European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday August 12, 1991 . Ranked As top arms supplier Washington apr . Weapons sales to the third world More than doubled last year making America the worlds no. 1 arms supplier an annual congressional report has found. The growth in . Arms sales a from nearly $8 billion in 1989 to $18.5 billion in 1990 a was attributed to the iraqi threat in the persian Gulf and to shrinking Pentagon budgets. These smaller budgets Are forcing defense contractors to sell abroad or go under said the report by the congressional research service. For the first time since 1983, the United Stales ranked at the top of the list of arms suppliers to third world nations. It accounted for 44.8 percent of All weapons agreements up from 23.fi percent the previous year the report said. Ruhe study comes As the administration is discussing an initiative announced earlier this year by president Bush to curb weapons sales to the Middle Easi by the five top suppliers a the United states soviet Union China England and France. J the plan discussed at a Paris conference last month of the five nations was prompted by the massive iraqi military buildup of the 1980s, which enabled it to invade Kuwait on aug. 2. The iraqi invasion however led to accelerated arms purchases by Kuwait a neighbor saudi Arabia which also Felt threatened. The value of 1990" . Weapons agreements with saudi Arabia a $14.5 billion a exceeded the total Worth of All soviet arms deals with the third world in the same year a $12.1 billion the report said. 11 not All the sales with the saudis were concluded after the invasion. About $6.1 billion in deals were signed before the report said. The administration is planning to ask Congress for another massive weapons Sale to saudi Arabia of some $14.5 billion in fighters tanks and other arms. If approved the sales would be a Boon for . Defense contractors suffering from the shrinking defense budgets of the past two years. Similar reductions in the budgets of West european suppliers Are creating intense Competition for third world markets. The arms deals resulting from the iraqi invasion reversed a three year Overall decline in the value of arms transfers to the third world. The trend toward lower sales had begun in 1987 As the Iran Iraq War was winding Jown. The Resolution of several major third world conflicts in which the soviets supported governments or guerrillas against .-backed forces was a major cause of the decline in the soviet share of global arms  1990, the report found soviet sales dropped from $13 billion to $12.1 Bil Ion but their share of the arms sales Market declined significantly from 38.5 percent in 1989 to 29.2 percent last year. China ranked fourth among the major suppliers from 1987 to 1990, becoming Iran a largest arms Seitler with $3 billion Worth of deals signed in those years. Saudi Arabia and Iraq were by far the largest recipients of third world arms from 1983 to 1990, buying $57.3 billion and $30.4 billion respectively according to the data. 5th guilty plea entered in March drug sweep at Competition for Seles professional Tennis player Monica Seles hams it up with a teenage mutant Niiya Turtle at the make a wish foundation s Charity celebrity Tennis tournament in los Angeles on saturday. The foundation aids terminally ill children. Of copter sightseeing before crash report says Eglin fab Fla. Apr an air Force helicopter was on a sightseeing trip when ii crashed not a training Mission As first reported an Accident report says. The helicopter a Mh-60g pave Hawk stationed at this Florida Panhandle base crashed May 28 off Antigua in the Caribbean. Six of eight people aboard were injured. No one was killed. An Accident report obtained by the Northwest Florida daily news in fort Walton Beach said the crash happened when Crew members were taking pictures Over Beac Side hotels and harbours. The aircraft designed to Fly behind enemy lines without being detected had More than $10 million in damage. A Day alter the crash spokesman it. Col. Frank Urben said the helicopter had been on a combat scorch and Rescue training Mission. A i stand by my characterization of it a Urben said saturday. A a it a not unusual once the Mission is completed and at an appropriate time to offer incentive rides to support  two unidentified members of the helicopters Crew were disciplined Urben said. By the new York times the fifth of 13 students arrested in a disputed drug raid last Spring at the University of Virginia has pleaded guilty to distributing narcotics and been sentenced to 13 months in prison. James Peter Graham who was sentenced Friday in . District court in Charlottesville va., said he would use his time behind bars to reorient his life and to prepare to return to College. It look Forward to getting this behind me a said the 21-year-old senior from Richmond. The minimum sentence that . District judge James h. Michael or. Could have Given Graham was 12 months. Through his attorney Steven Rosenfield Graham asked for a 13-month sentence. He noted that a sentence oft2 months or less would be served in the Charlottesville jail but a sentence of More than 12 months could be served in a Federal prison in West Virginia that permits inmates to take College courses. Of the four students tried previously All pleaded guilty. Two Are awaiting sentencing. The other two were sentenced to 13 months in prison but later had their terms reduced by half after agreeing to cooperate with officers investigating drug activity in the Charlottesville area. Graham charged with one felony count of Selling Ltd to an undercover Naito tics agent did not seek a plea agreement. Michael As he had in earlier trials resulting from the raid indicated deep concern about the raid and the Young men caught up in it. The judge named to the Federal Bench by president Carter in 1980, lamented that Federal sentencing guidelines left him a Little room to impose a lesser sentence. Many University of Virginia students and some University officials and alumni have said the raid was heavy handed. They have contended that drug activity at the University has never been a major problem. Federal authorities said the March 21 raid should serve notice to University communities everywhere that Campus drug activity will not be condoned and that drug raids will not be limited mainly to poor neighbourhoods. Besides seizing a few bags of marijuana and some Ltd the raiding officers also boarded up three fraternity houses where they found drug activity. Such confiscation is permitted under Federal Law and with court approval the houses May be sold. In his defense of Graham Rosenfield said Friday that he was a a decent intelligent Young Many who deserved leniency a plea that left members of grahams family sobbing in the courtroom. Utility billed $8.2 million for fire Sacramento Calif. A a Utility company has been billed a record $8.2 million for a 120,000-acre wildfire that state officials say was sparked by a Power line. A Pacific Gas and electric co. Was billed thursday for the costs of tackling and investigating the Blaze which persisted for nearly three weeks in August 1990 on grasslands Southeast of red Bluff in North Central California. Prosecutor in i West Palm Beach Fla. A a Federal prosecutor has been in hiding since authorities secretly taped u jailed drug smugglers plot to kill her a newspaper reported. Assistant . Attorney Barbara Petras has been under Federal Protection for five months after the Man she prosecuted James Monaco was recorded talking about killing her. The Palm Beach Post reported. She has not reported to work since then it said. Diane Cossin spokeswoman for the . Attorney s of it is the largest sum Ever demanded by the state to pay for Quot damage caused by a single wildfire department officials said. Hundreds of firefighters fought the wind driven fire in temperatures of More than 100 degrees. The fire caused $1 million in damage to Range and Timberland. State fire investigators said the Utility was negligent because it allowed a tree to grow too close to one of two 500,000-Volt Power lines. Paper says lice in Miami refused to comment on the Case Friday. Monaco faces 20 years in jail for drug trafficking. Prosecutors want to make it a life term. They plan to use the tapes As evidence when he is ser tended aug. 30. He has not been charged with attempt murder court documents show. On one tape Monaco tells an informant the person h wants killed is a my prosecutor a Barbara Petras a Corn documents show. A without her i  be  his lawyer claims Monaco was entrapped