European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vol. 50, no. 136 tuesday August 27,1991 authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces 35c d 8693 a blame he says he failed to prevent coup vows to Moscow apr a chastened president Mikhail s. Gorbachev blamed himself monday for failing to head off the hard line communist coup and promised National elections for All government posts including his own. In an address to soviet lawmakers meeting in emergency session Gorbachev also pledged to remake a Union sent reeling toward disintegration in the aftermath of last weeks three Day coup. Six of the 15 soviet republics a most recently byelorussian on sunday and the Ukraine on saturday a have declared their Independence. Georgia took measures to secede from the soviet Union earlier this year. The coup has Given a big boost to Independence drives in the three Baltic republics a Lithuania Latvia and Estonia. And Moldavia is to consider formal secession today. In his speech to the supreme soviet legislature Gorbachev said he had returned from his three Day imprisonment that ended wednesday to a a different  the legislators erupted in applause. A immediately after the Union treaty is signed we must begin a Campaign to elect All Union organs including the president a Gorbachev said. He did not give a timetable. Gorbachev previously proposed draft ing a new soviet Constitution within six months of the signing of the treaty to be followed by elections. Diplomats and soviet officials say that process could take two years. Gorbachev a chances of concluding a Union treaty to bind the republics Ogeth v or in a looser federation have been put in serious doubt by the Quick moves by the soviet republics to leave the nation. In other developments monday a lawmakers voted 436-7 with 15 abstentions to scrutinize the behaviour of All soviet organizations presumably including the communist party Kab and defense ministry during the coup. They also voted to demand an a informational report on the Putsch from Gorbachev. Supporters of russian federation president Boris n. Yeltsin who has emerged As Moscow a main Power broker after leading Defiance against the coup plotters Are seeking to flush out any hardliners remaining in Gorbachev a government. A new soviet defense minister Yevgeny Shaposhnikov said he would reorganize the general staff. A the most important Issue facing us is what to do with the army in those republics which have separated from the Union a he said. On sunday he said he would seek to replace four fifths of the top officer corps soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev right Speaks with unidentified deputies to the supreme soviet after an extraordinary legislative session in Moscow on monday. With younger More Liberal military commanders. A the acting speaker of the supreme soviet Ivan Laptev announced that the government newspaper Izvestia had been made Independent. The state news Agency Tass also said it intended to become Independent with an elected management. A Tass reported in a Brief dispatch that Nikolai Kruchin business manager of the communist party a policy setting Central committee had committed suicide. It did not say when that happened. Sergei f. Fakhr Omeyer Gorbachev a chief military adviser hanged himself in see blame on Page 2 goodbye summer hello schools amps Dov Casey assistant principal Dave Witte at Mannheim Elemen pupils monday when classes resumed in department any school in Germany gives directions to parents and of defense dependents schools. Sec Story on Page 3.host of nations set to forge ties with Baltic states Vilnius .s.r. Apr Lithuania took control of its own Borders and started issuing visas monday As Iceland established ties with the three Baltic republics. Numerous other nations were expected to follow suit. As the republics neared statehood in the Wake of the failed soviet coup european envoys were in route to the Region to signal the West a willingness to restore diplomatic ties broken 50 years ago by forced soviet an see nations on Page 2elite unit saved Day Yeltsin says a Moscow apr Boris a Yeltsin said the soviet coup plotters had sought to bully the commanders of an elite Kab unit into storming the russian parliament building and seizing the republics leaders shooting him if he tried to escape. But the commanders steadfastly refused to mount what would have surely been a bloody assault on a determined russian leadership a and that May have been the turning Point in last weeks failed coup. Yeltsin said sunday in an interview with russian television that commanders of the pkg by a elite anti terrorist Alpha group resisted intense pressure including see Yeltsin on Page 2