European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a the stars and stripes sunday May 12, 1991troops fire on armenian Village Moscow apr soviet troops withdrew from the armenian Village of Para Vakar on saturday after firing warning shots from tanks and helicopters to Force the villagers to give up their Hunting rifles armenian officials said. Scores of heavily armed troops surrounded and disarmed the Village of 300 people on Friday after armenian militants ambushed a nearby troop column killing one Soldier and wounding eight according to soviet Media armenian officials described the military action against Para Vakar As a reprisal for the ambush. It was unclear whether the troops believed villagers had participated in the ambush which was the first major act of resistance by armenian militants in two weeks of fighting along the tense 600-mile Border Between Armenia and the neighbouring soviet Republic of Azerbaijan. At least 48 armenians have died in a two week Campaign by soviet troops and azerbaijani riot police to disarm armenian Border settlements. Before fridays ambush there had been isolated incidents of sniper fire against the soviets and azerbaijanis but no major resistance. Bella harutunian Kozak an armenian Interior ministry spokeswoman said the troops collected Only five Hunting rifles from Para Vakar which is along the Border 90 Miles Northeast of Yerevan the armenian capital. The soldiers initially did not believe that the five old rifles were All the weapons in the Village harutunian Kozak said in a Telephone interview. A a a a a a they insisted the Village had heavy arms such As grenade launchers and they began firing from tanks and helicopters to scare the people a she said. The soldiers first fired Blanks then changed to live ammunition. Windows were shattered throughout the Hamlet and the roofs of several Homes were damaged but no casualties were reported she said. According to soviet Media accounts armenian militants using rifles and grenades to ambush two soviet military trucks at Dawn Friday in Astafa province of Northwest Azerbaijan about two Miles from the army Nian Border. A eight of the 14 soldiers Riding in the trucks were wounded and a ninth died before reaching a Hospital. Two of the wounded were in critical condition the azerbaijani news Agency Assa Prada said. A few hours after the ambush soviet troops crossed into Armenia surrounded Para Vakar with 11 armoured vehicles and six helicopters and demanded that it turn Over All its weapons acco rain Ftp Hrutun Khachatur a omit an another armenian Interior ministry official. Enmity dates Back centuries Between Armenia a a mainly Christian Republic of 3.3 million people and Azerbaijan a mostly Muslim Republic of 7 million. In addition to religious and cultural differences the dispute stems from opposing claims to land and water. More than 200 people have died since 1987 in intermittent fighting for control of Magorno Karabash a Region inhabited mainly by armenians but legally part of Azerbaijan. A. A a a soviet Interior minister Boris Pugo said last week the Campaign to disarm armenian militants was aimed at restoring peace. But armenian president Levon tar Petrosian called it an attempt by soviet and azerbaijani authorities to a terrorize the armenian people into leaving disputed areas. Ter Petrosian also contended that the joint soviet azerbaijani military actions were intended to punish Armenia for trying to secede from the soviet Union. Moms continue protest Over romanian children Bucharest Romania apr a More than two dozen american women whose adopted romanian children have been denied entry into the United states continued their protest outside the . Embassy. The . Ambassador Alan j. Green jr., talked with some of the distraught mothers for about 45 minutes Friday and told them a the has called very High authorities in Washington to try to help said Kathy Lyon of Corning n y. But he made no promises Lyon said who has been in Romania for nearly two months adopting Quinn 2, and a 2-month-old named Gus. The completed adoptions make Lyon the children Slegal parents As far As romanian authorities Are concerned. However officials from the . Immigration and naturalization service told her the children cannot get an entry visa because questions surround whether they were abandoned by their natural parents who arc alive a i could have adopted children in the United states but i thought i would do a Good thing to offer a Home to these Chil Dren who desperately need one a Lyon said. The prospects arc grim for parents like Lyon who have effectively become hostages to changing interpretations of . Adoption Laws and procedures. According to . Law an adopted child must be abandoned by his natural parents before he is granted residency in the United states. A i guess i am not ready to believe that i have to stay in Romania for a couple of years in search of a visa Lyon said. Robert Looney an official with the . Immigration and naturalization service who has been investigating the cases says he has about 40 questionable applications according to Lyon. She said Looney plans to meet monday with the families concerned. About 20 american families started the visa protest outside the . Embassy on wednesday. By Friday their numbers had swelled to about 30. The denials followed a recent broadcast on cd so �?o60 minutes Quot showing romanians Selling their children to Western couples. Dec ministers try to narrow Bank currency differences Luxembourg a european Community finance ministers on saturday appeared willing to accept Britain a opposition to a single currency despite their Pursuit of an economic and monetary Union British officials said. But German sources predicted the British government would eventually go along with plans to create a single currency for the dozen West european nations that belong to the trading bloc. A they will see that this is a Good thing for them economically a said a German source. Denmark meanwhile proposed narrowing the band within which the european currencies fluctuate As a Way of bringing the nations economies closer in line before forming a monetary merger a i fear most of the discussions. Will be about institutional matters a said Anders Fogh Rasmussen the danish economics minister. A Only real economic Progress. Can create a real economic and monetary  the ministers Daylong talks at a luxury hotel in Luxembourg were designed to narrow differences Over blueprints for a joint Central Bank and a single currency by the end of the Century. Leaders of the Community nations last december opened a special conference to negotiate changes in their 1957 founding treaty for an economic and monetary Union. The nations also Are working on plans for a political federation with a common foreign and Security policy. On the table was a proposal by Luxembourg,.which, currently holds the trading blocks rotating presidency to delay until 1900 full operation of the Central Bank. I lie proposal seeks to fashion a Compromise Between nations such As France which wants the Bank to  quickly and Germany which favors a More cautious approach. It would also allow countries to delay adoption of the european currency unit or ecu now just an accounting unit As the Community a . Britain has proposed strengthening the ecu and making it a 13th or parallel Quot currency that would be widely used. I lie pontiff Waves to the crowd in Lisbon Portugal after his arrival , on visit to azores cautions against hedonism angry do heroism azores islands apr Pope John Paul ii on saturday took his crusade against materialism and hedonism to this austere windswept Atlantic Island. The pontiff called on a oreans to reaffirm their Quot tradition Rich in human experience Quot in the face of Quot material Progress that threatens to extinguish the voice and Call of the  about 10,000 of angry do heroes mods 53,000 inhabitants turned out to hear the Pope say mass. Altogether 270,000 people live in the nine Island earthquake plagued archipelago Halfway Between Europe and North America in the past 12 years during his 50 trips abroad the 70-year-old Pope has said mass in soccer stadiums parking lots and racetracks. But saturdays service was a papal first with a Trade. Tonal portuguese bullring As a backdrop. On sunday John Paul ii was to travel to Madeira another Atlantic Island before going to the shrine of Fatima 70 Miles North of Lisbon. There he was to commemorate his escape from an assassination attempt 10 years ago by a turkish extremist. He credits Fatima for his survival from the assassination attempt