European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 news briefs the stars and stripes wednesday january 31.1990 budget chief defends Bush s economic forecasts Washington a White House Bud gel director Richard Darman clashed with con Gressional democrats tuesday Over whether president Bush s $1.23 trillion 1991 budget is based on realistic economic forecasts. Darman responded to criticism from rep. Leon Vanciu. P-calif., chairman of the House budget committee who noted that office or management and budget projections on eco nomic growth inflation and unemployment Are considerably More optimistic than those of Pri vate forecasters. You Are not dealing with people who Are totally out of Bounds in trying to project what direction the Economy will take Over the next several months. Darman told the House budget committee. He said bomb which he Heads has been remarkably close to accurate in forecasts made last july. Panel a said the administration s economic assumptions and use of such tactics As shifting payments from one year to another to make the deficit look smaller Call into question whether the deficit is being taken seriously. Of course the president is serious. I am be  Darman shot Back. I wish you had taken that on some  i Panama s future Bright i Quayle says after trip i Washington a vice president Dan Quayle. Home from a three nation trip is pro claiming a Bright future for Panama even assume nations in the Region refuse to recognize its  government. Jamaica voiced its refusal monday on the last Slop of Quayle s three Day trip. Quayle tuesday briefed president Bush on his visits to Honduras Panama and Jamaica and gave him a number of ideas on pushing . Policy Forward in the Region said the vice presi Dent s press Secretary David Beckwith. Quayle said he also gave Bush a very up beat verbal report on his trip during a Tele phone Callen route Home from Jamaica monday night. However the vice president acknowledged that while the United Stales is pressing for other Central american countries to recognize the government of president Guillermo Endara Jamaica and Venezuela Are insisting that elections be held there to legitimize Endara first. Ruling on Noriega s claim to Row status delayed Miami a a decision by a Federal judge on Manuel Antonio Noriega s claim that he is a prisoner of War has been postponed a week court officials said tuesday. . District judge William Hoveler had planned a status conference thursday on that Issue and Bond questions for two Noriega co defendants but on tuesday reset the hearing for feb. 8. Noriega who ruled Panama As a military Dic Tator was brought to Florida to face trial after . Troops invaded Panama last month. The trial of the deposed panamanian dictator on 1988 drug trafficking charges is scheduled for March 5. But Noriega s lawyers have repeatedly said it will be postponed. Gorbachev s opposition to reunification easing Moscow a soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev met with Premier Hans Modrow of East Ger Many today and appeared less resistant to eventual German reunification saying the matter remains open to debate. Speaking to reporters at a news conference after their meeting Modrow said Gorbachev did not Rule out such a Prospect in the future and at the same time did not venture to set some time limits for  earlier Gorbachev told reporters that any decisions must include the four Allied Powers and take into account european opinions. The development of events in the world in East Germany in the soviet Union demand deep consideration and an analytical approach to deciding this prob Lem he said. Time itself is acting on this process giving it dynamism the soviet Leader said. We have to act responsibly and not decide this important question on the  his remarks were reported by the Tass news Agency. Asked by an East German to correspondent about his attitude toward reunification Gorbachev said the ques Tion was not unexpected and that no one can cast doubt on the reasonableness of asking it Tass reported. However the English language Tass translation raised questions whether Gorbachev meant that there could be no doubts about reunification. The soviet Union in past years has strongly opposed any talk of German reunification but has mellowed somewhat As Gorbachev reyolds foreign policy and democratic change sweeps Eastern Europe. Soviets now say that the question of German reunification is one to be decided in the future. Gorbachev in comments to reporters after meeting French president Francois Mitterrand in Kiev in Decem Ber reiterated his View that the existence of two German states is a fact based on the outcome of world War ii. But he added the present situation is the result of specific historical events a specific historical process on this continent. So history should decide the future of this  he urged against Rushing ahead with a decision on reunification. I Don t think it is a topical question today. A different approach May create a situation that would complicate the entire european process including the relations Between the two German states Gorbachev said at the time. Modrow said the two German states could work in a series of stages toward a form of confederation with no time limit set on it. He said he agreed with Gorbachev that the question of reunification is not Only one that must be decided by East and West Germany but by All of Europe. It s difficult to set some time limit because it must be supported by the european people and that Mustbe in line with the treaty on the development of the confederation with All its substance and implications Modrow said. In Light of that concept the european nations will probably understand it in the following Way. We must be very cautious about the process he added. According to the Tass report the soviet Leader added that any action taken on German reunification must not infringe on the interests of either East or West Germany the four Allied Powers France Brit Ain the United states or the soviet Union or anyone else in Europe. Soviet Premier Nikolai i. Ryzhkova and foreign minister Eduard a. Shevardnadze joined Gorbachev for the meeting with Modrow who arrived in Moscow on a one Day visit late monday. Honecker freed from prison because of poor health Berlin a ousted East German Leader Erich Honecker was freed from prison after less than two Days in View of his frail health. Honecker who faces a March treason trial left Rummelsburg prison in a police sorted motorcade that slipped out through a rear exit of the walled red Brick compound. He had been jailed Early monday after his release from Charile Hospital where he had been recuperating from cancer surgery. Honecker s successors in the once mighty communist party kicked off their Uphill election Campaign tuesday by acknowledging a National fever for reunification and party Leader Gregor Gysi conceded that the movement is unstoppable. Reagan from Page 1 arms shipment that had been destined for the Nicara Guan Contra rebels. Greene also said  must receive diary entries focusing on . Military Type assistance to an unidentified Central american country in support of the contras. This occurred during a congressional ban on . Military Aid for the rebels fighting the leftist govern ment of Nicaragua.  is entitled to the entries because they May show what types of Aid president Reagan thought could legally be provided for the military or paramilitary operations of the contras Greene said. Poindexter is charged with conspiracy two counts of obstructing Congress and two counts of counts of making false statements in connection with former National Security Council aide Oliver North s assist Ance to the contras and the 1985 shipment of Hawk missiles to Iran. He is scheduled to go on trial feb. 20. Poindexter also is entitled to Reagan s diary entries concerning meetings with Poindexter and others in december 1985 to discuss the sales of arms to Iran said the court ruling. One diary entry addresses briefly the Issue of the proceeds from these sales of arms to Iran it said. None of the diary entries Sheds any Light on the question of what president Reagan May have know about the diversion of proceeds to the Contra rebels from the administration s secret Sale of arms to Iran. Reagan has denied knowing about the diversion and Poindexter testified to Congress that he did t Tell the  said Poindexter in t entitled to a Large number of diary entries that Deal with the Iran Contra affair but Aren t relevant to the criminal Case against the former National Security adviser. Poindexter maintains that Reagan knew of and approved activities undertaken in the Iran Contra Initia Tives and that he had no reason to conceal these activities from Congress As charged in the indictment against  has said that Reagan took notes at meetings focusing on congressional inquiries into whether North then a National Security Council aide was raising Money and providing military advice to the contras. Ski chief says third world threat us fes program by Dave Diehl . Bureau London third world advances in chemical and nuclear weapons justify continued work on the strategic defense initiative the director of the proposed space based system says. As Many As 20 third world countries including Iraq and North Korea will have Long Range chemical or nuclear bal Listic missile systems by the end of the Century it. Gen. George l. Monahan or. Said monday. Additionally the soviet Union Contin those threats should ensure that the strategic defense initiative gets congressional support Well into the future he added. Ski popularly known As Star wars is designed to Blunt a missile attack on the United states by using space an ground based systems. The systems would include lasers and particle beams. The program is in line for a $1 billion increase in funding to $4.5 billion in the 1991 defense budget unveiled monday by Secretary of defense Dick Cheney. The increase reflects president Bush s interest in the program Monahan said. The first phase of the two phase Star wan program is expected to be deployed by the late 1990s, Monahan said. It involves tracking and interceptor systems. The second phase involves the development of space based weapons. Monahan is in Europe to meet with government officials and ski contractors in Britain France and West Ger Many. Some experts say the scud Type mis Siles used in places such As Afghanistan and the Iran Iraq War could be a Poten tial threat to . Forces stationed near some of the world s hot spots. Scud is a nato name for heavy artillery rockets made by the soviet Union. The missiles have a Range of about 170 Miles. The experts say such weapons could carry chemical or nuclear warheads. Monahan says ski equipment could neutralize such a threat. Monahan also suggested that the United states and the soviet Union work to Gether on the spread of ballistic missiles