European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse 1,050 ethiopian soldiers reportedly killed by rebels Nairobi Kenya apr eritrean rebels who ethiopians government says Are intensifying their War reported that they killed More than 1,000 soldiers in four Days of fighting. The eritrean Peoples liberation front said in a Clandestine radio broadcast sunday that its guerrillas killed 1,050 soldiers and injured 1,900 in a Battle near Asmara capital of ethiopians northernmost province. The broadcast said the rebels also captured three tanks and Many weapons. The broadcast monitored in kenyans capital Nairobi said the fighting began with a government offensive sept. 9 and ended thursday. The rebel claims could not be immediately verified. But ethiopian president Mengistu Haile Mariam hinted at the fighting wednesday in a speech marking the military a 1974 ouster of the late emperor Haile strike shuts Down major romanian port Bucharest Romania up a the key Black sea port of Constanta ground to a halt monday As More than 25,000 seamen and Dock workers went on strike in the biggest walkout since the december revolution. Members of the City a seamen a Union and Drivers Syndicate put Down their tools at 8 . To demand the removal of managers they say Are blocking government ordered reforms. Union officials said the strike involves about 85 percent of the work Force and has virtually shut Down the port at Constanta which accounts for about 60 percent of romanians import and Export traffic. A Union of Danube River workers met in Bucharest on monday to decide whether to join the strike already the largest since the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu on dec. 22. A statement spelling out the workers demands said the strike was called a because the administrators and other departments Are not observing the governments , soviets restoring diplomatic relations Moscow apr Prince Saud Al Faisal Al Saud the saudi arabian foreign minister arrived in Moscow on sunday to sign a treaty restoring diplomatic relations with the soviet Union the official Tass news Agency said. Sergei Kirp Ichenko a foreign ministry official was quoted As saying a the Issue of establishing official contacts Between the Union of soviet socialist republics and saudi Arabia has Long been saudi Arabia and the soviet Union had full diplomatic relations until 1938, when dictator Josef Stalin closed his embassy in Jidida to Cut costs. Several attempts to re establish relations during the 1980s faltered Over what saudi Arabia called the soviet unions Quot belligerent attitude toward its 50 million moslem Solidarity Leader Lech Walesa right and prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki talk during a workers mass on sunday. Mazowiecki who also May run for president had no comment on Walesa s announcement monday Walesa has made up his mind he will run for president of Poland Warsaw Poland apr Lech Walesa who a decade ago led polish workers in forming the East blocks first free Trade Union announced monday that he will run for president of Poland. A today i made up my mind. I am putting Forward for society a approval my readiness to be a candidate for the Post of president of the polish Republic in popular elections Quot the Solidarity chairman said in a statement from the unions Headquarters in the Baltic port of Gdansk. A for me it is a fulfilment of the pledge i made in August 1980,�?� Walesa said. He was catapulted to Fame that month by a leading role in strikes that spurred the government to recognize the Solidarity labor federation. Walesa a skilled negotiation also played a key role in the Spring of 1989 in the talks that led communist authorities to eventually hand Over Power to pro Solidarity forces. The 46-year-old electrician at the Gdansk shipyard where Solidarity was born is at Odds with his former allies now running Poland a government. He has suggested for nearly a year that he might run. Post communist Poland a first fully democratic presidential and parliamentary elections Are expected As Early As this fall and no later than Spring. Supporters of prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki the former close adviser Walesa picked to be the East blocks first non communist government Leader want Mazowiecki to run for president. Mazowiecki has not said whether he would run and his office said monday there would be no immediate response to Walesa a decision. The country a current president Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski is Poland a former communist Leader a the Man who ordered a 1981 military crackdown that attempted to crush Solidarity. Jaruzelski said through a spokesman monday that Walesa a presidential bid a reflects the process of democratic changes in Jaruzelski was elected by parliament last year As part of the political Compromise that gave pro Solidar Ltd forces control of the government. Walesa has charged that too Many supporters of the old communist administration remain in key posts and that the government is losing touch with the problems of Poland. Two Camps a the beginning of a multiparty system after four decades of communist control a have emerged in the political feud. One the Center Alliance supports Walesa for president and is identified with workers and the Solidarity Union in Gdansk. The other known by the acronym Road backs Mazowiecki and is associated with intellectuals and the government in Warsaw. Road organizers have called on Mazowiecki to make his decision by the end of september. Walesa predicted last week that he would win. He said that Mazowiecki would receive 35 percent of the vote if he ran. A i am not worried about Victory but about its scale a Walesa said. A the situation is hard and if the president is elected with Only 50 percent of the vote he will have to work 48 hours a Day. Thus he must win with 80 Jaruzelski has said he will resign Early from his six year term As president. He was elected in july 1989 largely to smooth relations with the soviet Union after historic accords Between Solidarity and then communist authorities paved the Way for the democratic transformation of Poland and other Eastern european Poland a powerful roman Catholic primate. Cardinal Jozef Glemp has called together the leaders of the country a political factions for a meeting tuesday to discuss the next stage of the nations democratic development. Parliament is scheduled to begin debate thursday on a schedule for elections. Philippine defense chief backs phaseout of bases a Mil a a Rynn Manila Philippines up a calling opponents of in the Philippines a Small groups of noisy people Quot defense Secretary Fidel v. Ramos monday said the country needed the installations but he defended a gradual phaseout until the end of the Century As beneficial to both sides. Ramos discussed the Issue in an exclusive interview As the second round of talks was scheduled to Start tuesday to discuss the renewal of a 1947 agreement scheduled to lapse sept. 16, 1991. . Government sources have said the United states is willing to agree to a phaseout of the bases Over a five to 10-year period. A number of philippine legislators and other Public figures have demanded the immediate end of a . Military presence. A a gradual phaseout gives both countries time to adjust to a new situation a said Ramos a 1950 graduate of the . Military Academy at West Point . Despite his defense of a phaseout Ramos did say the bases were needed. He said surveys showed Filipi nos favored keeping the bases As Well As extending the bases agreement and he called opponents a Small groups of noisy the defense Secretary however conceded difficulty might arise in getting the philippine Senate to ratify a new agreement. Ramos said filipinos should not create a new problems with a demand for the sudden elimination of the bases. A More time is needed be it just Short of the 21st Century a not a sudden stroke without planning. A the gradual phaseout is a termination plan not an Extension plan Quot he said in his office at the department of National defense in Camp Aguinaldo in neighbouring Quezon City. Even with the United states and the soviet Union embracing each other a said Ramos the bases were necessary m a world becoming increasingly Multi Polar. He said the Philippines neighbouring countries Are maintaining their old military ties. A the Commonwealth countries Are still tied up with Mother United kingdom a he said. A the world is a global Village. We cannot be isolated from our Ramos said changes in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East As Well As internal events such As the july earthquake had made the climate in the Philippines More favourable to the presence of . Bases. He said a number of options existed for the future of the bases including joint military use philippine civilian use joint civilian use joint philippine foreign use. A a lot of time is needed to make any of these a reality a he said. He said he wanted from the United states a compensation package for use of the bases that included enough surplus equipment to equip a fourth engineering battalion in Northern Luzon to assist in Clearing areas damaged in the july earthquake and building roads and Bridges
