European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes monday december 24,1990ley Pond a dangerous temptation by Luke Britt / /. Stilt write / / / \ \ i Kirchberg Germany nine year old Rachel / / f a u Urff Jtj Harmon ignored the warning signs around the Pond ,. /. / \ h i to by Luke Britt staf writer t Kirchberg Germany a nine year old Rachel Harmon ignored the warning signs around the Pond near Hahn a once too often. On a cold sunday afternoon Rachel walked past the danger signs onto the Frozen Pond just As neighbors say so Many children do. A few minutes later she fell through the ice into freezing water. Otto heard her cries for help Over the television program he was watching. Surpassing the fear that he too might crash into the water the German Carpenter who cannot swim ran to the Pond and crawled Over 50 feet of ice to pull the child from the water. Blue lipped and stiff Rachel was taken to the i incr Cost House where she was placed into a Bath of warm water. Her stiff limbs were massaged and she was put into bed until a doctor doctor said that other than being frightened and cold Rachel would be Fine. Quot i slipped a is the Only explanation the Blond child has for How she ended up clinging to the Edge of a Hole in the ice. She said she Wasny to on the ice Tor any special reason. It was just a place to play. Six years ago an american brother and sister died when they fell through the ice on the same Pond which is located Between a military housing area and the town of Kirchburg the pair Ages 3 and 6, went Down close to the Ponds Edge in less than a meter of water. But they became trapped under the ice and drowned. Their deaths prompted military and Community officials to Post the signs a base spokeswoman said. The signs Are written in both German and English. Rachel smother was in town when the incident occurred. Her Stepfather Jerry gent was at Home. Because of the signs they thought she knew better than to walk onto the ice. A when Jerry heard the ambulance he thought of Rachel at the Pond and went Down there to see what had happened a Kathie gent said. A someone there told him she had fallen in Quot a Hahn a Public affairs officer noted that an ice covered Pond is a natural temptation for children. �?�1 played on the ice when i was a boy and my parents did the same before me and theirs before them a capt. Bob Ballew said. Quot How do you Stop children from being children a Stieffen Hofert a wife does no to have an answer to that question but she knows she does no to want to see More a / / be Isch re onto it kit m us amps Luke Taftt Otto and Rachel Harmon stand by no trespassing signs at the Pond. Other signs want youngsters of the dangers of thin ice. Stiffen Hoffr rescued Rachel who fell in the Pond near Hahn a in i Rehburg Germany the Hole in the background has grown from where the 9-year-old fell in two weeks ago. Children on that Pond. Since the dec. 9 Accident she and her neighbors have found several youngsters on the ice and have pleaded with them to stay off it. A children play on that Pond All the time a said Stieffenhofe who received an award from the City and a commendation from the air base for his heroism. A adults sometimes walk out on the ice before letting the children go out on when Rachel fell in she was alone. There were no adults or children nearby Only Stieffenhofe watching television on a quiet sunday afternoon. Two weeks later standing next to the Pond the Little girl said she will never go onto the ice again. But less than 15 feet away in Snow that had fallen on the ice that morning Little footprints were proof that others still Arentt heeding the pullout from Prague Czechoslovakia a. Soviet troops have cleared the territory of Slovakia Czechoslovakia a Eastern Republic As part of a pullout agreed on Early this year the state ctr news Agency reported saturday a the citizens of Slovakia got a Nice Christmas present. The last soviet combat unit left its territory today a ctr said. V. A the move is a part of a gradual pullout of. Some 73,000 thousand soviet soldiers from czechoslovak territory under an agreement signed feb. 26. The withdrawal is to be completed by july. A soviet led invasion of five Warsaw pact countries crushed the Liberal reforms of Alexander Dubcek in 1968, leaving a substantial military contingent on its territory for the next two decades. A we Are fulfilling the decision of our political leadership which recognized the entry of troops on czechoslovak territory 22 years ago As wrong and unjustifiable a soviet Gen col Eduard Vorobyov told ctr. The soviet leadership apologized formally to Czechoslovakia for the invasion just Days before the country a peaceful revolution erupted on nov. 17, 1989, overthrowing communist Rule and paving the Way for democracy. A. A a a a said 54,450 soldiers or 74 percent of the total already left czechoslovak territory the last combat units Are expected to Clear the czech Republic in the West in february 1991, several Hundred soldiers and officers will be left behind until july to hand Over the former soviet military bases to czechoslovak authorities. Cambodian groups of peace plan Paris up a warring cambodian factions agreed Early sunday on the fundamental Points of a peace plan to end the 12-year civil War in the beleaguered Southeast asian country participants said. The agreement worked but by the five permanent members of the , Security Council Calls Tor a ceasefire and . Supervision of the country in the period leading to free elections the three warring cambodian factions Are the Khmer Rouge and the Khmer rouges Peoples National liberation front led by former prime minister son Sana and one headed by Prince Norodom Sihanouk who did not attend the Paris meeting. The fourth group represented at the talks is the cur rent vietnamese backed cambodian government headed by Hun sen 39, who was hospitalized Friday after fainting from fatigue. Although he was reported to have recovered he did not attend the saturday sessions under doctors orders. Under the . Plan Ivi opted by the five permanent Security Council members the United states the soviet Union China France and Britain the Council would administer the country until . Sponsored elections can be held. Speaking for the cambodian government Friday Hun sen admitted the councils role was necessary but said it should be limited. World today woman arrested for trying to Hijack soviet Jet to . Moscow apr a attempt to Hijack an Aeroflot jetliner to the United states ended in failure with the arrest of a ticket less woman who had Smuck aboard the aircraft the Tass news Agency said saturday. The Tu-154 was making a refuelling Stop at Volgograd during a thursday night flight from Rostov 745 Miles South of Moscow to in Eastern Siberia when the woman demanded to be flown to any . City. The woman sitting in the Back of the plane showed a package to the flight Crew and said it was a bomb. A the chief Pilot quickly agreed on an operation with Airport services to capture the Hijacker a Tass Sard. A the operation was perfectly carried out by the Airport Security a a a a Plo cleared of supplying arms to italian terrorists Venice Italy f apr a Venice court has acquitted All l4 defendants charged in an alleged plot in which the Palestine liberation organization was accused of supplying arms to left Wing italian guerrillas a among those acquitted was Salah Khalaf also known As Abu Lead a top aide to Plo Leader Yasser Arafat and co founder of Fatah the main group within the Plo i we Uruu Girup also acquitted were five officers of the secret service Ying of the italian military. They had been accused of Wing of the italian military. They had by knowing about the alleged arms delivery. Arafat had been under investigation earlier in the affair but was cleared of any involvement last Yean the investigation grew out of statements by former red brigades terrorists who said the Plo supplied n shipment of arms including 150 Sterling machine guns delivered by yacht from Lebanon to Venice in Septena Ber 1979, the Plo has consistently denied any ties with the red brigades. R
