European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 c the stars and stripes saturday july 20, 1991 scientists satellite show Surprise Washington apr the worlds biggest desert seems to have shrunk. Despite reports of global warming and african1 drought a decade Long satellite analysis indicates that africans Sahara actually decreased in area Between 1984 and 1990. It had expanded earlier in the decade. But 10 years Worth of information Isnit enough to declare a trend said the scientists who consider their work primarily a base for future comparison. A what has been a tremendous Surprise to us is the inter annual variation. Its what i would have thought unbelievable a said Harold e. Dregne of Texas tech University in Lubbock Texas. The year to year changes in desert area varied widely said Compton j. Tucker of the National aeronautics and space administration. For example the area of desert increased by about 218,000 Square Miles Between 1983 and 1984, then shrank by 282,000 Square Miles Between 1984 and 1985. A there has got to be a logical reason a Dregne said and meteorologists Are trying to figure out what that reason is. A Winter annual variations mean that it would require a decades Long study to determine whether Long term expansion or contraction of the Sahara is occurring a according to the report by Tucker Dregne and Wilbur w. Newcomb appearing in fridays Issue of the journal science. So called desertification has become a popular topic in recent years but specific data on changes in deserts has been hard to obtain prompting the three to launch their study. In particular drought induced famine in the regions bordering the Sahara has attracted widespread concern. Reports that the desert is growing have been appear ing since 1916, Dregne said. A it May be occurring a we do not contend that it Isnit a but we do contend that there is no evidence to Back it up a he said. A largely anecdotal information suggests that the Sahara has expanded toward the South a the scientists reported. A the alleged expansion was attributed in part to climate variation droughts and to land mismanagement such As overgrazing increased cultivation and firewood  one study that has been widely reported calculated that the Southern Boundary of the Sahara moved South by As much As 60 Miles Between 1958 and 1975. But a 1984 analysis found no evidence of such an expansion the researchers said. Tucker Dregne and Newcomb measured the Sahara at approximately 3,366,870 Square Miles in 1980 and found that it had expanded to about 3,892,980 Square Miles by 1984. _ after that however it varied irregularly declining to about 3,614,910 Square Miles by 1990, the Southern Border of the desert in 1990 was 79 Miles South of its average position a decade earlier but 66 Miles North of its location in 1984 when the desert was at its greatest extent the scientists calculated. They used satellite measurements of vegetation on the ground to calculate the extent of the desert though they note that the Boundary Between desert and Semi arid lands is often gradual. The three scientists also Are analysing deserts in Arabia Asia and the americas. Dregne estimated that it could take 40 years of collecting information before they Are sure of a trend. Tucker concurred. Tucker and Newcomb Are with nasal a Laboratory for terrestrial physics in Greenbelt my. Dregne is at the International Center for arid and Semi arid land studies at Texas tech. Iraq admits to super gun Diplomat says United nations apr Iraq has admitted that it had been building a a super gun As Western intelligence agencies had suspected All along a Western Diplomat said Friday. The Diplomat showed a document that Iraq filed with the . Special commission in charge of destroying iraqis weapons of mass destruction. In the document a Iraq admitted having a gun barrel that was More than 150 feet Long and 350mm wide. According to the Diplomat the special commission said the gun would have been too inaccurate to be used for conventional armaments. That raised the question As to whether the gun was intended for chemical biological or nuclear use he said on condition of anonymity. Iraq also disclosed it had other steel tubes for advanced artillery including one intended to be used As part of an even larger gun the official said. Western countries alleged last year that Iraq had been trying to build a a super gun that would increase its artillery fire in the Region. Parts for the alleged weapon were captured by customs authorities in Greece Turkey and Britain. But until Friday Iraq had always denied plans to build such a weapon. According to the iraqi document which was seen by reporters the super gun was at a location 110 Miles North of Baghdad iraqis capital. Western members of the . Security Council Are expected to ask that it be destroyed. Under the agreement approved Iraq ending the persian Gulf War All iraqi weapons of mass destruction must be disclosed and  s Castro still defiant about democracy from wire reports Guadalajara Mexico the bearded strongman in a military uniform seemed out of tune with the 20 Heads of state arrayed nearby in business suits. Fidel Castro railed against . Imperialism. The others preached democracy and free markets. Latin leaders at the first liberian american Summit thursday gently prodded Castro to move toward democracy even As they moved to repair ties with the Only communist government in the Western hemisphere. The two Day Summit that was to end Friday is the first time that the leaders of Spain and Portugal have gathered with 19 of their former latin american colonies. It follows years of democratic change both in Europe and the americas. All of the countries except Cuba now have elected governments. Displaying the tact with which the Summit leaders handled the cuban Issue on thursday salvadoran president Alfredo Cristiani did not criticize Castro directly during his address to the group. Cuba s Fidel Castro Speaks As colombian president Cesar Gaviria listens. A this is not a forum for confrontation but to seek understanding a he said. But after the leaders opening Day speeches Cristiani said Castro a continues to cling to something which is giving Way All Over the  a the winds of change that have swept the world in recent years have also arrived in America a added Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzalez. Gonzalez said it was time to a let the parliaments and the people write their history with sovereignty and relegate the achievements of guerrillas to the imaginative  but Castro gave no signs of joining that revolt. In his eight minute speech he thundered against . Influence in the Region saying it had led to increasing poverty and indebtedness throughout latin America. A Cuba has no reason to envy anybody a he told reporters during a break in the session. A we have been victims of a constant Campaign of  Many latin leaders indicated the Best Way to influence Castro is to end his  Bank wants tropical Forest logging to end Washington apr the world Bank announced thursday it will end support for logging in tropical forests a practice environmentalists said destroys forests and endangers the livelihood of 500 million people. Michel Petit a Frenchman who Heads the Bank a agriculture department said that in the future it will pay special attention to 20 countries that account for 85 acres out of every 100. These Are also countries where the forests Are endangered. Among them Are Brazil Mexico the Ivory coast India Indonesia and the Philippines. Tropical rain forests Are prize not Only for the food rubber and other commercial products that come from them but especially for their variety of plants Birds animals and insects. Scientists see these As an important source of new medicines and other chemicals that once destroyed can never be revived. A the Bank and others have made mistakes in the past a Petit told a news conference. A but it is not too late to change and to influence  at the group of seven economic Summit in London Western leaders said wednesday that they wanted to get an agreement on the principles of conserving forests before june 1992. That is when the United nations will have a conference on the environment in Rio de Janeiro. The leaders of the seven key industrialized nations a the United states Britain France Germany Italy Japan and Canada a also pledged financial support for a brazilian program to protect tropical forests. Although no amount of Money was specified a world Bank official said it would be about $50 million for the first phase of a $1.56 billion project. The Bank owned by 155 countries is the biggest source of Aid Loans to the third world a $24 billion a year. Petit said that since it was founded in 1944, it has financed 80 Forest projects costing More than $2.3 billion. Environmentalists complain that it has also sponsored projects promoting commercial logging As Well As the building of roads dams and mines and the promotion of farming that ruined or degraded Forest land. A the Bank group will not under any circumstances finance commercial logging in primary tropical moist forests a said a 70-Page a Forest policy paper approved by its Board thursday. It added that there would be a rigorous assessment of projects such As roads dams or mines that could Lead to the loss of forests. Petit said that tropical forests can be restored but that they would never regain their original variety of life. Officials said some environmentalists Hope the destruction can be slowed Down in the 1990s, so that the new Century Forest acreage will be growing i of declining As it is now