European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 the stars and stripes thursday december a 1988 only2 Days left ,. Priority mail Friday killer quake hits soviet Union Moscow a a disastrous earthquake rocked the Southern soviet Union on wednesday causing significant death and destruction in several cities or Northern Armenia Tass news Agency said. In several regions of Armenia there is significant damage deaths and injuries Hie official soviet news Agency said. The cities of Leni Nakan. Kiro Vakan and also several others especially suffered. Officials said communications had been Cut off with Leni Nakan and there was no estimate of the number of dead. An emergency commission in Yerevan the Armeni an capital was sending soldiers and civilian volunteers to the site. Medical brigades have been sent to the Region of the disaster toss said. Tass said the earthquake was of magnitude 8 on the open ended Richler scale and reached 9 on the 12 Point soviet scale. Official Yerevan radio in a report monitored in London said there were casualties and injuries but did not provide any figures. The Moscow Central seismic Center put the epicentre of the earthquake 30 Miles from Leni Nakan. A City of200,000 people located along the soviet turkish Border. It was Felt in Yerevan 95 Miles to the Southeast and the Atlantis from Page 1 shuttle s newly designed brakes and nose wheel steer ing system. A left inner lire on the rear Landing gear had lost pressure after he Atlantis lifted off Friday but that did not interfere with tuesday s Landing. From liftoff to Landing officials said the flight of the Atlantis lasted four Days nine hours six minute Sand 19 seconds. It was one of the few official statements to emerge from the Mission. In another departure from practice the final flight path of the Atlantis was not made Public until people on the ground could see the Craft Loop in on its approach. A handful of spectators including 12 report ers space Industry employees and fiends and family of the astronauts stood near runway 17, astronauts favor the runway which extends 7 Amiles Down a dry Lake bed because it is three times As wide As the others at the base. Tuesday s Landing differed sharply from that of the shuttle discovery on oct. 4, when an estimated 400,000 people whooping with Joy lined the Edwards runway. The discovery was the first shuttle to Fly after the challenger explosion that killed seven astronauts in january 1986, the Atlantis blasted off Friday morning from the Kennedy space Center at Cape canaveral Fla. Ali five astronauts were Comdr Robert l. Gibson of the Navy the flight commander Navy Comdr William m. Shep Herd and col Jerry l. Ross col Richard a Mullan and it. Col. Guys Gardner All of the air Force. It was the 27th flight of a space shuttle and the third devoted exclusively 10 military operations. Soviet caucasus Republic of Conjia As Well. Turkey s official radio reported four deaths across the Border in Eastern Turkey. Tass said a government commission headed by Dep Uty Premier Boris Shcherbina had been set up. Jointly with Republican bodies the commission is taking every necessary measure to organize Rescue operations Ren Der assistance to quake victims provide the people with housing and food supplies it said. Vitally important installations Are being restored first and Foremost Tass said. The quake struck a area where tension Between armenians and azerbaijanis has resulted in ethnic Vio Lence. More than 180,000 refugees arc reported to have fled across the armenian azerbaijani Border in the past three weeks. Scientists at the National earthquake information service in Golden colo., later said the main Shock in soviet Georgia on wednesday was followed less than five minutes later by a moderate aftershock. The main Shock occurred at 11 41 , local time and was recorded Al a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale a magnitude 5.8 aftershock occurred 4 minutes 17 seconds later in the same area inc scientists said. Gorbachev from Page 1 country s defense capability at a level of reasonable and reliable sufficiency to Deicer attack. Echoing a proposal by afghan Leader Najib Gorba Chev asked for an International conference to Guaran tee inc neutrality and demilitarization of the mountainous country on the soviet Border where soviet troops have been bogged Down for nine years. In a speech that blended ponderous rhetoric with a quotation from poet John Donne the soviet Leader said the Bell of every regional conflict tolls for All of  addition Gorbachev said Bush will find the soviet Union a ready partner in continuing negotiations for a 50-percent Cut in strategic nuclear arsenals and expressed Hope there would be no Long pauses or Back tracking in us Sovil relations during the transition from the Reagan to Bush administrations. Gorbachev was meeting Over lunch with Bush and Reagan at governors Island in new York Harbor. Calling for a period of peace Gorbachev said that cold War politicians find it particularly hard to aban Don old stereotypes and past practices but in an apparent reference to Reagan and British prime min ister Margaret Thatcher he said some Western leaders Are now drawing the appropriate  Reagan arriving at governors Island was asked whether the soviet arms move would move Forward arms control talks. Well have to Wail and Sec Rea Gan said. In a speech to a Hall packed with diplomats including a solemn Secretary of stale George Shultz Gorbachev also called for Steps to alleviate the Burden of debt repayment on underdeveloped countries and called for International Steps to safeguard the environment. But he said the use of threat of Force no longer can or must be an instrument of foreign  he said by 1991 the soviets would withdraw 50,000 men and 5,000 tanks from East Germany Czechoslovakia and Hungary. It is believed the soviets have 500,000 troops in that Region. Gorbachev and his aides had Long been hinting at the reduction but had been opposed by top soviet generals notably marshal Sergei Fakhr Omeyer the Mil itary chief of staff. Soviet spokesman Gennady Gerasi mov said wednesday that Fakhr Omeyer had retired for. Reasons of  /. Gorbachev said there would be further reductions on soviet soil bordering Eastern Europe As Well As along the asian Borders. Gorbachev said Many of the forces to be pulled out of Europe including six tank divisions from East Germany Czechoslovakia and Hungary would be disbanded. V in a bold stroke thai nonetheless had been anticipated for some months by Western observers the reformist soviet president said he intends to convert his Economy to an Economy of disarmament and would develop and publish its plans for converting its defense plants and shilling military specialists into civilian Industry. Treaty from Page 1 ". Pueblo army depot colo., where destruction of per things began dec. 5 inc longhorn army ammunition depot Texas for destruction of Pershing the equip ment maintenance Center Hausen West Germany for destruction of Pershing launchers and Davis Mon than fab ariz., for the destruction of gloms and Glam launchers. The soviets have eight separate Sites at which the destroy their various missiles and launchers. So far . Officials in charge of implementing the inf agreement said the operation is going smoothly. "1 can say from our viewpoint we Haven t had any major problems said col. John per chief of the on site inspection Agency s european Field office at Rhein Mai Nab West Germany. Dealings Between soviet and american inspectors have evolved Over Lime into a comfortable working relalionship/hcsaid1- v a a a. It s business but we be found that on the soviet Side a lot of the same familiar faces have surfaced on these teams when we meet in curio escort them to various places. I be found that the More you work with inc soviets with whom you be had experience before the easier it  although each Side has a Pool of 200 different inspectors with various skills the logistics of the inspections vary widely. . Inspectors must visit a total of 133 installations in the soviet Union and other Warsaw pact countries while soviet inspectors have Only 26 Sites Al 21 locations in the United states and Europe. The first 90 Days after the treaty went into Force soviet and american officials conducted Baseline inspections to verify what each Side had at its missile bases. So far the soviets have made 54 inspections of . Facilities both in the United states and Europe an two others Are currently under Way. . Inspectors have made 175 inspections of facilities in both the soviet Union and other Warsaw pact countries and two others Are continuing. / during the current phase inspectors can conduct Short notice inspections which can be made for 13 years after the treaty goes into effect allowing each Side to conduct inspections at facilities with Little and Vance notice  v a. There also will be close out inspections when bases no longer contain treaty items. Elimination inspections allow the United states and soviet Union to oversee the destruction of missiles and launchers Al Elimina Tion facilities.,. A for their part the soviet inspectors have shown themselves to be Well versed in the details of the treaty. Per said just As our people Are too and not thai i would t expert them to be otherwise. But it s reassuring to know they re not just shooting from the hip with respect to the  there have been relatively few problems associated with the inspections. I be found that when we reach an impasse on a particular Point in has been relatively easy to discuss in with them in very Calm dispassionate terms nol any of the stereotype movie things where one lakes off his shoe and pounds on the podium and throws a Tan Tram ultimately the inf agreement s legacy May reach far beyond inc missiles eliminated under the terms of the treat the treaty the first Ever to reduce rather than just limit nuclear arms eventually May Lead to More arms reductions Between the superpowers. Filing the great differences Between the Warsaw pact and nato in conventional forces the United Stales has stepped up efforts to prod the soviets to make Large cuts in its manpower artillery tanks and v other equipment. Gorbachev announced wednesday at the United nations thai the soviet Union would unilaterally cuties military forces by a half million troops and will reduce its conventional arms substantially i the United states estimates that the soviet have 5.6 million troops in uniform Gorbachev said the move comes without relation to stalled International negotiation in Vienna aus Tria to reduce Bolh Warsaw pact and nato conventional forces in Central Europe. Nato Secretary general Manfred Warner said wednesday before Gorbachev s announcement thai he would Welcome a move by the soviet Leader to make dramatic unilateral reductions in ground forces. They Are due Warner told a new conference on the eve of a two Day meeting of foreign ministers of the 16-nation North Atlantic treaty organization. If he does make. Unilateral reductions cull i think these Are Steps in the right