European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes Friday february 24,1989 germans defend air show approval by Deedee Arrington Doke Kaiserslautern Bureau nato Secretary general Manfre Worner and West German defense min ister Rupert Scholz defended on thurs Day Steps taken to allow the Ramstein air show last summer. In afternoon testimony before a West German commission investigating the disaster Scholz emphasized that Pilot error caused the aug. 28 tragedy. The Accident was not the fault of the process used to allow the event he said. However Scholz said he has called fora review of regulations and procedures used to allow air shows As Well As for Alook at emergency procedures used by the German army in major disasters pro iranians holding captives denounce Book by the associated press pro iranian militants holding american hostages i Lebanon thursday vowed revenge for the publication of the satanic verses but publishers in three coun tries reversed decisions not to put out the Book and two . Bookstores returned it to the shelves. Former pop Singer cat Stevens who gave up a successful music career in 1977 after becoming a moslem supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini s execution order on the Book s author Salman Rushdie. West Germany Iran s biggest trading partner announced it had suspended plans to help rebuild Iran s War ravaged Economy and the parliament condemned the death sentence As a declaration of War against Western values. Police in Canada said they received a bomb threat against the iranian embassy in Ottawa. Rushdie 41, born into a moslem family and living i London was in hiding for the ninth Day along with his wife american novelist Marianne Wiggins who cancel Edher own Book promotion tour to stay with her husband. Islamic jihad for the liberation of Palestine which holds americans Alann Steen Robert Polhill and Jesse Turner in Beirut Lebanon released a statement threatening to take revenge against Rushdie the Book publishers and their supporters. The statement was accompanied by photographs of the hostages but it did not specifically threaten the men or any of the 12other foreign hostages in Lebanon. Particularly those involving victims wit serious Burns. The two officials appearances came roughly four months after the defense com Mittee began its investigation into event surrounding the Ramstein show and other air shows held in West Germany. Seventy people were killed and hundreds injured at the Ramstein show after three italian air Force jets collided during Man Euver. One plane crashed near a crowd of spectators. During his 3 �2 hour testimony thurs Day morning Worner who preceded Scholz As defense minister stressed tha tall Legal requirements had been met to hold the Ramstein event a government source said. Aerial displays Over densely populate areas have been prohibited since 1983, Worner said. In May 1983, a Canadia fighter crashed into a car on an autobahn near Frankfurt and killed five people Dur ing the annual Rhein main a air show. Noting that the Ramstein air show did not take place Over such an area Worner pointed out that spectators voluntarily attended the event. Safe commander Gen. William Kirk recently cancelled All open houses and Aerial displays at Safe bases incest Germany for 1989. Kirk s action was followed by Rhein main a officials who cancelled their base s 1989 open House. Rhein main is a military Airlift come base and its annual open has not featured Aerial demonstration since 1983. Scholz said he will not allow the West Germany military to take part in any Aerial displays until the findings of three separate commissions formed to look at air shows had been concluded. In addition to the bundestag or parliament defense committee that Scholz and Worner spoke to thursday representatives from West German and Allied air forces still Are reviewing air show  third commission studying Many of the same issues recently reported its find Ings to Scholz. That group known As the Steinhof commission advised that the military drop stunt flying from air show programs. Cuts from Page 1 would still allow the country to produce 220 tanks month enough to replace within eight months the six tank divisions to be withdrawn he said. In simpler terms they be got one Heck of a Lotmore stuff than we do Leland said adding later these Are the facts which Many europeans and americans Don t want to  nato should avoid further negotiations on nuclear weapons until both sides have agreed to reduce conventional forces to a level of parity he said noting that the Allied nuclear Arsenal is the Only thing that has kept the Warsaw pact in Check. Leland also called modernization of the Short Range Lance missile system by 1995 a necessary step that would increase safety and reduce the number of nuclear weapons needed for deterrence. Calling recent changes in the soviet Union Posi Tive Leland said the planned Force reductions May reduce the level of East West confrontation. If these promises Are carried out and followed up with others a first crucial step will have been taken by the soviets toward building a safer Europe and a Safe world for All of us he said. He also credited Gorbachev with accomplishing a amazing image reversal for the soviet Union. There Are clearly some marvelous opportunities but there Are also some great risks and we in the command Don t have it All figured out Leland said. Leland who served As 1st army div commander in Ansbach before assuming his present Job last year was speaking As a substitute for Neucom Deputy commander air Force Gen. Thomas c. Richards who was ill. Witness denies Early knowledge of behind scene help for contras Washington a the former chairman of the House intelligence committee testified at Oliver l. North s trial thursday that he knew nothing of Reagan administration efforts to obtain Aid for the nicaraguan rebels from other countries until after the Iran Contr affair became Public. New details of the administration s efforts to solicit assistance from foreign nations in return for increased . Military and economic Aid emerged during de sense Cross examination of rep. Lee Hamilton a ind. Defense lawyer Brendan v. Sullivan or. Asked Ham Ilton if he knew that the administration arranged for an asian nation to sell missiles to the contras asked an asian country to Supply communications equip ment and obtained aircraft from a Central american nation to train rebel pilots. My recollection is that my knowledge of the events came subsequent to the time Frame Hamilton said. The defense is trying to Brunt charges that North former White House aide lied to Congress about his efforts to assist the contras by showing that the Rea Gan administration did t Tell lawmakers about its Road efforts to help the rebels by soliciting foreign donations after Congress shut off . Aid in 1984. Hamilton the Lead off prosecution witness in the .district court trial was followed to the stand by Adolfo Calero the american educated president of the Nicara Guan Freedom forces As the contras Are known. Calero said that from the time he joined the organization in 1983, it was my Clear understanding that the Effort to regain my country was being financially sup ported by the United states  the Cia was understood to be the source of the Money. Calero said the Money flow dried up in May 1984,after Congress banned military Aid to the contras. But he said members of the Cia accompanied by North visited him and he gave them an account number in a Miami Bank. The Contra Leader said that beginning in june 1984and ending in february 1985, $32 million was put into the account of which the rebels spent $17 million or 18 million for weapons. But sometime in 1985, Calero said North mentioned the need to help american hostages in Lebanon and i said i would gladly contribute  he said he gave North $90,000 in visa traveler s checks. One of the charges against North is that he used a least $4,300 of that Money for himself. Tower from Page 1 committee chairman in Back to Back speeches on the Senate floor by sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska and Dole the gop Leader. Both men said they had never see Tower when he was t fit for duty. Dole said repeatedly that he hoped the Democrat would not use their majority strength to vote against the nomination in committee. It s a matter of minute by minute concern to the president of the United states. This is his nominee. He did t pick John Tower up off the Street. He did t Doit without careful  Dole said Tower has been subjected to unprecedented scrutiny by the Fri and has been fighting off a barrage of unsubstantiated rumours spread by Anonymous sources. He said any president is entitled to have a Cabine of his choosing and added maybe we re going to have a party line vote in the committee. I Hope that snot the  democrats control the committee 11-9, and the Senate 55-45. Sen. James Exon d-neb., appearing earlier on Abc s Good morning America reiterated his intention to vote against Tower s confirmation As Well. There remain some concerns in my mind about senator Tower s personal habits. Certainly the re port does not give a clean Bill of health to the personal habits of John Tower Exon said. Nunn said wednesday that he disagreed with Bush View that the Fri report cleared Tower. That s the president s opinion. That is not my opinion he said after chairing a three hour closed door committee session to review Tower s nomination. But sen. William Cohen a Maine complained Onabe thursday morning that the former Texas senator has been maligned he has been slandered he has been held up to ridicule i think irresponsibly. I think it s very unfair what s  what we re seeing Here is a situation in which members of the Senate based upon what i think is fairly thin allegations Are going to substitute their judgment for that of the president of the United states Cohen said. It is True that about 90 percent of All the charges against Tower have been garbage Exon acknowledged. The 10 percent that remain Are of concern Tome and Many other members of the  Nunn said the panel was to meet in private again thursday and hoped to hold a Public Roll Call later in the afternoon. But he also said the lawmakers wan additional material from the White House before a vote As Well As a transcript of a separate investigation by a h9use subcommittee looking into alleged Security lapses in an arms control delegation in Geneva that included Tower in the mid-1980s. Nunn said some of the material being sought fro the White House was Odds and  but another lawmaker said the committee still has not receive some material relating to the precise nature of Tower s work As a defense consultant. Nunn led a Parade of democrats who disagreed wit Bush s declaration that the Fri report had gunned Down the allegations against Tower. The president entitled to his View but i think most people Reading that would not come to that same conclusion Nunn . Jeff Bingaman d-n.m., said Bush had been Over generous in his characterization and sen. Car Levin d-mich., said it was not an accurate character  the committee s senior Republican sen. Joh Warner of Virginia said the Fri report left room for reasonable honest credible differences of  democrats said wednesday that they were particularly concerned about Tower s drinking and Exon said his concerns would Lead him to vote against the nomination. Bush spokesman Marlin Fitzwater speaking to report ers aboard air Force one As the president headed to Japan wednesday disputed Exon s assessment of the Fri report. There Are hundreds and hundreds of interviews with everyone from bartenders to chambermaid. If you want to believe gossip you can Fitzwater said. Whatever the outcome in committee Tower s Fate willbe decided by the full Senate. Senate majority Leader George Mitchell a Maine said he expected the Nomi nation to come up for debate next wednesday or thurs Day