European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 5, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes monday february 5,1990genscher urges Quick Relief for e. Germany Berlin apr West German foreign minister Hans Dietrich Genscher has promised to seek immediate financial Aid Tor East germans in the throes of an economic disaster conceding that a German Unity will not come for Genscher who was bom near Halle in what is now East Germany also said at a political rally sunday in East Berlin that european neighbors had nothing to fear from a United Germany. West German leaders pursuing reunification appear willing to give up future claims to ethnic German regions that arc now pan of Poland Czechoslovakia and the soviet Union. Guns Char. Acknowledging the dire state of the East German Economy and growing fears of collapse said the West German government would have to provide immediate help in health care Basic goods and environmental Relief for its struggling neighbor. Quot German Unity will not come for free Quot guns Char told a founding Congress of the East German free democratic party. East germans go to the polls on March 18 for the first free elections in their 40-Ycar history. But As the Economy plummets West germans have been forced to consider interim measures to keep the nation afloat through the next six weeks. West German finance minister Tho a incl proposed last week that the West German Mark be introduced immediately As the official currency in East Germany. He said the action would assure its 16 million citizens that reforms were imminent. At an International economics conference in Davos Switzerland Dresden mayor Wolfgang Borg Hoffr also appealed for immediate currency Reform. West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and East German Premier Hans Modrow also met Al the Davos conference which was held Over the weekend to discuss ways that West Germany could help until East Germany scaled a new government and drafted a plan for reunification. Thousands of East germans Are fleeing to West Germany each Day As their nation becomes increasingly unstable. The departures that averaged 2,000 daily in january arc fueling a decline in production. The resulting Scarcity of Basic goods and services has driven even More residents into the West. Guns Char and the Leader of his free democratic parly Otto Graf Lamsdorff flew to Berlin to attend the inaugural East German Ftp meeting and to offer political support. West German Ftp leaders also plan to meet next week with the Liberal democratic party which was once aligned with the communists and with the German forum party that broke away last month from new forum the largest of the pro democracy movements that helped to oust the hard line leadership last from Page 1 pc Lional forces in Europe talks said the 195,000-troop proposal was a positive step and would help the negotiations in Vienna. Austria. Quot that s where we believe we need to be and no one s doing any planning or looking further beyond he said. Quot we re proposing that 195.000 As a ceiling both for us and for the soviets and if the soviets want to go below that ceiling. I think most people in the West would be Woolsey said. A deeper soviet reduction would allow further cuts of . Troops in Central Europe. But where the cuts will be made is still up in the air the . European Comdr Stop officer said saturday. Quot we just got that message about making Force cuts about three Days ago. So we re really looking at a lot of different Galvin said. Quot we ii make those decisions Over the next few Days and i la be passing that Back to Washington from my Neucom Headquarters in Stuttgart. Quot when we get the Force recommendations then Well Start deciding what installations would continue a the general said. A a there a a lot of work to be done before we come to an Galvin said the work would be done As fast As possible. And added. Quot but i Don t make the final decision. And to How the whole thing turns out who knows Quot from Page 1 by Lenin eight months later said a new revolution was under Way. A Long live the beginning of the peaceful non violent revolution of february 1990�?� historian Yuri Afanasiev told the cheering crowd. Some demonstrators at the front of the crowd chanted Quot politburo resign Quot others whistled in derision when they passed the Moscow City Council Headquarters on Gorky Street. Trucks blocked Moscow s Garden ring Road for the marchers who linked arms next to Gorky Park and completely filled eight lanes of traffic stretching More than half a mile. Cordons of uniformed police blocked cars elsewhere turning the Center of Moscow into a virtual pedestrian mall. According to published reports party Leader Gorbachev was to propose to the Central committee that the parly relinquish its guarantee of Power that was written into the soviet Constitution in 1977. The radio Moscow news service inter fax also said Gorbachev was planning structural reforms that would reduce the size of the Central committee and possibly eliminate the ruling politburo. He also was expected to give tacit approval to the concept of private property. The proposals arc in the form of a draft platform to be placed before a party Congress scheduled for this fall. Many Moscow observers expected a concentrated Effort from conservatives in the Central committee to Stop the reforms they believe have brought the soviet Union to economic ruin and ethnic strife. At least some in the crowd had doubts whether Gorbachev was committed to Radical reforms. Quot Mikhail Serg Yevich whom arc you with a a one sign asked. Yeltsin and other reformers speaking from the Back of a Blue flatbed truck As they addressed the crowd in front of the Moscow hotel demanded that the parly and government talk with them about the soviet Union s future. They also urged a Day of similar rallies throughout the country on feb. 25. Yeltsin demanded that the party Congress be held earlier in May or june. The rally United reformers from the Peoples front organizations of Moscow and Russia the association of Moscow voters a group dedicated to remembering the victims of Stalin and other reformers. It marked another step in a rapid solidification of the reformers movement. The reformers first came together two weeks ago to form a group calling itself the democratic platform. A we Don t have anymore time a said Nikolai i. Trav Kin a member of the Congress of people s deputies. Quot we Don t have time for disagreements among reformers say they have been scared in recent weeks by the soviet military assault on Baku the capital of the Azerbaijan Republic where a fierce nationalist movement has taken hold and by threats of attacks on jews by russian nationalists. A we arc for Freedom but not the Freedom of fascists we re for Freedom but not the Freedom of murderers a popular poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko declared. Democratic platform formally demanded removal of the communists constitutional guarantee on Power and a virtual apology for decades of repression and aids efforts to clean up storm damage from staff and w ire reports a Bright Sun smiled on most of France and West Germany on sunday the Day after a violent windstorm caused widespread damage and killed at least 29 people. The winds which gusted up to 104 Mph in some parts of Western France caused 23 deaths in that country and was the worst storm in 20 years according to the National civil defense office. Officials said it was too Early to assess material damage. West German police said six people died when they were crushed by falling Trees. An 87-Ycar-old West German died of a heart attack after a tree fell in front of him. The Savage storm came just nine Days after a similar tempest raged across France leaving 11 dead. That storm killed eight people in West Germany on Jan. 25. The French group sos environment led by Jean Claude Delarue issued a statement accusing a Public officials of being responsible for part of the death toll. It said it was scandalous that no safety warnings had been Given. The stale run electric it do France said that at midday sunday Only 160,000 people remained without electricity of the 2 million or More whose Power was Cut at the height of the storm. Rail and air services which had been severely disrupted by the High winds fallen Trees and downed electric wires were Back to Normal sunday in France. Several main highways which had been blocked temporarily also were dear. The highest wind Al 104 Mph was recorded at the Pointe Duraz the extreme Western Point of France. The heaviest casualty toll however was in the Paris Region where the storm was blamed for 14 deaths. In West Germany winds of up to 93 Mph were measured in Trier on saturday. High winds ripped off the roof of a sports Hall near Offenbach and blew Down one Wall injuring four spectators at a handball game. The winds uprooted thousands of Trees and Tore off hundreds of roofs police said sunday. Downed Trees blocked major highways for hours saturday night and delayed a number of trains. In East Germany the storm caused Power failures and interruptions of rail services in several areas where Trees crashed on the lines. At Ramstein a West Germany the fierce wind peeled off part of the roofs of the Southside base gym and the old consolidated base personnel office building which was vacant because of scheduled renovation. Base spokesman maj. Bruce Lewis said damage was estimated at $400,000, but he expected the figure to climb once inspectors got inside buildings. 10 inns report try associated press m France press International m West Germany and stall writer Peggy Davidson at Ramsten a officer from Page 1 not Only complicated the officer s tax returns but stained his credit rating As Well. In april 1989, Miller received a letter from a collection Agency that demanded overdue payments for a Hospital stay and an electric Bill in Georgia. Richard Allen Miller s overdue debts in Georgia also caused the officer to be denied a car loan. Quot his bad debts Are haunting me Quot Miller said. But that was t All. In december 1989, he received another letter from the irs. This one said he owed about $2,000 in taxes for 1987 a and interest due and All of he said. The letter claimed the officer received unemployment benefits and worker s compensation from a company in Georgia. A live never lived in Georgia a Miller said. Quot i be driven through it just to go to Disney world when i was a kid but that s about besides Miller said he was stationed at fort Sili okla., during the time in question. For All he knows the other Miller could be in the magic kingdom. A they Haven t been Able to Contact him for the last year a Miller said. He said it would t be too bad if he shared the same name and number with an established person. A but with someone with no Job a the fact that his wife a first name and Middle initial of Julie l. Come close to the other Miller s Jennie l. Probably has t helped much he said. Miller said he s written letter after letter and made phone Calls to get things straight with the collection Agency irs and social Security administration. He said he thinks the irs is on track. A but Well Sec when we file this year s and although the social Security administration has assured him his problems arc Over he said he won t be convinced until he can sit Down with them face to face. He plans to do that when he is reassigned to the states this summer. A my biggest concern is what will happen to the social Security that in be earned and my credit rating a Miller said. A a in a just glad this person s not in the military. If he was he would probably be drawing my the military Miller lives with the problem but he thinks he has a Way of sparing future generations. Quot in a seriously considering if i Ever have any children names like Ziggy and
