European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday february 20, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary Louis Kriesberg War with War under Way in the Middle East Quot now is the time to Start planning for lasting peace and Security in the tick a not after the War has ended. The great suffering caused by the it to invasion of Kuwait and the resulting War demonstrated again the need for making Progress toward solving the Many prob ferns in the Region. The turmoil and conflicts May seem intractable and they will be unless we it commit ourselves to transforming the Region into a Community of peacefully coexisting nations. The terrible War in which we Are engaged pre sents an unparalleled Opportunity to achieve this goal. The first step in this quest is to be Clear about the vision we seek to realize. If we Are unambiguous about our objectives the military actions can be kept consistent with them. Otherwise the military goals May expand in the heat of Battle and make the War longer More damaging and an impediment to the peace we would win. A v a furthermore taking Steps now to create the postwar world we seek will influence the course of the War and probably hasten its end. Appropriate moves to construct a lasting peace will strengthen the coalition and isolate Saddam Hussein. The Middle East has been divided for generations by a myriad of ethnic religious economic and ideological divisions. Those divisions have been used to rally support of one group against another and to wage struggles and wars for . Those conflicts have too often disrupted plans and movements for social and economic development. Furthermore the Many conflicts and problems in the Region compound one another. None can be solved in isolation. A comprehensive plan should include a Elei of peace in the Region. Related elements to create a new system first the territorial integrity of All states in the Region must be ensured including Iraq and Kuwait. This must be accompanied by the Resolution of outstanding disputes and by greater regional cooperation and integration. For example International commissions to regulate the ecology of major Rivers and the allocation of scarce water resources should be established. If greater integration is achieved the significance of Borders will diminish. Second economic development is vital. With greater economic development in Andrew j. Glass equalities can be reduced and Basic mate Riel needs met. A Middle East development Bank should be established supported with funds from Middle East Petroleum producing countries and major world Powers most notably Japan Germany and the United states. The areas for investment should include the non Arab countries in the Region Iran and Israel. Special consideration should be Given to palestinians aft the land that should become theirs through negotiations. Third provisions must be Imide for military Security against armed aggression in the Region. This will be aided by several measures limitations on arms sales to nations in the Middle East establishment of a nuclear free zone in the Region creation of a . there and the establishment of treaty obligations. Fourth Steps should be taken quickly to Settle political and Border disputes involving Israel the palestinians Syria and Jordan. Direct negotiations Between Israel and representatives of the palestinians Are essential the negotiations cannot Rule out the future establishment of a palestinian state in the occupied territories if the palestinian representatives Are to be Given legitimacy by their constituencies transition periods will be needed to Settle the israeli palestinian conflict and agreements on these matters should be linked to peace treaties Between Israel and the Arab states particularly Syria Jordan and Iraq. An israeli settlement with Syria particularly regarding the Golan Heights is feasible within the context of the other developments. An israeli peace agreement with Jordan could also be readily attainable in conjunction with an israeli palestinian settlement. Finally regional provisions for the Protection of individual and collective civil rights in the Region must be established to help protect minorities in each country. The need to Start planning immediately for peace should be Clear. In he War has already accomplished some unofficial goals among them the substantial weakening of iraqi offensive military capability. It is therefore possible for the United states to take initiatives to bring about a political settlement sooner rather than later. 1. Editor s not Loula a Rasbarg a professor of Saclolo by and director of tha Syracusa Una varsity program on Nal Yais and Resolution of conflicts. A wrote this article for United pros International. X Factor co Allied War planning a saudi Arabia Quot a nearly every evening desert storm commander h. Norman Schwarzkopf picks up a red Telephone and Calls Washington where it is still morning. It. Is a direct line to Gen. Colin l. Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. For the last month the two generals have spoken about the air Campaign. They have reviewed the state of the , ground troops nearly All of whom still remain untested in combat. But they also vent concerns removed from the headlines. One of them is the exposure of Western Europe which has been practically denuded of american Armor and Airpower a to. A soviet Surprise attack. These Days senior . Generals Are also geopolitical strategists. They know that the chances of such an attack occurring Are Low. But As military men they need to make a worst Case analysis. And it has been noted Here that key soviet generals assail Kremlin backing for the Allied cause w Hile openly voicing their own support for Iraq. The . Generals worry about rising Arab sensitivities to mounting iraqi civilian deaths. They worry about a potential wild card strike by the israelis. They worry about the need to keep up troop morale. For those reasons they want this War to be Over sooner or later. If the iraqis should indeed withdraw from Kun it without further testing the allies Mettle Powell and Schwarzkopf would cheer. This is because they know there is a weak link in Quot desert storm virile a licence command Calls it the a Factor. Not enough is known about the iraqis willingness to fight on their Home soil a where for tactical reasons much of the ground offensive will be fought. By their nature estimates of an army a will to fight Are subjective. In this instance forecasts Range from predictions that the Republican guard will mount a world War ii japanese style fight to the death to scenarios in which exhausted remnants gratefully surrender at their first Opportunity by the thousands. For advice on this question the command could do worse than to consult a Bluff and Tough Ace investigator for the Suffolk county District attorneys office on new Yorkus Long Island named Joe Conlon. For the duration Conlon has turned in his detectives badge to Don the fatigue uniform of an army brigadier general Replete with the double a Patch of the h2nd airborne div. He Heads the 8,000-member 800th military police brigade an All reservist unit charged with processing All iraqi prisoners of War who fall into . Ands. A Conlong a people who willbe running reception Sites then turn their prisoners Over to the saudis. It is not the a Psi Job to debrief captives who want to to 1l rut like any Good cop. Conlon knows what a going on. He has seen prisoners crawl into childlike fetal positions when they hear the drone of b-52 has heard them say that whole units would surrender save for their fear of land mines and roaming iraqi a execution a a a they Are soldiers like any other soldiers and they deserve our respect a Conlon says. A they appreciate everything you to for them. They Are glad to be out of the War and they Are Friendly. My brigade surgeon has already invited some of them to visit him in Buffalo when this is now the iraqis come Over the line in fives an tens. But if a Swift desert Campaign should still be necessary they could come by the thousands a having decided that they would rather play soccer in a . Camp than fight to the death. A if that should occur or if peace Breaks out there Are three generals a Powell Schwarzkopf and Conlon a who would be quite satisfied. C Cox news service a
