European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 17, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday May 17, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3officer walks Tightrope in iraqi kurd talks by Ron Jensen staff writer Zakhoo Iraq a col. Richard Naab wears the. Bemused smile of someone carrying a secret. His brow Arches. His eyes sparkle. And the Corners of his Mouth turn upward. His expression says a i know. But in a not  As chief of the military coordination Center in Zakhoo Naab works behind closed doors. He handles the delicate talks Between the iraqi government and the leaders of the kurdish refugees. A i think we be had tremendous Success when you consider a Little Over three weeks ago All sides were in Here armed to the Teeth a Naab said in an interview wednesday. The few incidents of violence since then have been Small. When they have happened Naab has been the one to file a complaint with the iraqi government. The iraqis have allowed the coalition to carve a protective zone for the kurd 100 Miles Long and 50 Miles we re riot Here to a Embarrass them the iraqis in front of International opinion a col. Richard Naab wide in the Northern part of their nation. But the kurd want the zone extended to include the provincial capital of Dozhuk. And they want a guarantee of Protection to prevent a repeat of the postwar bloodshed that caused thousands to flee into the mountains following the persian Gulf conflict. A the ultimate solution would be for these people to work out their problems without shooting each other a Naab said. That is Naabe a task. And one that is perhaps unprecedented. He is asking a nation to give up its territory even As the Central government remains in Power. A i done to know of another example similar to it a he said. A a it a insulting to their  the 50-year-old Naab comes to this task with 28 years of army experience. He has a disarming a Law shucks manner born of his childhood experiences in the Mississippi River town of Rock Island 111. But there is a toughness too that earned him a football scholarship at notre Dame where he started several games at fullback he was a Field artillery officer in Vietnam then later trained in diplomacy. The Job requires Confidence from . Army col. Richard Naab listens to an iraqi brigadier general As they examine a map of Dozhuk. The brass maturity and the ability to read people he said. He does no to Call what he does  he a a Liaison officer. A we do get involved in negotiations a he said. A a but i done to think the state department would want that word bandied about. Liaison is probably a More Apt  in addition to the kurdish problem he has been involved in the return of prisoners the Exchange of equipment and the locating of minefields. Although the purpose of operation provide Comfort is to offer humanitarian Aid to the kurd Naab must treat each Side equally a every time we move its a potential for conflict and misunderstanding a he said. A the whole idea is to try to apply the rules consistently a for the iraqis and for the kurd. A a it a a really confused environment a a really dangerous environment. But i think the Best thing is it provides a great complement for desert shield and de sort storm. It can prove to everyone that our argument is not with the iraqi  he is asked about the idea of talking to the iraqi government instead of making demands. After All Iraq was vanquished in the recent persian Gulf War a a that a Why i stay away from the word a negotiations a a he said. A a it a in our interest not to rub their noses in it. We re not Here to Embarrass them in front of International  Naab May have the Best scat in the House for what is happening Here but it amazes him nonetheless. A if you a told me four weeks ago id be Down Here making Security badges for iraqi police id have said you were crazy a he said. A but that a what we re  Mission brought special forces motto to life by Ron Jensen staff writer a silo i Turkey a on a Day when men from of 1st in 10th special forces group were too Busy to gather fire Wood some of the kurd they were there to help collected it for them. A fall they wanted to do was make sure we were taken care of too a said sgt. 1st class Kurby Mcwithey a member of the battalion s co a which was at the Camp know n us Sinat it. Was a gracious payback. The special forces from bad Tolz Germany were in the Mountain Camps to look after the kurd along the turkish iraqi Border. A the Camps the soldiers controlled have emptied and they were in silo i on thursday awaiting transportation to in Ciurlik a Turkey. From there they will head Home to Germany. A to Tell you the truth its probably the Best training we Ever had a capt. Neil Mccray said of the units Mission. The role of the special forces is to perform unconventional tasks in dire circumstances across cultural barriers. A i done to know How you could find More dire circumstances a Mccray said. A and we definitely had to work across cultures.�?�. It was also a Chance to live up to the special forces motto a de oppress Liber. That a latin for liberators of the oppressed. The men due to return to Germany worked in three Camps a Isik Veren Sinat and Kaya Digi during the crisis Peak Isik Veren had 80,000 inhabitants Sinat had 4,500 and Kaya Digi had 8,000. A my first impression was they were totally disorganized a Mcwithey said. A fall they needed was a Little guidance.�?�. The soldiers sought out Camp elders in Sinat and asked them to bring organization and discipline to what had been a  process massing out food became a mob scene with the strongest getting it and the weaker ending up with nothing. The scene was similar in Isik Veren Only on a larger scale. A it was a Little bit crazy the first couple Days a said sgt. Anatoli Yefimov. It became orderly Only after concertina wire arrived he said. The soldiers made 17 piles of food a one for each tribe a and surrounded them with the wire to keep the people away. A it really turned into a Nightmare controlling the people a he said from behind the wire tribal leaders doled out the food in an orderly fashion. Yefimov said the people left the Camp Only after they were Given cards that explained they were going Home because it was their Only option not because of iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein a promises. After seeing the conditions of the Camps Yefimov wrote to his Wile. A i told her How blessed we Are to live in the United states Quot he said. A the military gives me decent housing. My children Are Well fed. They done to have  the soldiers gained great respect for the kurd especially after watching them walk Down the Mountain paths on their Way Home. A to be absolutely honest they can Hump a Mccu Ray said. A i saw kids 5 years old carrying Bedroll that weighed 35 pounds a added sgt. 1st class Ron Blanchard. As the people came Down the mountains special forces soldiers gave them food and water and helped repair kurdish vehicles. A we were even treating donkeys a Blanchard said. As the soldiers prepared for the trip to in Ciurlik they expressed a sense of satisfaction at the Mission recently completed. A i really feel like we accomplished a lot a Yefimov said. A i m proud of myself and proud of my whole unit. A a it a inherent of americans to get something done when they set their minds to