European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday january 11, 19b8 the stars and stripes Page 9 Gad Afy enjoys a Chilly new role by Skuce Schmemann Tripoli. Libya not striding languidly into the Large brightly coloured bedouin Lent i h i owing Brown Cape swept Over his Arm col. Foam tar Gad Afy declared to the iwo dozen West German sportswriters that he had watched an ice Hotkey game on videotape and approved of ii it is not a violent game he declared but a mass sport thai peo ple like. After bantering Tor about an hour about sport his Green Book inc american bombing of his Home and politics it he libyan Leader proclaimed himself in favor of a reunited Germany freed of american occupation Gad Afy Rose to accept a souvenir plate of the is Crohn hockey club from its owner Heinz Wei Chach. a Cigar dior Ping owner of a construction company had turned to Libya to months earlier in a desperate attempt to slave off inc dissolution of his bankrupt Tram and had shocked West germans by resuming with a j90q.ooo contract to advertise the Green Book Gad Afy s collected thoughts on his team s jerseys. Though Gad Afy is reputed to have a fancy for meddling in other people s conflicts his Sally into the world of West German ice hockey was considered curious. For one thing the sport is not Well known in the Lilian desert and for another god Afy s die turn thai Public sport is a Public need and the peo ple cannot be represented by others in its practice Green part 3. Page 135 is a future on propaganda placards. But inc lavish reception Given Weic Nearh and the reporters including an american who had written about the Iserloh affair before suggested that Gad Hay is prepared to defend his investment or at least to reap what Public relations opportunities it often. Even before meeting with Gad Afy the. Vasilois were accorded a formal Welcome on inc Tarmac of Tripoli s Airport by a committee of sports officials and were treated to u banquet with entertainment by swirling desert dancers and with elaborate toasts and a spit roasted Lamb that was paraded through the Hall the visit arranged on Short notice added a bizarre twist to whal was already an entirely unusual dispute. Waif Inbach s agreement with inc world Center for the studies and researches of inc Green book1" to advertise the Book did not solve his problems West Germany s ice hockey federation refused to let the learn Wear jerseys with the Book on them and a court appointed receiver started Selling off the club s players. But Weifenbach an earthy., self made Man who had built is Crohn in six Yean into a serious contender in the lop West German league often through questionable financing tax authorities contend fought Back in inc courts and in the press. Not surprisingly the squabble generated consider Able coverage much of it critical of the libyan connection and it was this that evidently prompted the libyans to bring and a group of sports reporters to Tripoli. We were astonished with whal was said and writ ten Boboul the agreement Between the world Center and the declared the Center s head Ibrahim Abdurrahman Ibad sitting with Weifenbach at his Side under a big portrait of Gad Afy a fixture in every Public Hall in Tripoli. It is a cultural agreement Between two institutions and we believe that it is through activities like this Liat we will achieve Freedom in the Waif Inbach. Settling with apparent ease into the role of an envoy of Good will offered Best regards from the people of Germany and he declared that he hoped for Good contacts with inc people of the that is the name Gad Afy uses for his other times in the visit Waif Inbach posed for television cameras Reading from the Green Book and signing inc guest Register at inc Gad Afy Resi Dence bombed by american jets in april 1986. The residence is maintained As a Monument to the attack. We re talking about what is possible in sport and culture Between our two countries he said it s like pingpong diplomacy he the highlight of the Visil was the meeting with Gad Afy. After a thorough Security Check aides fus Sily arranged the reporters and Weifenbach in a multicoloured Lent not far from the bombed out House. Finally Gad Afy sauntered in carrying a copy of the Green Book which he thoughtfully perused. In response to questions from the reporters Gad Afy Aid he would like to visit West Germany but not while in was occupied by the american army. If Germany wis a free country i would visit in he the persian Gulf he said president Reagan is a Cowboy playing Willi his he is an actor Gad Afy said breaking into a chuckle and he uses the world for his theater at the end. Gad Afy Lei Llie reporters accompany him outside and posed for photographs with them against the background of his bombed out Bouse. Then idling his Cape How behind him he walked off alone turning Al the end of a Long Lane to clasp his hands Over his Leader was pleased with the meeting an aide remarked. I Loa Eckter who to non his Halo rec to Day visit a typical a mrs Lihe new Floris of Paris using one of the telescopes on the lop flow of the Eiffel Tower. Honecker ends his French visit As tourist Paris a East German Leader Erich Honecker who spent iwo Days talking to the French about disarmament and Trade ended his historic 48-hour visit w Fiance saturday with a bit of tourism. The major subject throughout nil discussions with president Francois Miller Rand Premier Jacques Chirac foreign minister Jean Bernard Raimond and others was ridding Europe of nuclear arms a theme Honecker hammered Home Al each of Bis stops. But saturday was for pleasure. After meeting with communist parly Leader Georges Marchais and Lionel Jospin first Secretary of the socialist party Honecker headed for the Eiffel Tower France s most popular tourist attraction and the Versailles Palace. No accords were signed during the visit. No major political agreements were announced. But As one official at the presidential Palace put it. The Mere fact that the head of the Easl German communist party came to France was a con Crete accomplishment. Hon Cockcr s arrival on thursday marked inc first time an East German Leader had visited one of the three West Ern Powers occupying Berlin since the end of world War ii France Britain and the United states. It came four months after Honecker s trip lowest Germany. My visit to France contributed to deepening further inc Friendly relations Between France and East Germany Hon Cockcr said in a statement summing up his trip. I consider it a contribution to a climate of detente of Confidence and Good neighbor Linss thai has been growing recently in Good neighbor Ness of course Means peace. And peace Means ridding inc continent of the threat of nuclear arms in the East German View. Despite iwo pointed references by Chirac to the Berlin Wall calling it a Symbol of divided Europe and to a Europe bristling with barbed wire Hon Ecker chose to ignore the subject As he did Mitterrand s comment about free circulation of people and ideas. The safeguarding of peace and disarmament were called the main issues
