European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday november 22, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary Barry Schwei taking hostages no longer packs any punch along with an ironic apology Terry waiters captors told the anglican Church envoy before setting him free that holding hostages serves no a useful constructive that indeed May explain Why the trove of kidnapped westerners has dwindled to five a three americans and two germans. Or As Robert Hunter of the Center for strategic and International studies put it monday after longtime hostages Waite and Thomas Sutherland were freed a hostage taking ainu to Worth what it used to there was a time not Long ago when seizing innocent educators or journalists in Lawless Lebanon was a Way to make a powerful political Point. Hezbollah and its confederates saw kidnapping As a Way to vitiate . Influence in the Middle East and even obtain weapons for Iran. But the radicals who once operated freely in unhappy Lebanon Are losing their patrons. They also Are discovering the Only real leverage they have left is to exert pressure on Israel to free lebanese and palestinian prisoners. And even that is ebbing. Meanwhile All the Mideast governments that conceivably have some influence Over the hostage holders have a stake in cooperating with the United states a both in Arab israeli diplomacy and in freeing the five remaining westerners. Iran wants economic assistance. Syria sees the Bush administration As the vehicle for recovering lost territory from Israel. Lebanon wants to be taken seriously again As a functioning country Able to take charge of its own territory. Immediately after Waite and Sutherland were freed the state department a on instruction from the White House a praised the United nations and also Syria Iran and Lebanon As having been helpful in liberating the two men. Syria and Iran Are listed by the state department As sponsors of terrorism and Lebanon has Laboured largely under Syria s influence. The administrations Public expression of Praise for All three governments was in Sharp contrast to that background. It also enhanced syrians standing As the Arab country participates in Mideast peace talks engineered by Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii. Iran probably has the most influence Over the hostages plight because of its ties to Hezbollah the group believed to be holding most or All of the westerners in Lebanon. During the persian Gulf War the United states opened indirect talks with Tehran through the Swiss government. That indirect dialogue could Blossom into real talks with Iran after a 12-year break in diplomatic relations Syria another key player in Ibe hostage drama is once again a willing intermediary and in far belter position than in the past to be helpful. The syrians Are on a Roll. They were part of the winning .-led coalition that Defeated Iraq and liberated Kuwait. And they Are Pivotal to president Bush and Baker s Hopes for arranging an Arab israeli settlement. Analyst Hunter who served on the National Security Council staff in the Carter administration ticked off several reasons for the steady Stream of freed hostages. Quot a number of things came together a he said. A the cold War ended. The United states won desert storm. The . Is pushing a peace process. Iran needs the outside world economically. And Syria has lost its Patron the soviet Why then Are there still hostages being held in Lebanon a everybody wants a Little bit of something in the end. The people actually holding them Are the big losers because once the hostages Are out they Don t get Hunter said. A so i suspect they arc getting a Little bit of notoriety a and maybe a Little bit of Money from Syria and Hunter said that before the six remaining westerners Are freed Israel probably will have to release Sheik Obeid a shiite cleric the israelis see As a key Hezbollah figure in Southern Lebanon. A Waite meanwhile said his captors had advised him that americans Joseph Cicippio Alan Steen and Terry Anderson would be let go by the end of november. A we apologize for having captured you Quot Waite said one of the kidnappers told him. A we recognize that this was a wrong thing to do. That holding hostages serves no useful constructive c the Assoc alot Pross George will give some senators credit for jaw boning the descent of american politics into parody accelerated when the Senate which fancies itself the worlds greatest deliberative body voted 74-19, without anything that could be dignified As deliberation to put Price controls on Money. Our legislators have now had second thoughts a first thoughts for some of them a about what they did concerning credit card interest rates. But before it fades from memory study it As evidence of How we Are governed. The debacle began when president Bush who thinks americans should have More a Confidence demonstrated one reason they do not feckless leadership. He urged Banks to lower credit card rates his evident Assumption being that recovery will result from More consumer instalment debt. Bush said that at a tuesday lunch. Wednesday afternoon the stampeding Senate voted for a a floating Cape on rates pegged 4 percent Over irs charges for underpayment of taxes. The Senate says 14 percent is the Correct rate for today. The author of this measure is Alfonse do Amato r-n.y., which is not surprising. He is a publicity Mon Gering practitioner of smash and grab opportunism. He could not be trusted to run a lemonade stand but says he knows just what Bank profits Are fair and comfortable a what rates Are a reasonable a Quot adequate a a a equitable and a appropriate a and he knows Banks Are a gouging Quot and Quot ripping off credit card customers in ways that arc Quot shocking Quot and Quot i do not want to try to allocate credit Quot he said while trying to Correct what he Calls an a inappropriate his ravings must be read to be disbelieved a it is absolutely unconscionable that credit card issues sic be allowed to put their Burden on the american people while we sit Back on the altar of what has become a political slog Aneer sic. We say let the free Market system work. The free Market system is obviously not working. A do Amato said today a rate the actual average is 18,9 percent a is wrong and it approaches those areas that the Bible has said you should not charge he praised himself for having a the courage to stand up to special interests and Quot for the Little Guy the working Middle class the Guy. Who is being told of shop around for credit. You try and shop around for for the likes of do Amato language is just noise signifying nothing but Auto intoxication a there is no Competition. Indeed there is a conspiracy of silence of meaning nothing As sen. Jake Garnr Utah demonstrated when he injected a foreign substance a fact a into the discussion. With the patience necessary when addressing the dim witted but which is unavailing when the dim witted Are also cynical Garn noted that credit cards do not have secured backing and have High default Rales. They Are costly to administer and the High rates a High relative to say mortgage rates a subsidize credit for those who Are least credit worthy. Those people will be denied cards if politicians set rates. Garn said he shopped around for his card from a Bank charging 12 /2 percent. He offered do Amato a list of Banks charging seven or More percentage Points less than the 18 to 19 percent that do Amato thinks Are the Only rates available. Sen. Don Riegle d-mich., had the brass to Praise do Anat of a measure because a credit card companies ought to be More Riegle says Quot they sometimes offer a line of credit to a Borrower who is not going to be Able to repay Riegle is Charles Keatings helpful Friend. If it becomes Law do amatos measure would indeed Cut credit and Bank profits. These Are iwo ideas your Congress considers timely. The Senate said George Washington is the Saucer into which we pour our passions and legislation so they can Cool. That was then. This is now do Amaio is an intellectual featherweight disdained by his col leagues for his coarseness and recklessness but last week they became his rabble. This year he wants government to allocate credit. Next year he will run for re election preening about his conservatism. A majority of republicans voted with him. Nineteen senators did not. They deserve mention Lingam in Brown Coates Daschle Garn. Glenn Gramm Hatch Heflin Helms Lugar Mack. Mcconnell Nunn Presslor Rudman Smith Symins Wallop. The irrepressible Joe Biden popped up to say do Anat of a idea is bad but he would support it. He said a legislative Caps of this sort Are i either proper nor workable Quot and he expects the measure will be dropped by the House Senate conference but he would Vole for it As a a signal Quot to Bankers that americans arc a concerned Quot about rates and Quot it is time to give the Middle class a this is known As or to maintain the biblical tone it is an attempt to Pound Down Rales with the Jawbone of an ass a of 74 of them. C Wash Glon Post a curb group
