European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday february 27, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 gone almost with the wind a couple look As though they re navigate the country causing eight deaths and ing a wind Tunnel As they try to walk Down sinking a freighter off the Northern coast a sidewalk in la Coruna Spain on sat fifteen crewmen were missing. Flights urday. Wind up to 80 Mph ripped across were delayed and crops ruined. Iran announces August election for its president Nicosia Cyprus a Iran s fifth presidential election since its islamic re Public was proclaimed in 1979 will beheld in August the official news Agency reported saturday. The election could be a test of Powe Between so called pragmatists in the Tehran Hierarchy who seek Constitution Al reforms to centralize Power in the presidency and their fundamentalist opponents. The fundamentalists appear to be backed by religi9us Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The official islamic Republic news Agency monitored in Nicosia said the election s exact Date will be announced after a meeting Between Interior ministry officials and the Council of Guardi ans a 12-member body that oversees legislation. Interior minister Ali Akbar Mohtashemi told Tehran s Kayhan daily newspaper that the elections would beheld in August and would be followed by voting for local and regional councils the Agency said citing an interview in the paper saturday. President Ali Khamenei who has Benin office since 1981, May not run for a third four year term under Iran s Constitution. Parliament speaker Hashemi Rassan Jani Leader of the pragmatists seeking More Freedom in Iran and better relations with the West indicated this month that he might be a candidate for president. Asked by French television whether he would run a Sfanjani said i have not yet decided. But it seems that i will have to be a former prime minister Mehdi Bazar Gan said his Small Iran Freedom move ment Iran s Token opposition party would Field a candidate if the political climate is a Sfanjani an others have been trying to Amend the december 1979 Constitution to concen Khamenei a Sfanjani trate executive Power in the presidency by dropping the Post of prime minister. They believe Iran now needs a clearly defined Hierarchy of Power to handle postwar reconstruction and end the country s ideological divisions. Executive authority has been concentrated in the prime minister s hands since the Republic s first president Abolhassan Bani Sadr tried to Widen his Powers in 1980 and 1981. But he was forced to flee into exile when liberals were purged by officials strictly interpreting the islamic revolution. Iran s second president Mohammadali Ramaie was assassinated in septem Ber 1981 with prime minister Moham mad Javad Bah Onar in a terrorist bomb ing at Bah Onar s Tehran Headquarters. On wednesday Khomeini rejected moves toward allowing greater Freedom in iranian life instead calling for a revival of fundamentalism and adherence to revolutionary principles. A Sfanjani who also i acting commander has been considered the most powerful figure after Khomeini but itis not Clear whether he and his allies have been weakened by Khomeini s support forthe fundamentalists. Gor Baporia forcing nato to re evaluate from Page 1 think we ought to have Allied troops deployed in Europe he says yet shifts in Public opinion apparently have resulted in several major changes in the Way the military goes about its business in Western Europe. Public pressure forced the West German govern ment to announce a 30 percent Cut in Low flying by its air Force. And when the Pentagon announced in Early february that the United states was reducing the scale of nato s annual return of forces to Germany exercises several sources attributed the move to an at tempt to Calm the political debate in West Germany Over the number of Maneu vers in the country. The main thing driving this was to placate the Ger mans a Pentagon source told the stars and stripes. Denying the cutbacks were tied to politics the Pentagon said the changes Are an enhancement that will allow troops to train smarter with More use of simulation. But an army colonel in Washington also rejected those statements. This is silly. I Don t know Why the just Don t come out and Tell the truth that it was for German relations As Well As a response to Gorbachev the colonel said. Privately More and More Western leaders Are expressing frustration Over the ease with which Gorba Chev has seized the headlines and the initiative with a series of proposals to reduce soviet military might. These include a dramatic dec. 7 announcement before the United nations where Gorbachev said that he was unilaterally cutting the red army by 500,000 Soldier Sand withdrawing 50,000 soldiers 5,000 tanks and 8,000 artillery pieces from Warsaw pact nations. A Jan. 19 announcement by soviet foreign min ister Eduard Shevardnadze that the withdrawing soviet troops from Eastern Europe would take with the mall of the missiles and other armaments under their control. A series of speeches in which Gorbachev has out lined proposals for changing the soviet Economy into an Economy of disarmament by converting its de sense plants and military specialists to civilian uses. The response from Western governments thus far has appeared sluggish and at times contradictory. When nato hastily put together its own disarmament proposal the Day after Gorbachev s United nations speech it received far less attention in the Media. The proposal called for conventional arms parity including for example cutting Warsaw pact tanks by two thirds and nato totals by 5 percent to Levels of about 20,000 apiece. Nato also has not been Able to hide its difficulties particularly the ongoing debate among its members Over modernization of the 88 aging Lance Short Range missile launchers in West Germany. The West German government has repeatedly questioned the need for the modernization. Meanwhile arguments Over How much each nation should contribute to the common defense have led to increased friction on both sides of the Atlantic. . Members of Congress say their Rich allies do not spend As much As they could for their own argue that americans do not appreciate the Burden of having foreign soldiers and Maneu vers on their soil. Many leaders believe a coordinated response i needed to promote nato and counteract some of Gorbachev s Appeal. But leaders like Galvin Stop Short of advocating a new York style Public relations Campaign Blitz. I m a Little leery about the idea of a Public information Campaign per be. I think that what we do need though is we need a lot More of our leadership that sour political leadership in the North Atlantic Alliance talking about what is the real situation in the confrontation that continues to exist Between nato and the Warsaw pact Galvin said. I Don t think it s up to a Soldier and i m not eve sure it s up to a politician to go out and come up with some kind of a Media of Congress attending the nato meeting also shied away from an organized Campaign to coun ter Gorbachev s Appeal. We Don t need any More Public relations people said Republican sen. Warren Rudman of new Hampshire. Just policies that speak for , Many Western leaders have begun speak ing out about what one Diplomat called the Gorba Peoria sweeping Western Europe. Most delegates to the recent nato conference in Munich attacked what they saw As a dangerous complacency that could weaken . Defense Secretary designate John Tower told the conference that nato should maintain a healthy scepticism about Kremlin disarmament overtures and keep the West s nuclear options open. The Alliance runs the risk of mortgaging its Security he said if it fails to modernize nuclear forces because of perceive improvements in relations with Moscow. Ultimately the reason for nato s problems in formulating a Quick response to Gorbachev May be More fundamental. The soviets can Rule by Fiat the West cannot Galvin said in a recent speech in Bonn. In order to gain the initiative you might have to become centralized very closely controlled. We have a coalition of democratic countries who want to consult and review and discuss the matter. Which Side would y9u like to j9in? sometimes Tome As a military Man it s frustrating to wait for an answer. But i would prefer to wait in a democracy then get a Quick answer in a
