European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Inside stripes d Webster denies cat firings planned Page 3 d Don t ignore Black vote candidates told Page 5 o Nick Faldo wins British open sports Page 21 the vol. 46. No. 94 la Thomies unofficial i plication of tuesday july 21, 1987 d 6693 a mines cleared from Gulf Channel Iran announces naval Maneu vers Kuwait not United Stales naval experts working Wilh saudi an kuwaiti counterparts have finished Clearing mines thai Iran was thought to have Laid in a deep water Channel that leads to Kuwait s main Oil terminal the kuwaiti defense ministry said. Meanwhile amid growing Uncertain ties about the possibility of a confrontation Between Iran and the United states the iranian authorities announced that they would hold Maneu vers next month in the Gulf the Strait of Hormuz and these of Oman to demonstrate that Iran s revolutionary guards arc capable of crushing the suicidal moves of the world s blasphemous Powers an apparent reference to the United states and the soviet Union. The demolition experts began work june 26, using sonar equipment and Heli copters to find the mines. Sunday divers operating from Small boats completed Clearing the shipping Channel by attach ing explosives to eight mines which were blown up where they had been planted Wilh help from god and through the efforts of frogman of the kuwaiti naval forces and Wilh Asprec Rahv assistance from our Brothers of the saudi arabian Navy and a number of experts from the uni cd states the approach to Al Ahmadi port has been cleared i All mines the ministry said. It gave further de tails ii was referring o the port serving the Al Ahmadi tank farm about 20 Miles South of the capital. It was not immediately known whether the Channel was completely Clear. In May and j Une four vessels one a soviet Tanker chartered to Kuwait under an arrangement to protect kuwaiti ship Ping struck mini in tic Chii incl to he port serving Al Ahmadi. Reports in the kuwaiti press said the mines weighed 240 pounds each. Diplo Mats said that they were thought to be of soviet design and that Iran might have bought them from North Korea. A Western Diplomat said that Kuwait had provided helicopters and Small Craft for a team of 16 to i8 u a. Navy experts to locate the mines with sonar devices and the support of iwo saudi minesweepers. Western experts say the dec Walc see mines on Page 23 thousands flee Italy floods slides photo from Hel Copler shows the top of a circus tent in a flooded Village in the Val Tylli a Region of Northern Italy. Sondr1o, Italy a thousands of people Hay abandoned their Homes and dozens of towns and Vil Lages remained isolated monday after four Days of Lor re tial Rains drenched a wide area of the Northern ital Ian Alps. Related Story on pane 8. Fourteen people were confirmed dead in inc floods and landslides and six were reported missing Accord ing o the civil defense ministry. Violent rain flooded Mountain streams and Rivers and Scal mud sliding Down wooded slopes in a Broad area from Bergamo North of Milan to Bolzano an Alpine stretch of Aboul 155 Miles. Rain continued income areas on sunday until tapering Offin the evening. Thousands of troops and civilian Rescue workers were battling rain and lakes of mud to reach isolated villages. Helicopters and heavy trucks were ferrying food and water White helicopters were picking up survivors from f oof Ops of houses and hotels author lies said. Hardest hit was the Val Cilina Valley near Hie Swiss Border where a resort hotel in the tiny Village of Tana no and an adjoining three Story apartment building were destroyed by a mudslide saturday evening. According o the civil offence ministry. 12 people were killed in the landslide while two were reported missing. At least 20 people were injured and Lalyn to  other deaths were reported in the Bergamo area one in the town of Sant Antonio Mork one. Where there were also to people reported missing the other in the Brumbo River Valley Village of Lenne. Authorities earlier had reported a higher death toll. See floods on Page 28 body of 9th River victim found one still missing Comfort. Texas api the body of a ninth victim of a Flash flood was recovered sunday from the Guadalupe River leaving one teen Ager still missing. The search for the youth who disappeared while helping others was halted by darkness and was to resume monday. Well keep going As Long As it takes. There s no time limit sgt. Charles sole area supervisor for the Texas department of Public safety said. The search which is concentrating on a iwo mile area where four bodies were found saturday was to resume at Dawn monday. But authorities said they held Little Hope of finding John Bankston 17, alive. The body of inc ninth victim identified As Leslie Gossett. 14, was found around noon Aboul iwo Miles Down Stream from where a Church bus and Van stalled and were pulled into inc surging River leaving Bankston As the Only camper still missing said department of Public safety trooper de Wayne a Ruckl. Forty three people were in the group from Seagoville Road Baptist Church returning from the pol o Gold ranch Early Friday. They got out of the vehicles and tried to form a human Chain to get Back to dry land bul a Wall of water separated them. Thirty Lorce survived Many by see body on Page 28 in France negotiating to end embassy crisis Nicosia Cyprus 7%fij Iran said sunday it was Negolia Ling i France to Exchange diplomats in an Erfyl Lio end a stalemate that left the iwo Naff los embassies in Tehran and Paris Sumn wed by police. France which broke diplomatic ions with Iran on Friday confirmed that bargaining was going on and mentioned wednesday As a target Date for completing such a Swap. But Iran also renewed on sunday demand thai the French Consul ii ran appear before a tribunal a Pkt espionage charges. And Fram Eil crawled its demand to Muesli of of iranian embassy employee  bomb Ingr French e0elgn minister Jean  in a television interview night thai interpreter Wahid Gordji would not bt.1 permitted to leave France until in submits to questioning. France broke diplomatic ties Wilh Ira Over its refusal to let a French inc ing judge jugs icon Gard i Ori Ings in pans Las septem that kilted i people and would Junore than 150. An s Imu Nii in Hussein Muu or sunday thai he two a involved in negotiations a ent ional and diplomatic a annals if Ujj exchanging the Diplo Mats in quest of France has kept tic iranian diplomats from leaving the calf cry turning some Back at the Border Aumain Lamug cordon around the cab Allbut  said Pakistan add represent Iran s interests in France. A the French have said Italy when a to see Iran on paw.23