European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page b the stars and stripes sunday june 26,1988 up photo Ducky mirth japanese Schiml girls Similt at a demonstration of a talking like Donald Duck. Over 400,000 of the Pillow pan s bit so fid breathing a mum air mixture Ulm shaped foil bags of the a future have been sold. World today British dutch belgians to form mine sweeping Force in Gulf London Al British. Dutch and Kilgian ships will form a joint mine keeping task Forte u keep the per inn Gulf dear fur Man Hani vessels the British Euvern Merit announced Friday the flotilla is the first joint european task Force in the Region since the Iran Iraq War began in september ifs la will not increase the number of mine sweepers he three nations already have in the Gulf Ian Stewart armed forces minister of state notified parliament in a written message Friday that five mine sweepers air cad in he Gulf three British one dutch one belgian will begin joint operations july 1, their movements will be controlled by a separate relish vessel under command of a Royal Navy officer a ministry of defense spokesman said. The commander will be assisted by a belgian or dutch staff officer. The arrangements for cooperation Between the Royal Navy and other Western navies in the Gulf re main unchanged Stewart said. Naval units from the United slates soviet Union trance and Italy also patrol the Region offering Protection to their own hag merchant vessels the United slates recently broadened ils role to allow its warships to intervene in attacks on Neutral shipping. Iran attacks Neutral vessels in retaliation for iraqi Nils on its own shipping lanes. The iranians have also been accused of sowing mines. The Western navies have coordinated their efforts in recent years 10 keep the strategic waterway open but have retained separate commands. Last month Stewart said soviet proposals to form a single  task Force in the Gulf would be very difficult to put together. In practical  the British dutch and belgian governments have been engaged in discussions for some time about bringing their minesweepers under joint control the ministry of defense spokesman said speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with British practice. The planned withdrawal of a belgian command ves Sel from the area july 1 strengthened the Case for full cooperation the spokesman said. The new task Force will patrol the area North of Bahrain the spokesman said under the Protection of a destroyer and two frigates from the Royal Navy. The operation is code named Calendar after the successful mine clearance of the Netherlands Scheldt Estuary after world War ii 90 escape bomb blast at s. African restaurant East London South Africa a a Sharp eyed customer at a beachfront restaurant saturday spotted a bomb in the building and led scores of patrons to safety moments before the device exploded police said. The explosion occurred shortly after Midnight at the papa Gallo restaurant on East London s Seaside Esplanade. The bomb believed to be a Limpet mine was seen by a Patron who alerted the manager. Police arrived evacuated about 90 diners and were in the process of evacuating people from neighbouring buildings when the bomb exploded causing extensive damage to the Interior of the restaurant. No injuries were reported. There have been More than 20 bombings in South Africa this year and police have blamed inc outlawed african National Congress guerrilla movement. The Anc has neither claimed nor denied responsibility fur specific recent bombings but has said it seeks to intensify ils attacks Indian Leader shakes up Cabinet for 13th time new Delhi India a prime minister Rajiv Gandhi reshuffled his Cabinet on saturday and said he will no longer serve As his own foreign minister. He said he made he decision in order to Devol More time to politics. The Cabinet changes Gandhi s 13th reshuffle Dur ing his vhf years in office followed setbacks for his Congress party in last week s parliamentary by elections. By divesting himself of the foreign minister s Job Gandhi can turn More attention to the Challenge posed by his chief political rival former defense minister . Singh. China s army to restore military ranking system Beijing up China s people s liberation army the world s largest conventional Force will re store a military ranking system abandoned 20 years ago As a Symbol of maoist egalitarianism. News reports and chinese sources said saturday. The nation s supreme legislative body met saturday to discuss restoration of a formal rank system As part of a continuing program to modernize and streamline China s 3-Milhon-member armed forces the official English language China daily said. The program also includes restoration of military ranks conferred Between 1955 and 1966, awarding of honorary medals for meritorious service by retired Pla veterans and the retirement of older military men. Schools closed in Burma after rioting in 4 cities Rangoon. Burma Jap the government has closed almost All universities and institutions of higher learning in this Southeast asian nation after students rioted in at least four cities Over the past week local residents said saturday. Rangoon where rioting erupted tuesday was Calm. Although traffic was lighter than Normal saturday. A dusk to Dawn curfew remained in Force. Residents contacted by Telephone said classes had been suspended at universities and secondary schools in Mandalay the country second largest City As Well As Tau Ngoyi Moulmein pegu Bascin my Itkina and Akaab. Returning soviet soldiers face travel Nightmare Moscow a soviet soldiers re turning from Afghanistan Are forced to Wail Days and pay Black Market prices to get Home As the summer vacation Rush pushes the country s transportation sys tem to its limits it was reported Friday. Two reporters of the official news Agency Tass described the situation at railway stations in Moscow and airports in various regions where afghan veterans were standing in Long lines to gel Home. One group waited three Days at a mos cow station trying to get to Simferopol the main town in the Crimea one of the soviet Union s prime vacation regions. Tass said. The reporters quoted the group As say ing Cashiers in the uzbek capital of Tash Kent where Many soldiers Sand on their Way Home from Afghanistan were asking for the equivalent of s170 or demanding foreign currency coupons to sell air plane tickets to Moscow. Some veterans then have to wait in the capital penniless leaving Only when they Are sent Money from Home Tass said. A Soldier identified As Sergei Pavlov told the reporters he was Lucky enough to have a commander who made return reservations in Advance for Bis unit. But he complained bitterly about a three hour Wail in 113-Degrec heat at Tashkent s air port to Clear customs. Ill admit we expected some other kind of Welcome Pavlov was quoted As saying. The Tass report quoted a senior de sense ministry official As saying the situation has improved in recent Days the official said the army is doing everything it can to Clear the backlog at railway stations and airports. The Jam is worsened by regular sol Diers resuming Home on summer leave and conscripts finishing their two year compulsory military service the official was quoted As saying. Domestic flights on the state run soviet airline Aeroflot. Arc almost always sold out even in Winter. In summer trains to the South where Many of the country s 284 million people tale vacations Are jammed full. The soviet Union is estimated to have had about 115,000 troops in Afghani Stan. Under an Accord negotiated in Geneva soviet troops began pulling out of Afghanistan May 15. Half the Force is scheduled to be Back Home by he end of August with the withdrawal completed by next feb. 15,