European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 14, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes monday october 14, 1985  the italian cruise ship Achille Tajiuro Heads out of port said by it for the Mediterranean Afu a the hijacking ordeal and its Inu spiral Ion. On 24 passengers remained on Board. Hijackers numbered . Passengers for death Cairo  not the United slates ambassador to Egypt said on sat urday that when he boarded the liner Achil la Lauro on wednesday the passengers were still terrified and some refused to come out of their Cabins. Ambassador Nicholas a. Veliotes said that when he visited the ship after the hijacking ended he still did not know one of the american passengers had been killed. He said he had expected to find an exhausted but relieved group of 362 Crew members and 86 passengers including in americans. Instead he was greeted by a badly shaken grief stricken and deeply apologetic Captain. I m sorry. I m so very sorry Veliotes quoted Gerardo de Rosa the italian Cap Tain of the Achille Lauro As saying As he gave the ambassador with a trembling hand the . Passport that had belonged to Leon Klinghoffer the wheelchair bound american tourist who was killed and thrown overboard by the hijackers. In an interview on saturday Veliotes said he was told How the hijackers handed out numbers to the americans and that the 69-year-old Klinghoffer was killed first be cause he was no. 1." they numbered them like cattle Veliotis said referring to the americans aboard the Archille Lauro. They said to them you re no. 1, you re no. 2, no. 3 .4 .5up through 18." Veliotes said the Captain told him that Klinghoffer was slain and his body thrown overboard on tuesday night off the syrian port of Tartus. They told me they had killed a Passen Ger and that they were going to kill a Sec  the Captain told Veliotes. But we pleaded for tic lives of the other Passen  do Rosa confirmed that when he had radioed the egyptians that All was Well aboard the ship he knew that Klinghoffer had been killed. I did t want to lie and say we were All All right the Captain explained tears Well ing in his eyes the ambassador recounted. But they held a gun to my head and said they would kill me and then each of my arc members if 1 did t  one of the first americans the ambassador saw aboard the ship was Mildred modes. She was no. 2," Veliotes said. Here was the second american to have been killed. But All she wanted to know was whether her husband who had left the ship at Alexandria to sight see in Cairo was All  Veliotes said that one of the most striking characteristics of the americans on Board the ship was their selfless concern for the families and friends who had gotten off the ship. After All they had been through he said for almost every one of them their first concern was others. Let the others know we Are of. Let the others not worry. He described their treatment at the hands of the hijackers As harsh at times almost  Veliotes said they de scribed How they were made to sit for hours without food or water in the hot Sun on the deck of the ship just below the Bridge. They look their hats away so that there was no shield from inc Sun the ambassador said. They even took one Man s sunglasses  several of the americans were sur rounded by flammable fuel cans and told that if they moved or talked they would be burned to death he said. Veliotes said it seemed that the hijackers wanted to single out americans and then jews aboard the ship. After separating the americans from the other passengers the hijackers asked Are there any jews out there two austrian raised their hands and were then placed with the americans. This group was later joined by five British female dancers who were arc members aboard the ship. It was this group which received the worst treatment the ambassador said. Veliotes said that Early in the morning he went to visit the widow of Klinghoffer who was too distraught to come out of her Cabin. He told her that the americans and he were going to have breakfast in the lounge above her Cabin in about an hour. They very much wanted her to join them. At the breakfast mrs. Klinghoffer appeared for the first Lime since the terrorists had left the ship. She wore a Well pressed dress and makeup and appeared More or less com posed Veliotes said. I a cryonic was Delight  he recounted. Her presence boosted Nior Alc and the determination of everyone in that room to overcome their  at the end of the breakfast Veliotes said the group unanimously expressed their de sire to help identify their tormentors should the hijackers be apprehended and put on trial. It was their unanimous desire to help Veliotes said. It was typical of them. For they Are the real heroes of this horrible episode. "1 kept looking Over them at breakfast and thinking these Are our grandfathers our grandmothers. My Mother could have been sitting there terrified. She could have been one of  after breakfast and just before he left the ship an elderly Man whose identity he did not disclose turned to him and expressed what Veliotes called the real spirit and courage of this  Veliotes said the Man told him before you leave i want you to know that we were scared to death. We were Ter Rifici. But we never cracked. We never crawled. We stood together and we never lost our cohesion. We never forgot we were Ameri cans. I want you to know How pleased we Are to be americans and How proud we arc of each  sen. Harf Calls balanced budget plan unfair illegal Washington up sen. Gary Hart d-colo., argued saturday the White House supported plan to Force a balanced budget by 1991 was not Only unfair but was based on unconstitutional principles. In the democratic response to president Reagan s weekly radio address Hart also praised the capture of the palestinian terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro. The senator contended the Navy fighter pilots performances showed Why the Federal budget should con Tain the right priorities such As Premium pay for pilots. Taking aim at the balanced budget plan Hart blasted provisions thai would curtail spending in some programs but not in others. You could keep buying even More nuclear weapons. But you d have to Cut the pay of soldiers on the front lines he noted. Big corporations could continue to pay no taxes said Hart a potential 1988 presidential contender. But a re tired Coal Miner would lose some of his Black lung benefits a Young child could lose her school lunches a student could lose his Chance to get a College  the plan would require the Federal deficit to gradually be reduced until it would disappear in fiscal 1991. If con Gress and the president could not agree on methods the plan would automatically curtail spending in certain areas to Force inc government to reach its targets. After Days of debate the plan was approved by the Senate 75-24, last week. Even some liberals such As sen. Lidward Kennedy d-mass., joined forces with republicans to approve in. Hart voted against it. The Mailer is to be thrashed Oul with the Democrat led House in a conference committee expected to Buccin this week. Hart argued saturday thai nol Only was the plan unfair it resurrects an old failed and unconstitutional  a decade ago the supreme court had to Stop presi Dent Nixon from blocking funds for programs he did t support. Nixon s unlawful actions were called impound ment that same system of impoundment is the Cen Ter piece of the new plan Hart said. We be already seen the damage that a wilful president i do to our Constitution if the Congress lays Down and lets Lappin he said. We must not repeal that  we Cand. In Happy