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Holiday time
The Emerald will publish
its next issue Monday, Nov
26 Emerald business offices
will be closed Thursday and
Friday Happy Thanksgiving!
Vol 81, No 55
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Wednesday, November 21,1979
Iran forum airs crisis frustrations
By ALAN HARRIS
Of the Emerald
Iran has no basis in international law (or taking over
fie American Embassy and holding 60 American hos
tages in Tehran, said Robin White, visiting professor of
nternational law. Tuesday at a panel discussion and
open form sponsored by the Political Science Student
Union. The ASUO and the Student University Affairs
Board
White told the panel and about 700 people packed
nto the EMU Ballroom that although U S military action
would not be wise given the hostage crisis, military
action to obtain their release would be supported by a
recognized code of international law
Such action by the United States would definitely
mean a loss of American lives Pres Carter and the U S
government get high marks for adhering to interna
tional law during the crisis m Iran. White said
Besides White, panel members included represen
ta’ivesfrom Fight Iranian Student Hypocrisy, the Muslim
Student Union and the Iranian Student Union They
joined Ron Sixman. a University geology professor, in
answering questions posed by a PSSU panel and
members of the audience Paul Gaske, University
professor of speech, and Michael Lacey, director of the
PSSU. monitored the forum
Although audience response seemed to support
White's contention that Iran was violating diplomatic
'aw by the taking of American hostages, it also leaned
toward support of anti-shah sentiment
Some American students sympathized with the
attitude expressed by Iranian students that the Amer
ican government was responsible for alleged atrocities
committed by the deposed shah
Amin, president of the ISU, asked Americans to
look at both sides of the Iranian crisis
• Then you would see how much we hate the
shah,” Amm said We don't want U S support for the
shah because of what he has done "
Iranians accuse the ex-monarch of ordering the
murder of 76,000 innocent people, watching people
tortured on closed circuit T V , stealing $20 billion from
the Iranian people and ruining Iran s economy
Amin expressed his suspicion that U S acceptance
of the shah into this country was a move to try to
reinstate the ousted ruler or some other ruler sympath
etic to U S politics, back into power in Iran
The revolution in Iran is marked by a distinct
ideology, one of self-sacrifice and martyrdom," said
Alt, president of the MSU "The Iranian men are men of
war. men of combat," he said referring to the recent
revolution in Iran
If faced with economic sanctions Iran would grow
its own food and beyond that "they would save face and
let their stomachs starve.” All said
Wixman pointed out that many foreign officials are
treated for ailments in the U S and that Iran was taking
a very narrow view of the shah's presence in this
country U S support for the shah should be put in the
perspective of political preference at a time when the
Middle East was in a very unstable situation
At times of high emotion logic runs low," Sixaman
said "Saving face is also very important in the United
States "
Tom Greider, representative for FISH, defended his
group's counter-demonstrations aimed at Iranian
students as an invitation to refute their position The
demonstrations were meant to facilitate better under
standing on both sides, he said
The "go home" sign was a minority view of the crowd
that packed the Ballroom to hear a forum on the Iranian
crisis Tuesday. The anti-shah poster in the background
Photo by Jtmmi Harris
conveyed the majority opinion. Questions from the
audience tended to be anti-shah and sympethetic to
Iran 's internal turmoil
Although Greider conceded that "hypocrisy'' might
have been a stronq word to use in the name of the
student group Greider said FISH does not support
terrorist acts committed by the students in Iran nor do
fiey support the shah
Maybe BAIT would have been a more appropriate
title," Greider said Battle All Iranian Terrorism "
PSSU director Michael Lacey said the Iranian
forum was organized to offer more than one point of
view on the Iranian situation
The recent release of 13 American hostages from
the embassy in Iran, which left only white Americans
hostages, was a slap in the face, Lacey said
Women and blacks are oppressed groups in
America and Iranians identify with them, Ali said
On further points of international law, White said
there was no obligation on the part of the U S govern
ment to return the shah to Iran Since there is no joint
extradition treaty, the only way the U S government
could legally expel the shah is to find him an unde
sireable alien. White said
However, the shah has a right to due process in
this country which could result in a lengthy trial, White
added
Asked what action the U S might take if the Amer
ican hostages are harmed, White replied that he could
not predict what the Carter administration might do But
he said military intervention is "logistically" impossible
Any attempt by the U S to send troops would be futile
and only result in the loss of American lives, White said
Amin said the hostages would not be harmed
because it would consolidate adverse public opinion
toward Iran
A member of the audience complimented the panel
and the audience for their show of interest in discussing
a volatile topic in an organized and civil manner
Universities across the country should look to Oregon
as a model exampls for conduct in an open forum on the
Iranian issue, he said
today
Jonah Sari, a Zimbabwe Luth
eran bishop supports a Zirri
babwe-Rhodesia peace treaty
currently being negotiated in
Great Britain Tuesday night "We
must accept anything that gives
us peace and justice," he said
See Page 3A.
ro the rest of the country
Oregon and Oregon State s an
nual season-ending clash is just
another college rivalry But to fans
of the two schools, it's called the
Civil War and represents a chance
to win the bragging rights to the
state See Section B.
r hree Eugene officials claim a
plan by Gov Atiyeh that would
allow the state to act as an agent
for the sale of federal power from
the Bonneville Power Administra
tion to private utility customers
would serve only the stockholders
of those companies See Page 7A.
I hanksgiving is traditionally
a family meal, with lots of food and
friends to share it with But some
Eugene residents are left without
a place to celebrate the holiday
meal. For them local agencies
offer a hearty turkey dinner See
Page 8A.