European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 news updates the stars and stripes monday february 27,1989 Arian space strike Paris a a strike at the european space Center in Kourou French Guiana has forced postponement of tuesday s launch of a japanese communications satellite and a european weather satellite Arian space said sunday. Claude Sanchez spokesman forthe european consortium said a new Date would be set for launching the ariane 4 rocket after the strike is settled. In a statement Arian space said it was staying in touch with the French company Thomson Csc whose 230 workers at the Kourou space Center have been on strike since wednesday seeking higher pay and better insurance and so Cial benefits. Many of the Thomson employees Are technicians working radar controls operating computers or performing other tasks vital to the launch Sanchez said. Airline Fine proposed Washington a the Federal aviation administration has proposed an $801,000 Fin against Northwest airlines for violations including the use of Boeing jumbo jets on 8,198 flights without a required engine Bolt inspection. The airline also was charged wit making unauthorized repairs on two 747s and failure to comply with dozen other Faa rules and directives. 9 sentenced for bombing of train in 84 Florence Italy up a Flor ence court sentenced five accused mafia gangsters to life imprisonment and two other defendants to jail terms of 28 and 25 years saturday for a 1984 train bomb attack that killed 16 passengers and injured 266. Two minor defendants faced with lesser charges Drew jail sentences of four years and 2 a years. Two other alleged mafia defendants were acquitted on grounds of insufficient  verdicts ending a 4 /2-month trial in a fortress courtroom built on the grounds of a former women s prison meant the court accepted the state prosecution argument that the bomb attack was carried out by the sicilian and Nea Politan mafia in collaboration with right Wing extremists. The bomb exploded aboard the Naples Milan express dec. 23, 1984, As it sped through a Tunnel Between Flor ence and Bologna. The bomb killed 16 passengers and injured 266, Many severely. The state prosecutor Piero Luigi Vigna said the bombing was the work of mafia and right Wing subversives an had the Clear political objective of undermining the democratic system. Vigna said the main object of the at-/1tack was to distract attention from the state of affairs in Sicily where he said the mafia was trying to frustrate a state attempt to curb its activities. Nine of the 11 defendants we recharged with belonging to an armed band massacre for the purpose of terror ism and manufacture and Possession of  included Friedrich Schau Dinn a West German electronics and explosive expert accused of manufacturing the bomb that was detonated in the Tunnel by Remote control. Schau Dinn who de Nied involvement returned to Frankfurt West Germany shortly after the bomb ing. Soviets reportedly building quieter faster submarines by Dave Diehl . Bureau faced with outdated submarines that have become More dangerous to their own Crews than to the West the soviet Navy is Fielding a pared Down Force of quieter faster subs the editor of a Booton the soviet underwater Fleet says. Nearly half of the 450-Strong under water Force has reached or exceeded a submarine s Normal life expectancy writes Jan Breemer in soviet submarines design development and  the 188-Page Book to be release monday is the first comprehensive unclassified source of information on the world s largest underwater Navy according to its publishers Jane s information group. Predicting cuts in the aging sub Force Breemer writes that Short of replace ment parts and subject to frequent mechanical breakdowns Many of the older submarines perhaps As Many As 40 per cent of the Fleet have become More dangerous to their own Crews than to their Western  while noting that the soviet s annual production of submarines has declined to the lowest level in 40 years Breemer a professor at the . Navy s postgraduate school at Monterey calif., paints different picture of soviet naval might. The soviets says Breemer Are build ing quieter submarines striving for Quality not Quantity. The soviet submarine Fleet of themid-1980s appears to be going through a critical period of transition the boo says. Its newest units. Present the Western anti submarine warfare Force with their greatest Challenge since the second world  Western anti submarine forces Are finding it More difficult to detect and track newer soviet submarines he says. Breemer s writings coincide wit views expressed by the . Navy s intelligence chief who testified last week be fore a House armed services subcommittee on sea Power. Rear adm l Thomas a. Brooks said the soviet Nav is More capable now than when Mik Hail Gorbachev came to Power Accord ing to the associated press. The soviets have slowed their submarine building programs with production Down to six boats a year compared wit More than 80 per year in 1955, Breemer writes. Still quieter and faster subs might allow the soviets to push what Breemer Calls their defensive perimeter close to the United states. He supports this theory by citing recent . Navy reports of newer soviet Victor Iii attack or Hunter killer subs in unprecedented operations off the East coast Between Connecticut and Virginia. The arrival of the Victor i class of the principal exit ports of the . Navy Breemer writes May be a warn ing that the soviet Navy intends to carry out the Seaward defense of the soviet Homeland off american  Khomeini meets with soviet minister seeks help in fighting Devilish West Nicosia Cyprus a Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said sunday that he wants Strong ties with Moscow to help fight the Devilish West and iranian legislators reportedly agreed to consider breaking relations with Britain. Khomeini s overtures to the soviet Union which he previously condemned for its atheist ideology came during Al /2-hour meeting with soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze. It was believed to be the first private meeting Between a foreign minister and Iran s 88-year-old revolutionary Patri Arch said Iran s official islamic Republic news Agency. The Agency said Shevardnadze did no task Khomeini to withdraw his order for moslem zealots to kill British author Sal Man Rushdie Over his Book the satanic verses which has been denounced a insulting islam. Britain had reportedly asked Shevardnadze to press Khomeini to Grant Rushdie a reprieve. There was no mention of the affair i Shevardnadze s speech said the Agency monitored in Nicosia. The meeting with Shevardnadze came two Days after Khomeini declared that Iran does not need relations with the West. This Issue has divided the Tehran Hierarchy Between pragmatists who favor better relations with the rest of the world and hard liners who favor continued isolation. Related Story on Page 3. Rushdie has been in hiding since Kho Meini s feb. 14 execution order and Ira Nian religious leaders put a $5.2 Millio Bounty on his head. In protest Britain withdrew All of it diplomats from its embassy in Tehran which reopened in december after a rift of More than a year. It also asked iranian diplomats to leave London. The 11 other european Community countries As Well As Norway Sweden and Canada recalled their top Diplomat from Iran. In turn Tehran brought its ambassadors Home. No diplomatic relations have been formally severed but religious leaders in Tehran last week called for a break Veteran Dodds worker Evarice Vezeau Dies Mannheim West Germany Eva Rice j. Vezeau 64, a retired military Mas Ter sergeant and a longtime Dodds employee As a Supply specialist at Mannheim Middle and High schools died sunday in Zier Nheim West Ger Many after a Short illness a Dodd spokesperson said. Vezeau from Springfield mass., is sur Vived by his wife Ingeborg and two sons and two daughters in the United  spokesperson said plans were pending for a memorial service. With Britain. Iran s news Agency said More than 100of the 270 deputies to Iran s parliament sponsored a Bill sunday to vote on relations with Britain. The Bill was passed overwhelmingly the Agency said. Rushdie a briton born into a moslem family in India has apologized for the distress the satanic verses has caused. Many moslem contend the novel insults islam by portraying the Prophet Mohammed s wives As prostitutes and suggesting that Mohamme wrote the Koran islam s holy Book rather than receiving it directly from god. Khomeini stressed to Shevardnadze the importance of the expansion of Strong ties in various dimensions in con fronting the Devilish acts of the West Tehran radio reported. It broadcast extensive excerpts from the meeting at Khomeini s Home. Shevardnadze responded we believe that the time has come when our relations can enter a new phase in All Fields the radio said. It quoted Khomeini As telling Shevardnadze that he welcomed the soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan where moslem guerrillas Are fighting the communist government. Khomeini also called on All foreign forces to leave the persian Gulf a cause Shevardnadze espoused on saturday be fore arriving in Tehran. Lock failure suspected in jetliner Hole Honolulu a a failed lock May have caused a United airlines jumbo Jet s cargo door to pop open at22,000 feet ripping a huge Hole up the Side of the plane and sending nine Pas sengers to their deaths Federal investigators say. Damage to the plane is consistent wit the cargo door popping open under pressurization of the Cabin As the Jet Gaine Altitude and atmospheric pressure out Side the aircraft declined. National transportation safety Board investigator Lee Dickinson said saturday. Coast guard cutters and aircraft continued their search sunday 100 Miles South of Here for More debris from the plane As More than 70 people including 16 from the Nosb investigated the cause of the Accident. United flight 811, carrying 354 peo ple had taken off Friday for new Zea land and was about 100 Miles from Honolulu when the fuselage ripped open Over the Pacific Ocean. Nine passengers were sucked out and Are presumed dead. The Pilot lost Power in one of the plane four engines and shut Down another when a fire indicator Light went on but the plane was Able to return to Honolulu. Two cutters returned to port sunday morning with items recovered including part of an overhead compartment a Sec Tion of fuselage and two seats. Michael Marx the Nosb s senior metallurgist said there was no evidence that Metal fatigue weakness caused gradually by Long term use caused the Hole in the 18-year-old Jet United s oldest Boeing 747. Marx said the Hole s Edge indicate that overstress a stress greater than the plane could stand had been place Don the aircraft but he did not say what it might have been. In july the Federal aviation administration ordered airlines to improve cargo door lock systems on older Boeing 747safter a door in one plane partly opened in flight. The deadline for the work waste end of 1989. United had inspected All 25 of its Jet covered by the order but had completed the required modifications on six by Las week spokesman Russell Mack said in Chicago. The plane in last week s Acci Dent was not one of the six he said