European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday february 23,1993 the stars and stripes b Page 11 Mirage in reporters frustrated Over Lack of entry visas by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau while . Aircraft patrol the no Fly zone in Southern Iraq a virtual no write zone exists for Western Media interested in covering saudi Arabia and the american troops stationed there. The information void is As vast As the saudi desert stretching All the Way Back to the end of the 1991 persian Gulf War. In fact since the Start of operation Southern watch in August 1992 a which marked the beginning of air patrols Over Southern Iraq a the . Troops in saudi Arabia have not been visited by a journalist said it. Col. Marc Martens of the us. Central come at Mac Bill fab Fla. A a it a a matter of going through the saudis a said air Force it. Col. Phil Johnson a spokesman in the Region. A the thing is you Are not going to walk in and Knock on the saudis door and gain Access like you can in the United saudi officials in the United states Germany and saudi Arabia deny there is any concerted Effort to bar Western journalists from their soil. Each visa request they say is considered and judged on its own Merit. A if you want to go you can a said Bader Al Suwabe Dan head of the saudi consulate in Bonn Germany. But clearly the opportunities and Access afforded reporters during the Gulf War ended shortly after the .-led coalition bounced iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991. At the end of the War there were about 1,700 reporters in Kuwait and saudi Arabia Martens said. But when the United states and some of its coalition partners launched airstrikes against Iraq last month Western reporters in the Region had few options. They could go to Baghdad secure a spot aboard the aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk in the persian Gulf or speak on the Telephone with air Force pilots in saudi Arabia. A . Fighter Pilot based in Germany who has deployed to the Region several times said he has not seen any reporters on the ground in saudi Arabia since the endow the War. The saudis a have not been very free with the visas that they have been giving out much to the dismay of Many news Media a said Navy capt. Bob Prucha a Central come spokesman a but that a just the Way the saudis t #. Reporters for several news agencies in the United states have lodged a formal complaint with the state department through the . Information Agency in an Effort to gain greater Access in saudi Arabia. The Issue of american troops stationed in saudi Arabia is so sensitive to the saudis that the Pentagon would not confirm that . Air Force planes Are flying out of Dhahran and Riyadh. A amps file Ken goo go entry into saudi Arabia is considerably tougher now for the Western Media than u was for these journalists who were enduring swirling saudi Sand in january 1991 to cover the persian Gulf crisis. A we Are dealing As you can imagine with a Touchy situation a said master sgt. Michael Brown an air Force spokesman in Riyadh. And that sensitivity extends to the . Military As Well. Brown and other military spokesmen would not even acknowledge the presence of . Troops in saudi Arabia preferring instead to say they Are stationed in the a arabian Gulf Region. However an periodically addresses its radio and television listeners in saudi Arabia and has featured in its television weather forecasts a map of the country Complete with temperatures and Bright yellow suns. The conflicting signals and word games underline the Tightrope that . Military spokesmen and diplomats must walk to avoid offending the saudis. A a it a not like its a secret Quot said a . Diplomatic source in saudi Arabia. A everybody knows the american military is Here. However Arab culture in general is Low key. They arc a very currently . Military might in the persian Gulf is about what it was last Spring As far As the types and numbers of ships and planes said Marine staff sgt. Jeff Sammons a Central come spokesman. As of Friday there were 17 ships in the persian Gulf led by the Kitty Hawk and the command ship la Salle and to acc ships in the red sea. While it is against . Policy to give the number of aircraft in the Region Martens of Central come said there Are 16 different types of planes set for launch. Troop strength earlier this month was at 20,160, which included about 2,000 people in Kuwait Sammons said. The total represents a decrease of about 2,150 from last april. The drop is attributed in part to the absence of marines who arc Busy with the Relief of fort in Somalia. The majority of in the persian Gulf Are either aboard ships or assigned to saudi air Force bases. Although personnel in saudi Arabia Aie allowed to visit local areas during their free time each person is briefed about saudi customs and religious practices. A was Long As we done to upset local sensitivities we arc Fine a said Brown the air Force spokesman in Riyadh. A everybody knows that we arc still in a very difficult time a said Shihab Jamoom the saudi Deputy minister of information. The ministry handles All visa requests. A if an american is Here he is Here for a Jamoom admitted that saudi Arabia is a Tough ticket to come by for Many Western journalists. That a caused in part by his country a conservative nature and guarded attitude toward outsiders. But he also said the Western Media arc too Quick to accentuate the negatives about his country and usually too obsessed with the bad to look for the Good. Jamoom likened his country to a persons Home saying some journalists forget they Are Only guests. And he called Many Western Media reports about his people we have problems a Jamoom said a but show me just one country without any the saudi attitude toward the Western Media is question cd by some . Officials and prominent Sau is but they said the Issue is not important enough to cause a a it a a policy the . Embassy wonders about a said an american diplomatic source in the Region. A it s something that some saudi friends wonder about As Well but it is not High on the list of issues Between the two countries. 3�?Tchildren in Italy May need stronger flu vaccine Heidelberg Germany a amps -. Air Force medical officials Are trying to find children in the san Vito Sci Normanna Italy area who May have been immunized with an insufficient dosage of a flu vaccine. . Army and air Force officials in Europe issued a press release late last week in an attempt to reassure parents after a feb. 15 television report questioned the Potency of a flu vaccine routinely Given to infants. Only a few children Are believed to have received the vaccine the joint press release said. Medical minute a Short feature on an encouraged parents to re immunize their children if the doses of the vaccine a administered four times from the age of 2 months to 15 months a were made by Merck amp co. The vaccine protects children from a flu Bug while they Are building up their own immune systems. Children usually outgrow the risk by age 5. The program said the Merck vaccine produced from August 1990 to August 1991 did not provide full Protection. Officials at the 7th medical come said that the Merck product named Ped Yax hib was not stocked by army medical units and that no infants immunized at army clinics or hospitals in Europe received it. But air Force officials said the Merck product was used briefly before being replaced by an improved vaccine made by another company. A As a result Only a few children in the san Vito Italy area May have been immunized with the Ped Vahib a the army and air Force statement said. It said the Merck vaccine was 80 percent of Potency and provided some Protection against the flu. Personnel with the . Air forces in Europe Are checking patient records to determine who received the Merck doses and whether additional immunization is required the statement lebanese Start Lent As Muslim Ramadan begins Beirut Lebanon up1 lebanese muslims on monday began to observe the holy Ramadan fasting month while Christian maronite and catholics started their 41-Day easter Lent. Sunni and the majority of the shiite muslims began to refrain from eating and drinking from Dawn until dusk for one month. Some shiites mainly pro iranian followers set today As the first fasting Day in accordance with a decision by Iran a religious authority. The holy month of Ramadan was meant As a purification period and aimed at making people sympathize with the needy. France bolsters troops in Rwanda Paris up a France deployed an additional 300 soldiers to the Small mountainous East african country of Rwanda during the weekend in an apparent Effort to help the military government turn Back a rebel offensive French diplomatic sources said monday the weekend deployment brings to 600 the number of French troops in Rwanda and comes just 10 Days after Paris sent an additional 150 service members to the capital of Kigali reportedly to protect French nationals living in Rwanda. A the situation is extremely worrisome. Kigali can fall at any moment Quot a highly placed French Diplomat said. Reports reaching Paris said rebels belonging to the rwandan patriotic front were just 15 Miles from Kigali. The rebels crossed the Borders into Northwest Rwanda from their bases in neighbouring Uganda last january and Movick quickly toward the cities of a Chengeri Bumba and gis Enyi in the North. It was impossible to confirm however whether the three cities were in fact under the control of the rebels. The head of the rwandan patriotic front col. Alexis Kany Arenga was reported to have proclaimed a unilateral cease fire late last week and ordered his troops to return to their positions in the Northwest. Kany Arenga perhaps reacting to the increased French military presence also said he was ready to return to the negotiating table if a Neutral zone is established under the auspices of the organization of african Unity. The rebel troops made up of refugees from the Watusi tribal minority Are seeking to overthrow the military government of president Juvenal habyarimana.,
