European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday april 26, 1991 the stars and stripes Agerman cleared of inciting desertion by de Reavis staff writer a leading member of the Green party in Bavaria has been acquitted of inciting american soldiers to desert rather than serve in the persian Gulf War. Hans Hermann Hann of Erlanger Germany was accused of distributing leaflets that said a Ugis done to go to the desert of saudi Arabia desert now before you trigger world War Iii desertion is a human right a Ewald Behrschmidt a spokesman for the prosecutors office in nearby Numberg said police found stacks of the leaflets in Hannus House. A the court could not prove Hann actually distributed the leaflets himself a Behrschmidt said. A in addition Hann was Able to convince the court that he did not know he was committing a punishable offence. He proved he had asked a lawyer and a judge whether his leaflets would be breaking any Law and was told no. They told him the Hann German Law Only applied to the German Behrschmidt said the lawyer and judge were wrong. The Law a applies to inciting any nato service members to desert a he said. But a the court argued if a lawyer and a judge did no to know the Law How could the average citizen a Behrschmidt said. Hann a member of the party leadership in Bavaria said he had mixed feelings about the verdict. A a in a glad about the acquittal a he said Quot but it was not the kind of decision i or my friends in the peace movement Are Happy about. We will continue to work until society accepts the right of everyone to desert the military in time of War or Hann also said his text was not an Appeal to a desert Quot from the military but to go absent without leave. A we used the word a desert because we wanted the play on words a he said. Had Hann been convicted he could have faced a Fine or a maximum of three years and nine months in prison. Three other members of the Green party were not As fortunate. On tuesday a court in Bonn Germany fined them for inciting members of the German army to desert German language wire services reported. In its decision the court quoted the text from an Appeal made by the greens to members of the West and East German armies. The text said a if you Are ordered to serve in a War anywhere in the world say no and t Eberhard Waldo Renate Damus and Hans Ghristian Strobelt were Given fines ranging from $1,754 to $4,385. A the three plan to Appeal a spokesman for the greens in Bonn said thursday. German minister protests shooting of officer by soviet army sentry by de Reavis staff writer the German defense minister has lodged a protest with the soviets Over the shooting last week of a German army major by a red army sentry a spokesman for the defense ministry said wednesday. A a a a a. A the shooting occurred about 11 . April 19 when the sentry at the soviet Barracks in alte Grabow near Magdeburg Germany fired at three uniformed German officers with his assault Rifle. A Bullet went through the majors and another officer was injured by Glass splinters. A. The group wanted to photograph a soviet ammunition depot said the ministry spokesman cmdr. Walter Reichen mul Ler. A a a a a a a a a a a. A a a a a in his protest note tuesday German defense minister Gerhard Stoltenberg referred to the findings of an investigating attorney who determined that use of the weapon was not justified. The investigator works for the state of Sachsen an halt where alte Grabow is located. The note was Given to it. Gen. L. Kutz Nestov assistant commander of the soviet army in Germany. Eichenmuller said an investigation is being continued to Clear up details of the incident. A Ava a a a a a a a a. A a a a but one thing is certain the officers were on an official Mission a he said. A there was nothing secret about it. They were conducting open surveillance. The soviets Are neither at Home in the soviet Union nor Are they a nato Mem Ber. We have a legitimate need to know what they Are in a statement the soviets provided a different account of the events. The statement an unofficial German translation of the soviet account said two German officers were equipped with binoculars and camera. 4they entered military restricted zone came close to the barbed wire Fence and began taking photographs said the statement provided by the soviet embassy in Bonn Germany. A after the guard pvt. What Sheslay Elukin warned the germans vocally. He fired a warning shot a the statement said. A one of the officers ran away the other did no to react. Pvt. Elukin then followed his official instructions for such a Case and the major was hit in the .�?� it said a third officer sat in the car a an East German made Wartburg with a a Abundes wehry sign on it. Eichenmuller said the incident was to be discussed Friday at a meeting Between Stoltenberg and Gen. Matvey Prokoley Vich Burlakov the commander of the soviet army in Germany. A their meeting was scheduled Long before the shooting but it will be an excellent Opportunity to discuss measures to avoid such incidents in the future a Rei Chen Muller said. A amps map a fall sides Are very concerned about the matter and would rather have it downplayed. We both want Good relations As Long As the soviets Are stationed Here and when the two Germany United oct. 3, there were 380,000 soviet troops Sta Finedon East German soil. The soviets have agreed to withdraw All of their forces from Eastern Germany by 1994.German Navy mines its business in the Gulf by Chuck Roberts Middle East Bureau Manama Bahrain a German Navy capt. Friedrich Jacobi was off the coast of Crete when a reporter called him in the Middle of the night to ask about the officer s next assignment. From the reporter the Navy Captain Learned that his seven ship German mine warfare flotilla was being deployed to the persian Gulf. Jacobi then was asked whether his men would be afraid. No the drowsy Jacobi responded. A they Are ready for it a he said of the nearly 600 officers and enlisted men he commands. Soon after that March phone Call jacobins Crew received their orders and his ships were headed toward the Callsen persian Gulf where the sailors have destroyed 13 sea mines since their arrival april 4. One of those mines was detonated by Petty officer Christian Kleiner a diver aboard the Gottinger. Kleiner is glad the German military finally joined its nato members in the persian Gulf. A we can no longer just look on the outside a Kleiner said of Germany a reluctance to Send military forces to the Gulf. A it was about time that the government sent us in the past German officials have interpreted the country a Constitution to mean that Germany a armed forces May take part Only in a War designed to repel an aggressor against nato. In Wake of the Gulf War they have begun to consider ways to change the German Constitution that would allow their forces to fight in Battles outside of nato s area of responsibility. Since arriving in the Gulf the German Crews have enjoyed the excitement of working with real mines rather than practice ones in the North sea. A these people Are hot for Hunting. This is what we have trained for for years a Kleiner said. However Jacobi urges his Crews to keep their work in perspective. A i always Tell them to be modest a he said a because we Are so late and so reluctant to participate and join the other forces so there is really no need to speak up and to say a we Are a the germans whose Home port is Wilhel shaven on the North sea have brought with them some of the most sophisticated mine sweeping technology in the world Jacobi said. Traditional minesweepers drag a Cable behind the ship that detonates mines by activating them with magnetic or acoustic signals. A the germans employ what they Call their troika min sweeping system. Three Remote controlled boats sail in front of the minesweeper. The unmanned boats Are used to Send out magnetic and acoustic signals to trigger the mines. Jacobi likened the system to a roman Chariot drawn by three horses. Jacobins flotilla also uses divers and Small unmanned submarines. The Remote controlled submarines Are equipped with a video camera to identify the mine and a Green explosive that can a be released near mines moored on the sea Bottom. Divers generally Are called upon to Deal with floating mines which arc destroyed with plastic explosives. The first a a kill of a mine was credited to 18-year Veteran it. Mathias Callsen who had to dive nearly 120 feet to destroy a russian made device. His services were needed when technical difficulties prevented the use of the unmanned submarine. The Crew said the Calm Waters of the persian Gulf have been a Welcome change from the treacherous North sea. Also the Flat Sandy Bottom is Ideal for searching for and destroying mines they said. While docked in Manama the German sailors have admired the . Recreation facilities principally the Princess Cunard a cruise snip being used by service Mem ers. For now Jacobi tells his sailors to keep their distance. A i say not yet. You Haven to done anything the Crews however Arentt without their own pleasures their supplies include 5,000 cans of Beer donated by a bavarian to Send ships to Gulf by John e. Woodruff the Baltimore Sun Tokyo a Japan will Send six vessels to help Clear mines from the persian Gulf the first overseas use of japanese forces since world War ii prime minister Toshiko Kaifu announced wednesday night. The decision to Send the ships reached More than a month after the end of the Gulf War will create the first tangible product of Japan a eight month constitutional debate on How to supplement its More than $13 billion in Cash contributions to the coalition and to countries affected by the War. Answering questions at a news conference Kaifu struggled for the right balance a Between making the most for Western consumption of a modest and Long delayed physical contribution to Security in the Region that supplies most of Japan s Oil and making the least for Domestic political consumption of any change in Japan a 45 of postwar pacifism. The task Force will have about 510 Crew members aboard four minesweepers and two support ships
