European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 02, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is pm George. O/7 Fields set ablaze by retreating iraqis Are again producing but the psychological Impact of the War lingers on. Kuwait still shaken by iraqi invasion by Diana eras the associated press t s been three years since Iraq invaded Kuwait but the kuwaitis still have not shed the trauma of the invasion that stripped them of their pampered lifestyle and their old certainties. Now they struggle to find a new identity. The physical scars have been removed but Kuwait is still without a soul said Mohammed Al Jassem a lawyer and writer. Al Jassem was among the one third of kuwaitis who remained in the country during the seven month occupation that began with the iraqi invasion of aug. 2, 1990. Although he believes the Chance of another invasion is Remote Al Wassern said if we feel that the iraqis Are coming again this time we d seriously. Consider fleeing the country.". Another lawyer Ibrahim Al Kandaris described the events As a tragedy that exposed our weaknesses to us. We found we had no Security after All no army to depend  Kuwait s 20,000-Man army had not even been put on Alert and collapsed within a few hours. Many kuwaitis discovered the emirate was being invaded Only when they went to work on the morning of aug. 2. Now it is on everyone s mind. Everybody talks about it even now said Sulaiman Al Shakti a lecturer in arabic literature at Kuwait University. Take two people discussing the Price of potatoes and it in t Long before they re talking about the invasion and their memories.". Except for a few a repaired buildings and the lakes of Oil created by Wells the fleeing iraqis sabotaged physical reminders of the occupation Are gone. Oil production is up and outwardly life is returning to Normal. But psychiatrists say Many kuwaitis still suffer from aftershock and Are grappling with harsh new realities after decades of Cradle to grave welfare provided by Oil riches. Ninety percent of kuwaitis suffer from nightmares Lack of concentration and headaches said psychotherapist Marwan Al Mutawa. His caseload had doubled since liberation in february 1991, despite the social stigma kuwaitis attach to seeking such help. Also there has been an alarming increase in armed robberies and rapes crimes that were rare before. For Many kuwaitis the bitterness has been deepened by disappointment dreams of a new More democratic nation that sustained Many during the ordeal have not been realized. While the Royal family was exiled in saudi Arabia the Emir Sheik Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah promised parliamentary democracy after liberation. His family still holds the reins of Power however even though the opposition won 35 of the 50 legislative seats elections last october. Many kuwaitis jolted from their prewar slumber now demand More say in a country where Only about 80,000 men who can Trace their ancestry in the emirate to 1920 Are allowed to vote or sit in parliament. All others Are second class kuwaitis stateless arabs called Jidoun or foreign labourers. During the occupation second class kuwaitis and Jidoun fought in the resistance. Many were arrested and tortured by the iraqis. They expected recognition after liberation but have been ignored. If there is another War i Don t think second class kuwaitis would fight for Kuwait again Al Kandaris said. Readers action line no new information on conversion of hires More than a year ago there was an item in readers action line concerning the possible conversion of overseas limited hires to career status employees. It was stated that Usa eur had initiated an action that was at the time in Tho office of personnel management for review. I would like to know the current status of this action. Any assistance you can provide wih be appreciated. Mike Causey Worms Germany Patricia s. Bradshaw director staffing and career development off ice of the assistant Secretary off defense Washington d.c., replies regarding an initiative to allow the conversion of overseas limited hires to career status we Are currently awaiting additional information from the army before forwarding a final proposal to the office of personnel management for consideration. Should we obtain such a change we will be pleased to advise you so that you May advise your readers. Correction in a readers action line about pretrial agreements july 14one line was inadvertently omitted from the answer provided by the military and civil Law division office of the judge advocate he Usa eur and 7th army. The answer should have read the manual for courts martial precludes disclosure of the terms conditions or existence of a pretrial agreement to the members o f a court  readers action line which appears mondays and wednesdays strives to answer questions about life in a military environment. If you Don t know where to turn for help write. Readers action Len co the stars and stripes. Unit 29480, Apoate 09211. All letters must be signed. Please include a phone number and address to accelerate tha response process. Iraq reeling under 3-year-old embargo by Dilip Ganguly the associated press every thursday dozens of upper class couples gather at the Hunting club one of the swankier establishments in Baghdad Iraq for a mass civil wedding. The idea came to Saddam Hussein s eldest son Odai because the 3-year-old . Economic embargo has caused severe shortages of sugar and other foodstuffs. Like most arabs iraqis usually spend lavishly on weddings and the feasting that accompanies them. So the mass nuptials in Baghdad and other Iraq cities Are eloquent testimony to How sanctions affect even the elite. Ordinary iraqis struggle to survive from Day to Day As the sanctions bite Ever deeper Law and order inexorably Breaks Down and a once rigidly structured society collapses. Beggars virtually unknown in Baghdad before the War now crowd Flie streets. They ask for food not Money. Crime is endemic despite severe penalties that make even car theft punishable by death vegetables and other farm produce Are transported in carts pulled by donkeys or camels because there Are no spare parts for trucks. Food prices have soared at least 6,000 percent since the invasion of Kuwait three years ago. The salary of an average civil servant has doubled to about 450 dinars a month but that is less than $16 at the official Exchange rate. By conservative estimate the vast majority of Urban iraqis Are unemployed. Most families sold their valuables Long ago to buy food. Among the unemployed Are 600,000 former soldiers discharged since the War who have few civilian skills. Many have taken to the land but with the irrigation system breaking Down and fertilizer and seeds in Short Supply even farming is Only a Short term Prospect. Despite illegal Trade through Iran and Turkey the Specter of famine haunts the land that once was Mesopotamia the Fertile breadbasket of ancient empires. Saddam himself is fighting a different kind of Battle for survival and doing better than his dispirited people. He has Clung to Power against All the Odds since his defeat in the Gulf War and in the kurdish and shiite muslem rebellions that followed. Officials hand foreign visitors badges with the smiling likeness of Saddam and the caption he still has his Job a reference to the fact that former president Bush his american Nemesis does not. There is no sign that Saddam s political demise is imminent after 14 years As president and a decade before that As the real Power in Iraq. His army May be Down to about 400,000 men from 1 million when it invaded Kuwait and morale in Many units May be Tow but the Security apparatus remains intact. Saddam persistently challenges . Efforts to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction and Iraq has suffered punitive Allied air and missile attacks. However his government also is discussing a limited Sale of Oil to buy food and medicines despite stringent . Conditions. The United nations is aware of the situation and issued a report in july that Iraq faces a grave humanitarian tragedy unless Steps Are taken swiftly to alleviate its increasingly desperate plight. It has refused however to lift its sanctions. 20 Iii a Mem monday August 2,1993 the stars and stripes