European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday july 15, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 3 200,000 armenians mount protest continuing strike paralyses capita Moscow a More than 200,000 people rallied in the armenian capital of Yerevan to demand annexation of an armenian enclave in neighbor ing Azerbaijan and a strike thursday paralysed Many of the City s industries sources said. People took to the streets wednesday night after learning that Azerbaijan s government had overridden Magorno Karabash s decision to secede and join Armenia Hovik Vasilyan an armenian activist said by Telephone from Armenia. There will be another rally in Yere Van tonight and the reaction of the armenian people to Azerbaijan s impudent lie will become visible said Vasilyan a former political prisoner. The presidium of Azerbaijan s supreme soviet met tuesday night just a few hours after the secession declaration by Magorno Karabash s legislature and declared the regional parliament s Deci Sion illegal. Soviet Media did not announce the ruling until wednesday. Armenians have been agitating for five months for the Transfer of Magorno Kara Bakh to Armenia resisting authorities in Moscow and Azerbaijan who oppose any change in the territorial status of the mountainous Region of 160,000 people. In february 32 people died in ethnic rioting in the azerbaijani City of sum gait. Ethnic armenians Are predominantly Christian most azerbaijanis Are mos Lem. Rem Ananikian Deputy director of the official armentress news Agency said by Telephone that More than 200,000 people gathered outside a Yere Van historical Institute wednesday night to Call again for the annexation of Nagor no Karabash. They demanded that this decision be solved that the strike be continued an Atikyan said. He said armenians expect the presidium of the supreme soviet the highest executive body in the soviet government to meet monday in Moscow to consider the Magorno Karabash question. No such meeting has been announced officially. Participants in wednesday night s demonstration called for a continuation of the strike until july 18th, that is until the meeting of the presidium Anani Kyan said. A photo More than 200,000 protesters pack the streets of the soviet armenian capital of Yerevan thursday in a mass demonstration against a ruling against the annexation of the neighbouring Region of Magorno Karabash. He said the armenian capital of 1.1 million people was Calm thursday morn ing and the subway and other Public transportation were working normally but strikes continued in Many of the City s factories. Vasilyan said basically the entire re Public is not  the communist party daily pravda reported thursday that the widespread work stoppage which began july 4, has caused $65 million in lost economic production and construction work Worth $29 million was not carried out. Radio Moscow also said police were investigating Magorno Karabash Resi dents who had manufactured or acquired weapons but it gave no clue As to what the arms might have been intended for. Soviet television reported wednesday that police in the District had confiscated dozens of grenades pistols revolvers sawed off shotguns and ammunition from residents in the past month. Redstone Arsenal hit with contract fraud probe Washington a a 45-minute Job inflated to show 23 hours of work. Two workers painting stripes in a parking lot while eight others simply watched. Idle workers being told to hide from investigators. That is just part of a Long list of allegations by Federal criminal investigators looking into allegations of contract fraud at the army s main missile Headquarters a congressional Agency revealed wednesday. The army s criminal investigation come is looking at the allegations which involve contracts at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville ala., said David c. Williams of the government accounting office. Williams with the Gao s office of special investigations was testifying before the House government operations National Security subcommittee. The Redstone investigations Are not related to the ongoing Pentagon bribery investigation. That investigation is focused on allegations that defense con tractors and their consultants bribed Pentagon officials for inside information that could have been vital in bidding for contracts most of them with the Navy Worth billions of dollars. No charges have been filed. Williams said one of the Gao investigations at Redstone involved a five year $250 million contract Between the army missile come and the Holmes and Narver corp. Of Orange calif., and the Morri son Knudsen corp. Of Boise Idaho for base support activities. Another Case revealed that building supplies were Given away to workers and government employees to cover inflated and falsified labor charges. Paint was thrown away and in some cases dumped into the Tennessee River Williams said. A review of maintenance records for army vehicles focusing Only on Oil changes and lube jobs showed the army was overcharged by 262 percent. In another Case Williams said the Gradwell co. Of Huntsville charged the government for wages for employees who did not show up. Gradwell also billed the g9vernment $86,000 for nonexistent repair parts he said. Williams also said the Gao looked at contract awards for Small businesses at Redstone. For example he said there appeared to be improprieties in the awarding of time and material con tracts. In 263 of those contracts studied last year 45 of them showed that contractor bid proposals were within 1 percent of the government s Cost Esti mates suggesting that there might have been unauthorized releases of government estimates or that contractors themselves prepared the government s Cost estimates Williams said. He cited three examples including one $49,000 Job in which a contractor submitted a proposal Only $3 off the government s estimate another $650,000 Job where a bid came in that was Only $7.60 off the government estimate and a $1.3 million bid Only $323 off the government s estimate. Williams detailed another Case which revealed apparent favouritism in two contract awards by army it. Gen. John Wall commander of the army strategic defense come toward bpm International inc. Of Mclean a. In one Case the Gao said Wall directed bpm be made the interim contractor for a major research initiative. According to Williams bpm also lost out to Tel Edyne Brown engineering on a $500 million contract but Wall ordered 240,000 hours of support work shifted from Tel Edyne to bpm. Since bpm charges $ 15 per hour More than Tele Dyne Williams said this could result in an expected increase in Cost of approximately $3.6 Mil  Wall was investigated by the army and reprimanded two months ago. He retired in june