European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 6, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday. July 6.1987 Nicaragua sues . Firm Over banana contract san Francisco a the Subj cart was bananas but the Selling was ironic As the leftist Sand is la government of Nicaragua sued a . Conglomerate before a conservative . Judge for alleged breach of contract. On one Side in the pretrial hearings last week in Federal court were executives of Castle and Cooke founded by missionaries in Hawaii and its subsidiary Standard fruit co. On the other Side was Nicaragua whose witnesses included Arturo Cruz a former member of the Central american nation s governing Junta who became a Leader of the Contra rebels and then a Contra dropout. Nicaragua says it lost $35.5 million when Standard fruit slopped buying bananas from 17,000 acres of plantations in october 1982, 21 months after the two sides signed a 5-year memorandum of intent. . District judge John Vukasin must decide whether the agreement was a contract or As the com Pany contends a non binding framework for Laler negotiations that proved unsuccessful. He will Rule after Bolh sides submit final written arguments july 28. The leftist nicaraguan government a target of the Reagan administration appeared before Vukasin a conservative Reagan appointee for 2v1 Days of hear Ings. Standard fruit had enjoyed a monopoly under the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza who was Over thrown in 1979. The company pulled out of Nicaragua in december 1980, citing labor problems. Nicaraguan witnesses testified How a few Days afle Reagan s 1981 inauguration the revolutionary Sandi Nisia government Bent Over backward it gain the re turn of the company. They said Nicaragua offered the Samo exclusive Pur Chase rights a curb on labor unrest a Promise of no criticism in the press suspension of a government nationalization decree and Assumption of the company s $10 million debt at a time that the government had Only s3 million in its Treasury. Nicaragua had paid More than j3.s million of Hal debt through an offset of 50 cents in the Price of each Box of bananas when Standard fruit Oil off purchases in october 1982 As International banana prices declined. Company witnesses cited economic reasons and labor problems and said they also feared a nation a grip on life App mho Clifford Cpl glut. Til  kiss ult the lob 6 Munden no. Why it i did t work like jus i would be deut by now Ibe 76-je�r-ow construction labourer uld Friday. Aliza Tion decree. The overriding reason for Nicaragua s concessions was economic said foreign Trade minister Alejandro Martinez he said 3,000 jobs were affected when Stan Dard fruit first pulled out of Nicaragua and we could t Eal All Hose  Cruz who in 1981 was a non sandinista member of the five Man governing Junta was the senior member of the three Man nicaraguan delegation in the san Francisco negotiations with Castle and Cooke and testified under subpoena. He later became Nicaragua s ambassador to the United states before breaking Wilh the government in 1982. He was briefly an opposition candidate for presi Dent but he pulled out of the race. Then he became one of i rec leaders of the Contra umbrella group the United nicaraguan opposition. He withdrew from thai group last March saying its leadership had be come Loo authoritarian. The . Government supports the Contra rebels trying to overthrow the sandinista. The other two nicaraguan witnesses were the remaining members of the 1981 delegation Martinez and Jaime Wheelock minister of agricultural development. All three said they bad considered the Jan uary 1981 agreement o be a binding contract. Three Castle and Cooke executives testified on be half of the company explaining Why it returned to Nicaragua after the agreement. Leonard Marks its former executive vice president said company officials knew the agreement was not binding but agreed that we would in Good Faith go Back and at the same time  Marks was asked about a line in Castle and Cooke s annual report for 1981, which said the company had reached agreement on a 5-year  it did t say we signed a a year contract Marks pointed out. The judge May agree with the company that no con tract existed and dismiss the suit he May decide that contract existed and then Nile on Nicaragua s request to Send the dispute to arbitration or he May conclude that the contract was unproven and leave the question for a jury trial next May. Judge dismisses Coll Home suit against Roberts new Orleans a a Federal judge has Dis missed a lawsuit accusing Tel evangelist Oral Roberts of fraud for claiming that god would Call him Home if Roberts did not raise so million.. District judge Peter Beer ruled thursday thai the lawsuit which accuses Roberts of fraud and deceptive practices did not belong in Federal court. Douglas Coggeshall one of the defendants said sat urday that the ruling would be appealed. Coggeshall and Russell Richardson iwo aerospace engineers from Gretna. Filed suit in april arguing Ihal roberts1 ministry should be forced to either prove claims made on the Public airwaves or run disclaimers admitting that the statements cannot be proved. Sam Leblanc. An attorney for the Oral Roberts Evange Listic association argued that the two men did net have a basis for the lawsuit because neither had been a Roberts Follower or a member of his religious group. In his decision Beer wrote frustrations and con Cerns however Well grounded do not limply by bring cd pressed open the door of the is. District  Coggeshall said he and Richardson Are both former followers of charismatic and pentecostal Christian  his corporation came out Wilh these Ludi Crous claims Russell and 1 fell the Federal government was obviously not doing anything and somebody had to raise the question he said. The lawsuit claimed that Roberts and his  ministry were guilty of fraud and deceptive practices for telling television viewers Hal Rob erts would die if he did not receive is million in Dona Lions by March 31.Roberts later announced that cod had spared him because he had met the goal. Stateside. Chicago Blaze flashover kills 1 fireman injures 3 Chicago a an Altic Blaze possibly linked to fireworks grew into a fast fire la saturday Hal killed a firefighter and injured three others authorities  victim Jann s e. Hill suffered hums and smoke inhalation said fire department spokes Man Jerry  and the three other firefighters who were injured were caught in a flashover a sudden ignition of gases. Lawrence  flashover happens when there in t Jutt enough oxygen for Complete  the spokesman said. Gas were forming and the gains Goi oxygen and there was a buildup a very fail  confiscated some fireworks at the scene and neighbors said some Billle rockets were fired from the site shortly before the tire was reported just before Midnight according to  was not determined Hal fireworks caused the fire he said. Freight train derailed by storm s heavy winds Minneola Kan. A a storm front packing winds up to 70 Mph knocked a freight train off its tracks Early saturday official said. No one was injured when 28 can of the St. Louis southwestern railway co. Train derail Daboul 6 . Near the southwestern Kansas town of min cola said Jim Johnson a spokesman for the company. The Accident marked the second time in 10 Days that one of the company s trains had been derailed by High winds in  Engineer saw the storm front coming and had reduced his Speed to 45 Mph Johnson  what we understand there was o Mas Sive storm front moving across there he  winds had gushed up to 70  train originated in East is. Louis id., and was bound for us los Angeles Long Beach calif., port area. It is carrying shipping con Lainen packed with various manufacturing and consumer  expected to have the track cleared by sunday officials  is. Louii southwestern train derailed june 24 near Welsford Aboul 55 Miles East of Mitt Neola Johnton said no one was injured in the Accident which occurred when l track trailer was knocked off Lite train by High winds and lodged Between two cars. King Donovan 69, Dies longtime actor comedian Branford Conn. A King Donovan an actor and comedian whose 50-year career on stage film and television included More than 30 shows with his wife comedian Imogene coca died of cancer tuesday. He was 69. Donovan made his Broadway debut in 1948 in the Vigil and during the Early 1950s he played a police sergeant in the 19s1 movie the enforcer and a press agent in singin in the  the Lale 1950s, he appeared As Harvey Helm on the to series love thai Bob and then As Grade Allen s brother on the George Burns and Grade Ailea  during the 1960s, he played Herb Thornton the next door neighbor of Joan and James Nash in the to series please Don t eat the daisies blast injures at least 15 at City s fireworks display Kenosha Wii. A at least 15 people were injured saturday night when two barrels of fireworks exploded Ai the City s annual fourth of july fireworks  explosion happened shortly after 9 30 . At Simmons Island a part on the City s Lake Michigan  Rohde who was directing first Aid efforts at the scene estimated is to 20 people were injured. A Spectator said 3i or 40 people were Hurt. Shortly after the Blasl a line of people wailed for treatment at an ambulance stationed at the scene As 3 precaution