European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes tuesday August 9,1988 news updates police apologize Jerusalem a police apologized to a teen age girl monday and returned her to shirt critical of military censorship after illegally confiscating it in a bus station. Tamar Forman 14, a daughter of american immigrants said she planned to continue wearing the White shirt inscribed in red with Freedom of the press in he brew arabic and English despite the controversy it stirred. The shirt also is engraved in Black with a mockery of a military censor s stamp that says the state of Israel is disqualified and a picture of a Soldier gagging a Man whose hands Are tied. British envoy to Iran London a Britain will Send a Diplomat to Iran for the first time in a year the foreign office said monday. A foreign office spokesman said David Reddaway a first Secretary will spend two to three weeks in Tehran to test the water and will then report Back. The announcement followed a marked improvement in relations Between Britain and Tehran Over the past six weeks raising some Hopes that britons held by pro iranian Cap tors in Lebanon might be freed. British diplomats who work out of the swedish embassy in Tehran were withdrawn and Britain All but broke diplomatic relations with Iran last summer. The pullout came after a British Diplomat was kidnapped and beaten up in apparent reprisal for British police arresting an iranian envoy on shoplifting charges. More seals die Kiel West Germany a More than 100 seals died in the coastal Waters of the Northern West German state of Schleswig Holstein Over the weekend officials said monday. That raises the total number of seals who have died from a mysterious virus in Schleswig Holstein coastal Waters to 2,098, said a spokesman for the state s Environ ment ministry. The virus struck North sea seals earlier this year. West German environmentalists blame it on waste from Industry but scientists say they do not really know what has caused it. Direct Call in hotel requests offered in Berchtesgaden by Charlie Bowden Munich Bureau Garmisch West Germany the armed forces recreation Center is expanding its Call in reservation system to include customer requests directly to hotels in Berchtesgaden the first step in upgrading the reservations program of the bavarian resort hotels. The move also is part of an Effort to lighten the Load at the Central reservations office in Garmisch which aver Ages about 1,000 Calls a Day during Peak season arc spokesman Harry con nors said. Despite increasing the Central Reser vation office staff and phone lines in the last year arc is unable to expand fast enough to keep up with the demand Connors said. Allowing Calls for reservations directly to the hotels in Berchtesgaden is the first step toward allowing customers to make reservations at their hotel of Choice or through the Central reservations office. The major Benefit from this change is that customers can Call the hotel 24 hours a Day Connors said. Eventually All of the hotels and the Central reservations office will be linked by computer similar to those used by most hotel chains for handling Reser vation requests. To make reservations at arc hotels in Berchtesgaden individuals can Call ets 441-5623 or 5823 or German civil Ian 08652-58623 or 58823. Hotels in Berchtesgaden include the general Walker general Mcnair Alpine inn Berchtesgaden or Hof Skytop Lodge and Evergreen Lodge. Reservations can be made up to 90 Days in Advance. Those wishing to make reservations for recreation packages or group travel still must go through the Central reservations office at ets 440-2575 recreation or 440-2574 group travel. To further Aid the reservations pro Cess and Cut Down on customer complaints about being unable to reach the Central reservations office arc is installing an after hours answering machine. While the message service will not confirm a reservation it will allow customers to request a reservation or other information after the office is closed. Reservation clerks will return Calls the next Day. Customers should leave their name Day Telephone number and Brief summary of their request. Arc officials also Are pushing mail in reservation requests Connors said. Several thousand pre printed reservation request forms Are being distributed to military information tour and travel offices. Requests also can be made using telex number 592417 or Tel fax number 08821-74216. The Central reservations office is open 7 . To 8 . Weekdays and 7 30 . To 6 . Weekends. Vincennes saves 5 ran an fishermen Washington a the Vin Cennes the guided missile Cruiser that mistakenly shot Down an iranian Airliner last month rescued five iranian Fisher men Over the weekend. The fishermen apparently had been Drifting in a Dinghy for More than a week defense officials said monday. The officials who asked not to be identified said the guided missile Cruiser was on a routine patrol in the Gulf of Oman just below the Entrance to the persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz when it spotted the five fishermen in a Small Dinghy sunday. The men were quickly taken aboard and treated for what were described As minor injuries primarily dehydration and hypothermia the officials added. The five identified themselves As fishermen whose boat Sank while work ing in the Gulf of Oman said one source. They had apparently been adrift for several Days possibly up to eight  the sources said the men were still aboard the Vincennes monday awaiting arrangements to return to Iran. The Vincennes took up patrol duties just outside the persian Gulf not Long after it accidentally shot Down an iranian Airliner july 3, killing All 290 aboard. The guided missile Cruiser had just emerged from a Battle with iranian gun boats when its radar operators detected what Crew members thought was an Ira Nian f-14 fighter. According to a Pentagon report that has not been released publicly the stress of first time combat contributed to Crew errors in tracking and targeting the ill fated Airliner. Germans reject ban on Ramstein air show Mainz West Germany is opponents of Ramstein a s annual plug tag air show have been told by Rhein land Pfalz state officials that no reason exists to forbid the . Base from hold ing the event this year. The aug. 28 air show is expected to draw about 500,000 visitors. In a written response to members of the social democratic and free demo cratic political parties Rheinland Pfalz spokesman Hanns Schreiner said Friday the . Air Force traditionally has oper ated the air show under rules and regulations outlined by the German govern ment. Therefore Schreiner said there is no cause to Block the Daylong aircraft exhibit. Citing potential dangers of flying demonstrations representatives of the two parties had sought assistance from the state government in forcing the event s cancellation. Asked to comment on the opposition to the event base spokeswoman maj. Kathleen White said monday we will be  individuals in the social democratic and free democratic parties in Kaiserslautern have stepped up their efforts in recent months to discourage other Ger Man officials from attending this year s air show. A letter writing Campaign to die Rhei Pfalz a local German newspaper has served As Public announcement from some politicians that they plan to Boycott the 1988 air fair. British ship almost downed plane newspaper says London a a British warship came within 10 seconds of shooting Down a civilian aircraft Over the persian Gulf last year a newspaper reported Sun Day. The weekly observer quoting unnamed air traffic controllers in Dubai United Arab emirates reported that the destroyer Cardiff last year targeted surface to air missiles at a cargo plane. The observer did not specify the Date and did not further identify the plane but said the alleged incident had never previously been disclosed. Air traffic controllers quoted by the newspaper said the incident highlighted the dangers of foreign warships operating in the Gulf where Iran and Iraq have both attacked shipping in their eight year War. The Cardiff was on routine escort duty when the cargo plane flew Over the ship by mistake and the Pilot was not linked to an emergency military radio frequency that could have been used to warn him the newspaper quoted the controllers As saying. When the Pilot did not respond to warnings from the ship the observer said preparations were made to shoot Down the plane. Anti aircraft missiles were within 10 seconds of being launched when a final Check revealed the plane was not  the observer reported no comment from the Royal Navy. Nasa reschedules test of discovery s engines Cape canaveral Fla. A Nas rescheduled the crucial hot fire test of shuttle disc9v Ery s engines for wednesday morning after replacing the defective valve sensor combination that caused a last second scrub last week. The test in which All three of the shuttle s engines Are fired was set for 7 30 . Technicians were to begin the countdown for the test at 6 10 . Tuesday. The shuttle s engines were to have been tested Las thursday but the sensor reported that a one Inch valve which circulates coolant before firing had no closed to where it was supposed to be. The engines inboard computer aborted the test before ignition. Technicians spent the weekend swapping out the mechanism. Monday the blast doors that protect the shuttle during the firing were being installed and scaffolding was being removed. The engines will be fired for 22 seconds with the shuttle bolted firmly to the pad. The ship s two solid fuel Booster rockets will not be ignited. The firing tests not Only the engines but the entire countdown process the shuttle system and launch teams. It is a requirement in View of the fact that shuttle has not flown in the More than 2 /2 years since the challenger explosion. The discovery is being treated As if it were an untried new ship. No Date has been set for the discovery s launch wit five astronauts on Board but five postponements of the hot fire test to Date have made it All but certain that Nasa can t meet a late september target. The sensor which signals the valve s open close position to the ship s inboard computer gave a wrong Reading last thursday and the flight readiness firing test was aborted. Engineers determined that the valve was in the proper position but decided to replace Bot because they Are in the same subassembly. That work was finished by Midnight saturday Crew spent sunday reconnecting lines and hoses and testing everything for leaks