European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 10, 19bb the stars and stripes Page 3 Agency helps reunite displaced people families in dior s mile this is Hie third in a series h sin rats Atio to Ltd International red Crow to tie published this month a Laa Mcdan Colum ,. Sir re tar " ". 0 in Eva Switzer land Jhc re Crois Learned Early in its history that pros new War worry about More than just themselves. During the Franca prussian War of Cross delegates visited prisoners on Bolh sides i. Gates began carrying messages from the prisoners Homes to the imprisoned soldiers. Finding displaced people and reuniting them with heir families soon became a full Lime Job u the inter National com Millic of the Rod Cross and he Central tracing Agency was born. Today lie Agency has on file about 40 million information cards each representing a person who was Cill a prisoner or was displaced by a War or internal said Nicolas pc Csc Agency director. Up. The Agency keeps a file of regts coh Iri sonars.  messages Between  their families. It traces displaced Puoplo " reunites them with their families. It possible if Iid he Agency provides transportation  proof for retirement Orother administer Ali Urpo papers provided by the trac Itji mltflfcc5i y mid. They used false names or juju. ,. Work i Tfir Filto a crts and red arcs to find people new dds lies funnel re tests for information from families the a y head quarters in Geneva. The Agency checks in self missing Kuscin is non file the Agency asks from societies in countries where the person is believed Totev. The Agency employs 110 people to handle the 10,000 requests a year still being received far information concerning people loss during world War ii. Vecsey said tin expects to be working on that War until 2000, by the end or world War ii the Agency had 4,000 full time workers tracing prisoners of War and displaced persons. We had millions and millions of letters,1 Vecsey said. Thirty six million parcels. 120 million  and their families and 23 Mil Luji to tier be tween civilians living in countries ii Etta faed through the Agency during Al be War. Among Thep Cort j�w5pejicy recorded As being sought by in comp Rcv injuring the War were Charles de  Evaker and Francois Mitterrand files in those men lire on display in the lobby the Agency Headquarters in Geneva. One fourth of the Agency s current work pertains to Worl Warll. We. Could t close up after the War because there were so Many problems tracing the hundreds of thou Sands of refugees pc Csc said the tracing Agency was Active in  1975, when the . And vietnamese governments look. Over All tracing activities since the Issue of americans missing in action or being held prisoner in Vietnam is such a  sensitive Issue tracing Agency officials declined to discuss whether they think americans re being held in that  officials fear com to should jeopardise the International committee of the  no Urcil  Wiir in can Iran and Iraq also is leaving its Mark on the age win 194, almost 40,001 ecu cases were opened at he chm tracing Agency and \2,000 families were  a week we receive Urbiss Large parcels full of letters from Iran or Iraq Vest a said. All that Hope in All those bags. That helps than Ive on. To  in u bag dial a req in. Ii n u very huge  court upholds arms convictions of 4 in ship hijacking Genoa Italy a an appeals court thursday upheld convictions on arms charges of four palestinian accused in the Achille Lauro hijacking but overturned the conviction of u fifth and reduced some sentences by up to two years. The court Sot aside the conviction of Rassam Al Ashker on grounds that he was 17 and thus a minor at the time of the hijacking. In addition Al Ashker will not be a defendant in an upcoming trial on More serious charges because he was under age i sat the Lime of the crime. The court ordered that Al Ashker. Now 18, who had been sentenced to fi1,1 years in prison by a lower court retried in a juvenile court. He remained in custody Al Ashker and the four others had been found guilty of illegal Possession of arms and explosives and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to nine years after a on Daj irial last nov. Is. The five included the four alleged hijackers of the cruise liner and an alleged accomplice. The appeals court thursday reduced the sentences for three defendants by up to two years. The court gave no reason for reducing the sentences. Fourteen arabs including the four whose convictions were upheld wednesday face trial an june 18 for themore serious charges of kidnapping and murder As Well As other terrorist crimes connected with the seizure of the italian ship on oct. 7 during a Mediterranean cruise. A 69-year-old wheelchair Bull and new corf car lean Klinghoffer was shot and killed during the hijacking. The ship had set sail from Cicada and docked in Egypt when four terrorists look it Over among tic defendants in the june trial will be Palestin Ian guerrilla Leader Abu Abbas who allegedly masterminded the hijacking and is still i Large the appeals court reduced by two years the nine year term imposed a Mohammed Issa. Abbas a Coasin of Abu Abb is. A syrian Nui ional. Be was accused of having brought the arms used by the hijackers to Genoa we arc satisfied he told reporters from his Iclal barred defendant s Cage after the reduction was announced. We a re not  two other defendants sentences also were reduced. They arc Youssef Magied Ai Mol i a jordanian whose eight year term was Cut to 6ja years and Ibrahim a . A lebanese who received five years and nine months in prison Down from seven years and three months. The appeals court let stand the four year sentence imposed on Ahmad Sarrouf Al Assad a syrian who received the lightest term because judicial authorities said he had cooperated with investigators. All brutal Assadi were present in the courtroom. Two prosecutors told the associated press wednesday they have irrefutable evidence the hijackers Hud planned to kill every . And British passenger to Force Israel to release 50 palestinians. Thuv were dead serious about their threat to kill the americans and British one every five minutes until their demands were met one of the prosecutors said. From left Ibrahim Futaye Abd Calif Assam Al Ashker and Youssef magic Ai-molq.1 fall nov the court proceedings. There were 16 americans and three britons among. The 1bq passengers who were aboard the ship when the Hijack ing began off Egypt most of the tourists had tuft Thea Hill Laura at Alexandria Egypt for a tour and were to rejoin the ship at port said Egypt. The prosecution said that Only the refusal of Syria to relay the hijackers demand that Israel release 50 Palestin Ian prisoners and to act As a go Between prevented further deaths. The prosecution dismissed As laughable Abu Abbas Contention thai he negotiated an end to the hijacking on oct. 9. The guerrilla Leader has denied any involvement in the drama Bat la prosecution says he masterminded the hijacking. Prosecutor Francesco Mioni said in a separate inter View that the prosecutors have obtained sufficient evidence to convict Abbas. Authorities think Abu Abbas is now in Tunisia but have no Hope of bringing him Back to Italy for trial be cause Tunisia has not responded to Lialys request for extradition. Abu Abbas leads the Palestine liberation front a fac Tion of the Palestine liberation organisation. Both Cheplo and Abu Abbas faction Are headquartered in Tuni Sia. The hijackers surrendered oct. 9 in egg to and freed their hostages. Abbas and the four alleged hijackers were aboard an egyptian Airliner flying from figy i when .fighter jets forced the plane to land in Sicily. The United states asked Italy to arrest Abbas but Italy said then ii had no Legal grounds to hold him. Lit flew from Italy to Yugoslavia and vanished. Only five of the 4 people charged in the Achille Lauro Case Are in custody