European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday june 15, 198b the stars and stripes Page 3 Friendship flight9 lets americans spend Day with siberians Nome and prov Deniya Siberia prov Deniya . A a plan Load of americans landed to a warm Welcome tuesday in this Remote siberian town Ai a Friendship flight broke through a Border closed since 1948. After 40 years we arc really excited about seeing our relatives said John Waghiyi Ftp. A siberian yupik Eskimo bom on St. Lawrence Island 43 Miles from the const of Siberia. Schoolchildren waved soviet and american flags. Local officials and Visi tors shouted greetings in russian English and yupik Over the Roar of Jet engines at inc air on. Leaders of the Alaska delegation were handed carnations in front of an Airport building adorned with a sign proclaiming peace and Friendship Between Alaska and Chukola Chukota is the province in which prov Deniya is located. Formal Ity soon gave Way to a frenzy of hugs handshakes and trading of pins flags chewing gum and postcards. We arc very glad to Sec you Galina to grit Secretary of the local communist party committee told a Busload of Eski mos on the Way Inlo town from the air port. Waghiyi said he planned to spend his Day in Siberia looking for a Distant rela Tive on his father s Side. He said he re members visiting the relative As a Young Man just before cold War tensions closed the Alaska Siberia Border. The next year i was going to Sec him at grab cell on St. Lawrence Island. He was going to give me a russian coat but they closed the russian  Waghiyi was among so eskimos alas a politicians peace activists and journalists who made the 225-mile flight aboard an Alaska airlines Boeing 737 from the Western Alaska town of Nome. The soviets approved the one time charter flight earlier this month after two years of work by alaskans. It was a Day Long in coming for James Stimpfle 40, a Nome resident who dreamed up the flight two years ago As a Way to help Haw inc icy relations be tween Alaska and Siberia. Slim pfc said he wrote hundreds of letters to . And soviet officials trying to win acceptance for his idea of break ing Down political barriers with Good will. There s Security in Friendship slim pfc said. His idea won greater acceptance when Alaska airlines the largest air Carrier serving Alaska hopped on the Friend ship flight bandwagon last september. The airline is seeking soviet approval for twice weekly tourist excursions be tween Nome and provi Duniya. Summits Between president kenyan and soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev also helped negotiations said Bob Clarke a stale department official on the night. In the past it was enough o say the americans want to come Here for get Inow you have to have a  the summits were Strong on pc pc to pc pc exchanges Clarke said. This is a real grass roots  provi Duniya with about 5,000 Resi dents is a Gray port town of Concrete Block apartments surrounded by mountains. Remnants of the Winter s pack ice still clog the fringes of the Harbor. Like the Western Alaska town of Nome an old Gold Rush town of 3,700 people provi Deniya has no roads leading to More pop Ulous areas Inland. The soviets arc a bit puzzled Why we want to go to a place Tike prov Demya Clarke said. I just wanted to Sec it said Franklin Kaningok sr., an Eskimo from St. Law rence Island. There might be some rela Tives i be heard of  eskimos once freely crossed the icy Bering Strait in motorboats and Walrus skin Umi aks to Trade and visit with rela Tives. Organizers of the trip said Eastern Siberia is eight time zones away from soviet Leaden in Moscow but it s Only three Miles away from Alaska Al their closest Points. We were like East and Western Ger Many before Waghiyi said. We were like behind inc Iron curtain. Now we re going to be in their front  Deportee fighting for right to return to Israel new York a Mubarak Awad an Arab american adv Cilc of non violent resistance to Israel said tuesday he would iry to rally Public opinion to pressure Israel into allowing him to return to Jerusa Lem his birth place. Israel deported Awad a . Citizen in Defiance of the United Stales. Awad arrived Here monday night but he did not meet waiting reporters at Kennedy International Airport. My immediate pan is to try to have a palestinian peace movement and try to bring the palestinian Issue to the american Public he said on lbs this morn ing program. He said he planned to give lectures and meet with government officials. On Abc s Good morning America he said his message would be there is something wrong there and there is injustice Over  the deportation made Awad the 21 is Arab to be expelled by Israel since the dec 8 Start of the palestinian uprising in the occupied West Dank and Gam strip. Awad a Christian also said he May As a last resort convert to Judaism to take advantage of Israel s Law of return which slates that anyone who is a jew can come to Israel. If it lakes for me to be a jew to go Back there i m willing to do  he said. But in the beginning i have to try other  Charles Kim balt a spokesman for Awad told reporters monday he wanted me to express his deep appreciation to . Officials who protested his deportation. Kim Bali director of Llie Middle East office of the nation Al Council of churches named Secretary of state George Shutlz assistant Secretary of slate Richard Murphy . Ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering and two consuls general in Israel Morris Draper and Bill Wilco. They have worked consistently arduously and enormously helpfully on his behalf from the beginning of this whole process and he s deeply grateful Kim Ball said his words at times drowned out by inc chant ing of anti a wad protesters. The United states condemned israeli prime min ister Yitzhak Shamir s order that Awad a . Citizen be deported. Shamir alleged that Awad played a key role in the Arab uprising in the occupied territories. While House spokesman Marlin Filz Waitr said Mon Day. We think it is unjustifiable to deny or. Awad the right 10 slay and live in Jerusalem where he was bom. If he acted illegally he should have been charged and tried re Mubarak Awad right civil disobedience activist expelled by Israel in Tel Aviv before his deportation. In court with full due process of  Israel has regularly carried out deportations to quell unrest or subdue palestinian nationalist activity notably expelling nine West Bank mayors Between 1980 and 1982. But the number of deportations has greatly increased since the Arab uprising began. Awad whom supporters Call the palestinian Gandhi denied inciting violence against Israel but has supported inc uprising in the territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. Although he has Little influence in the palestinian Community some tactics he advocates such As Las Boycotts and commercial strikes were adopted by leaders of the uprising. Awad who was incarcerated 40 Days in Israel was kept away from reporters in Jerusalem before he left but his idlers 10 supporters from prison were distributed. Even after my departure my efforts will continue Awad wrote. We have no Choice but to continue with the uprising for our  he vowed in the letters to return  deportation was protested by about a dozen israelis at the Jerusalem Airport and 25 supporters m downtown Jerusalem. Dozens of angry israelis staged an Impromptu counter demonstration calling the a and supporters traitors