European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday february 18, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 this photograph by West German photo journalist Martin Fuger titled air plane disaster Ramstein has won first prize in the spot news category of the spot news prize Winner world press photo contest 89, it was announced in Amsterdam Friday. The picture shows an italian air Force Jet fighter disintegrating after a fiery collision with two other italian acrobatic planes taking part in an air show at Ramstein a West Germany. Seventy lives were lost in the disaster. Imhausen employees picked up by police Bonn West Germany up police picked up two employees of the West German firm Imhausen Cherie which is under investigation for allegedly helping set up a chemical weapons Plant in Libya the company said Friday. Imhausen Cherie said the two whom it did no identify were picked up thursday. The company described the action As  it said i assumed the incident was not connected with current investigations of the firm for alleged violations of the foreign Trade  Imhausen Cherie president Jirgen Hippenstiel Imhausen has on several occasions denied his firm was implicated in the libyan affair. The firm said it had been in Contact with the authorities since january 1988 about the possible production and delivery of intermediate products that May come under the Laws regulating the production of Anes  this was the first mention of aesthetics since the firm has been under investigation. The government launched preliminary criminal proceedings against Imhausen Cherie in mid january Fol lowing a string of reports including . Claims that the firm helped build a chemical weapons Plant in rata near the libyan capital of Tripoli. The West German government has been criticize both internally and internationally including in the United states for failing to crack Down on the illegal Export of sensitive technology to Libya and other potential conflict areas. Foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher on wednesday rejected the accusations. He told the bundestag the West German parliament that it is self evident we do everything we possibly can to prevent a participation of German firms and German individuals in the production of these weapons of the  but the opposition social democratic party Leader Hans Jochen Vogel claimed Chancellor Helmut Kohl s handling of the affair amounted to a perfectly embarrassing mixture of helplessness bullying and cover up  when the claims of West German involvement inthe libyan Plant raised by . Officials during Kohl s . Trip last november were first publicly reported in Early january West Germany angrily rejected them. But the government later admitted it secret services had known about a possible West Ger Man link for several months. The Cabinet has adopted new measures aimed a stopping West German involvement in the illegal Export of sensitive chemical and biological technology. Suicide tried by exec of Libya linked firm Lahr West Germany a the director of a chemical company accused of helping Libya build a suspected Poison Gas Plant was found unconscious in his car after attempt ing suicide police said Friday. Hans Renner the 60-year-old executive director of the embattled Imhausen Cherie firm was discovered by forestry workers at 12 30 . Thursday after he had consume something apparently intended to kill him said a Lahr police department spokesman Emil Roth. Roth said Renner left no written message As to his reasons for the Sui cide attempt but that officers were speaking with his wife about his presumed motives. The spokesman declined to specify what substance Ren Ner had consumed. Renner whose car was discover Din a Forest outside of Lahr where he lives remained unconscious Friday atthe regional Hospital. He had been directing affairs at the chemical company since its president Jirgen Hippenstiel Imhausen left the country shortly after . Authorities accused the company of having provided key technical assistance to Libya in building the Plant at rata. . And West German authorities say they have intelligence evidence showing the Plant is intended to pro Duce Poison gases. Libya however contends it is a pharmaceutical factory. Roth said he was not authorized to comment on Renner s possible motives for the suicide attempt or other details of the Case. Bhopal settlement arranged with payoffs foes charge Bhopal India up opposition leaders Friday charged that the $470 Mil lion Bhopal Gas disaster settlement be tween Union Carbide corp. And the government was arranged through payoffs to unidentified politicians. Union Carbide denied the accusations of payoffs. There is no truth whatsoever to those charges said corporate spokes Man Earl Slack. No comments were immediately Avail Able from the Indian government. The allegations came As demonstrations were called for saturday and feb. 27 to protest the supreme court mediated agreement on compensation for victims of the dec. 3, 1984, leak of lethal fumes from Union Carbide s now defunct pesticide Plant in Bhopal. Under the Accord the . Firm audits Indian subsidiary agreed to pay $465 million by March 23 in return for a court order quashing All civil and criminal liability suits arising from the world s worst Industrial disaster. The remaining $5 million was adjusted against a similar amount paid by the firm to the Indian red Cross in 1985 for Relief programs. More than 3,000 people have die since deadly Vapours spewed from an underground tank at the Union Carbide Plant and covered Large areas of Bhopal. The government had sought $3 billion in damages from Union Carbide. Numerous survivors and officials of victims Relief organizations have condemned the $470 million settlement a being inadequate. Raghu Thakur the head of the mad Hya Pravesh chapter of the opposition janata dal party charged that the settlement involved secret payments by Union Carbide to unnamed politicians. Sunderlal Patwa the head of the state Branch of the right Wing Bharatia Jana to party also charged that the settlement involved the payment by Union Carbide of tens of millions of rupees to unidentified politicians