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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 26, 1991                   TAG: 9103260462
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG HIGHER EDUCATION WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

U.S. GULF ROLE NOT OVER, EXPERT ON KUWAIT SAYS

The war in the Middle East cannot be reduced to the "blood for oil" equation put forth by many Americans, the president of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations said Monday night.

"This conflict doesn't boil down to any one thing," John Duke Anthony told an audience of mostly Virginia Tech students and faculty. "There are many issues here . . . There are sets of principles. The economic situation is just a part of that."

Anthony, also president of the Society for Gulf Arab Studies, was to talk about "The Gulf after the War" at Tech's Donaldson Brown Center.

But much of his hourlong speech was devoted to the history of relations between America and the Arab nations and America's role in the conflict.

In the first weeks of the crisis, he said, most Americans read that Kuwait rightfully belonged to Iraq. "And many said, `It looks like Kuwait got what it deserved.' "

But Americans did not read that Kuwait had helped earthquake victims or given financial contributions to 80 countries around the world - many of them America's friends, said Anthony, who returned from Kuwait 10 days ago.

"All those years we told those [gulf] countries they were significantly important," he said. "In essence, we said, `If you're ever in trouble, dial 911.' "

The United States has had a presence in the gulf region since 1949, Anthony said.

"The media blows it up as being more than what it is, but we've been there, and we'll continue to be there. Our presence there will be bigger in the short run. We can't just cut and run. What kind of message would that send if we left with so much uncertainty?"

Now that the conflict appears to be over, people from many nations see chances for a major breakthrough in the Middle East. "The atmosphere is more receptive than it has ever been before," Anthony said.

And now, there are several questions waiting to be answered.

Questions about the role of United Nations, for instance. "What if the organization's resolutions are not met?" Anthony asked. "What does that say for its role, its ability to bring about international law in the future?"

There also is the question of whether Saddam Hussein will be brought to justice.

"I grew up reading Dick Tracy comics, and in the end, he would always say, `Crime does not pay.' We were all raised on that. . . . We can't have a cease-fire and then go back to business as usual after a land has been pillaged. A price must be paid; otherwise, there's no deterrent. In the best of all worlds . . . we'd like to see Saddam Hussein held accountable."

But how to do it, he said, is another question.

by CNB