European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday june 17,1987 . Current account deficit drops slightly during first Quarter Washington a America s deficit in the broadest measure of foreign Trade shrank slightly in the first three months of the year to $37.12 billion As the country continued to pile up International debt the government reported tuesday. The Commerce department said the imbalance in the nation s current account edged Down 2.3 percent from the final three months of 1986, when the Trade deficit hit a quarterly record of $38.0 billion. The current account measures not Only Trade in merchandise but also Trade in services which includes such items As investment earnings tourism and foreign Aid. While the United states has run e deficit in merchandise Trade for is of the last 16 years the current account recorded a surplus As recently As 1981 As americans earnings on overseas investments were enough to offset the merchandise deficits. In recent years however a flood of foreign goods has wiped out the Cush Ion once provided by the investment earnings. A relentless string of quarterly deficit in the current account has made the United states the world s largest debtor country As foreigners now own More in . Investments than americans hold in foreign investments. America became a debtor country in 1985 for the first time in 71 years with a total owed to the rest of the world of $107.44 billion. The precise extent of the country s slide into Hock during 1986 will be Dis closed by the government next tuesday but based on information contained in the current account report the . World debt now stands at More than $250 billion putting the country far ahead of the previous debt Leader Brazil which owes $ 108 billion to foreigners. The Small improvement in the current account deficit in the january March Quarter came from a slight drop in the merchandise Trade deficit to $38.33 Bil lion 0.7 percent lower than the fourth Quarter. Added to this imbalance be tween imported goods and the products America Sells overseas was $3.1 billion in Transfer payments $1 billion less than the fourth Quarter reflecting a drop in . Foreign Aid to developing countries. These figures were offset somewhat by $4.3 billion in net earnings on foreign investments by americans. While for Eigners now owe More in american in vestments than americans own overseas the country still enjoys a slight surplus in earnings because the rate of return on Many older american investments is higher than foreigners Are receiving in the United states. For All of 1986, the current account deficit hit a record $14i.35 billion. The slight improvement in the first Quarter figure if it continues through the year As Many analysts expect would mean that the 1987 deficit will be lower although analysts Are not looking for much improvement Given the fact that the big slide in the value of the Dollar is making imported goods Cost More. Parade rest a photo a member of the Marine corps ceremonial and guard co lies on the ground it fort myer a monday after being overcome by heat the later revived Marine was taking part in a ceremony honouring ceo. Pc Kel Ley commandant of the Marine corps and Gen. John a. Wickham jr., army chief of staff who Are retiring. Both have led their services since 1983. Suspect arrested in slaying of go in Honduras Elpaso Texas a us. Authorities have arrested suspect in the slaying of an american Soldier at an air base in Honduras an army spokesman said tuesday. It. Col. James Lawson a spokesman at fort Buss declined to identify the suspect but said he is not a u5. Soldier. Lawson said he could not give the suspect s nationality or provide details of the slaying of staff sgt ran Dall Harris 34, until the investigation is completed. On monday Harris Mother Del Hernine Harris of Wilmington Ohio said her son s commanding officer had called her from Elpaso and told her they feel like it was a honduran civilian that shot  however she said it probably will be a week to 10 Days before More details Are released about the death of her son. Lawson said Harris a military policeman is expected to be buried with military honors this week at fort Bliss National cemetery. Lawson said american authorities Are holding the suspect because he was arrested on the Palmerola air base. There were indications at the scene that allowed investigators to move very rapidly onto a suspect Lawson said. In Honduras a . Military spokesman said the gunman apparently had entered the air base legally. Cape Ron Eschmann . Press officer for the base would not confirm or deny that a suspect is being held. He said investigators Are treating the shooting As a criminal homicide and not As a terrorist  Harris was shot once in each leg and once in the Back saturday night about 400 Yards from the main Gate Eschmann said. An autopsy being carried out in Panama Headquarters of the . Southern come was expected to be completed wednesday. Honduran police sources said privately that Harris was killed in an area of the base used Only by . Troops. More than Iso honduran soldiers Are on duty outside the area they said. The base 36 Miles Northwest of the capital is head quarters for . Operations in Honduras. Harris was with the 978th my co from fort Bliss which is serving a four month temporary tour at Palmerola. . Troops have trained in Honduras since 1983 under a nearly constant program of joint Maneu vers. The largest exercise involving More than 40,000 american military personnel was a three week opera Tion that ended in mid May. In june 1986, an american Soldier was killed and another seriously wounded by a honduran Soldier who is in custody. Last december a female first sergeant was killed during an outburst of gunfire in a nightclub at the Caribbean coast resort of Tela 100 Miles North of Tegucigalpa Honduras. North ordered to testify under limited immunity Washington a a Federal judge monday ordered it. Col. Oliver North to testify under a limited Grant of immunity from prosecution before the congressional committees investigating the Iran Contra affair. . District judge Louis Oberdorfer the court s acting chief judge signed the order granting North limited or use immunity from prosecution. The order sought by the House and sen ate committees directs North to give Testi Mony which he had refused to provide an other congressional panel late last year. The Public Iran Contra hearings Are in recess this week but panel lawyers Are to take depositions in private from North and his one time Boss former National Security adviser John pain Dexter in preparation for their Public testimony next month. The Public hearings resume next tues Day. The committees also obtained an order granting limited immunity Mon Day for Glenn Robinette a former Cia official who installed a Security system at North s Home in great Falls a. Congressional sources speaking on condition of anonymity said the panels Are trying to determine if Robinette was paid for the work from a secret Swiss Bank account controlled by retired air Force maj. Gen. Richard Secord. Secord has denied any such connection. The Security system Cost More than $2,000, according to one source. On june 4, the House panel voted 12-3 and the Senate panel voted unanimously to give North limited or use immunity which would prohibit prosecutors from using any resulting congressional testimony by the former National Security Council aide As evidence against him. Independent counsel Lawrence e. Walsh had asked the committees not to vote to Grant immunity to North. Though the panels rejected Walsh s re quest they agreed to put off Public Testi Mony by North until at least july 16. Walsh continued his own probe into the activities of North and others on the National Security Council staff monday. Vin cent Cannistraro former Csc director for intelligence programs appeared before Walsh s grand jury in the morning. Cannistraro who left the Csc when Frank Carlucci took Over in january Asna tonal Security adviser declined to answer a reporter s questions about his appearance. Cannistraro had been assigned to work with North on Contra activities but documents disclosed by the Tower com Mission indicated he was not Witting of the scope of North s private Supply network for those rebels. North invoking his fifth amendment right against self incrimination declined to testify before Congress when the Iran con tra affair was first unravelling last fall he has been named As a fellow conspirator by two conservative fund raisers who pleaded guilty to charges they Ille Gally used a tax exempt foundation to raise millions of dollars for the contras. The House Iran Contra committee also obtained an order for any credit re port on North kept by try inc., a major defense contractor