ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 19, 1996 TAG: 9603190048
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
TAIWAN ... Bosnia ... the West Bank. Such troubled places, much in the news these days, are continuing reminders that the post-Cold War world remains a dangerous place.
But chances are you haven't heard of Tokto, Imia, Greater Hanish, Ligitan and Sipidan, The Spratlys, Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa.
They, too, are arenas of actual or potential conflict, identified recently in The Christian Science Monitor by veteran foreign correspondent Richard C. Hottelet. Mostly just specks of land on Earth's various seas, they are nevertheless coveted by conflicting claimants.
Tokto? A pair of rocks in the Sea of Japan, long claimed by both Japan and South Korea. To the winner goes as much as 462 square miles of oceanic fishing, mining and drilling rights. In Seoul, huge throngs have demonstrated against Japanese plans to declare Tokto the center of an exclusive economic zone.
Imia? Uninhabited islands in the Aegean Sea, claimed by both Greece and Turkey. To the winner could go a domino effect of territorial claims that in theory could affect the entire Aegean. The United States recently brokered an uneasy truce between the two NATO allies.
Ligitan and Sipidan? Islands east of Borneo, claimed by both Indonesia and Malaysia. To the winner go great diving spots, and thus tourist-trade potential.
The Spratlys? Hundreds of tiny islands, reefs and sandbanks over nearly 40,000 square miles in the South China Sea, claimed in whole or part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia. To the winner goes oil, the discovery of which has led to naval skirmishes among the claimants.
The Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa? Three islands in the Persian Gulf, claimed by the United Arab Emirates but occupied by Iran, which has installed anti-aircraft missiles and heavy artillery. To the winner (Iran, apparently) goes potential control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil production is shipped.
Occasionally, such disputed claims are peaceably resolved: In exchange for fishing rights, Hottelot reports, the United States has ceded to Colombia three Carribean islands formed by bird guano, commercially valuable as fertilizer. But more linger like boils, always ready to erupt into armed conflict, both cause and consequence not just of economic competition but of misplaced national pride and resentments.
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