European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday August 14,1989 Israel believes 2 wounded soldiers died soon after ambush paper says London a the sunday times reported that Israel believes two israeli soldiers held captive by an iranian backed Shipic moslem group died shortly after being ambushed in Southern Leb anon in 1986. In Jerusalem the army s chief spokes Man Brig. Gen. Ephraim Lapid refused to confirm or deny the report but said Israel considers its prisoners of War to be alive unless it has documented proof to the contrary1. By proof we do not mean through the British Media or other Media but through the red Cross he said. The weekly quoting unidentified senior sources in the israeli government said intelligence officers interrogating sheikh Abdul Karim a bid have concluded that the soldiers died from wounds after being ambushed near Bei Tyahun in february 1986. Israeli commandos captured Obid the reputed Leader of Hezbollah or party of god in Southern Lebanon in a daring raid inside the lebanese Border july 28. Israeli officials have said they were will ing to Exchange Obid for three captured israeli soldiers including the two cited in the times Story. The newspaper also said the parents of the soldiers were informed by the Mili tary that their sons were dead but both families told the israeli daily a idiot a Ronot that they received no such report. The newspaper said Israel had Long been aware that the two soldiers Yosyf Fink and rahamim Al Sheik were injured when they were captured feb. 17, 1986, but believed that at least one of the sol Diers survived. After questioning Obid. The israeli government believes that one of the sol Diers died is minutes after the ambush and the other died hours later the weekly said. Security officials said they believed that neither Hezbollah nor Iran knew that Israel had Learned its soldiers were dead the weekly reported. The newspaper said the third israeli missing in Lebanon air Force navigator Ron Arad whose fighter Jet was shot Down Over Sidon in oct. 16, 1986. Is believed to be alive but is reportedly being held by lebanese militia with closer tics to Syria than Iran. The weekly quoting Security sources in Jerusalem said prime minister Yit Zhak Shamir has told his Cabinet not to publicly discuss the matter of the two ambushed soldiers and has tried to keep it secret from the United states to offset . Pressure to free Obid in Exchange for Western hostages in Lebanon. Israeli leaders know that agreeing to such an american request would help mend the recent strains in israeli Ameri can ties but they fear that Obid s re lease would prompt criticism at Home that Israel risked the lives of its soldiers for an operation that solely benefited America the newspaper said. A report Friday in a idiot Ahrnot said israeli Capri is May be dead so that any Exchange Deal May come Down to a Swap of Obeid for Western hostages. The report said israeli officials have had no Indica Tion in the past 18 months that Fink sandals Hick were still alive. But Mordochai Fink the father of one of the captured soldiers told a idiot he believes his son is still alive. We have not seen the sunday times and we do not know what they arc refer ring to he said. We have no notice that they arc dead but we also have no notice they arc  Shlomo Al Sheik the father of the Sec Ond Soldier said just two weeks ago we were informed that he was alive. We know nothing else besides this and we Pray he will be released  Al Sheik s comments about having in formation that his son was alive were carried last week in the israeli Media and the military refused to comment. Israel radio said army officials told the soldiers families they should avoid talking to journalists and should View the British report As an attempt to exercise pressure on Israel and not As reliable in formation. A Shille moslem in Nab Atiyeh Lebanon bows hts head to allow a cleric to scar it with a razor Blade. The painful religious ritual ceremony takes place once a year As part of the Obser Vances carried out during the shiite feast of ashoura. Senator fes China of . Concern Beijing a a . Senator met saturday with two senior chinese officials to discuss . Concerns about China s crackdown on the pro democracy move ment. It was the first visit to China by a High ranking . Official since Washington imposed a ban on diplomatic contacts with Beijing following the military assault on demonstrators in Tiana men Square on june 3-4. Sen. Warren Rudman said he met with wan i chairman of the standing committee of the National people s Congress and vice foreign minister Zhu Qizhan to make sure chinese leaders understood clearly the Impact of the events of june on the Ameri can  i thought it was extremely important that they understand that there is a deep feeling in the United states Congress about what happened Here in june Rudman told reporters. Rudman. In Beijing at the invitation of the chinese Institute of foreign affairs said his talks did not Vio late the ban imposed on diplomatic contacts to protest the military assault that killed hundreds and perhaps thousands of people. The ban applies Only to the executive Branch not to members of Congress. My visit does t change the status of our relations at All he said. The United states the european Community and other Western nations arc maintaining indefinite bans on military exchanges arms sales and new soft Loans. Rudman said he briefed the vice foreign minister who is also China s ambassador designate to the United states on what to expect in Washington. The chinese officials were interested in Why con Gress threatened stricter sanctions against Beijing he said. They have every right to do anything they want in this country. This country is governed by them. They can do what they wish to do and we have no control Over them Rudman said. But the chinese ought to understand very clearly that if certain things Don t change or if there were a repeal of some of those events we can expect Congress to react very vigorously he said. World today Athens emptied As nation Marks Holiday weekend Athens Greece a Over a million residents of the capital took advantage of a four Day Holiday weekend and departed for the nearby Countryside and islands traffic officials reported sunday. The exodus began Friday As tons of thousands oscars streamed out of the Athens area As a Brief summer Shower fell. The Slippery roads forced Many of the Drivers to slow Down creating Miles Long queues and scores of accidents. Traffic officials said that by noon saturday 270,000cars passed through toll stations on the National High Way with about 30,000 More vehicles using non toll roads. Many sections of the National Highway were temporarily turned into one Way roads to facilitate the flow of traffic out of the City. Hotels Road inns and residences with rooms for rent in the Countryside and on the islands reported they were fully booked up to Early wednesday. Traffic officials said More than 100,000 hold Ayers departed Athens by bus and train 15,000 by ship for the Aegean islands and at least 900,000 by car. Free economic zones being set up in soviet Union Moscow a the soviet Union s first free economic zones will come into being near the finnish Border in the Northwest and near Nakhod a in the soviet far East a soviet weekly has reported. Two other areas the historic Northern City of nov Gorod and the Black sea resort town of Sochi also Are under consideration for special economic status according to the publication arguments and facts. The zones will go ahead As experiments even though legislation defining their status has not yet been worked out a top economic official said. Ivan d. Ivanov Deputy chairman of the stale for eign economic commission said the zones would be autonomous entities with Independent budgets. German jumps from train to avoid ticket collector utrecht Netherlands a a passenger apparently trying to escape a ticket collector jumped from a speeding express train and was seriously injured a Railroad spokesman said. Caincr Honig. 22. Of Mannheim West Germany was listed in serious condition at utrecht s University Hospital following the incident according to spokes Man Hans . Who was believed to have been intoxicated at the time gave his passport to a fellow traveler on the Amsterdam Cologne express smashed a window and jumped from the train which was moving at 78 Mph Binnendijk said. Honig s jump apparently was triggered by the approach of the ticket collector according to Binnendijk