European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 23, 1989 the stars and stripes land mines left behind by soviets pose obstacle to return of afghan refugees  / a a c f Washington a soviet military forces left Between 10 million and 30 million land mines behind when they pulled out of Afghanistan posing a tremendous impediment to the Safe return and resettle ment of millions of refugees a defense department official told Congress tuesday. Edward w. Gnehm jr., Deputy assistant Secretary of defense for near Eastern affairs said the Pentagon operating under United nations auspices has begun a comprehensive program of mine awareness and disposal training for afghan refugees in Camps in Pakistan. A state department witness reported meanwhile that the soviets have halted air strikes into Afghani Stan from bases in soviet territory ending the largest remaining problem of Active warfare in the country. Howard Schaffer Deputy assistant Secretary of state for near Eastern affairs said also that because the level of human need in the country is enormous the Bush administration is taking a fresh sympathetic look into the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance. He also said that the state department is confident that whatever government emerges in Kabul in the aftermath of the withdrawal of soviet troops will be neither communist nor messianic  testifying before the House foreign affairs subcommittee on asian and Pacific affairs Gnehm said a 40 person military training team part of a project dubbed operation Safe passage has been sent to Pakistan and will spend six months increasing the awareness of Large numbers of afghan refugees of the threats the will face As they return to their  he said afghan teams will be trained and Given special equipment to neutralize and dispose of landmines in their  Gnehm said that training posters have been produced in the principal languages of Afghanistan warn ing of the mines. Gnehm called the training program an unprecedented application of special military skills for alleviating suffering from the aftermath of a terrible an brutal  estimates of the number of mines Range from 10 million to 30 million Gnehm said. Most of the mines Are anti personnel devices that have been scattered almost  responding to questions he said that while the soviets have said they would defuse the mines and give the government in Kabul maps showing their location to our knowledge neither of these things has happened. He said the locations of the mines would be extremely difficult to map since Many of them were dropped from planes and helicopters. He said another problem is that heavy Rains have washed some of the devices Down from Hills and mountainsides into valleys used for farming. Gnehm also reported that since the first arrival of an air Force c-5 cargo plane in Pakistan in March 1986, there have been 76 Relief flights carrying More than 4.7 million pounds of defense department property and privately donated supplies All intended to Aid the refugees. Additionally he said some 680 injured afghan Citi Zens have been flown to Western Europe Egypt and the United states for medical treatment. Bishops Call alien Center concentration Camp h a v\/ic117 t / a it  Texas a Catholic Bishops of Texas charged tuesday that the immigration and naturalization service with the creation of the largest concentration Camp on .  the charge came As 12 aliens were de Nied political Asylum the first of As Many As 5,000 who could be held in tents inside a minimum Security prison. State department officials began Mak ing recommendations on Asylum applications under a plan unveiled to Deal with an influx of Central american immigrants and Speed up the weeding out of frivolous claims. The plan allows applicants to often get an answer the same Day and be subject to immediate arrest and detention if Denie Asylum. Previously applications could take weeks to process and aliens were released on their own recognizance while await ing appeals or deportation. A 7-foot Fence topped with barbed wire surrounds the compound. The Texas Catholic conference said the policy ignores the facts of life in Central America that Are causing the massive influx of  sen. Lloyd Bentsen a Texas called the new policy a real step  the old policy simply dumped the Cen trial american immigration problem into the laps of citizens and local governments in South Texas and now the ins has stepped Forward to take some responsibility for the immigrants Bentsen said. Delia Combs assistant ins commissioner for refugees Asylum and parole said two state department officers were reviewing the applications and making recommendations for accepting or deny ing claims for refugee status. Only immigrants who can show Perse cution Are entitled to Asylum those who come to better themselves economically can be deported. The ins maintains most aliens arriving in Southern Texas do not qualify for refugee status. Forty five Central americans about half of them from Nicaragua were under review tuesday. Of those processed by the state department 25 were denied political Asylum and no one was approved an ins spokesman said. The ins then acted on at least 12 of the state department recommendations immediately detaining the applicants and set Ting up deportation hearings. An additional 200 people were awaiting processing. The stricter policy began the same Day the ins was allowed to reimpose a policy restricting Asylum seekers to Southern Texas while awaiting decisions on their cases. At the current rate the ins estimates 100,000 Central americans this year will pass through the Brownsville area the main entry Point for Asylum seeker from that Region. Detention facilities listed in the new plan include 1,100 Beds at the port Isabel Center 200 spaces at the Webb county detention facility in Laredo and 200 at the Elpaso service processing Center. Many applicants at the Center tuesday were unaware they were subject to arrest if their cases were denied. The applicants entering the facility generally paid Little attention to six peo ple fasting across the Road from the Cen ter to protest the new  americans seeking Asylum line up for a bus bound for an ins detention Center where their applications will be processed. Jewish youths seek release of imprisoned pollards Washington a More than 100 jewish youths shouting free the pollards now took their Case tuesday to the Steps of the Justice department de manding a re examination of the sentences and treatment of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard and his wife. We will not be silent said Jacob Davidson pres ident of the North american jewish students net work which organized the rally of High school and College students most of them from the new York new Jersey metropolitan area. Although attorney general Dick Thornburgh was not in town and no one from his office came outside to meet with the demonstrators Davidson said i want them to know this Issue is not  Pollard 34, was sentenced in april 1987 to life in Pris on after he was convicted of supplying classified . Documents to israeli agents. His wife Anne Henderson Pollard 28, was Given a five year sentence As an accessory to her husband s illegal Possession of the documents. Nothing he turned Over to Israel damaged american society in any Way said Davidson comparing Pollard s situation with that of John a. Walker jr., who provided countless . Navy secrets to the soviet Union. Both Pollard and Walker Are serving life sentences at the Federal prison in Marion 111. They Are eligible to request parole after 10 years. Mrs. Pollard whose sentence made her eligible for parole after 20 months or last december was turned Down by the parole Board last summer said her father Bernard Henderson. All three had pleaded guilty apart of plea bargain arrangements. Justice department spokesman Loye Miller said the Pollard Case is closed and there is no reason to reopen it. He has attorneys and if they can make some kind of algal Point the Legal process is open to  meanwhile israeli sources said Elyakim Rubinstein an envoy from prime minister Yitzhak Shamir was meeting this week with . Officials in Washington to try to work out an arrangement that would remove the threat of indictment or subpoena from four israeli connected with the Pollard Case. The four israelis Are col. Viem Sella Pollard s hand Ler int Erb a Secretary at the israeli embassy who photo copied the documents Pollard provided Yosef Yagur an israeli attache who was one of Pollard s liaisons with is Rael and Rafi Eitan who was in charge of the Pollard project. All Are in Israel and have stayed away from the United states out of fear of arrest