European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a the stars and stripes saturday april 27, 1991 at a glance gis from the 3rd so 2nd army Gav regt Hunt for their Rucksacks and Dulle bags after arriving in am Berg Germany. See Story on Page 9. Nuclear accidents safety related incidents Are becoming less frequent at nuclear Power plants but still total 2,000 a year a private watchdog group says Page 4 a Star wars delayed the Pentagon is delaying its schedule for the strategic defense initiative after congressional investigators found that contractors would be paid millions of dollars for unproven designs. A Page 5 no one at Home there Are 10.3 million vacant houses townhouses apartments and condominiums in the United states a one of every 10 dwellings checked by the census Bureau a a page6 shuttle Fleet expands Nasa has unveiled its latest addition to their space shuttle Fleet the $1.8 billion endeavour. A page7 assignment freeze lifted starting in june soldiers will again be allowed to leave Europe for new duty stations marking the end of a freeze on assignments. \ a a a pages mortgage rates May fall several economists believe the Federal Reserve Board will soon lower interest rates to resuscitate the sluggish Economy. A Page 17 Index Abby Ann Landers a 19 action line. 16 comics 19-20-21 commentary. 13 crossword. Letters. Money matters sports. 22-28 to listings. .22 weather. A a. 11 Jerusalem apr Secretary of state James Baker abruptly ended his Middle East peace Mission Friday when he received word that his Mother had died. After More than a week of shuttle diplomacy Baker seemed to be making some headway in efforts to arrange peace talks Between arabs and israelis a we got some answers but there Are some questions for which we have no answers Baker told reporters after a meeting with israeli prime minister Ritz Shan air. Iii Washington president Bush told reporters Baker a has made Progress toward a Middle East peace process. A though problems remain i think the Bottom line is there is some reason for optimism. There Are still some Sticky problems but we re not going to give up. We re going to continue to try to bring peace to that troubled Corner of the world a Bush said. A i can Only say that due to the fact that the talks were interrupted in the Middle nothing was concluded Between the prime minister and or. Baker a said Avi Pazner an aide to Shamir but israeli sources said Baker agreed that the Palestine liberation organization would not participate in the peace talks.-. A a / a a a a. The israeli government also told Baker it was prepared to discuss a number of regional issues with the arabs including the economic development of the Middle East water resources and possibly the control of arms deliveries to the area. Baker and Shamir decided to continue the talks at a later Date but set no specific time. A this of course is not the end of his Mission a Pazner said. Pazner quoted Shamir As saying that Israel a shared in the sorrow of Baker and his family. Bakery smother Bonner Means Baker 96, was pronounced dead on arrival at Houston a methodist Hospital Early Friday morning. She apparently had suffered a heart attack said a Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Smith. Baker was trying to narrow differences Between Israel and Syria on the framework for a peace conference and the question of which palestinians would attend. A a a a. V 1. Baker told reporters after seeing israeli foreign minister David Levy a Al am glad to have received some positive responses here.�?�. /. Abut Baker added a there Are still a question or so that we need to work further on if we Are to create a process that  a a a a a a y Baker was silent about specifics but israeli officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Levy told Baker Israel was a weighing sympathetically european participation in the peace talks. The sources also had said earlier that Levy would go to Brussels Belgium on May 14 to discuss the Issue of european involvement with the foreign ministers of Italy the Netherlands and Luxembourg. But the officials said earlier Israel was not yielding on what probably Are the two major issues in dispute whether the United nations will participate in the negotiations and which palestinian arabs would attend. Syria and other arabs with apparent support from Baker Are demanding . Involvement and License for the palestinians to select their representatives. In return but miners stay off their jobs Moscow apr strikers in the Republic of byelorussian returned to work Friday but hundreds of thousands of striking miners kept up demands for higher wages More Power for the re pub lies and Mikhail s. Gorbachev a Rosig nation. Soviet newspapers Friday emphasized that. Gorbachev had  his opponents during a dramatic meeting thursday of the communist party leadership. He offered to resign As party chief after Sharp criticism from hard liners but an overwhelming number of members demanded he retain the Post. The showdown exposed the weakness of the party s traditionalist Wing and the Lack of a serious challenger to Gorbachev within the communist party elite. It was a a crisis of nerves on All sides a said Alexander a. Somorov a regional communist party Leader from Siberia. Hard liners in the party a policy making Central committee subjected the soviet president to More than two hours of withering criticism during the closed door session of party Bosses one after another 18 delegates took the floor to accuse Gorbachev a perestroika reforms of wreaking havoc on the Economy and stripping the party of its authority the Independent news Agency inter fax reported. Finally Gorbachev declared that he was tired of the endless attacks. In a tactic he has used before Gorbachev made what one Delegate said was a a half serious suggestion to quit if the Central committee wanted it. After a break the Central committee voted 322-13 not to consider Gorbachev a offer to quit. Gorbachev a position was bolstered wednesday by a Surprise agreement with the Heads of nine republics to move quickly toward signing a new Union treaty to hold the country together. The Republic leaders joined Gorbachev in an Appeal to workers to halt the strikes that Are strangling the Economy. Thousands of workers in Minsk the capital of the Western byelorussian Republic had been on strike since tuesday demanding the resignation of National and Republic leaders and a special session of their legislature. After a Brief rally before returning to their jobs Friday they suspended the strike until May 21, when the Legislatures regular session begins Republic legislator and strike committee member Igor Gere Menchuk said. A the strike was assuming a dangerous character. It was threatening to get out of the strike committees control a Gere Monchuk said. He said railway workers in the byelorussian City of Orsha agreed thursday night to Stop blocking rail lines in their strike although they would not go Back to work Eremenchuk said. An estimated 300,000 Coal miners remained on strike in a walkout that began March 1, among their demands Are Gorbachev a resignation Cost of living wage increases and More autonomy for the republics. Washington apr government auditors Friday said the fund insuring the nations Bank deposits is in even worse shape than previously thought and rec oni mended that the Industry pay in $15 billion this year to keep it from going broke. The Federal Deposit insurance  fund a is nearly insolvent and i cannot overemphasize the importance we place on rebuilding it As soon As possible Quot said Charles a. To Vosher head of the general account ing office. Quot by next year unless the fund is rebuilt it will almost certainly be insolvent Quot Bowsher told the Senate banking committee. The Odic is disputing the Gao a accounting. Bowsher told reporters after the hearing that he would like to Settle the disagreement by june. He said if the Gao View prevails the of Dick a ability to borrow would be Cut dramatically. That could make it impossible for the Agency to handle another Large Bank failure without additional authority to borrow from the Treasury he said. Bowsher refused to say if he expected a major Bank failure in the next three months but recommended that Congress pass legislation shoring up the Odic before legislators August recess. The handful of senators attending the hearing agreed on the need to act swiftly but they were Cool to Bowsher s suggestion they require Banks to make a onetime $15 billion payment. Sen. Donald w. Riegle jr., a Mich a said he was not yet ready to Rule out the borrowing approach suggested by the Bush administration. Sen. Alan Dixon d-lll., said requiring Banks to pay $15 billion now could greatly Worsen the credit crunch dealing a heavy blow to an Al ready weak Economy. The Odic previously reported that 597 Bank failures Over the past three be had reduced its fund from $18.3 billion the end of 1987 to $8.4 billion at the t of 1990. But Bowsher whose Congressi Agency audits the governments Boc said his preliminary estimate is that insurance fund had a no higher than billion and possibly As Little As $3.4 1 lion at the end of 1990. One thing is Clear a the fund is i precarious state a he said. Odic chairman l. William seism m previous remarks defended his agcy a accounting for 1990 but conceded fund could run out by the end of sept Ber. R the Gao reviewed the condition 36s of the nation s larger troubled bar holding about half the Industry Sassi and found that 40 of them in effect Fri insolvent last year