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Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1977 France, West Germany strain nuclear ties By ALAIN RAYMOND PARIS — During the months ahead, France and West Germany will be locked in close and perhaps tense negotiations with the United States over the issue of nuclear pro liferation. The view here is that Europe comprehends the U .S. posi tion better than Americans ap preciate European concerns on this issue. Therefore, unless misunderstand ings on the matter are cleared up, relations between the United States and its European allies could be come sorely strained — to the de triment of the Atlantic community. The problem has surfaced as the result of a French deal to sell nuclear installations to Pakistan and a West German agreement to provide Brazil with similar but larger-scale facilities. These arrangements have been made at a time when the developing nations, confronted by the prospect of oil shortages, are reaching out to ward nuclear power as an alternative source of the energy they desper ately need for economic growth. But the United States, as well as the Soviet Union, sees risks in sup plying these nations with nuclear know-how. For a plant capable of reprocessing uranium leftovers can produce plutonium, which can be used to manufacture atomic bombs. Thus, in theory at least, to sell such plants abroad is to give to all kinds of countries the ability to build up nuclear arsenals. French Presi dent Valery Giscard d’Estaing and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt are as sensitive to this danger as are President Carter and Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader. In commercial terms, the problem is more serious for West Germany, since its $5 billion contract with Brazil is bigger than any deals con cluded by France. Yet the problem is in its political and longer-range economic dimensions equally im portant for France and West Ger many, which are Europe’s principal exporters of nuclear technology. The key question, then, is whether France and West Germany should submit to American and Soviet pressures and give up present and future nuclear markets — or whether they should stand their ground and face difficulties in their vital ties with the United States. Although the United States is ap parently still unconvinced, France has made it amply clear that it has not and will not sign any nuclear con tracts without taking international atomic regulations into account. In March 1976, after the deal with Pakistan was signed, the French government publicly announced that it contained five major provisions designed to safeguard against the use of nuclear facilities for military purposes. Among other things, Pakistan agreed to place the French equip ment under the aegis of the Interna tional Atomic Energy Agency, a <Gdl> 4103 S. TEXAS AVE. Bryan Place Bldg. Suite 208 846.5018 Saturdays by Appointment 10% DISCOUNT ON STYLES OR MERCHANDISE WITH THIS AD Texas A&M University DIRECTORY $2.50 Available at — Student Publications Office 216 Reed McDonald Bldg. Texas A&M Bookstore University Bookstore United Nations body empowered to inspect nuclear installations. It also pledged to protect the plants against terrorists, and it gave France the right to exercise control over the production of irradiated fuels. The provisions conformed to the guidelines set down by the Nuclear Suppliers Conference, which was organized by the United States in order to put restraints on nuclear ex porters. But despite these efforts, France was criticized by both U.S. officials and the American press for the Pakistan deal. By way of dealing with the criticism, the French govern ment indicated that it would not drop the deal itself, but would be willing to cancel the contract at Pakistan’s request. The aim of this move was to give the United States the responsibility for persuading Pakistan to break the accord, so that France could not be accused of having reneged on the contract. With all this, the U.S. pressure has rankled the French, and they are wondering whether they are going to face further American pressure in the nuclear field. France, for example, now pos sesses a major reprocessing plant with sufficient capacity to handle a large portion of European and Japanese radioactive waste. The Japanese, in fact, are currently negotiating an agreement with France to treat their spent nuclear fuel. . This capacity means that France, along with West Germany and Canada, have managed to overcome the monopoly in nuclear engineer ing that was once held by the United States. And it means more and more competition for the United States in commercial terms. The French are bracing them selves, therefore, for the possibility that President Carter’s campaign against nuclear proliferation may also be directed against France’s own facilities. If so, it would weaken ties with the United States that are already frayed. International Writers Service The Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not neces sarily those of the University administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self- supporting enterjmse operated by students as a uni versity and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per lull year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax, Advertising rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalipn, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches cred ited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Jerry Needham Managing Editor James Aitken Associate Managing Editor Rusty Cawley Assistant Managing Editor Mary Hesalroad Features Editor John W. Tynes News Editor Debby Krenek News Assistant Carol Meyer Photography Director Kevin Venner Sports Editor Paul Arnett Copy Editor Steve Reis Reporters Paul McGrath, Lynn Rossi, Lee Roy Leschper Jr., Jan Bailey, Darrell Lan- ford Asst. Photo Editors Tracie Nordheim, Mike Willy Student Publications Board: Bob G. Rogers, Chair man, Joe Arredondo, Tom Dawsey, Dr. Gary Halter, Dr. John W. Hanna, Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Jerri Ward. Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper. Readers’ Forum Guest viewpoints, in addi tion to Letters to the Editor, • Limited to 100 lines are welcome. All pieces sub- Submit articles to Reed mitted to Readers’ forum McDonald 217, College Sta- should be: tion, Texas, 77843. Author’s • Typed triple space name and phone number must • Limited to 60 characters per line accompany all submissions. Mansel’smnLm 300 W. 25th St. BRYAN • Strobe Light Wheel Alignment • Front End Wheel Alignment • Wheel Alignment For Foreign & American-Made Cars • Brake Service 822-2089 779-4862 Custom Portraits AT NEW LOW PRICES SHOP AND COMPARE OUR: ^ Quality ^ Delivery Time SI] Prices barker — photography 405 UNIVERSITY 846-5766 Slouch A***- "- 77 “I THINK WE’VE GOT SOMETHING HERE! CHILI JUST UNSTOPPED TH’ SINK!’’ Carter s many faces shape foreign policy WASHINGTON — The puzzle ment about the Carter adminis tration’s foreign policy is pervasive, dominating conversations from Capitol Hill to Embassy Row. The frequent “clarifications” of com ments from assorted foreign policy spokesmen in Geneva, New York and Washington, and the President’s own eagerness to rush in verbally where others fear to tread — as witb this week’s discussion of “defensible borders” for Israel — have caused a degree of consternation among those who look to the American govern ment as a source of stability in the world. Making sense of what is going on may or may not be possible for those on the inside; it is certainly a chal lenge that intimidates any outsider. But it may be useful to go back to basics, and remind ourselves where Carter himself draws his fundamen tal notions about the way we relate to the world beyond our borders. There are three different impulses at work on him, and, through him, on American policy. First, there is Carter the moralist. Anyone who thinks that the heavy emphasis on human rights in the first weeks of this administration is either acciden tal or a passing phase does not understand the depth of the moral passion in this President. What is coming through now, in world diplomacy, is the same force that made Carter so powerful and effective in his campaign meetings in black churches: a strong empathy for the oppressed victims of a society. This belief in social justice and per sonal freedom, like alj of Carter’s root ideas, is universal in its applica tion and intrinsic to his character. The moral fervor finds expression in another way, too: the abhorrence of nuclear weapons. This goes be yond any calculated appraisal of the dangers of nuclear war or the costs of the nuclear arms race. It is more fundamentally a passionate rejection of the essential inhumanity of visit ing technological terror on human beings. It is, if you will, another pro test against torture. The second strain in Carter’s foreign policy is that of the “Trilateralist. His introduction to the international world came under the auspices of banker David Rock efeller and the Trilateral Commis sion — an assemblage of big shots from the United States, Europe and Japan. As has been well-documented, Carter staffed his national security apparatus with colleagues from the commission, and its precepts color his approach to the world. Davii: Brotkl 11 is an approach that emphi above all else, the economick| dependence of the advanced ii trialized countries, their poteid profitable trade with Communist-bloc nations, andli obligations to the developingc< tries of the southern hemisphm| is a world of multinational ( panics, where ideological i need to be submerged becaij frankly, they are not goodbnsisj or good economics. Responding to this impulse,! ter has put heavier emphasisoaij international economic order- particularly on the multilateral!) ganizations seeking to manageit| than ainy previous President. The third impulse is that' Carter carried away from Anna and his years as a career Navyo It is a much more traditionalist^ of the world, embodying concept^ national interest, definedbya to and control over vital ] the surface of the globe, guarantel ultimately, by the availabilitydij pressive American military po* This was the view that shaped!! ter’s attitude toward Vietnam,! 1 fore he became an avowedpresiil tial candidate. During his year| governor, when the war had bee highly unpopular in thiscountiyi did not indulge in the rhetorictf described Vietnam as a morablj on American honor. Itwas,inj eyes, at worst a tactical or strati mistake, made in an honestefe| preserve an important Amert sphere of interest. That same “Annapolist”in shown in his quick defense of| covert activities of the CIA, a dispatch of Navy units and Mar to counter the threat to Amer lives from Uganda’s Idi Amin S hind the smile, there are eyes of the man who wanted tob prey in a nuclear submarine. That is the paradox of JimmyO ter — moralist, Trilateralist, napol is t. Wheth er and how thes( i | fering impulses can be worked® coherent framework offoreignp I would not guess. But aj rides on that question. (c) 1977, The Washington Poil I F go r 2f>i 1TIAK MOUH SPECIALS 7-DAYS A WEEK SPECIALS ■ * ALL-DAY 11 A.M.-ll PJ The Sizzlin Round Up Broiled Sirloin steak, baked potato, french fries or hash browns and buttered toast. Steak on a stick, wit mushroom gravy, b( french fries or hash tered toast. >39 $1 59 No Alcoholic Beverages Seating Capacity 220 — Private Dining Room For 801 Only Choice Beef Served 1701 Texas Ave. (Next to Rodeway Inn) ORDERS TO GO 779-2822