European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 27, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday july 27,1988 Walters doubts . Will resume relations with Iran before 9 hostages Are released Washington a the . Ambassador to the United nations said tuesday it would be very difficult to restore Normal relations with Iran before the release of hostages held in Lebanon by pro iranian extremists. Vernon Walters said he thought it is unlikely there will be any re establishment of relations with Tehran at least in the next couple of months because of the hos Tage situation. Walters made the remarks amid statements from the Reagan administration that it is prepared to discuss the hostage problem with Iran but Only with authoritative figures and with no Deal making. President Reagan asked monday whether the time had come to talk to iranian officials about the hostages replied if they re willing and ready to talk it s  the administration has expressed interest in establishing a dialogue with authoritative iranian leaders but no official has yet publicly suggested that a rapprochement could take place in the absence of a hostage release. In an interview on lbs to s this morning Wal ters was asked if it was possible to normalize relations with Iran before the nine american hostages Are re leased. Well it would be very difficult he replied. There s no question that the people that Are holding the hostages have some kind of allegiance or connection with Iran. I think it would be very difficult for us to justify anything unless they released the  news updates gurkha Council plan new Delhi India a a special administrative Council dominated by gurkhas will be set up in West Bengal state As part of a plan to end a separatist War by gurkha militants the government says. The Council will administer 1,080 Square Miles in the Tea grow ing darjeeling District of West Bengal. More than 1.4 million gurkhas who Are indians of nepalese descent live in the area. Militant gurkhas launched an Campaign for a separate state with in the Indian Union in May 1986, claiming their cultural and social identity was being swamped by migrants from other parts of West Bengal. Seals bodies found Stockholm Sweden a the bodies of 320 club seals victims of a virus sweeping North european Waters were found on Sweden s West coast last weekend Sven ska Dag bladet reported tues Day. The newspaper said 2,300 dead seals had died on the West coast of Sweden and another 1,500 had perished on danish and norwegian shores since late May when the epidemic began. Seal deaths have also been re ported in West Germany where environmentalists demonstrated last weekend for stronger measures against pollution. The latest 320 deaths amounted to about one tenth of the remain ing club seals along the swedish West coast the report said. Biologists have diagnosed the virus As a Type of herpes and say it May have been caused by pollution but no source has been pin pointed. Highway deaths Cut Rome a reduced Speed limits have helped to Cut Down the number of deaths on italian High ways police officials reported monday. Nineteen people were killed in Highway accidents sunday the Day the new limits went into effect according to official figures com piled by traffic police around the nation. That compared to 25 deaths on the corresponding Day last year. Speed limits were reduced from 87 Mph to 68 on superhighways and from 68 Mph to 56 Mph on smaller  s Public works minister Enrico Ferri announced the new limits last week following a bloody weekend in which 95 people die Don italian roads. The limits Are due to last until sept. 11.six thousand speeding tickets were issued sunday. Navy Secretary says peace movement in Gulf will not be a Hasty process  Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy Secretary of the Navy William Ball just Back from the embattled persian Gulf said he sees signs of Hope in recent moves toward a cease fire Between warring Iran and Iraq but warned that events Likely will move slowly. There has been a lot of activity in the last 24 hours in that part of the world Ball told sailors and marines gathered monday at the naval support activity in Naples but this movement toward peace will not be a Hasty  and the beefed up . Military pres ence in the Region won t be withdrawn until the threat to shipping is reduced Ball said. The purpose of our having additional ships in the Gulf is to protect shipping he said. Should the threat to shipping in the Gulf diminish we can consider reducing the number of ships  Ball spent saturday and sunday visit ing eight of the approximately 16 . Warships in the Gulf. He made the trip to see How embarked sailors and marines were doing and to find out what their concerns were an aide said. Ball did not visit the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes during his trip. The ship downed an iranian jetliner july 3, killing All 290 passengers. Ball did not Call on the ship because it was not operating close to the area he visited the aide said. While impressed by the High morale aboard the ships Ball found the sailors biggest concern is that their families Are worrying about them the aide said. Ship commanders reported that sup ply lines were working Well because of the priority treatment the vessels receive according to the aide. Some said their ships Are in the Best shape they have Ever been in but they did report that Wear and tear Are taking their toll on air conditioning units he said. Before visiting the Gulf Ball spent two Days conferring with French Navy officials in Paris and observing French naval training exercises in and around Toulon France. He flew to Naples late sunday meet ing monday with nato and . Navy officers and visiting the guided missile Cruiser Belknap while the 6th Fleet Flag ship was at sea. Ball was scheduled to Fly to Brussels for meetings with nato officials tues Day before returning to Washington wednesday. Army names Soldier killed in car crash Hanau West Germany is the 3rd support come tuesday released the name of the Soldier killed last week in a car Accident West of Hanau. Sgt. Joel j. Vandersee was turning left at a flashing yellow Light onto Mintals Tasse july 20 when a German motor cyclist hit the Driver s Side of his 1987 Ford Tempo. Both Vandersee and the cyclist were killed. The Soldier from 71st Ord co 8th Maint in 16th support group was 23. A passenger in Vandersee s car pvt. 2 Daniel e. Theobald was in satisfactory condition tuesday in the Frankfurt army regional medical Center a Hospi Tal spokesman said. Theobald also is As signed to the 71st Ord co. Vandersee of Phoenix ariz., is sur Vived by his wife Laura and 9-month old daughter Stephanie. A memorial service for Vandersee was held tuesday. Bank gives insurance notice Frankfurt West Germany merchants National Bank customers have until saturday to change direct debit authorizations still in effect under american express Bank. According to Robert Schindler merchants general manager insurance premiums May not be paid if Bank customers fail to notify their insurance companies about the new Bank handling the paper work. We noted Over 70 drafts still being routed to american express in new York instead of to merchants in Indianapolis said Schindler. After sunday he said drafts still assigned to american express will be returned unpaid to the insurance companies. Also personal checks carrying the american express logo won t be accepted after sunday for merchants Bank accounts. Schindler stressed that sure pay and direct Deposit arrangements checking savings transfers standing payment orders and automatic loan payments Are not affected by this deadline and require no Cus Tomer action. 3rd army div officer drowns when kayak flips Landeck Austria a 24-year-old first lieu tenant drowned saturday when his kayak Over turned and his safety line snagged on rocks along the Bottom of a River a 3rd army div spokeswoman said tuesday. First it. Michael s. Pierce a platoon Leader with cod 1st in 36th inf in Friedberg West Germany was pronounced dead by an austrian doctor soon after the 3 . Accident the spokeswoman said. Landeck is about 60 Miles South of Garr Nisch West Germany. The Concord mass., native is survived by his wife 2nd it. Laura e. Pierce of the 61st my co in Hanau and his parents John and Geri Pierce of Concord mass. Athens Greece a Greece and the soviet Union on tuesday signed a contract for a $2.3 billion Deal to Supply greek cities with soviet natural Gas. Industry ministry officials said a 437-mile pipeline from Bulgaria will carry up to 1 billion cubic meters of natural Gas annually to Greece from 1992. The Purchase is expected to exceed 2.4 billion cubic meters annually by 2002, but the officials gave no Price details. The contract signed by the soviet Union s Soju Gas Export and Testate owned greek Public Petroleum corporation Waswill make Greece the 14th european country buying soviet natural Gas Industry ministry officials said. According to Energy experts the soviet Gas would cover about 13per cent of Greece s annual Energy requirement. Car crash victim s widow recovering in . Hospital Basingstoke England the widow of a department of defense dependents schools employee was in satisfactory condition tuesday following a Sun Day car Accident that claimed her husband s life. Martha Rossier was taken to Basingstoke District Hospital after she and her husband c. Kent were involved in a two car crash about 60 Miles Southwest of London a Lindsey air station spokesman said. C. Kent Rossier science coordinator for the Dodds Northern Germany Region died from injuries suffered in the  memorial service has not yet been scheduled