
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 7, 1991                   TAG: 9102070433
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WILL U.S. BE ENEMY THAT UNITES ARABS?

FORTY YEARS after he was a U.S. representative in the Middle East, Raymond Barnes returned for several educational and nostalgic trips. His postcard sent to my father from Lebanon in the 1960s tells about the improvements there.

In a few short years, all of these advancements have been destroyed, and that liberating invasion has still not brought order to this poor country. I wonder what his reactions would be if he saw it today. After returning from one of these trips, he said that the newly formed state of Israel was interesting to him, but his great love was the Arabian culture. His opinion was if they ever united, there would be no force on Earth that could defeat them; but because of ancient feuds, that probably would never happen.

Twenty-five years later, I remember his words and wonder if a common enemy in the form of the United States could be the cause of Arabian unity. Even if we win this war, we will find we are continuing to live in the middle of mine fields. We must be very careful how we step, as diplomats as well as in military actions.

Tragically, it is too late to think of withdrawing. But by some miracle, we can only hope that our leaders will listen to those who live in and know this region. We must stop thinking of the people of this land as backward, for they were great nations long before we were a twinkle in God's eye. SUE COLLINS ROANOKE

by CNB