European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 5, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 it the stars and stripes sunday August 5.1990senate rejects Cut of 30,000 More troops by Chuck Vinch a Washington Bureau Washington a the Senate reject cd a proposal Friday that would have required 30,000 troops to be withdrawn from Europe and demobilized on top of a previously approved withdrawal of 50,000 troops. The proposal was Defeated by a vote of 59-40. It was offered As an Amend men to the Senate s fiscal 1991 defense authorization Bill by sen Kent Conrad . During floor debate. The Senate armed services committee approved the withdrawal a but not the demobilization a of 50,000 troops from Europe in 1991 when the Bill was drafted two weeks ago. Conrad at times almost shouting raged Over West Germany a announcement Lasit week that it would Bear the costs of keeping soviet troops in East Germany while forces on both sides in Central Europe Are drawn Down a at the same time West Germany announced it would pay the soviet Union to keep its troops in East Germany we arc paying to keep troops in West Germany to protect against those soviet forces Quot Conrad said. A it is 45 years after the last great War in Europe a Conrad said. A events have changed the threat there and our own economic condition requires substantial savings. We arc spending Over $100 billion a year to protect Europe and we have to borrow the Money front them to do it. We can no longer afford it Quot with a National debt that has tripled Over the past eight years and the United states saddled with massive budget deficits and the title of worlds largest debtor nation . Defense commitments Over seas must be reduced riot he said. A we arc undermining the strength of America a he said. Quot the greatest threat to our National Security is our economic vulnerability. We cannot continue to pay everyone Al Sci a Bills when we can t pay our  sen Sam Nunn d-oa., chairman of the Senate armed services committee has advocated the eventual reduction in . Troops in Europe to about 75,000 to 100,000, but Conrad said he sees no reason to wait. The congressional budget office estimates that Conradus amendment would have saved $380 million from reductions in personnel costs and an additional $350 million per year in operations arid maintenance costs. But sen. John Mccain r-ariz., urged a patience and caution on troop reductions in Europe and said additional personnel end strength reductions beyond the committees recommended figure of 100,000 probably would trigger involuntary separations. Costs for Severance pay and other benefits for. Involuntarily separated troops would add to the defense budget Iri the Short term rather than reduce it Mccain said. A i do not believe it is appropriate for Congress to impose unilaterally without agreement of the1 executive Branch further reductions in troops until we can achieve a conventional forces in Europe agreement Quot Mccain said a if at this time next year we have not made significant and substantial agreements with the soviet Union i would be willing to support the amendment Quot he said. A Nunn agreed saying if the Pentagon was forced to Cut More than 100,000 troops next year a a Wco re going to have to Send out Pink  he urged his colleagues to stay on the course outlined by his committee of steady gradual troop reductions in Europe Over the next few  gets life for murder of daughter 8 by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer bad Kreuz Nach West Germany a a military jury sentenced staff sgt Ricardo Valdez to life in prison Friday for the Manning and unpremeditated murder of his 8-Ycar-Olcfdaughier, Michele. The jury s verdict ended a week of shocking testimony about a battered child who was forced to stand if the Corner for hours at a time and in the weeks before her death live on the bathroom floor. The 34-year-old sergeant stared into his Lap As the seven officer jury delivered its guilty verdict following about five hours of deliberation. Mis Demeanour was the same throughout the five Day general court martial. Valdez had looked up Only Wheir his stepdaughter Charlene Young and daughter Nelleke took the witness stand tuesday. A Michele died of staphylococcal pneumonia on match 27 or 28. Doctors said her death was seeded by bacteria that entered her bloodstream through abuse related injuries. During the sentencing hearing before a packed courtroom the jury Learned of attempts since 1984 by Michele smother Marriann Mattocks to obtain custody of Michele and Nelleke. The jurors also Learned that authorities returned the girls to Valdez scare in fort Banning ga., in 1984 upon the condition that he receive counselling. Valdez who is assigned to he co 4th in 34th Armor in Mainz never did go for the counselling. Army prosecutor maj. Michael child argued that the mor Jarman should be Given the maximum sentence of life imprisonment and that he had no potential for rehabilitation. A no Parent who loved a child would allow her to undergo that Type of punishment Quot he said. Civilian defense attorney Joel Cohen urged the jury to choose a sentence from the lower end of the spectrum which ranged from no punishment to the life term. 1 the Soldier of 13 years was a Man in conflict Cohen said. There was a a conflict Between what this Man fell for his wife and what this Man Felt for his child Quot Cohen said. Rather than coming Home to warmth from his wife Christina he was a hit with Anicic Block of recrimination Quot Christina Valdez Cohen said would Tell her husband to a get rid of your kid or in a leaving  the conflict was compounded by his Strong fear of what would happen if he did take Michele a battered body to medical authorities Cohen said. The jury also found Valdez guilty of child neglect and larceny of military property. He was found not guilty of assault on a child under age 16. The child neglect occurred from 1986 until Michele a death. Among other things Valdez had not enrolled Michele in school or taken her for mandatory childhood vaccinations testimony showed. The jury found Valdez guilty of larceny for stealing 246 m-16 ammunition rounds from his unit. The ammunition was found in his basement during a search of his Home at Fin then army airfields Clark housing area. The assault count involved a Bruise on Michele slower Abdomen that doctors said was caused by Blunt Force. Because the elongated Bruise was i a inches wide the prosecution said it could have occurred when Valdez whipped Michele with an army web Belt of the same Width. Valdez had been charged with three counts of assault when his trial began. Military judge col. Craig Jacobsen ruled wednesday however that there was not enough evidence to convict Valdez of the other counts which involved a fractured dislocated wrist and head injury suffered by Michele. An autopsy revealed that Michele had a Golf Ball size blood clot at the site of the head injury. Valdez s conviction on maiming involved an injury to Michele ship that would have Alec cd her appearance and ability to walk. Valdez also was reduced to the lowest enlisted rank and Given a dishonourable discharge. Christina Valdez remains under investigation by West German authorities for child abuse  from Page 1 Day with Telephone and telex lines Cut and radio broadcasts extremely fuzzy. In his statement the iraqi spokesman said that if anyone took action against iraqi ibises Iraq would a chop off his Arm from the  the statement also made Clear that the decision to withdraw was not a Concession to International pressure. A we refuse to respond to empty chatter Here and there by malicious people to whom we give no  the statement said. A nato source said the United states had a contingency plans in Case Saddam decided to advanced his forces further through the strategic Region. He did not say what those plans were. The Pentagon said the Carrier Independence carrying about 75 planes and backed by six ships was in route to the Region from the arabian sea. France said it would Send a second warship to the Gulf to work with the eight . Ships already on station there. The state department said iraqi troops hardened by eight years of War with Iran were positioned 5 Miles to 10 Miles from the saudi Border. A their presence there clearly raises significant concern a spokesman Richard Boucher said. The United Stales buys j.2 million barrels of Oil a Day from saudi Arabia or about one sixth of All american Oil imports. Bush said there is a Short term surplus of crude Oil at the moment but noted that a Long run economic effects on the free world could be devastating if supplies Are curtailed. A when you look at Vita interests of the United states the relationship with saudi Arabia and its Independence and its Freedom come under the heading of very very important a Bush said. In related developments a the soviet Union and United states issued a rare joint statement demanding that All countries Stop arms supplies to Iraq and that Iraq pull out of Kuwait immediately. The soviet Union iraqis main weapons supplier Cut off shipments thursday. A Egypt broke the silence among major Arab nations and harshly condemned the invasion. The Arab league meeting in Cairo also denounced the invasion and called for Iraq to withdraw immediately. The Gulf Copperas in Council which includes saudi Arabia similarly criticized the iraqi attack in a statement issued in Cairo. A Jordan a King Hussein met with Saddam in Baghdad then announced that Arab leaders would gather for a Summit sunday to discuss the crisis. A the United states proposed that the . Security Council adopt sweeping military Trade and economic sanctions against  from Pago 1 behind average private sector wages by i 1.3 percent and the  would increase to 12.0 percent with the smaller raise next year based on inflation and wage it growth projections for next year. Glenn used the 3.5 percent raise request to question the Pentagon soft stated commitment to personnel Over hardware. A the request says to me that the Pentagon accepts the fact that pay erosion is something they re Happy to Liv e with a lie said. But Warner read from an aug. 2 letter in which defense Secretary Dick Cheney  belief that the 3.5 percent raise is adequate for fiscal 1941. While the difference in costs for the higher raise in 1991 would total $314 million the Long term Price tag would be much higher and might result in involuntary separations to hold Down manpower costs Cheney said. A my opinion is that the amendment would result in other cuts in the manpower accounts including thousands of personnel who would have to be separated Quot Nunn said. A the problem is not the $314 million in 1991 a 1 believe we could accommodate  he said. A the problem is its $2 billion accumulated manpower costs Over the next five  Glenn retorted that Cheney is a Flat wrong to say the 3,5 percent raise is adequate. A if we go with that recommendation we increase the erosion of pay even further a he  i also done to accept that the higher raise would automatically require deeper cuts in end strength a he said. Any number of hardware programs such As the strategic defense initiative could be Cut to offset the costs of the higher raise he said. The House armed services committee in its version of the defense authorization Hill approved a 4.1 percent military pay raise but committee aides said it stands a Good Chance of being knocked Back to 3.5 percent when the House begins debate on the Bill after the August congressional recess