European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 24, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes wednesday May 24,1989 Khomeini satisfactory after surgery Nicosia. Cyprus a iranian revolutionary patriarch Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini underwent surgery tues Day to Slop internal bleeding in his Diges Tive system. Tehran radio reported. The radio broadcast a statement from Khomeini s office saying that the 88 year old iranian Leader was in satisfactory condition following the operation and that Progress reports about his health would follow. There have been persistent reports that Khomeini has been in poor health. He has been reported to be in frail Condi Tion since suffering a heart attack in 1986. The statement from his office said we inform the Public that with the Grace of god and the attention of the hidden Imam the operation on Imam Khomeini which was undertaken tues Day morning to Stop bleeding in his digestive system was successfully completed and Praise the lord _ his condition is completely  in Paris Ayatollah Mahdi  Leader of the european shiite Community called the associated Presto say he had information that Khomeini had lost a great Deal of blood and Wasin a precarious condition. He would not Sav who his sources were or provide details. Khomeini was last shown speaking on television also monitored in Nicosia during an audience with soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze in february. He seems fragile and slow moving in his frequent appearances on television attending prayer audiences at the Jama ran mosque near his North Tehran Iran Home. He lifts himself out of his chair after the meetings hut does not speak. There have been scores of stories since the reported heart attack that he was dead or dying with unconfirmed reports saying he has cancer of the prostate. Aside from the audiences Khomeini does not circulate in Public outside his Home. Factions within the iranian govern ment have been vying for control of Post Khomeini Iran with the Competition deepening in March when he deposed his designated successor Ayatollah Ali Montazeri. At the time Khomeini showed the same revolutionary Fervour that he exhibited in leading the movement to Over throw the late Shah in 1979. And last summer he confounded those who said he was weakened both physically and politically by accepting cease fire in the devastating eight year War with  in february ordered mos lems to seek out and kill the Indian born British author Salman Rushdie for Blas Phemy for his treatment of islam in his novel the satanic  later accused iranians of lacking revolutionary Zeal and used the Campaign against the Book As a platform to Back Radical leaders and criticize Liberal questioning the goals of the revolution. Khomeini appointed a 20-Membcrcommittee last month to review Iran s 1979 revolutionary Constitution and to Settle the question of who will govern the islamic Republic after he Dies. In the absence of any single figure with Khomeini s combined spiritual and political authority there is some indication that Iran will have a collective leadership after him. Deforestation it s the pits these five demonstrators Are among 12 who showed their contempt for deforestation by placing their Heads in holes dug in the ground monday at a Forest in new South Wales Australia. By burying their Heads they re indicating they think Community reaction to the prob Lem has been to avoid looking at it. First . Ship supplies arrive in Thailand for of exercise Bangkok Thailand a the first american ship and supplies arrived in Thailand on tuesday forthe eighth cobra Gold the annual War games jointly conducted by . And thai forces. The exercise opens officially on june 3 and last until june 23. It climaxes with an air and land assault with live ammunition on june 21 intake province said Dan k. Trout a spokesman for the . Pacific come. He said 3,200 men from All three . Services will operate alongside 6,000 from Thailand s 3rd army division. He said supplies arrived aboard a Navy cargo vessel which docked tuesday at the military port at Satta hip 80 Miles East of Bangkok. We Are bringing in everything. The heavy Artil Lery jeeps helicopters everything Trout said. The supplies arc to be transp9rted from Satta hip by train to the Northwestern provinces of Sukochai and Tak site of the exercises he said. He said it will be the first time trains Are used by . Forces in Thailand. The United states is Thailand s main Western ally. Last year s exercises were staged in Eastern Thailand and envisaged an invasion of the country from Cam Bodia which has been occupied by vietnamese forces for the past  said he was not aware of any political significance in the location of this year s exercise. He said it and the defense of  province Borders Burma s Karen state. Several Hundred burmese troops who were attacking Karen rebels in Burma crossed into Tak for one Day last sat urday and burned a Village marketplace. Thailand pro tested the , Tak was chosen As a site for the exercise Long before  said the exercise offers an Opportunity to train in Jungle  part will be 2,000 troops of the . 25th inf div based in Hawaii 500 air Force personnel fro the 13th. 7th and 5lh Pacific air forces and 700 members of the special forces he  13th Pacific air Force is based in the Philippines the 7th in South Korea and the 5lh in Japan. World add a Sweden gets new head for its secret service Stockholm Sweden a Mats Borjesson a former policeman lawyer and Veteran civil serv ant look Over tuesday As head of Sweden s much criticized secret service. Borjesson 62, was named monday to head the Security police commonly called Sapo six weeks after its previous chief Sunc Sandstrom quit Over what he called the government s Lack of Confidence in him. An official inquiry last month recommended sweeping reorganization of the counter intelligence Agency which would make it More accountable to parliament. The report alleged frequent abuse of Power by wiretapping government officials and drawing up blacklists of suspected political subversives Over Many years. The Agency has a history of Stormy relations wit the ruling social democratic party and has come under increasing Public scrutiny since the 1986 assassination of prime minister Olof palme. Poaching prompts Britain to urge Ivory Trade ban London a Britain has called for a ban on Trade in ivory1 " help protect the african elephant population which is threatened by poachers. Environment minister lord Caithness said Brit Ain currently adheres to International convention that allow limited imports of legally obtained Ivory. We have been reviewing the position in the Light of growing evidence of the decline of elephant population said Caithness who visited Kenya Las week to study the poaching problem. The government now believes there is a Clear Case for Banning All Trade in new elephant tusks atthe earliest practical Opportunity he said in a statement. He said Britain will recommend such a ban be approved at the next meeting of his european eco nomic Community counterparts on june 8. Pianist de groote Dies won Van Cliburn contest Johannesburg South Africa a South african pianist Steven de groote a Van Cliburn contest Gold medal Winner in 1977, has died in Johannesburg clinic of tuberculosis of the liver the Hospital said tuesday. De groote 36, died monday at bran thurs clinic about 10 hours after being transferred to the intensive care unit. A Hospital spokesman said do groote had severe respiratory problems As Well As the liver problem. He was admitted 19 the clinic on May 8, suffering from severe abdominal pains the spokesman said. De groote had recorded and played International concerts extensively since winning the prestigious Van Cliburn piano Competition in fort Worth Texas in 1977. He was named artist in residence at Texas Christian University which plays Host to the preliminary rounds of the quadrennial Competition