European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes monday september 25. 1989 Beirut comes to life under cease fire Beirut Lebanon a Beirut s Airport opened for business sunday and a cargo ship sailed unscathed into a Christian port raising Hopes that a truce was holding after six months of fighting Between christians and syrians. It s music to our cars said resident Randa Masri after a commercial freight plane circled overhead. The plane was one of three to land sunday at the newly reopened Beirut International Airport. Beirut residents stopped in the streets and rushed to balconies craning their necks to get a look at the plane. A Security committee made up of officials from the warring factions and headed by Lakhdar Al Ibrahimi an assistant Secretary general of the Arab league met for the second time sunday to discuss How to solidify the cease fire and implement a peace plan. The committee met for the first time saturday As some of the most ferocious artillery Battles in Leb anon s 14-year-old civil War came to an end. Officials announced the lifting of seaport blockades the opening of the Airport and the daytime opening of All Crossings Between Christian cast Beirut and mos Lem West Beirut. Only one crossing had been open sporadically during the last outbreak of fighting. By police count 929 people were killed and 2,741 wounded most of them civilians since the bombard ments began March 8 Between Chen. Michel Aoun s mostly Christian army units and syrian troops joined by Allied lebanese moslem militias. The reopening of the Airport port and Crossings prompted sunni moslem cleric Sheik Mohammed Rashid Wahbani to say they were the first step on the Road to resolving the lebanese  carrying a cargo of clothing the trans Mediterranean airlines freight plane was the first aircraft to land at the Airport since it was closed March 12. Ii was the longest shutdown for the nation s Only civil aviation facility since Lebanon s civil War broke out in 1975. Later a passenger plane belonging to Middle East airlines. Lebanon s National Carrier with eight Passen Gers aboard landed on a flight from the saudi arabian port City of Liddah. Police said a cargo ship cruised into the port in Christian East Beirut without being targeted by syrian fire. They had no information about the ship s Flag or cargo. Two More ships were expected to Dock soon Beirut port authorities said. A police spokesman said syrian troops in West Bei rut the Eastern mountains and the North abstained from their daily ritual of shelling the Christian coast line North of Beirut. The shelling had helped maintain a sea blockade of the Christian enclave. Tens of thousands of refugees who had fled the car nage jammed All entrances leading into the City and the Christian enclave for the second straight Day. All but an estimated 150,000 of Beirut s 1.5 million population had fled the shelling to safer areas in Leb anon or abroad. Al Ibrahimi arrived in Beirut on sept. 17, a Day after the new peace plan was announced by the Arab league committee. The plan called for a truce and outlined Steps to enforce it Steps such As lifting Seaside blockades opening the Airport and halting weapons shipments from other countries. It also called for a sept. 30 meeting outside the country of the 99-scat in ban Csc parliament to discuss political reforms to satisfy moslem demands for christians to share Power. Christians have dominated the government legis lature army and judiciary since Independence from France in 1943, when they were the majority. But moslem arc now believed to make up 55 per cent of the population of 4 million. There has been no official census since 1932. News updates takeover agreement Akron. Ohio a Michelin group of prance has agreed to acquire the privately held uniroyal Goodrich tire co. In a $1,5 billion arrangement that will allow the com Pany to overtake Goodyear As the world s largest tire maker. The agreement is the latest in a string of takeovers in recent years that Nave Pul american lire brands such As Firestone and general in for eign hands. Michelin will pay $690million for uniroyal and will assume $810 million in