy May never make it to War by Marlise Simons the new York times la spezia Italy a in this italian port lies the surviving portion of the iraqi Navy 10 modern and Brand new warships among the few that have been spared the american led assaults in the Gulf. That Fleet made to order for Baghdad Quot is not Likely to sail to Iraq anytime soon the. Italian government has the iraqi ships officers and sailors who number almost 70, have not been officially called prisoners of War however since the outbreak Rotthe fighting they have been kept on two corvettes in a military port. The iraqis have orders to stay below deck unless Given special permission to come up. At times they Are allowed on deck for exercise. Small groups have been permitted to go ashore for food under escort of italian military policemen. Across the Bay from the two corvettes the other eight iraqi ships a four frigates and four corvettes a wait undelivered at a civilian shipyard. 0 although they have been outfitted with All the tentacles of electronic warfare there Are plastic covers on the antennas the empty guns and the missile cells. Italian military policemen patrol the vessels to protect them t hey a a id a g Ai n s the Tyty peo f a Ota go r2-�?-�?�? in recent Days american military briefer said the allies had destroyed or damaged virtually All of iraqis warships and patrol boats. According to James Mccoy of the Institute for strategic studies in London the new ships detained in Italy a might have made life More difficult for the allies an the iraqi ships in Italy would have been no match for those huge fleets out there a James Mccoy might have taken a More Effort and weapons to  a they would have completely changed their Javy a Mccoy said. A these ships Are larger More modern and better equipped than anything they  but he said a they would have been no match for those huge fleets out there.�?�. It May prove to be one of the More paradoxical aspects of the War that a sizable part of president Saddam Hussein a air Force is now in neighbouring Iran while his Best warships Are docked on the italian Riviera but the iraqi Fleet moored at la spezia unlike the jets that apparently escaped to Iran for safety have Long been  by bureaucratic Maneu vers haggling Over Palm stand alarms embargo. Their history goes Back to the Early 1980s, when Iraq was building its War machine and granting robust military contracts to the soviet Union France and Brazil. It also ordered fortifications and equipment from civilians in Britain Yugoslavia West Germany and the United states. In Italy the $2.5 billion naval contract for 11 ships was a Boon for Fin cantieri the state owned shipbuilder arid for the companies that would sell the helicopters rocket launchers guns torpedoes and other War Materiel /. A a. A a a a a a a a abut the Deal has been under a Cloud from the Start and has since backfired for Italy and Iraq. The first vessel a support arid communications ship completed in 1984, could not reach the Gulf during the Iran Iraq War. It was held up in Alexandria Egypt where it remains. Quot two corvettes were later finished and had been handed Over to iraqi Crews when the italian government ordered a temporary arms embargo on Iraq and iraqi in 1986 and confined the ships to la spezia. The other eight ships tied up at Fin cantieri a Yards at Uggiano Are almost ready except for some scaffolds around the communication towers. Vera Muri Aldi a spokeswoman for Fin cantieri said All work had been suspended except for maintenance. She said of vessels would have Beeri delivered Early last year if Iraq had not suddenly demanded such extras As More helicopters gunboats changes in the Quot building plans and an additional sophisticated command system As compensation for the Long wait. Talks broke Down As Iraq invaded Kavai p 5 Iraq she said had paid for half of the contract and Fin cantieri continues to lose millions of dollars on maintenance costs for ships it cannot deliver. It must pay support and housing of 34 iraqi engineers based near the port and service huge Bank Loans taken out to finance the construction if the company finds other buyers it must pay Back info