European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 06, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 1989 the stars and stripes Page 7 11,500 pounds of cocaine seized on ship new Orleans a the coast guard seized ship carrying 11,500 pounds of cocaine the largest maritime cocaine seizure in history. Coast guard officials said wednesday. The Edom sea a 185-foot offshore Supply vessel reportedly headed from Colombia but flying the Pana Manian Flag is being escorted to new Orleans said rear adm. William f. Merlin. Nine people aboard the vessel were arrested and will be turned Over to the drug enforcement administration he said. We Are not sure we have found All the cocaine Merlin said at a news conference at regional coast guard Headquarters Here. The vessel was seized monday when the Crew of the Cutter Cushing boarded it in the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan Peninsula Merlin said. It was expected to Dock Here thursday. The cocaine was hidden on the deck in huge ship Ping containers the size of Railroad Box cars Merlin said. It was mixed among a cargo of Portland Cement and in fake Walls of the containers he said. Merlin said the coast guard has been patrolling the Western Gulf on the Lookout for possible smugglers and found the ship headed due West about 60 Miles North West of Progreso a port on the Yucatan Peninsula. All ships in the Yucatan Channel Are suspect to us at this time Merlin said. He said the boarding Crew became suspicious be cause the vessel was listed As hauling Cement and gel Atin described As an unusual cargo. In addition he said the ship s registry gave its destination As Vcra Cruz but the Captain said it was going to Tampico. The ship was reportedly coming from Barranquilla Colombia said it. Pat Philbin. In Washington coast guard it. Cmdr. Jim Simp son called it the largest maritime cocaine seizure in history and added this gives us a pretty Good run last weekend he said the coast guard seized 2.000to 2.500 pounds of cocaine in a ship near puerto Rico and on monday it seized about 1,000 pounds of the drug from an air drop near that Island. In this fiscal year which began sunday we Begotten about As much As we got All last year he said. In fiscal 1989, the coast guard seized about 12,000 pounds of cocaine he said. We had a real Lull after things in Colombia ," Simpson said referring to the colombian government s crackdown on drug traffickers that began aug. 18 after the assassination of a leading presidential candidate. For a Long time we did t Sec anything he said until sept. 10, when the coast guard seized about 1.200 pounds of cocaine offshore from Miami. Aftera Long Lull things Are moving  new poll gives Bush High rating by the Washington Post Washington after nine months in office president Bush enjoys Broad but not deep sup port according to a new washing ton Post Abc news poll. Seventy six percent of those surveyed said the approve the Job heis doing but Only 29 percent said they strongly  the numbers appear to described president who is More generally liked than his predecessor Ronald Reagan but who docs not enjoy the intensity of support that Rea Gan did. Republican pollsters say the big Surprise in recent polling numbers has been Bush s consistently High approval rating among Blacks up to 60 percent in the most recent Post Abc poll. It is three times the level of Black support Reagan Sadat the same time in his presidency. While the poll indicated support for Bush it also revealed some anxiety thai he is moving too slowly on a Range of major Domestic problems. The poll showed 64 percent of those interviewed generally approved of Bush s handling of the Economy. But Only 19 percent expressed Strong approval and nearly seven out of 10 said the Bush administration was t doing All Itcan to reduce the budget deficit. Bush received higher Marks an stronger approval in his handling of foreign affairs. More than seven out of 10 persons questioned said they approved of the Way Bush mishandling foreign affairs seven out of 10 respondents also approved of Bush s handling of the drug problem Bush proposes $200 million More to help poles restructure Economy a  map twin Rich  of in for it i the United states also plans to Send Washington a the Bush administration under heavy pressure from Congress to do More for the new government of Poland. Wednesday pro posed a $200 million Grant to help that country restructure its Economy. The Aid which would require congressional approval would be in addition to $219 million in economic and food Ai previously announced by the adm Nistra  Bush also invited polish prime minister Tadusz Mazowiecki and president Wojcicch Jaruzelski to Washington for consultations press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said in announcing the new Aid proposal which came As House and Senate democrats proposed even larger sums of Aid to the new Solidarity led government. They also invited the labor Union Leader Lech Walesa to address a joint meeting of Congress on nov. 15 to out line his Hopes for Poland s future. The White House announcement Fol lows agreement by the 12-nation euro Pean Community to Back a $650 million package of Aid for Poland and Hun  said the . Gran would complement the european pack age and would go toward a polish request for a $ 1 Bil lion loan from the West. However Fitzwater said the administration a Walesa Vord a Grant As its share rather than Aloan so As not to add to Poland s already staggering debt. The dramatic changes in Poland Over the past two months have Lent new urgency to our efforts he said. What Poland is doing is historic in the largest sense of the  Fitzwater said the Money would be disbursed Only after the polish govern ment reaches agreement with the inter National monetary fund on an economic restructuring plan. The plan team of experts business leaders and administration officials to Poland so that we can provide the most effective help Fitzwater  leaders of both Chambers joined tuesday to again dismiss Bush s$219 million package of initiatives in Eastern Europe As grossly inadequate and  unveiled an aggressive demo cratic legislative program of Grants an Loans with a potential economic Impact of More than $3.7 billion. The three year democratic package would be composed of Loans from inter National financial institutions . Loan Sand Grants and a five year Hall in polish payments on its $2.5 billion . Bank  action today will be far less costly than  said House major Ity Leader Richard Gephardt do. For if we hesitate and the Opportunity is lost we will be paying for it for a Long Long Lime in an escalating arms  Boston housing Bias lawsuit settled Boston a the a act agreed to drop its lawsuit against the Boston housing authority under a settlement that could Cost the City about $3 million for alleged housing discrimination. Benjamin Hooks executive director of the a act mayor Raymond Flynn and other local officials were present for the signing of the settlement wednesday in Federal court under the agreement the largest group of Public housing discrimination victims eligible for up to $2,500 each in damages includes 1,058 families who applied for apartments in predominantly while developments in the Charlestown South Boston and East Boston neighbourhoods Over the last decade but were not Given minority preference. Additionally 120 minority families who had filed claims alleging they were discouraged by the Bra from applying to White developments could receive $2,500 each. Approximately 300 emergency Hook housing applicants people displaced by fire or evictions Are eligible to receive $ 1,000 each if icy prove icy could have been placed in a while development officials said. Also about 30 minority families believed to have missed out on apart ments in a Charl Clown housing Devil pm Cal because of a Bra newspaper advertisement seeking White applicants to maintain racial balance Are eligible for $3,000, under the terms of the settlement. We Hope this sends a message to the institutions that discrimination costs said Dianne Wilkerson chairwoman of the housing committee of the Boston chapter of the a act. The settlement also requires the Bra to Pul up $500,000 for a fund that will make Grams to encourage integration and multicultural activities in the City s Public housing developments. Soviets apologized for firing on . Plane by the los Angeles times Washington a Soviel warship in the Mediterranean opened fire on a . Surveillance plane i september barely missing it and prompting a soviet apology according to the Navy. Pentagon officials said soviet defense minister Dmitriy Azov discussed the incident in a meeting with Secretary of defense Dick Cheney this week. According to the officials Yazoo said the incident dramatized the need for . And soviet negotiators to reach an Accord regulating the operation of military Force sin close proximity to each other. The incident occurred sept. 22 As a 6,000-ton soviet guided missile destroyer conducted gunnery exercises South of Crete Navy officials said. An american p-3c Orion aircraft on routine surveil Lance approached the warship and one of the ship s130mm guns fired a Shell that passed in front of the plane causing it to Rock in the turbulence caused by the blast. The Navy protested the action using diplomatic Chan Nels opened by the 1972 incidents Al sea agreement. The soviet Union responding within Days expressed regret and indicated thai the Soviel warship was involved in a gunnery exercise and had no intent of endangering the . Aircraft Navy spokesman it. Frank Thorp said. He said the Navy was pleased with the soviet response and we consider the incident satisfactorily  . Officials defended the close approach of the american plane noting thai . And Soviel aircraft regularly Fly Over each other s ships bul top soviet officials complained thai both sides behaved foolishly. The incidents at sea agreement has no provisions to prevent such close passes while still under negotiation a new agreement on the prevention of dangerous military activities May establish stricter limits on the operations of naval forces including possible restrictions on the Dis Tance and Altitude Al which surveillance planes can pass close to warships of the other nation. In addition the agreement would establish procedures for direct communication Between the Skippers of such warships and the pilots of overflying warplanes. The pro posed Accord would take effect on Jan. 1,1990