European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday july 6, 1990 the stars and stripes Pago 9 worries by mar Neth staff writer. West German citizens groups and political parties Are uneasy about the upcoming trek of 400 tons of deadly chemical weapons across their country. A the critics including members of the social democrats and the Green party raise three Central questions about the operation. They argue that a the operation is being rushed. A th6 West German government has grudgingly refused to allow Independent studies of the operation. A officials have sealed off local emergency personnel from valuable information about the operations schedule. Initially the . Army was to remove the chemical weapons from West German soil by april 30, 1997. That plan changed in 1986 when then president Reagan and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl agreed to move the deadline up to december 1992. The schedule got another nudge Forward in april 1989, when Kohl Tola the West German parliament that the Bush administration had agreed to an earlier Date. Kohl based his announcement on a Public statement by Secretary of state James a. Baker that the United states was exploring ways to accelerate the withdrawal. Roger Harrison former Deputy assistant Secretary of state told Congress that Kohls announcement was not Quot reflective of any agreement Quot Between the two governments. . Officials say they were mane Vered into removing the weapons two years ahead of time by Kohl Quot the Washington Post reported in october 1939. And the withdrawal was Given a december 1990 deadline the Post reported. It col. Helmut Fischer of the German defense ministry scoffed at that scenario Fischer the official West German spokesman for the operation said there  reason to wait because the transportation has been deemed Safe by the Pentagon and the German government. He said that Quot because the operation is Safe there also has been no reason to consider other Means of disposal Quot such As burning the chemicals where they Are stored. That process will be used on chemical weapons stored in the United states. German critics Arentt satisfied with such assurances. The social democratic party the greens and citizen groups such As the Freedom coordination group of the West Pfalz Lac demanded without sue Cess that safety studies be conducted and made Public. In contrast the Pentagon has conducted two exhaustive studies into ways of destroying .-based chemical weapons. The outcome of one three volume study was an army decision to build eight plants to destroy the weapons at the storage Sites. A a we studied three alternatives a moving the entire . Chemical Stock Plant begins destroying first Batch of nerve agents Washington a amps a after a lengthy delay the Johnston atoll Furnace began saturday to destroy the first Batch of nerve agents army officials said tuesday. Problems with equipment and worker training at the Plant formally known As the Johnston atoll chemical agent disposal system had held up operations since May for the next 16 months the facility in the Pacific Ocean will undergo verification testing while destroying the islands chemical weapons stockpile officials said. The mechanical method of disassembling and incinerating the weapons will be tested during this phase. The 100,000 artillery shells stored at Clausen army depot in West Germany will begin the journey to the facility Only after an undisclosed amount of the stockpiles on the Island Are incinerated. A the army is in the process of verifying that the furnaces rocket shearing equipment and pollution abatement systems at the Jacas facility operate As designed a the defense department said in a news release. According to the statement once the army is satisfied the systems Are working correctly Secretary of defense Dick Cheney will Send certification to Congress. The process is expected to take at least two weeks the release said. Pile to one National location in Utah for disposal moving chemical stockpiles from the Eastern and Western parts of the country to local disposal plants and disposal of each stockpile at its current site Quot said Gregg Zimmerman a scientist at Tennessee so soak Ridge National Laboratory who helped prepare the report. Zimmerman said the National disposal Plant in Utah was Ruid out because of the risks posed by Long disc acc rail travel. A shut it was a tossup Between regional and on site choices Quot said Zimmerman. A the Pentagon finally chose the on site disposal . On site disposal removed Alu Ransport tation risks and reduced the emergency preparedness that would have been required he said. The study also compared truck rail and plane transportation. Zimmerman said that rail was chosen As the safest Means. The critics also arc uneasy about the secrecy of the operation and us effect on plans for medical care should the deadly chemical agents leak from the vapor proof containers. A a we also have asked that Organiza Lions that might be called upon in an it emergency a Rescue teams doctors and hospitals a be included in the plan Nin said Hannclore Adbel of the Freedom coordination group of the West Pfalz. Quot our request was  the Date and route of the chemical transportation Are being kept secret As part of a a Mutual German american decision based on Security a Fischer said. Therefore local fire departments and other Rescue organizations will be notified just before the transport of the chemical agents through their areas he said. Security tight for chemical weapons continue from Page 1 Many in 1967 and stored at the Clausen depot. They Are part of a . Stockpile that is on average 31 years old. Curds Confidence in the operations safety is based on tests conducted by the service. The . Army defense ammunition Center and school in Savanna 111., has detonated test shells and set another on fire to show that neither an accidental detonation of one Shell nor flame would blow up other shells in the shipment. In the live fire test empty 8-Inch rounds like those stored in Clausen were detonated. That test detonation did not cause other nearby shells to explode curd Saida an added precaution the weapons will be moved without fuses army officials said. Quot the fuses Are already shipped to another place Quot said Brig. Gen. Dennis a Bench Oft 59lh Ord brigade commander. A they Are not with the weapons and will not be shipped with the weapons Quot the fuses can be set to detonate the shells at a certain time or on Impact curd said. In practice the fuse triggers a burster inside the Shell. The burster a Metal Cylinder filled with explosives is designed to explode and scatter the chemical agents Over enemy forces. Army officials said the shells packing will protect them from attack. The steel shells will be encased in steel boxes with Vapo proof seals. These boxes will be placed inside steel military containers. Sixty five of the 100,000 shells require special packing because the army has declared them unserviceable. The defects include rust on the Shell extensor and scratches in the casing. No corrosion or leaks have been found on any of the 100,000 shells army officials said. Each of these 65 shells will be packed in forged steel containers and sealed. They will then be placed in the secondary steel containers and packed into the military containers like the other weapons. Even Light anti tank weapons a Law missiles a  penetrate the multiple layers of steel curd said. Army officials refused to discuss what types of weapons could penetrate to the containers and the shells citing Security considerations. Terrorists depending on the level of organization tend to carry semiautomatic weapons heavy machine guns grenade launchers and explosives said a spokesman for Jane a defence weekly in London. A we done to want to give anyone any ideas Quot he said. A but in an attack on the convoys they would probably use Standard ambush techniques Standard guerrilla tactics. The spokesman added that it is entirely possible for terrorists to have Law missiles. A you can buy them off the streets in los Angeles or new York Quot he said. Despite the ease of obtaining such a weapon he added that he a would no to expect it to puncture the cells that the chemicals Are in.�?�. The spokesman said the amount of damage would depend on a variety of factors including the Type of warhead on the missile and the Range. To Ward off ambushes the truck and rail convoys will be accompanied by a Large Force of West germans and americans officials from both groups Are reluctant to provide details about the Force but they acknowledged that the guards would be prepared to fire. The  will provide the outer ring of defences curd said. They will be standing guard at Crossroads and Railroad Crossings. German police helicopters will Fly beside the truck convoys and the trains. Trains carrying the weapons will be escorted by other trains carrying Security medical and firefighting personnel. The exact positioning of these Security troops was not disclosed. Aircraft flights Over the weapons Are forbidden whether they Are at the depot in the Convoy at the Railhead or on the train tracks army officials and German police said. The specific routes Are not being released curd said. A the . Has no involvement in the routes a he said. A the German police decide them  West German police also will ride with the convoys. During a practice run in april a German police Van filled with officers Rode Between each of the 20 . Tractor trailers hauling a simulated Load of chemical weapons. . Military police also will accompany the convoys with orders to shoot if necessary a the very last step if the person shows definite aggression to cause harm to personnel or the weapons is shooting to kill a curd said. A first they would shoot to wound one possible target for terrorists would be the Railhead at Miessau where the army will store the weapons outdoors until All 100,000 shells have been moved from Clausen. Army officials said it will Lake 30 Days to Clear the weapons from the depot. Officials said they think the Security measures. Planned for Miessau will deter an attack. The army corps of engineers has strengthened the Concrete pad area on either Side of the Railhead to store the weapons. It also has installed new Security fences lighting sys a terns and a lightning Protection system. Outside the fenced area is a cleared Buffer zone Between the Fence and the nearby Trees to give guards an unobstructed View. But army officials will not comment on the placement of guards at the site. The army a fear of a fire is related to the fear of an attack. A Blaze would Force the Convoy to Stop making it an easier target. A fire itself presents few problems officials said. To Back up that belief the army burned one Shell that was filled with one of the nerve agents for 44 minutes. The Shell did not detonate and the liquid inside dissipated because of the heat a this is an exaggerated Case of what would happen Quot curd said. Curd added that firefighters would respond within seconds if a truck carrying the weapons caught fire. Members of the technical escort team will be providing firefighting response. These team members primary Job in the army is providing escort services for hazardous materials of All sorts. These soldiers Are trained to respond quickly to any emergency situation to preserve lives army officials say. But officials would not describe the Type of equipment the Crews will carry. Despite the potential problems Benchoff reminded reporters last March about the shells original Mission. A these rounds were designed to be transported in wartime conditions without any special provisions a he said. Rose Gotte a social democratic member of the West German parliament has been a vocal critic of the transportation arrangements. Today however she says she a pleased that the chemical munitions Are about to be withdrawn. A a in a satisfied that the military has planned the move Well a she said