Editorial
Proposal a chance
to withdraw troops
On Monday Najibullah. the* communist leader of
Afghanistan, unveiled a new constitution as an effort to in
voke; a policy of "national reconciliation," and established a
12-month timeline feir the; withdrawal of Soviet troops in the
country.
These proposals will be top priorities at the summit
meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev anei
President Ronald Reagan. Therefore. Reagan should seize
the opportunity to reach an agreement removing Soviet
troops and ending American supplies of weapons to Islamic
fundamentalist guerrillas fighting in Afghanistan. With con
tinued pressure, a reasonable compromise could bo
negotiated for both sides.
The new constitution is a step in the right direction, but
it is not foolproof. The constitution creates an all-powerful
president who also would serve as a commander-in-chief of
an army The president would have a wide-range of
emergency powers as well. After Najibullah introduced the
constitution, he unanimously was elected to this position.
Najibullah extended an invitation to guerrillas to end
their rebellion if he pulled Soviet troops out of the country.
11 is new presidential power will prevent a reconciliation
with guerrillas, diplomats say They would not bo willing to
join a coalition government.
Soviet troops have occupied Afghanistan since
December of 1979 in an attempt to control factional fighting.
Currently 115.()()() troops occupy the country and protect tin;
current leadership. Moscow diplomats say that the Na
jibullah regime would collapse without the support of the
Soviet sponsorship
However, Gorbachev recognizes the need to withdraw
troops from Afghanistan. The invasion has become an em
barrassment and an economic burden for the Soviet Union.
Najihullah also seems ready to lead the country without
Soviet assistance.
During an interview with NB(! News, Gorbachev said a
political solution to the problem "could be done very quick
ly" if the United States was willing This is an open invita
tion to Reagan to negotiate with Gorbachev at the summit
meeting. The opportunity is present and Reagan should take
advantage of it.
The Reagan administration already has expressed disap
pointment in Najibullah's proposal for removing Soviet
troops over a 12-month period. The administration contends
the proposal is inadequate because the withdrawal would
start after American and Pakistani aid to guerrillas was
cutoff and a coalition government was created.
Despite the hindrances of the withdrawal proposal,
many expect Reagan and Gorbachev to discuss the issue and
develop a formal proposal in their meeting
Najihullah has expressed his desire to lead the country
without the Soviet's support We should honor his initial
wish by stopping aid to the guerrillas. In the same tone, the
guerrillas should consider Najibullah's proposal. The situa
tion is open for reconciliation and potential peace.
Najibullah's constituion and withdrawl proposal have
come at an ideal time for Soviet and American negotiations.
It would be foolish of Reagan to waste a prime opportunity
to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan.
Oregon Daily
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Letters
Self-destructive
I have been a professor af the
University for years, and
re< entJy fan ime an emeritus fiut
still interested professor
Although I have opposed Presi
dent (Hum. and still do oppose
him on some important ques
tions (ROTC on campus, the
Riverfront Research Park, anti
method of distributing "across
the-board" faculty board
raises). I have always liked him
personally and felt that he is a
gtxjd and effective president
If the State Board's objective
in forcing his early retirement is
to "promote an orderly transi
tion" as stated several times,
they certainly muffed it in a big
way. In all the time I have been
here 1 have never seen what pro
mises to be a more disorderly
and frustrating transition.
The board has succeeded in
pitting almost the entire Univer
sity community against it. and
i aused many people all over the
state to question their good
sense and integrity. "Wise
Owls?", perhaps bird brained
The board also recently has
grabbed more power in the
presidential selection process
and reduced the role of the
University.
What really good man would
want to step into this mess, or
would operate well in it'? The
next president will almost cer
tainly be received with less en
thusiasm and more skepticism
on campus than would other
wise be the case, and will feel
very uneasy about his or her
relationship with the board.
I can't think of any way the
board could have more effec
tively inflicted wounds upon
itself and the state system than
the processes by which it reach
ed and implemented this
decision.
Havard Me Connaughey
Professor Emeritus
The irony of it
The irony of the Nov. 18 deci
sion by the State Board of
Higher Kducation regarding
University President Paul Olum
should not be overlooked by
any concerned citizen. The
decision by the board came on
the same day the Senate Select
Committee on the Iran-Contra
affair gave its final opinions
regarding the president of the
United States And the date is
not the only irony.
The final decisions, in both
cases, left much to be desired by
anyone with a sense of justice, a
concern for the future and a
clarity of perception. One presi
dent was found, through a con
sensus opinion produced by a
series of checks and balances, to
o<! out oi toucn witn tne
demands of his job, incapable of
meting out the constitutional re
quirement to "care” for the
laws of his country, and to
possess a cavalier attitude regar
ding the ultimate need to care
The other president, almost
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EMU.
universally applauded by
educators, lawmakers, faculty
colleagues, and students was
found to be — apparently
without the need for checks and
balances, total legality, or even
the clarity of decision — in
some way (though never clearly
defined) unsatisfactory. The
first president, though every
major opinion poll suggests
there are serious doubts about
his past actions and future
capabilities, remains firmly in
place. The second president,
though every major group with
an opinion that should matter
has proclaimed its total sup
port, is going to lie forced to
leave the job that clearly needs
him.
Does this state board want to
embrace, foster, and implement
qualities that help produce a
society that disregards over
whelming public opinion,
defies its own stated goal to pro
duce quality education, and
does so in ways which anger
and disillusion the very people
it claims it is trying to help?
Questions like these are dif
ficult to answer and still keep a
straight face Just ask Ronald
Reagan.
Ur. Krik Nelson
Writer/Uept. of education
Good judge
We may never know for cer
tain whether Douglas Ginsburg
was a "more qualified"
nominee for Supreme Court
justice, hut it is obvious that he
has infinitely more class than
Robert Hork.
knowing that he didn't have
a snowball's chance in hell of
being confirmed. Bork selfishly
chose to waste the taxpayers'
money, the Senate's time, and
to embarrass the president and
the administration by fighting
his lost cause to the bitter end
Ginsburg's frank admission of
having smoked marijuana
should not even have entered
into consideration of his
judicial abilities, but of course it
was a political faux pas. His
voluntary withdrawal of his
candidacy demonstrates greater
concern for this country and its
people than Bork has ever
shown.
Hiawatha
Graduate, music