Editorials
Tuesday, September 3, 1996

Iraq missile strike
may not be enough

IN ordering a missile attack on Iraq, President Clinton responded promptly and appropriately to Saddam Hussein's armed incursion into the U.S.-protected Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq. The question remains whether the response was sufficient to force the Iraqi dictator to withdraw his forces.

Since his 1991 defeat in the Gulf War, Saddam has repeatedly tested the will of the Western allies to keep him in check. And the United States has responded. In 1993 Clinton launched a cruise missile attack on Iraq in response to a plot to assassinate former President George Bush while Bush was visiting Kuwait that year.

This time Saddam has initiated a military operation into forbidden territory in open defiance of United Nations restrictions, capturing the Kurdish city of Irbil. The White House rejected reports that the Iraqis were withdrawing, but the situation was not clear.

In response, the Pentagon launched one of the biggest military strikes against Iraq since the Gulf War, firing 27 cruise missiles at targets in southern Iraq. Iraq said five people were killed and 19 wounded. But Saddam remained defiant, calling on his air force and anti-aircraft units to attack allied planes policing the Western-imposed air-exclusion zones.

The experience since the Gulf War indicates that as long as Saddam remains in power he will continue probing when he thinks the West has lost interest in maintaining restraints on his operations. Evidently he thought the U.S. presidential election campaign had distracted Clinton and made him reluctant to respond.

The U.S. missile strike was essential to demonstrate determination to resist Saddam's aggression even though it may not be sufficient to force a withdrawal. As the president said, "We must make it clear that reckless acts have consequences or those acts will increase." Clinton's announcement that the U.N. plan to allow Iraq to sell oil in order to buy food and medicines would not proceed backs up the military strike, but Saddam must have known that would have been a consequence of his action, and it is unlikely to deter him.

The situation in northern Iraq is complicated by the fact that the Kurds are fighting among themselves, with one faction allied with Iraq and one with Iran. But the U.N. cannot let this serve as an excuse to let Saddam have his way.

Coming out of his triumph at the Democratic convention, Clinton has been rudely brought down to earth by an old adversary. He must continue to demonstrate that he takes his responsibilities as the leader of the Free World more seriously than his re-election.


Hazards of hiking

HIKING is a rewarding activity that brings one into contact with nature while getting the benefits of exercise. However, it is not without its dangers, even on seemingly safe Hawaii trails. Getting lost is often a possibility, even for experienced hikers. Rescue teams are routinely called out to search for lost and stranded hikers from the hills behind Honolulu and elsewhere in the islands.


Making a difference

THREE Hawaii residents who died recently had very different careers but all had an impact on our lives. They are:

Spencer Weaver, founder of Spencecliff restaurants, at age 85. Spencecliff was for many years Hawaii's leading restaurant chain.

Lucille Abreu, a retired policewomen, at 78. Abreu retired from the Honolulu Police Department in 1978 after 25 years' service.

Michael Chambrella, president of the Hawaii Teamsters union. Chambrella was a city bus driver for 35 years.



Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership

Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor



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