European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 1, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes thursday september 1, t9�b rules for importing foreign cars temporarily eased for military by the stars and Stripe the environmental i Rol Calion Agency has granted Grace period to the military through 1990 for shipping sonic  car to the United slates. Service members who purchased foreign specification cars before dec i 1987. Now will be permitted to ship them Back through dec. 31, 1990, under less restrictive i a guidelines. Our surveys show that an estimated 10,000 cry  throughout Europe arc affected by this decision said Victoria Logan a Usarek transportation official. Logan mid that old i a rules allowed individuals personally to import and convert foreign specification vehicles to meet . Department of transportation and i a emission standards. That policy also allowed a waiver of Epa standards for vehicles five Model years old or older. Then Epa rules that a Cal into Eitel july 1 authorized Only Agency approved Independent commercial importers to import non-. Specification vehicles into the United slates. The vehicles had to be brought up to current i a standards. Now the Epa is granting a hardship is lion to the new rules for department of defense employees who were not Able to return the so called Gray mar Ket vehicles to the United so alas before the restrictions took effect. Logan said. During the Grace period in will not be necessary to ship the vehicle through an approved commercial importer and the old rules will apply. In order to qualify for the hardship exemption Logan said the following requirements must be met the vehicle must be .11 least five Model years old on the Date it is shipped from overseas. For these Pur poses the Model year ends aug. 31 of each Calendar year. The vehicle must be shipped from a foreign port before Jan. 1.1991. The importer must have owned the vehicle before dec. I 1987, and be Able to provide a copy of a dated Bill of Sale or registration document that proves this. It must be the first importation of a non con forming motor vehicle by the owner. The vehicle must be imported for personal use and its Purchase cannot have been arranged by a Busi Ness or agent. The vehicle canno be sold for at least two years from the Dale of importation the importer must be an individual not a Busi Ness. If All of the requirements arc met the importer mus submit supporting documentation to the Epa so obtain a prior written approval letter. However defense department employees can get the letter at local transportation offices Logan said. The forms have not been received yet but we expect them by mid september and they will be issued to All installation transportation offices she said. "theu.s. Customs service will not allow the vehicle to enter without the approval  More information is available at local transportation offices Logan said. News updates Delvalle buys horses Ocala Fla. A i the de posed but ,-recognized presi Dent of Panama Eric Arturo do Vaile visited this Central Florida Community to buy horses a spokesman wid tuesday. Alberto Garcia do i Aredus the panamanian Consul general in new York said he and Delval Leliac Chen in Ocala since saturday to attend lilt annual open Sale of yearling thoroughbreds at inc Ocala uric dvrs sales. A horseman whose family was a founder of a race track in Panama Delvalle bought n filly for $10,000 on tuesday and a Coll for $20,000 on monday. The United so alas has continued to recognize Delvalle As Panama s Leader since he was ousted feb. 26by Gen Manuel Antonio Noriega alter trying to fire the military ruler. Delvalle who has been in hid ing in Panama is expected 10 meet with us officials during his visit to this country. Jokes preceded crash Denver apr a Black Box Lap recording from an ill fated Continental airlines flight shows the pilots joked about a night attendant s dating habits but failed to discuss the Snow falling before the Jet crashed killing 28 people a newspaper reported. In the nearly three minutes of Pilot conversation omitted from a nation Al transportation safety Board Tran script released earlier discussion be tween the Pilot and co Pilot entered around whether a woman flight Atten Dant dated pilots the Denver Post reported wednesday. To litre was no discussion about de icing the Jet or of the Snow falling at Stapleton International Airport in the minutes before the nov. 15, 1987, crash the newspaper said. The Union of flight attendants has filed a statement with the transportation Board saying that the tap shows the pilots discussing unnecessary and unprofessional  soviet capsule docks with orbiting station Moscow a two soviets and the first afghan in space docked their soyuz to 6 capsule with the Mir orbiting space station wednesday joining two soviet cosmonauts who have been in space More than eight months Tass reported. The state run news Agency said the Cap sule linked up with the space station at 9 4 . Moscow time. The cosmonauts feel Well Tass said. The capsule launched two Days ago from the Bai Konur space Center in soviet Cen trial Asia carried a Veteran cosmonaut a doctor and an afghan air Force Pilot. Soviet television showed a live transmission of the Crew entering the space station and meeting with the cosmonauts already inboard. Afghan cosmonaut Abdul Ahad Moh a Rand was shown Reading portions of Koran the moslem holy Book. The cosmonauts who have been aboard Mir for eight months have been reported in Good health. 8 Hurt As army truck German bus collide Tauher Bischofsheim West Ger Many is eight people were injured wednesday when a . Army truck hit a German m Hilary bus on an expressway exit in Taubr Bischofsheim about 15 Miles Southwest of Wurzburg police said. The american truck Driver and seven German soldiers in the fully loaded bus required Hospital treatment for injuries although none of he injuries appeared life threatening said police spokesman Herbert pc Rufio. . Army officials could not immediately determine the identity of the Driver or the unit to which he belonged. A spokeswoman at the county Hospital in Taube Bischofsheim said seven of the Acci Dent victims received treatment there. The remaining victim was treated at a medical facility in nearby win Ryburg. Other soldiers also suffered minor injuries. Fertile said. The Accident occurred As four . Trucks exited the southbound lanes of Auto Bahn 81 behind a column of German Mili tary vehicles. The first . Truck apparently was travelling too fast on inc ramp an the Driver applied the brakes too Laic to avoid striking the bus Fercho said. The Impact then pushed the bus into a Small German military truck. Damage to the three vehicles totalled be tween $80,000 and 1165,000, according to Fercho. Missile Wing deactivated under inf agreement by Mark Walsh staff writer Woen Sprecht a Netherlands the first . Unit deactivated under terms of the intermediate Range nuclear forces agreement lowered the american Flag wednesday marking the official end of the 486th tac missile Wing. The dutch base had been scheduled to receive 48 ground launched cruise missiles but inf negotiations ultimately stalled the missiles deployment. From the very beginning Owens Dracht and the 486th tactical mis Sile Wing were something  col. Calvin l. Chasten commander of the 485th tac missile Wing at Florences a Belgium told about 250 military and civilian guests at ceremonies marking Hie base s deactivation. There have been and will be other new bases and wings. But few will nil such a critical need or occupy such an important place in  the first contingent of americans began arriving at the base in octo Ber 1986, following what chasten called nine years of intense Effort on the part of the nato  Only a handful of americans remained at the base wednesday and they Are sex peeled to depart Owens Dracht within the next month. Since the base began building up for operations about $123 million was pumped into the facility for dormitories maintenance storage shelters and Security systems. Construction Money came from ., dutch and nato funds. A tour of the american Side of the installation revealed unoccupied but Brand new buildings. The Wing Headquarters was the Only facility 10 have gone into full use. Chasten said a Small contingent of . Military personnel would open a communications site at the base next year. The base will continue to be used by the dutch air Force for Pilot training and overhauling aircraft engines worns Dracht is the Only base in the Netherlands affected by the treaty. It was visited last month by a team of soviets conducting inspections in accordance with the inf agreement. 2 . Soldiers accused of robbing taxi Driver Nurnberg. West Germany two . Soldiers were arrested late saturday by German police after they allegedly robbed a taxi Driver a Community spokesman said wednesday. The soldiers identified Only As two enlisted men from mar Roll Barracks allegedly threw Pep per into inc eyes of the Driver and fled with his Wallet containing about 90 Marks s49said capt. Glenn Golightly of the 2nd army Cav Rygl. The taxi Driver who was not injured irn Midi ally reported inc incident and German police apprehended inc soldiers As they fled. The me have been released to . Custody pending fur ther investigation by military authorities. A fan Navy officer to Lead Allied Southern european unit Mons. Belgium italian Navy vice . Filippo Ruggiero will assume duties As commander of Allied naval forces Southern Europe sept. 12. Ruggiero 59, will succeed . Sergio Majoli who has served 18 months As commander shape official said tuesday aug Micro s previous assignments have included stints As Deputy chief of staff to the commander of the italian Fleet commandant of he naval Academy Fla officer of the 1st naval div chief of staff la the com Mander of the italian Heel and Deputy chief of staff of the italian Navy. Mis last assignment was As commander of the italian fled and commander Central Mediterranean