European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes Friday May 19,19b9 Stoltenberg offers proposals to Settle rift Washington a Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii met thursday with West German defense minister Gerhard Stollon Borg who presented some new suggestions for settling the heated dispute Between the two nato allies or Short Range nuclear missiles in Western Europe. The talks arc aimed at bridging the Gap Between the two nations to avoid a confrontation at president Bush s first North Atlantic treaty organization meet ing set for later this month. State department officials had no immediate com ment on the outcome of the half hour meeting but a diplomatic source familiar with Stoltenberg s proposals confirmed the West germans Are prepared to be More flexible on the question of the timing of . News Brief soviet negotiations involving the weapons. The United states has opposed the idea of starting such negotiations fearing they would Lead to pressures to remove All Short Range nuclear weapons in Europe.  s Mission was to suggest a possible link Between a reduction of soviet conventional forces in Europe with the Start of negotiations on cutting Back the numbers of the Short Range nuclear weapons. The negotiations might not begin until there is significant Progress in cutting Back the conventional arms in Europe where the Warsaw pact has a huge advantage. One proposal would be to form a High level nato study group which would determine How much significant Progress would be necessary before any . Soviet talks could Convene the source said. As Stoltenberg held talks with Baker and Secretary of defense Dick Cheney a group of West German parliament members expressed Confidence that a Solu Tion to the dilemma would be found. There s a new flexibility on both sides. The chances we will reach an agreement Are not 100 percent but Given the political will there s a Good Chance we will reach an agreement before the nato Summit Volkir Ruhr the Deputy majority Leader in parliament said in a meeting with reporters. Ruhr and three other members of parliament said they were pleased with the reception they had Rucci Evod from officials of the state department the National Security Council and on Capitol Hill. $1.17 trillion budget approved by Senate Washington a the Senate on thurs Day approved a $1.17 trillion Federal budget for 1990, allowing Congress to Complete work on its spending plan at the earliest time since 1978. On a 63-37 vote the Senate signed off on the package which its defenders conceded took no dramatic Steps against the deficit because of Politi Cal disagreement. For fiscal year 1990, there simply is no Broad consensus in this body in favor of higher taxes or deeper spending cuts said Senate budget com Mittee chairman James Sassard Tenn. Across the Capitol the House broke a partisan gridlock and approved a measure providing si.2 billion for veterans benefits. Dod from Page 1 missile units. And we got along Fine without those missions that could t be accomplished before. The threat is no stronger now than it was then. Why do we suddenly need to accomplish those missions now the Pentagon has a sizable credibility Gap on this Issue. After a while it becomes a kind of Shell  Woodworth maintained that the services arc cutting slots Scricc wide in numbers roughly equivalent to the troop Levels of the missile units in Europe. Lawmakers also questioned the future of the nine inf bases which represent a sizable . Investment. The United states paid $394 million for construction and $67 million for family housing. It also Shoul dered 28 percent of the $312 million in nato infrastructure costs for those bases. We have identified other activities that we want to move to those bases Woodworth said. I can t say that Well employ All the facilities fully but we will us much of  because some of those activities relate to wartime missions or still arc being reviewed within nato details Are classified and Woodworth said he could give them to the subcommittee Only in a session closed to the Public. Woodworth assured the panel that those potential missions will not be make work designed to keep the bases open. Ireland said that since the military will move exist ing functions to the missile bases missions and activities at other bases should be reduced proportionately. Woodworth agreed and said he had suggestions for reductions at other bases but again could not give details in open session. Two hours into the hearing the subcommittee s chairwoman rep. Pat Schroeder d-colo., cleared the room to receive the classified information. Soldier gets 20 years in prison for murder by Crystal Laureano staff writer Mannheim West Germany an 8th inf div Soldier was sentenced wednesday to 20 years in prison for the murder of another Soldier in his unit. Spec. Timothy s. Thomas 21. Of the 4th platoon 3rd brigade at Coleman Barracks pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder in the death of put. 2 Tim Othy Marsceill. German police found Marsceill unconscious with a 6-Inch Cuton his head on the morning of March 3 in downtown Mannheim. The 20-year old never regained consciousness before he died on March 13. The military judge sentenced Thomas to 35 years in confinement but a pretrial agreement limited his time to 20 years a 21st theater army area come spokes Man said thursday. Thomas testified that he Marsceill and two other soldiers met after mid night March 2 in a Mannheim Streetcar. Thomas and Marsceill decided to stay out and the other two went Back to Cole Man Barracks. Marsceill began telling Thomas about his problems including a failed relationship with one of the men in their unit Thomas testified. Marsceill had been absent without leave for about a week Thomas said and also was in Trou ble at the unit in connection with alleged Larcenie. Marsceill said he was going to England with his Lover Thomas said. The two went Down an Alley where they sat Down to continue talking. Thomas said Marsceill s admission that he was attracted to Thomas led to a shoving match and he hit Marsceill on the head with a Large bottle. He then re turned to his Barracks leaving Marsceill in the Alley. In closing arguments prosecutor capt. Mark tools insisted blood splatters indicated that Marsceill was struck repeatedly. Marsceill s defense lawyer maj. Den ise Vowell said the amount and location of blood was not sufficient evidence to determine the number of blows. Vowell also noted that the prosecution did not employ a blood splatter pattern expert to corroborate their statements. Thomas also pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and Battery in a March i Inci Dent in which he pushed a German woman during an argument in a Mann Heim bar. He also was sentenced on a charge of conspiracy to obstruct Justice. In addition to his confinement Thom As will receive a dishonourable discharge forfeit All pay and allowances and be reduced to the lowest enlisted rank. Nato from Page 1 the West pursues modernization the soviets would consider withdrawing the ss-23 missiles from the inf treaty signed in december 1987. The ss-23, with a Range of Between 300 and 600 Miles is considered a Shorter Range intermediate Range nuclear mis Sile by nato. The inf treaty covers missiles with a Range of 300 to 3,400 Miles and Lushch said the ss-23s were included in the Accord by soviet request. Updating Short Range nuclear missiles in Europe is expected to draw heated debate at the nato Summit scheduled for late May. West Germany where the missiles arc based opposes the upgrading and insists that negotiations with the soviet Union be held soon to reduce the Arsenal. The United states which is against Early negotiation Sand wants to push ahead with modernization has accused the soviets of already having upgraded their Short Range systems. In an afternoon speech at the Institute that was almost entirely directed at Lushch nato commander Gen. John r. Galvin challenged the soviets on Short Range modernization. Over the last 10 years. The soviets have modified their entire missile system to a great degree Galvin said. He also pointed to expected new additions to the soviet Arsenal that would affect the european picture such As the As-15 air launched and ss-21 sea launched cruise missiles. But we have nol modernized the one single missile that we have the Lance Galvin said. Galvin did Praise unilateral disarmament moves made by the soviets saying they were in a positive  Lushch said the Western Alliance is trying to justify the need for its nuclear weapons by invoking the Warsaw pact s superiority in conventional  tactical nuclear weapons arc closely interwoven with conventional armed forces. Without the reduction and sub sequent elimination of tactical nuclear weapons it is hardly possible to speak seriously about the elimination of the threat of War he said. If the East West talks that began March 9 in Vienna Austria succeed in negotiating deep cuts in conventional forces the threat posed by tactical nuclear weapons will be growing Lushch said. It is Well known that nato envisages the possibility of Early use of nuclear weapons and the level at which that decision May be taken in a situation of crisis can be considerably  referring to the recent changes in doctrine within the Warsaw pact Lushch said the soviet bloc countries Are determined to continue pursuing a policy aimed at a Radical improvement of the situation in Europe on the basis of Broad and mutually beneficial  what is new and most important Here is that the pre Vious military doctrine was defined As a system of views of How to prepare for War and How to fight it. The key Point in the definition today is How to prevent it Lushch said. The task of preventing War is becoming the highest goal the nucleus of the military doctrine of our country s and joint armed  Lushch said the whole Structure in the Security system in Europe must be changed and that Radical Steps in the Field of disarmament Are needed. These involve Mutual reductions in arms and armed forces the elimination of tactical nuclear weapons the reduction of nato forces and their armaments and the elimination and Banning of chemical  pact from Page 1 Morud vehicles at 28,000. Nato has indicated it is ready to negotiate on Battlefield artillery armoured troop carriers and tanks but seeking an Early agreement wants troop numbers helicopters and aircraft left out of cur rent negotiations because their numbers would require far More time to count and verify. West German ambassador to the talks Rudiger Hartmann replied in a statement that if we want to have an agreement by 1990. We should be concentrating on what can be accomplished referring to tanks artillery and armoured personnel  we arc ready to talk about these other categories but not negotiate on them said one nato Diplomat refer ring to combat aircraft helicopters and troop Levels for which nato has re leased no figures. What we have to do now is talk about How we arc going to define and count those  nato and the Warsaw pact for example apply different definitions for tanks and combat armoured vehicles. The Eastern proposal stated that Ley Els should include armaments both in combat ready units and in  another nato delegation source said the proposal was positive but not unexpected