From: sharon@unixland.natick.ma.us (Sharon Machlis Gartenberg)
Subject: "The Awful Choice on Bosnia"
Organization: Unixland Public Access Unix  (508) 655-3848
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:37:44 GMT

Leslie H. Gelb, columnist for the NY Times, writes the following:

"The Bosnian `peace' conference ... has the earmarks of deadly farce.
Western leaders make tough noises about standing up for principle --
the principle of not legitimizing Serb conquests in Bosnia -- and prepare
to set up a long-term negotiating process. Meanwhile, they know that their
efforts will not work, or work in time, to stop Bosnian Muslims from
being slaughtered or driven into refugee camps.

"Their game at the conference is to evade the real and alarming choce:
Either do what they can militarily and economically to back up their
principles and save lives that way; or accept Serbian demands for
partitioning Bosnia along ethnic lines, strike the best bargain they
can, and save lives that way.

"Bush officials duplicitously pretend otherwise ... [insisting] they 
will not reward Serbian aggression and will settle for nothing less than
restoration of the rights and territory of Bosnian Muslims. Yet they know
that nothing they are doing, or plan to do, will bring this about. ...

"Western Europe's policy is no less cynical than Washington's. European
leaders say they are beginning a new chapter in the Yugoslav peace
process, one that will take several months to show results. Yet
they understand full well that there will be little left of the Muslims
in Bosnia several months hence.

"Winter arrives early in the Balkans, as Europeans are well aware. Soon
it will entomb the hundreds of thousands of ill-clad and unhoused Muslims.

"This real policy choice of which I speak is deeply troubling to me. It is
doubly disturbing because I and others have argued for months for Western
leaders to take steps that had a decent chance of avoiding the present
trap. All in vain.

"Western leaders answered with the worst sort of cynicism and duplicity.
As public disgust over Serbian horrors mounted, they tried to quiet
the uproad by flying in food for the Sarajevan victims (though doing
nothing for the countless others in remote parts of Bosnia). Even as
they fed the dying, they secretly seemed to hope that the Muslims
would give up quickly so the whole mess would go away.

"Then the Western leaders tried to sell the phoniest of arguments.
They maintained there were only two choices: massive ground
force deployments and thus a Vietnam-like quagmire, or what they were
already doing, i.e. feeding victims.

"In fact, there were and are lots of options short of dispatching
ground troops. ...

"They can threaten air attacks against military targets in
Serbia, like airfields and bridges to Bosnia. The can threaten
to arm the virtually defenseless Muslims -- and Albanians in
Kosovo, if necessary -- to discourage Serbia from spreading its
policy of `ethnic cleansing.'

"Western leaders have not been without means to influence events
in the Balkans. They have chosen to ignore and deny those means,
for reasons (fear of runaway separatism in Europe, impending
elections?) we are all free to speculate about. Nor will they
explain why they will use air power in Iraq and not in Bosnia.

"Now, in conscience, they must decide on a clear course. If they
have no intention of taking tough action immediately, they should
stop posturing about principle and strike the best deal possible
with Serbs to save Muslim lives. Or, far preferably, they should
do all they reasonably can to honor principle and save lives."

My comments: These are Leslie Gelb's words, not mine. I post them because
I think they are interesting, and I agree with the premise that
Western response to the horror in BiH has been inept, hypocritical,
and unconscienable. 

For those with the urge to send me private hate mail, I don't
agree with everything written here, and repeat that these are
NOT my words. Thank you.
.
Sharon  

-- 
Sharon Machlis Gartenberg
Framingham, MA  USA
email: sharon@unixland.natick.ma.us   or   uunet!think.com!unixland!sharon