European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday november 25, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9rebel missile Downs Salvador san Salvador Al Salvador apr in the first incident of its kind in the 11-year-old civil War the government says leftist rebels shot Down one of its warplanes with a missile. The jets Downing Friday which killed the Pilot and wounded another Crew member came three Days after the rebels launched an offensive that has killed nearly 100 people. The rebels say their offensive was aimed at forcing the rightist government of president Alfredo Cristian Back to the bargaining table after a series of stalemated sessions. A government communique Friday claimed that rebel use of missiles in several attacks demonstrates that the rebels past participation in peace talks a is purely the dragonfly fighter bomber was shot Down in Eastern us ulatan province the communique said. It said the dragonfly was struck by a soviet designed missile at midday near Santa Elena about 80 Miles East of san Salvador. Earlier the armed forces press office had said the plane crashed because of mechanical failure. It was the first time the government has said one of its warplanes was downed by a missile in Al Salvador a civil War a conflict that has Cost at least 73,000 lives mostly civilians since it began in 1979.united nations is mediating peace talks Between the government and the rebels. Five rounds of talks since May have produced Little Progress. The . Congress recently passed a Bill that begin eng in fiscal 1991, cuts by half the $85 million in military Aidel Salvador receives annually. The legislation is aimed at forcing both sides to reach agreement on ending the War. It stipulates that the Aid could be restored if the rebels launched an offensive that threatened to overthrow the government or be halted altogether if Cristianit a government refused to negotiate. The government communique broadcast Friday night claimed the missile was one of several supplied to the Faramundo Marti National liberation front rebels a also known As Feln a by the leftist sandinista government in neighbouring Nicaragua before it relinquished Power april 25. Such weapons represent a extremely dangerous acts that could affect the political stability of the country a the communique said adding that the rebels have been employing the missiles a for the past 72 earlier Friday the government said the rebels agreed to end an offensive they launched last tuesday that lulled at least 91 people. But a rebel spokesman denied it and reports of new fighting surfaced. According to government officials the offensive has killed 39 soldiers 44 rebels and eight civilians and wounded about 300 people. The guerrillas claimed Over their radio station that the army suffered 450 casualties but they did not say How Many were deaths. The foreign ministers of Mexico Venezuela and Colombia who were meeting Friday in Mexico City appealed for an end to the fighting and urged the two sides to cooperate with the peace a Point a soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev gestures during a news conference in Moscow after the parliament or supreme soviet passed a state of the Union Resolution Friday. Chairman Anotoly Lukyanov was asked to begin urgent negotiations with his counterparts in the 15 soviet republics for Stopgap agreements to arrest the disintegration of the country. Gorbachev warned that a breakup of the soviet Union could Lead to civil War. Rivals claim warlord killed iranian hostages Beirut Lebanon apr a pro syrian Christian militia on saturday accused a rival Christian warlord of killing four iranians missing since 1982. The status of the iranians has been linked to efforts to free Western hostages. Elie Hobeika a militia called Waad or Promise said the order to kill the four iranians was issued by Samir Geagea. Geagea Heads the rightist lebanese forces militia the main Christian Force in Lebanon a 15-year-old civil War. Geagea ousted Hobeika As Leader of the lebanese forces in a bloody crackdown in january 1986. Hobeika later established a new base in syrian policed East Lebanon and recently renamed his group Waad. The four iranians were seized in july 1982 at a lebanese forces Security checkpoint in North Lebanon As they were fleeing israelis invading army. Geagea had said the checkpoint soldiers that seized the four were controlled by Hobeika who was then head of the Christian militias Security Force. The Waad statement however said the lebanese forces checkpoint in North Lebanon was then under the command of Geagea who was the commander of the lebanese forces Northern front. A Geagea ordered that the four iranians be taken to a lebanese forces Garrison in North Lebanon. He then gave his orders to liquidate them a the Waad statement said. It gave no More details. Relatives of the four iranians visited Lebanon last week to gather information on their loved ones. The four Are Ahmed Motev Selian who commanded an iranian revolutionary guards contingent in Lebanon Moh sen Musavi charge do affaires at the iranian embassy in Beirut Kazen Akhavan Allaf photographer for Iran a official islamic Republic news Agency and Mohammed Taghi Rastegar Moqadam an embassy Driver. Iran has repeatedly said that obtaining information on the Fate of the four was a precondition for helping gain the release of 13 westerners missing in Lebanon and believed held mainly by pro iranian shiite moslem extremist groups. The missing westerners comprise six americans four britons two West germans and an italian. The longest held Western hostage is Terry Anderson chief Middle East correspondent for the associated press who was kidnapped in West Beirut on March 16,1985. Distribution of bomb photo hit snog Lockerbie inquiry told Dumfries Scotland apr British authorities failed to circulate photographs of a bomb in a cassette player before the Downing of pan am flight 103 because of a delay in reproducing the pictures an official says. Police believe a similar bomb blew up the Boeing 747 Over Lockerbie Scotland on . 21, 1988, killing 270 people. James Jack aviation Security director of the British department of transport also said Friday that nine Security bulletins his Agency received before the bombing were not specific enough to Issue a major Alert. Jack speaking before an inquiry in the Southern scottish town of Dumfries said his Agency received photographs of the cassette player bomb 13 Days before the bombing of flight 103. But he said his Agency failed to Send the photographs to airlines and Security staff until 17 Days after the Downing because of the time it took to reproduce them. A i done to wish to divert responsibility for this matter. Perhaps if i had attached an urgent Label or taken them round to the photographic department myself it would have been done in six hours. But i put them into a process and unfortunately it was a delayed one a he testified. Jack did not say who gave him the pictures. Families of victims have said previously that the warning photos were distributed by German authorities after German police discovered a bomb inside a radio cassette recorder during a raid on suspected terrorists. Jack responded to the widow of one of the flight 103 victims who inquired about nine Security bulletins from governments airlines or Security sources that were not circulated before the bombing. A that people have been arrested and a device has been impounded is that a threat that there has been a report that someone has perhaps tested procedure at an airline Check in desk is that a threat a he asked. A that there is information that two terrorists Are about in Europe with a bomb i hear about this frequently a he added without elaborating. A the judgment about whether these represent a threat and certainly a specific threat is not As Clear As you suggest a he told Elizabeth delude Dix whose husband Peter died in the bombing. Jack said that in 1988, he received reports of Between 175 and 200 bomb threats against airlines operating flights from British airports. Last year the figure was about 300, he . Drugs blamed for record killings Washington apr the drug Trade has prompted a record number of homicides in the nations capital this year authorities said. Police reported that the Friday stabbing of an unidentified Man in an apparent robbery attempt brought to 436 the number of homicides in the District of Columbia breaking last years record of 434 with More than four weeks remaining in 1990. Investigators said the latest victim staggered to a nearby drugstore for help but later died at Howard University Hospital. Two other people were found shot to death before Dawn Friday. A a we a like to Stop these damned murders a said it. Reggie Smith a metropolitan police department spokesman. A but arrests alone Are not the Only answer. The thing is to persuade people not to get involved in drugs not to fall to social ills that we have seen Over the a the thing that is driving drug crime in . Is the Sale and distribution of drugs a said Richard Bennett professor of Justice at american University. A police can have very Little effect on that As Long As there is Supply and
