No skirting the issue

The picture in the March 30 The Jakarta Post of the failed Israeli-Syrian peace talks in Geneva somehow conveys the impression that the ungainly and unesthetic sight of Madeline Albright's overexposed and overripe thighs may have contributed to Havez al-Assad's decision to call it a day and head straight for home.

As America's chief diplomat, Ms. Albright could not have been unaware that her preference for miniskirts, compounded by her irritating and undignified habit of crossing her matronly legs in front of other people, would be offensive to both Arab and Islamic sensitivities.

Her penchant for flamboyant dressing has raised more than one eyebrow, mostly for the wrong reasons, and does little to enhance the image and dignity of the United States abroad.

Although Ms. Albright is well-known for her fiery and abrasive temper, isn't there a hardy soul in the entire State Department brave enough to stand up and tell her to dress in a manner more befitting her position, age and shape?

JOE L. SPARTZ

Jakarta