War would be 'disastrous' for both U.S. and Iraq, says Ephrata doctor

War in the Persian Gulf would be disastrous for the United States as well as Iraq because if war does come, the United States will do the fighting for the multi-national force aligned against Saddam Hussein, Ephrata family physician Dr. Mohammad Said warns on his return from a mission to the Middle East where he spent time in both Baghdad and Kuwait.

Dr. Said, an American citizen, is a Palestinian who was raised on the West Bank of the Jordan.  He received his medical t raining in Spain and Canada before coming to the United States and has operated a family practice in Ephrata for the past eight years.

However, in addition to his practice, Dr. Said has been active in the Democratic party and with Arab-American groups addressing various Middle East issues including Palestinian-Israeli relations.

Through these activities he has made a number of trips back to the Middle East and two years ago was actively involved, including participation in talks in Geneva, in efforts to win U.S. recognition of the PLO.

It was through his affiliation with the Committee of Arab-Americans Against US Intervention in the Gulf, serving as chairman, that he traveled to Jordan early in September.  From there he was able to fly into the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, where he met with high level leaders and gained permission to fly into Kuwait for several days where he filmed materials shown on television's CNN news.

Returning home, he brought a view of both Iraq and Kuwait at odds with the picture painted by the American news media and called for both sides to pursue a rational approach to peace based on a plan put forth bgy his Arab-American group in August.

Beyond his concern as an American citizen, Dr. Said noted he has a personal stake in the Gulf Crisis since he has family living in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

It was partially because of concern for his family that he made the trip, Dr. Said explained, noting he has two brothers and many other relatives living in Saudi Arabia.

THe Saudi family members are as concerned about the prospect of war as his Kuwaiti relatives because they live right in the heart of the area covered by the military build up, he added.

"They are caught right in the middle of it, so I went over there to try to see my brothers and sisters and to try to prevent a war.  That's my job," Dr. Said said, stressing his belief that military action is not a solution.

"Military action would further complicate things rather than solve anything," he said.

Dr. Said stated that he initially flew to Baghdad from Jordan where he got to know a number of high ranking Iraqis, including the Iraqi minister of information.

It was through him that he obtained permission to visit Kuwait with the understanding he would paint a fair, not a sensational picture of what the situation was," he said.

He was given a camera by CNN newsmen but said he was unhappy with the editing done on the 35 minutes worth of film he brought back.

Dr. Said charged that the five to six minutes of film used was edited to give a negative slant.

While in Kuwait he stayed with his brothers, one of whom is employed by the Kuwait government to work on construction projects, the other a businessman who owns a pharmacy.

Following the visit, Dr. Said places much of the blame on the Kuwaitis themselves and the British for artificially creating the country in the first place.

"Kuwait was a part of Iraq for 1,400 years before Great Britain split it out in 1932 for its oil and the Iraqis have never accepted the independence of Kuwait.  They hafve the same culture, the same language, the same religion and the same history.  Everything is the same," he said.

As a result he views it as an internal situation that should be handled through the Arab League, a position that the United States had at one time held prior to the invasion.

"As a result, we actually encouraged Hussein to go into Kuwait when we said it was an inter-Arab matter," Dr. Said maintained.

"There is brutality in the occupation," he said.

"There are check points everywhere you go and they will shoot if you don't stop.  While I was there I saw a group of soldiers firing machine guns at a car that went past a check point.  The people in the car would have been killed if they hadn't stopped."

There has also been looting, but it has not necessarily been the Iraqis who were responsible in all cases, even though some of the troops were not well trained and not under very good control, he said.

"Much of the looting has been done by the non-Kuwaitis who have been badly mistreated by the ethnic Kuwaitis who make up only a small portion of the population," Dr. Said claimed.

"There were less than 300,000 Kuwaitis in the country," he said, noting that because of the great wealth they enjoy from the country's oil income, many Kuwaitis spend the hot summer months in Europe.

"However, there were one-and-a-half million foreign workers there and a great deal of resentment has built up among them because of the discrimination they have suffered from the Kuwaitis."

As examples, Dr. Said noted non-Kuwaitis are not allowed to own property, are not allowed to have a driver's license unless they hold certain government positions, must have sponsorship of a Kuwaiti citizen -- A situation that sometimes amounts to slavery where a worker's service is bought and sold -- and live in constant fear of deportation.

"In Kuwait they have no fines and jails, the penalty for an offense by a non-Kuwaiti is deportation for running a red light.

"It is from this resentment that a lot of the looting and destruction has come."

Commenting on the mood in Kuwait, Dr. Said described it as one to fear.

"After talking with my brothers and other relatives, they are scared to death of military action, they feel it will completely destroy Kuwait, there is lots of anxiety," he said, estimating that since the invasion only about 50,000 ethnic Kuwaitis still remain in the country.

Dr. Said noted that while he flew into Kuwait from Baghdad, he returned by land to get a look at the country and reports that shortages do exist.

"There are shortages of food, particularly sugar, bread and milk and infant formulas," he said, noting he found the same in Kuwait which also suffered from a shortage of fruit and vegetables.

Still, he said he never felt any resentment from the Iraqis even though he is an American.  He noted the western newsmen in Baghdad also were treated well.

"They would be sitting along the main thoroughfare in Baghdad taking their beer or wine and were not bothered at all," he said, explaining he also had no problem getting in or out of the country.

Dr. Said described the Iraqi people as hospitable, but warned they would support Hussein and fight if war comes.

"They are very nice, very friendly, although the fact I speak Arabic and presented myself as an American of Palestinian background was an advantage," he said.

"They people of Iraq do not want war, period.  And that is from the man on the street on up, but if there is a war they will fight to the maximum.  They will raly to their president and fight to the end."

It is for that reason Dr. Said is pushing for a negotiated settlement based on a series of proposals developed by his Arab-American group, and is also hoping to return to Iraq in the near future for a personal meeting with Hussein to push for a negotiated peace.

"I don't believe Hussein is getting all the information, I think I can help," he said.

He noted he has already attempted to meet with President Bush while in Washington on his trip but was offered only a briefing with the State Department.

He faired better with the Iraqis, however, explaining that he was promised a meeting with Hussein by the information minister after returning to Baghdad from Kuwait.

That meeting failed to take place when Dr. Said was unwilling to spend several more days in the Iraqi capital waiting.

He stressed there must be movement on both sides to avoid war and cautioned that there can be no negotiated peace unless Iraq is given access to the Persian GUlf.

Other points include a link between Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait and Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights, a referendum among Kuwaitis which would include anyone over 18 who has been legally admitted to the country for at least five years and a commitment on the part of Iraq to keep oil prices in the area of $27 to $30 a barrel for the next five years.

Dr. Said also said he sees no problem with U.S. involvement but calls for a much lower profile as part of a multi-national effort rather than as the dominate member.

Mostly, though, he questioned the wisdom of America's going to war in the defense of the Kuwaitis.

"The Emir of Kuwaitis and his government is receiving $15 billion a year in interest on his oil wealth and has had more than 70 wives, is that something young Americans should be fighting for?" he asked.

"I'm not against the United States, I'm a citizen and my family lives here.  I'm just trying to prevent a war which would be destructive for everyone, including the United States.  What I'm saying is that it would be a mistake to engage in a war."