European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 05, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes tuesday november 5, 1985 French agents admit manslaughter in sinking Auckland new zealand a two French agents who had been charged with murder in the sinking of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior and the death of a crewman pleaded guilty monday to the lesser charges of manslaughter and arson. The move came As solicitor general Paul  intervened and dropped the murder charges against maj. Alain Rafart 34, and capt. Dominique Picur 36. Both were identified in court As French army officers. Judge Ronald j. Gilbert ordered the pair held until nov. 22, when they will be sentenced. There is no set penalty for manslaughter in new zealand and sentences can Range from Brief detention to life imprisonment. The Rainbow Warrior was sunk by mines july 10 while docked in Auckland Harbor and a Greenpeace photographer Fernando Percira was killed. Greenpeace sent the ship to new zealand to Lead a protest flotilla against French nuclear tests in the muru Roa atoll in the South Pacific. Mafarland Picur were arrested in new zealand and on july 15, were charged with murder conspiracy and arson. New zealand accused France of masterminding the attack and in september the French government acknowledged the mining had been ordered by the French secret service. Some Legal observers said the reduced charges indicated the government might just Deport the French agents in a move to ease strained relations. New zealand prime minister David Lange talking with reporters after the hearing denied a political Trade off had been made. Asked if French compensation for new zealand and Greenpeace had depended on the court s action he re plied they Are not for Sale. This is a process of Law not some sordid haggling Selling  he said talks on compensation were proceeding but they were rather  David Mctaggart the head of Greenpeace International said of the hour Long hearing this is Justice to a certain extent at a very Low level. Or Mitterrand or. Herne and Lacoste should have been in the Dock he said. He referred to French president Francois Mitterrand former French defense minister Charles Herne and adm. Pierre Lacoste who headed the French external Security service at the time of the bombing. Lacoste was fired after France confirmed the Security service was involved in the sinking and Herne resigned in the political uproar that followed. A Small group of demonstrators outside the court during the hearing held banners saying France out o the Pacific and you can t sink a  about 150 journalists were in the courtroom including80 from abroad for the hearings which Many had expected would last up to three weeks. Neazor told the court Rafart and Picur were not personally responsible for the placing of the explosives on the ship and had no intention to kill. He said the indent lies of the persons who planted tie explosives on the Hull of the Rainbow Warrior had not been established but there was no doubt it was done by. Trained experts in underwater warfare. The Crown s investigations do not establish the defendants role As other than in support of those who actually placed the explosives Neazor said. Neazor said ref apart and Prieur phoned Paris the morn ing after the sinking and changed their plane reservation to make an earlier departure. But they were questioned by police the next Day and arrested july 15. A French investigation disclosed in August that Mafut and Prieur were among six French agents monitoring activities of the Rainbow Warrior. In september French prime minister Laurent of Crim admitted France s secret service had ordered the linking but he refused to reveal the actions of the individual agents involved. French defense minister Paul quilts had a Long Tele phone conversation saturday night with Rafart Tad Picur his ministry confirmed in Paris. It said Quiles told them of the personal attention be b giving to the evolution of their situation of which they Laid they Nave been regularly informed by their  Reagan from Page 1 goal is to do away with All nuclear weapons said Dier Chian. The transition from offensive to defensive systems would have to be done in stages. And if technology proves feasible we will want to discuss such a transition with the  Reagan said the United states would share its Star wars technology with other countries in order not to have an unfair advantage. Star wars formally called the Strate Gic defense initiative by the administration envisions the use of lasers particle beam weapons and other elements of High technology to shoot Down incoming missiles. Reagan said he was prepared to Tell soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev at their sum Mit this month that if such a weapon is possible and our research reveals that then our move would be to say to All the world Here it is available we won t put this weapon or this system in place this defensive system until we do away with our nuclear missiles our offensive missiles the president added. But we will make it available to other countries including the soviet Union to do the same  Reagan said and if the soviet Union and the United states both say we will eliminate our offensive weapons we will put in this defensive thing in Case some place in the world a madman some Day Trieste create these weapons again nuclear weapons because remember we All know How to make hem  Reagan was interviewed by four soviet journalists in the Oval office thursday the first time an american president has held an interview with the soviet press in 24 years. In Moscow the government newspaper Izvestia monday devoted an entire Page to a text of the interview and printed a Story in which the interviewers said Reagan s Good words on peace contradicted his Allega i _ about soviet foreign policy. In the very first question a soviet journalist criticized Reagan s written answers to printed questions that were submitted in Advance dealing with  relations Star wars nuclear arms and other subjects. The journalist told the president his re plies basically reflect the old . Proposals and were considered by the soviets to be unbalanced and one sided in favor of the . Side. And you have not answered concerning the new soviet arms control proposal. In reply Reagan told the reporters the United states would submit a counter offer to the soviet proposal the very next Day Friday. Without discussing specifics Rea Gan said t us . Plan reflected the acceptance on our part of some of this latest soviet proposal As Well As compromises with earlier figures that we d  both sides now Are calling for roughly a 50 percent cutback in nuclear arms but they would apply the reduction differently. The soviets told Reagan a recent poll taken by the Washington Post and Abc said 74 percent of americans would like to see the superpowers reduce their nuclear arsenals and the United states drop its development of space weapons. So How then will you react or. Presi Dent to this opinion expressed by the Amor ican Public he was asked. Reagan complained  the term Star wars did not accurately describe the vis plan. We re not talking about Star wan Italy he said calling the program a defensive plat to protect against nuclear missiles. As for american sentiment Reagan said there was a misconception among people when you use the wrong term such u Star wars " Reagan said another poll asked if people approved of a strategic defensive Chw that does t kill people but would allow m one Day All of us to reduce get rid of. Nuclear weapons. And Over 90 percent of the american people favored our going for Ward with such a  temperatures Soldier from Page 1 compound after the soviet Soldier entered Friday. According to . Officials the Soldier had been on guard duty at radio Kabul near the is. Embassy when he entered the compound. The officials said the unidentified soviet Soldier seemed confused and said at first he wanted to go Home and was tired of taking part in the War that Afghanistan s marxist regime backed by an estimated 115,000 soviet troops is waging against moslem guerrillas. In Washington the chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees embassy operations said the soviet ambassador offered the Soldier the equivalent of  rep. Dan Mica d-fla., said he was told during a briefing with the state depart ment that the soviet ambassador indicated a willingness to let the Soldier return to the soviet Union without facing any charges if he chose to do  state department officials said protest were lodged with soviet and afghan authorities in Kabul and with soviet officials in Washington and Moscow Over the intimidation attempt. The american staff is staying inside the embassy after one person was not treated gently by soviet and afghan troops while trying to leave the compound said a american source speaking sunday on condition he not be identified. The staff consists of about a dozen peo ple including diplomats and two or three Marine guards american diplomats in Islamabad said. It would have been almost impossible Roget the Soldier out of Afghanistan if he had asked for Asylum because the afghan government would not agree to such a move and the Soldier would have to remain in the embassy indefinitely the source said. The Only option would be if this person were to decide to go Back where he came from the source said. Humphrey in Home stretch nears Golden Gate san Francisco a Humphrey the wayward whale neared the Golden Gate monday As scientists hoped the wandering mammal would end his three week sojourn and return to his Pacific Ocean Home by Nightfall. The 45-ton mammal lured Back through the Sacramento River Delta by tape record ing of Humpback whale feeding Noiin was in the Raccoon Straits monday morning just three Miles from the Ocean. He reached san Francisco Bay on Sun Day but refused to move into the Pacific Ocean then swimming instead near the site of the nation s last whaling Fleet base at Point Richmond. The whale had Given his would be rescuers the slip in a Strait near Sausalito less than four Miles from the Golden Gate Sun Day night said a Alabaster of the National oceanic and atmospheric administration. Humphrey turned up about 30 minute Slater toward the Middle of the Bay. Ten Navy vessels spent the night patrol Ling the area in an attempt to keep a watch on the 40-foot-Long Humpback. The whale had covered about 50 Miles sunday and officials monitoring his Prog Ress expressed Confidence at mid morning monday that he would continue into the Ocean. The whale now is in an environment that is not jeopardizing to itself Jay Zig Ler a spokesman for those monitoring the whale said. The Bay s Salty water he said is very close to the sea water condition Humphrey is accustomed  biologists were concerned about Humphrey s Well being in the fresh water of the River because whales need Salt to thrive. Humphrey had apparently lost the transmitters fired into in blubber on saturday and rescuers had to use tight and sonar to keep track of him sunday. Mcaa s Charles Fullerton did the whale covered 49 Miles in about nine hours sunday. L h 33 52 37 64 a 16u a u 5tn u 40 67u u 37 6 46 Soa is 32 s3 64 n u 61 33 49 46 49 is h 41 69 51 9 36 52 47 49 -9 i 24 47 39 49 61 is 46 66 45 49 64 ii 47 � 4 k Albany Albuquerqu pm Anchorage Atlanta Allan la Colv Baltimore Billing Birmingham 801m Boston Buffalo Burl Englon charuttor., . Charleston . 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