European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 04, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes thursday january 4,1990 work Crews use chemicals booms to Stop Oil s Advance Rabat Morocco a helicopters sprayed chemicals on a 100-Square-Milc Oil Slick that was threatening Morocco s coastline while others involved in cleanup efforts vacuumed some of the goo and set up booms to halt its Advance. Morocco said about 19 million Gallons of crude had spewed into the Atlantic Ocean from the crippled Ira Nian Tanker shark 5. Environmental experts said High Waves broke up much of the Oil and it dissolved in the 60-Degrce seas. Spokesman Daan Kakac Bacn of the Rotterdam Netherlands based Salvage firm Smit Tak said the Tanker s two leaking Chambers had emptied by tues Day because there had been no leakage for 24 hours. But Morocco s official news Agency maghreb arabic Presse said about 530 Gallons continued to escape each hour. Three tugboats were towing the ship toward Calmer Waters near the Cape verde islands a journey expected to take eight Days. Salvages hoped the remain ing cargo could be pumped into another iranian Tanker there. France s environment minister Brice Lalonde warned tuesday that High winds could push the Slick toward Morocco s Shore within two or three  Lalonde was in this former French Colony to assess the spill. Maghreb said the Edge of the spill was about 20 Miles from the coast. The Oil threatened Oyster Beds fishing stocks a Pink Flamingo Breeding ground and resort beaches. Officials said 100,000 jobs depend on fishing and tourism there. Technicians Laid floating Cable to Block the Slick s Advance. Cleanup Crews vacuumed the floating Oil which then was transferred to barges and helicopters sprayed chemicals to break up the spill and make it sink maghreb said. Kakac Bacn said the Tanker has 14 Oil storage tanks. He estimated the ship lost up to 60.000 ions of its original 270,000-ton cargo. He said Morocco and Spain have refused to allow the shark 5 to be towed near their shores. Joe Nichols technical manager of the International Morocco Oil spill Tanker owners pollution federation said the scale of the disaster would not approach last year s Exxon Val Dez catastrophe when 11 million Gallons of alaskan crude spoiled 1,000 Miles of Pristine coastline in Prince William sound. It is absolute Poppycock to say this is one of the world s worst disasters Nichols  is not the Quantity of Oil that matters but the location of the spill and the prevailing conditions he said. It was a significant spillage but it took place about 150 Miles  the shark 5 was loaded with 72 million Gallons of Oil when an explosion Tore through its Hull dec. 19 about 400 Miles North of Las Palmas in the Canary islands. The cause of the blast is unknown. A fire forced the Crew of 35 to abandon ship and the vessel began Drift ing toward Northwest Africa. Hassan Mohammedi a spokesman for Iran s environmental Protection Agency said the incident had been exaggerated by the imperialist  it is Normal for such accidents to occur in Stormy conditions Iran s official islamic Republic news Agency quoted him As saying. This is an Ordinary  thousands of . Couples trying to adopt romanian orphans London a thousands of couples have been telephoning charities and adoption agencies in Britain asking How to adopt orphans from Romania the Agen cies said tuesday. Pictures of overflowing romanian orphanages the result of the late dictator Nicolae Ceausescu s policies prohibiting abortion birth control and family planning information for women with fewer than five children were broadcast by British to monday night. The Flanders scottish Alliance an Edinburgh Scot land based War Charity reported 2,000 Calls since new year s eve from couples desperate to adopt. Barbara Mostyn of the support group Stork said the group has been receiving Calls All Day. The Swan sea Wales based International family support group said it received Calls from 40 to 50 couples. I am truly shocked said Kevin Ramshaw a member of the Banders scottish Alliance who returned from a five Day tour of Bucharest Romania orphanages monday night and spoke about his trip on the radio. It s been absolute chaos. The phones have been going non Stop. There arc obviously a lot of childless coup pcs in Britain. But i be had americans offering me All sorts of Money for a baby he said. There arc countless thousands of orphans in Homes throughout Romania and at least 4,000 in the capital alone he said. Earnshaw and Mostyn of Stork said there were no procedures yet for adopting romanian orphans. We arc worried that people might feel they can just Rush straight there but As under Caus Csc none of the orphans were allowed to be adopted abroad 1 assume there is no system for adoption which i find worrying Moslyn said. Meanwhile Earnshaw said we Are appealing for funds for medicinal and podiatric Aid to be airlifted to the or  world today 40 feared drowned after Bridge collapses Lahore Pakistan a about 40 people May have drowned when a Bridge collapsed in northeastern Pakistan plunging workmen and onlookers into a Swift canal officials said wednesday. Fog hampered attempts to Rescue survivors and recover bodies after the Accident occurred tuesday night near the Village of Hafiz Abad about 50 Miles Northwest of Lahore police said. Fog was still thick at Daybreak wednesday. Police abandoned a search along the Banks and began stringing nets downstream. Witnesses said that seven workmen were Dis mantling the Century old 70-foot Long Bridge while several onlookers huddled at the ends. It gave Way on one Side tossing one Workman and dozens of other people about 16 feet into the Swift lower Chenab canal they said. Deaths up nearly 40% from drugs in w. Germany Frankfurt West Germany a deaths from illegal drug use Rose nearly 40 per cent in West Germany in 1989, with 980 reported last year officials said tuesday. Frankfurt with a population of about 600,000. Topped the list of West German cities with the highest per capita drug death toll. Officials said drugs killed 80 people in Frankfurt in 1984, compared with 94 deaths in West Berlin which has a population of More than 2 million. In 1988 Frankfurt had 62 confirmed drug deaths with 80 in West Berlin the same year. Hans Cie org Fuchs of the Federal criminal police office in Wiesbaden attributed the Rise to the smuggling of More and higher Quality drugs into West Germany including increases in co Caine and amphetamines. Ira car bomb claims first victim of new year Belfast Northern Ireland a an Ira car bomb exploded tuesday killing a taxi Driver who was driving his 16-year-old daughter to school in mainly protestant cast Belfast. Harry Dickey 38, became the year s first Vic Tim of Northern Ireland s sectarian and political strife. His daughter Gillian who was Riding in the front Seal was dragged from the wreckage by neighbors and taken to a Belfast Hospital where she was listed in fair condition. The Irish Republican army issued a statement to Belfast Media claiming Dickey was a leading member of two outlawed protestant paramilitary groups the Ulster defense association and the Ulster Freedom fighters. An Ulster defense association spokesman speaking anonymously said Dickey is not and never has been an apologist for  Dickey a former Oil Rig worker was a member of the Ulster democratic party. It has close links with the Ulster defense association. China denies it will let dissidents leave embassy Beuing a the foreign ministry wednesday denied that it has agreed to let China s leading dissident and his wife leave their Safe Haven in the . Embassy and go into exile. The Only Way out for Fang Lizhi and i Shuxian is to plead guilty immediately and mend their ways so As not to alienate themselves from the people the ministry said according to the official Xin Hua news Agency. A Hong Kong Magazine Pai Shing reported tuesday that the United states and China had reached an understanding to let the couple go into exile this month most Likely m Australia. Fang and it took Refuge in the . Embassy in Beij ing in june after chinese troops crushed massive pro democracy protests. White House officials have dismissed the report saying there Are no new developments in the Case. The australian government also denied that a Deal had been reached. The Magazine said China agreed to let the couple leave the country after . National Security adviser Brent scow Croft visited Beijing in Early december and sought to improve relations badly damaged by China s crackdown on Dis sent and Fang s flight to the embassy. But the chinese foreign ministry said the recent rumours about the ques Tion of Fang Lizhi floating around abroad arc speculations pure and simple. We have repeatedly stated that fan Lizhi and i Shuxian have violated the criminal Law of China. It follows that this problem can Only be solved according to the Laws of  United Stales on its part is obligated to work for its  Fang 53, an astrophysicist and i a physics teacher Long have been outspoken in their demand for democratic re forms and respect for human rights. China has accused them of counterrevolutionary activity. The United states decision 19 shelter Fang has greatly strained relations be tween the two countries. The Bush administration criticized the suppression of the pro democracy move ment but since has said the two countries need to set their differences aside and improve relations. Pai Shing a leading publication re porting on chinese affairs said Fang would leave the embassy before Jan. 27, the Start of the chinese lunar new  Magazine said chinese Leader Deng Xiaoping approved sending Fang and Bis wife into exile on condition that Fang refrain from political activities