A KURDISH TRAGEDY

There is not a single government involved in the Kurdish tragedy which is not playing politics with the fate of that unhappy race. Saddam Hussein is bent on asserting the government's central authority; the Turkish and Iranian governments are trying to give succour whilst avoiding even the appearance of support for the independence of their own Kurdish minorities; the United States and Britain are giving a confused and confusing response to this latest stage in the Middle East's seemingly endless story of violence and misery. The picture stamped indelibly on the mind is of vast human suffering being endured against a background of scheming and squabbling politicians.