European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes Friday february 20,1967 7 nations plan meeting on Dollar Paris up finance officials from the world s seven most industrialized nations will meet in Paris sunday in emergency session so discuss the weakened Dollar and related economic problems he French finance ministry Laid a spokesman for finance minister edouard Balladur said the meeting would include government finance officials and Central Bank administrators from France the United slates Britain Germany Japan Italy and Canada. The spokesman said the location or the meeting would be kept secret until sunday morning. At the top of the Agenda will be Dis Cussion of ways to stabilize volatile for eign Exchange Rales including the Dollar which has fallen to postwar Laws against the japanese yen. On wednesday in new York Treasury Secretary James Baker said the Dol Lar s recent depreciation had helped level off . Trade deficits but should not be the sole mechanism to Correct the imbalances. The Dollar has now depreciated substantially against the currencies of the other major Industrial countries since its february 1985 Peak Baker said. The Dollar has fallen about 40 percent against the yen since a meeting of the group of five industrialized nations in september 1985. At that meeting the nations decided on coordinated action to push Down the Dollar. In Tokyo Japan s chief Cabinet Secretary Masaharu Motoda said the Paris meeting would bring together officials from the group of five the United states Britain France Germany and Japan and would be followed by an expanded meeting of the group of seven adding Italy and Canada. Japanese newspapers said the group of five would address measures to Stabi Lize Exchange Market while the expanded meeting of seven nations will Deal with policy coordination to Correct Trade imbalances a major source of friction among the participants. The United states has demanded that Japan and Germany with which the Reagan administration has huge Trade deficits implement pump priming Mea sures to stimulate Domestic demand and increase imports of . Products. Druse fighters take Over w. Beirut s business area Beirut Lebanon a druse militiamen routed Shi Ilc moslem irregulars from most of West Beirut s Hamra commercial District thurs Day after five Days of fierce Street Battles that killed at least 100 people police reported. They said 375 people were wounded As Walid Jumble i s progressive socialist party backed by communist party gunmen wrested control of West Beirut from Justice minister Nabih Bern s shiite amal militia. The fighting eased to a comparative Lull after Nightfall As yet another final cease fire was called amid impassioned appeals by religious Lead is and politicians for an end to hostilities. This is collective suicide said Sheik Mohammed Mahdi Shamsuddin vice chairman of the higher shiite Council. Weinberger says Turkey needs More military Aid Washington a defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger wednesday called for More . Military Aid for Turkey. Perhaps no other Region holds As great a potential for the involvement of . Forces in regional contingencies and the escalation of regional conflicts to a superpower confrontation Weinberger said in testimony before the House foreign affairs committee. The s785 million request for Turkey is of Paramount importance for modernization to off set the longstanding obsolescence of its forces the Secretary Saidt it makes programmatic sense and would Send the right signal to our allies and  Weinberger got into a Sharp Exchange with rep. Gus Vatron d-pa., who said he had received contradictory statements from Weinberg or and from the state department on the use of new . Equipment by turkish forces in Cyprus. Weinberger said Only a few m-48 tanks had replaced older m-47s in inc turkish forces. 48th toe fighter Wing honoured for role in bombing raid on Libya Bidav Odiehl . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England some air Force people arc wearing As Many As four additional decorations for their parts in the april 1986 bombing raid on Libya. The latest awards came tuesday when Gen. Charles l. Donnelly jr., the Safe commander presented the air Force outstanding unit award to inc 48th tac fighter Wing and 56 department of defense expeditionary medals to airmen who entered the theater of operation the evening of the raid said capt. Greg Bell the Wing s Public affairs officer. The outstanding unit award can be worn by the More than 5,000 people assigned to the Wing from july 1984 to june 30, 1986. The air Force will not identify the people who got the expeditionary medal because it could make them terrorist targets Bell said. Only the 32 men who flew in the base s f-11 is received the highest decoration the air medal. They received those in a ceremony in september. Those inc Amintas near i Noii Libya Bell said the outstanding unit award was t Given to the base specifically for the libyan operation but the raid was included in the citation. Originally officials there men and 24 others All rated officers or flying officers also received the expeditionary medal Bell said the 24 were in command and control positions on other air planes used the evening of the bombings. The Lakenheath jets were used primarily to bomb the Airfield Tripoli Libya Jive t t e raid.,. Zweren t sure the air Force would allow the base to receive the award since Secretary of the Navy John Lehman presented the Navy meritorious unit commendation to the base in september for the same action. The Al 11 two Man Crews who bombed Libya will Wear All four decorations. Every airman assigned to the base during the operation can Wear at least two ribbons for being on the base at that Lime. The two Al 11 crewmen who were killed during the raid cats. Paul f. Lorenee and Fernando l Ribas Dominicci were awarded the decorations posthumously Bell said. Gnu Marks weaker growth rate by the associated press the nation s Economy grew at a skimpy 1.3 percent annual rate in the last Quarter of 1986, a weaker show ing than had been expected. The Commerce department thursday reported the october december change in the Gross National product the broadest measure of economic health is the lowest since last Spring when growth slumped to 0.6 percent the fourth Quarter growth rate represents a Down Ward revision from a preliminary report a month ago that had put growth at an annual rate of 1.7 percent. The weaker growth was accompanied by a slowdown in inflation with an inflation Index tied to the Gnu rising at an annual rate of just 0.7 percent the Best showing in almost 20 years. For the entire year inc Economy grew 2.5 percent inc slowest Advance since an outright decline in the recession year of 1982. The 1.3 percent Gnu growth at the end of last year was less than half the growth rate turned in from july through september when the Economy expanded at a 2.8 percent rate. The third Quarter level had led the Reagan administration to forecast that the Economy was finally re bounding alter two years of sluggish activity. The Gnu report followed More upbeat news wednesday when the Commerce department said housing starts in january were i talc changed from inc High Levels achieved in december the department said new Homes and apartments were built Al a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.806 million units in january thai was Down just 0.2 per cent from december when building activity posted a giant 10.4 percent gain from november. Reagan from Page 1 questioning Mcfear lpns in his Hospital room thursday at Bethesda naval medical Center. Mcfarland who is recovering from who police have called a suicide attempt last week was to have appeared before the commission the Day he was hospitalized. The Tower commission is scrutinizing the National Security Council and its handling of the arms sales to Iran and the possible diversion of profits to the Contra rebels fighting the nicaraguan government. The panel also is looking into whether while House aides tried to cover up or misstate certain aspects of the Iron Contra affair. The times the Post and the journal also said the commission s report will describe How while House aides were scrambling around to create a cover Story saying that Secretary of stale George Shultz who opposed the Iran arms sales knew much More about inc operation than Joe has admitted publicly and that former Cia director William j. Casey was More deeply involved in the affair than he Lias admitted and that he personally solicited funds from some foreign countries to help the nicaraguan rebels meanwhile the chief House and Senate investigators of the Iran Contra Deal said they had worked out an agreement with israeli prime minister Yitzhak Sha Mir that would provide an israeli chronology of Finan Cial transactions and contacts Between officials of is Rael and the United states As Well As allow invest Galois to receive answers to written questions. Sen. Daniel Inouye a Hawaii chairman of the sen ate panel said the information Exchange would be on a government to govera enl basis and would include a Chance for staff members to go to Israel to ask follow up questions and seek clarifications if necessary. Shamir promised thursday to provide the Nec Essary information to congressional committees investigating secret . Arms sales to Iran. But he said his government would resist any attempt to Force israeli officials 10 testify about Israel s participation in arranging the seven . Weapons shipments last year. There were these other developments Icacan s daughter Maureen told a news Confer ence in Bismarck n.d., she believes vice adm. John  the former National Security adviser and National Security Council aide it. Col. Oliver North should be court Martiale if they tied to the president or withheld information from Bint. Conservative fund Raiser Cari r. Channell set up a foundation to finance North s trips to Central Ameri Ca when North was on the National Security Council Abc news reported wednesday. Jane Mclughlin identified As a former Channell fund Raiser told Abc the trips would require up to $90,000 a month. Contra Leader Ranuro Cruz engaged in a struggle Over leadership of the nicaraguan opposition with Drew his threat to resign thursday saying he was persuaded that the United nicaraguan opposition would undertake democratic reforms. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in testimony wednesday before the House foreign affairs com Mittee defended his decision not to notify Congress about the Transfer of arms to Iran and acknowledged that Iran As Well As Iraq secretly had received Intelli gence information from the United Stales Weinberger also denied any knowledge of earlier arms transfers to Iran reportedly made by Israel. Charles a Bowsher head of the congressional general accounting office said wednesday that his Agency has prepared a classified report tracing arms shipments from the army to the Cia. To the Middle East and ultimately to Iran and is beginning to investigate the flow of profits to the nicaraguan contras