European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 a the stars and stripes sunday november 4,1990east German political scandal grows Berlin apr a minister in Chancellor Helmut Kohls new Cabinet was quoted Friday As estimating the wealth of the former East German communist party at up to $200 billion. The figure is a Hundred times More than the sum named by officials of the former communist party. Hans Joachim Walthur a member of the former East German parliament who was appointed As a minister without portfolio in Kohls Cabinet after the Germany United on oct. 3, made the remarks in an interview published by the Dresdner Morgen Post newspaper. The report follows the arrest of three former communist party officials who admitted to illegally funnel ing 107 million Marks about $70 million in party funds to the soviet Union. Two of the officials Wolfgang Pohl and Wolfgang Lan Nitschke were arrested last week. Karl Heinz Kaufmann who was being sought on an International warrant was arrested on thursday in Oslo Norway. News briefs state of emergency expanded by Moldavia Moscow apr the moldavian government expanded its week old state of emergency Friday after armed groups began marching toward three cities to confront secessionist ethnic russians Tass said. The reported move against the russian minority came a week after the republics legislature imposed a state of emergency in the Southern part of the Republic to prevent clashes Between moldavian nationalists and the Galgauz minority. At least two regiments of soviet Interior ministry troops were sent to the area to restore order. The emergency rules were expanded to the predominantly russian cities of Dubos sary Tira spol and Bendery said Dubos Saryu a Deputy mayor Alexander Karajan according to the official news Agency Tass. It was imposed following reports that a armed units Quot were approaching the cities from the capital Kishinev Tass reported.53 soviet soldiers seeking Asylum Germany reports Bonn Germany apr the Interior ministry said Friday that 53 soviet soldiers have applied for Asylum in Germany since the end of August. Meanwhile a Hessen state spokesman said the wife and two children of a soviet major of jewish descent was Given permission to remain in Hessen pending his discharge from the red army. It is widely believed that dozens of other red army soldiers have deserted and Are hiding in former East Germany. Reports Over the past several months have indicated that Many soviet soldiers May desert rather than return to the Bleak housing and economic conditions in their Homeland. Walther head of the conservative German social Union party was asked by the Dresdner Morgen Post to give his views on the wealth of the communists now called the party of democratic socialism ads. A i consider it possible they have holdings of Between 200 billion and 300 billion Marks about $133 billion to $200 billion a the newspaper quoted Walther As saying. The ads headed by Gregor Gysi is fighting to minimize the repercussions of the Money scandal As Germany approaches the dec. 2 parliamentary elections. Gysi has estimated the party a wealth at 2 billion Marks and has promised to make a full disclosure of ads holdings and to Clear up the scandal. He has also denied prior knowledge of the Money leaving the country. In former East Germany most property and businesses were owned by the state and run % the communists. Although the businesses were supposed to be turned Over to a government Trust the communists Are widely suspected of spending their last Days in Power hiding and transferring the  a parliament session in Bonn on tuesday Ingrid Matthaus Maier a prominent member of the leftist social democrats charged the ads had taken Over the a material Worth of the old communist state without accepting responsibility for 40 years of injustice and a ruined  from Page 1 about 60 Miles North of Baghdad and interviewed 10 foreigners with iraqi officials standing nearby. The captives said they eagerly want to go Home but denied reports they Are being underfed or mistreated. A i love Freedom. When i get out of this and go Home ill go to the beaches and have a Nice swim a said Clem j. Hall 57, an educator from Takoma Park my. The hostages said they received messages from their families Over the bbl and the voice of America radio. Saddam has refused to let Many foreigners leave Iraq and Kuwait trying to deter an attack. State department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said Friday that with the Onset of cooler weather in the Gulf . Officials have been trying unsuccessfully for iraqi cooperation in supplying clothing and blankets to american hostages. Iraq has said relatives of the hostages could visit them Over the holidays but Western governments have responded so optically and advised citizens not to travel to Iraq. The iraqi foreign ministry on Friday criticized that reaction saying the United states and Britain a have no respect for human  information minister Latif Jassim said these governments a Are totally  the British foreign office asked relatives not to go but 10 wives of British hostages said they will Fly to Iraq next week to seek their husbands Freedom. Other relatives welcomed iraqis offer to let them visit at Christmas. In announcing plans to free four sick americans Jassim denied the captives were being treated badly. A . Official in Baghdad on Friday identified the four to be freed As Randall Trinh 49, of Hacienda Heights Calif. Or. Abdul Kanji 50, of Glencoe 111., a Chicago suburb Raymond gales a Diplomat stationed in Kuwait and now in Baghdad and Michael Barnes. Trinh a vietnamese american is suffering from an acute ulcer and gales had unspecified medical problems the official said on condition of anonymity. No details were Given on Barnes and it was not known whether Kanji an Indian american was sick. Thousands of foreigners including about 1,000 americans remain in Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq has previously selectively freed hundreds of Western civilians including about 300 French nationals last week. On the diplomatic front Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii added meetings in Moscow this week on the persian Gulf crisis with soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev and foreign minister Eduard a. Shevardnadze. He plans to meet tuesday in Cairo Egypt with chinese foreign minister Lichen Qian. Baker was to leave saturday for a trip that includes meetings with leaders of Bahrain saudi Arabia the ousted kuwaiti government Egypt Turkey Britain and France. In other developments a former Secretary of state Henry Kissinger said Friday a i done to believe we can maintain a Large american presence in saudi Arabia for an extended period of  he told an awards luncheon for business journalists in new York that this would be playing into the hands of nationalist forces. A arrangements were under Way to provide postal services to americans held in Iraq said Steven Richards Deputy executive director of the american red Cross. Toll rises in India religious dispute new Delhi India up a about 10,000 hindus tried to storm a moslem mosque in Northern India on Friday to Start building a Temple but police opened fire and killed 18 people in a new round of violence Over the site. The deaths brought to More than 130 the number of those killed since supporters of the right Wing hindu Bharatia janata party first attempted on tuesday to begin construction of the Temple in the Northern utter Pravesh state town of Ayodhya 345 Miles Southeast of new Delhi. The dispute has sparked the worst political crisis prime minister . Singh a five party National front government has encountered since it assumed Power 11 months ago. Hindu radicals claim the mosque occupying the Ayodhya site was built by the Mogul emperor Bab bar after he destroyed a Temple marking the Birthplace of lord Rama one of the most important hindu gods. Moslem leaders deny the claim and contend no Temple Ever existed at the disputed place. The Ayodhya dispute has been soldering since february 1986, when a court agreed to allow hindus to worship in the mosque. The move led to widespread communal riots in Northern India. Fridays violence in Ayodhya began when hindus gathered near the disputed site now occupied by a 460-year-old mosque and were blocked by police barricades. The crowd of about 10,000, who want the mosque relocated so they can begin construction of the Temple then sat on the Road and Sang religious  e. German produce found unfit by Mary Neth staff writer some fruits and vegetables grown on farms in what was East Germany Are loaded with deadly chemicals and pesticides. But its unlikely that american shoppers will find the produce in overseas commissaries officials said Friday. Quot the terminal markets that buy for the . Commissaries do Purchase local produce a Matt Hyatt of the defense subsistence Region Europe said Friday. A but the produce purchased must be of the highest Quality. It is checked by veterinarians and must conform to european common Market German and .  col. John c. Barck chief of veterinary services for the army a 7th medical come in Heidelberg Germany said Small lots of local fruits and vegetables purchased for direct delivery to the commissaries Are inspected by . Army Veteri Naty personnel and Are subjected to pesticide screening. When fruits or vegetables exceed allowable Levels 7th medical come carries out a recall and makes a Public announcement about the item and the risk involved. The Host country is also notified of the Laboratory findings Barck said. On thursday the German ministry of health announced that High percentages of cadmium Mercury Dot and dioxin have been found in vegetables and lettuce produced in the five new German states. Cadmium and Mercury Are heavy metals. Dot is an environmentally devastating insecticide that has been banned by the United states and other countries. Dioxin is a chemical often used in herbicides and. Defoliants. A such contaminated foodstuffs will quickly disappear from the German Market a said Klaus Henning of the health ministry. A the amount that is now in the stores does not present an acute health  the German health ministry has begun inspecting All produce and foodstuffs produced in former East Germany Henning said. A use of pesticides such As Dot within the area has been banned in accordance with German Law a he said. Growing areas within the new German states Are also being checked for possible soil pollution. A land areas found to be contaminated by chemicals will no longer be allowed to be used for agriculture a Henning said. The German government is spending More than 3 million Marks about $2 million for equipment to measure pollution of food produced in the former East German states. The health ministry also will look into health damage that people of the area May have suffered because of the contaminated food Chain. A Only by analysing hair and tissue can we assess whether there has been such damage and if so to what extent a said a health ministry spokesman