European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vol. 50, no. 140 saturday August 31,1991 authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces 350 d 8693 sign Border pact Moscow apr the russian federation signed a Border agreement with another soviet Republic Friday As Boris Yeltsin stepped up his drive to allay fears of russian expansionism and to keep the nation from splintering apart. But even As the pact with Kazakhstan was being signed the Republic of Azerbaijan declared its Independence becoming the eighth soviet Republic to formally break from the soviet Union two Independent news agencies reported. More than half of the 15 republics a comprising about 80 million of the nation 290 million people a Are now seeking Independence. The others Are Latvia Lithuania Estonia the Ukraine Moldavia byelorussian and Georgia. Yeltsin who led the opposition to the failed coup last week and who has since emerged As one of the nations most powerful figures has turned his attention to trying to keep the nation together in a looser federation. The russian federation president says his Republic would be the heart of a new system of equal states leaving limited Power for soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev. Since the coup other republics have grown nervous about Yeltsin a growing Power and russians claim that it reserved the right to negotiate its Borders. Before the coup Russia signed Border agreements with the three Baltic republics. On thursday it signed a similar pact with the Ukraine. The pact with Kazakhstan the second biggest Republic after Russia urged republics to work to prevent the a uncontrolled disintegration of the nation. It also supported Kazakhstan a decree on thursday that closed the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons testing Range. Kazakhstan where ethnic russians slightly outnumber kazakhs in population has 15 percent to 20 percent of the soviet unions fixed silo nuclear missiles. It also has two nuclear weapons testing see pact on Page 2 Gorbachev Yeltsin to huddle on Abc following football new York a abcs monday night football joust will be followed up with an extraordinary pos game show a from Moscow. The stars will be Mikhail s. Gorbachev and Boris n. Yeltsin live and taking questions from . Viewers in an Abc news town Hall telecast moderated by Peter Jennings. An to plans to air the broadcast at 6 30 . Tuesday or shortly thereafter depending on when the game Between the new York giants and san Francisco 49ers ends said a network spokesman in Frankfurt Germany. Some viewers May look for a play by play analysis of last weeks failed coup Gorbachev the soviet president was Able to recover the Kremlin due to in Large part resistance led by Yeltsin the president of the russian Republic. Rick Kaplan executive producer said thursday that questions will be asked by members of a studio audience in new York As Well As Philadelphia Miami Houston Chicago and los Angeles and possibly five other cities. He said he is also trying to line up As questioners various administration see huddle on Page 2may accomplish civilian Job cuts by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington a the Pentagon must reduce its civilian work Force by More than 45,000 to meet budgeted goals for fiscal 1992. But officials Are optimistic that the current hiring freeze of appropriated fund civilians will accomplish that goal. As of july 1,048,155 civilians were working full time and part time for the defense department a civilian personnel polity spokesman said. That figure does not include workers with the army corps of engineers or schoolteachers who were on summer recess. But it does include foreign nationals and a Large number of summer hires said the spokesman who requested anonymity. That figure is also below the goal for the end of the current fiscal year which is 1,051,720. The fiscal year ends sept. 30. Originally scheduled to last until sept. 30, 1990, the freeze has been extended three times. Overall officials seem pleased with the Way the 19-month-old hiring freeze is working. One Pentagon source said the freeze has worked much better than officials had anticipated. But Pentagon civilian personnel policy officials Are now studying whether to lift or relax the freeze for the upcoming fiscal year. A was of july we were under the year end goal a the spokesman said. A we would be even further under the goal if we factored in the Large number of summer hires that will be leaving and the smaller number of teachers who will return in  prison officials and an ambulance leave the Talladega Federal correctional institution after Rescue teams stormed the prison and ended the nine Day uprising by cuban detainees. To reach the defense departments budgeted goal of 1,002,859 by the end of fiscal 1992, the civilian work Force must be trimmed by 45,296. The freeze was put in place by defense Secretary Dick Cheney on Jan. 11, 1990, to save Money and to begin trimming the civilian work Force in anticipation of Overall reduced personnel Levels throughout the defense department. The defense department modified the hiring freeze in March to allow a limited number of new workers to come on Board. In a memo to senior Pentagon and service officials Deputy defense Secretary Donald Atwood authorized Agency managers to hire two new employees for every five vacancies. Exemptions to the freeze include those civilian pm see freeze on Page 2federal teams storm prison free hostages Talladega Ala. Up a Federal Rescue teams stormed a prison Early Friday and freed nine people held hostage for More than a week by cuban inmates angry about plans to Deport them. One reporter at the scene said he heard an explosion near the Talladega Federal correctional institution about 4 40 . Smoke was seen from the roof and a second explosion was heard about five minutes later. In Washington acting attorney general William Barr held a morning news conference to announce that the hostage standoff had ended. Barr said All the hostages who had been held for nine Days were Safe and were receiving treatment. None of the hostages or members of the Rescue teams was injured in the operation. One inmate suffered a minor injury he said. A i authorized the of big a hostage Rescue team sup see hostages on Page 2