European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Military building Bill of d by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington House and Senate negotiators agreed late thursday on an $8.5 billion military construction funding Bill that stays on the course set last year of scaling Back Money for overseas projects and beefing up Domestic construction instead. Last year an $8.4 billion Bill was approved. The Compromise Bill provides $225 million for the nato infrastructure account a $134 million less than the Pentagon wanted a and also maintains a ban on using funds from that account for construction of a new nato base at Croton Italy. A list detailing the Fate of various projects was not available. A House appropriations committee staff member said the Bill cuts the Pentagon a overseas construction funding request about 33 percent. The request for construction at . Bases abroad was already anaemic compared with previous years even before Congress chopped it further. In Europe for example the Pentagon sought $62 million for 14 projects in Lay 92. A in comparison the Pentagon requested $334 million for 71 projects in Europe for by 91 that ended sept. 30. It got $64 million. Quot in taking Money front overseas projects and earmarking it for stateside construction instead the Bill reflects lawmakers views that More attention must be Given to shoring of it facilities at Home. Extension of the ban on spending any . Funds for Croton is another in a string of defeats on that project for Pentagon officials who have consistently a but unsuccessfully a argued that the base would be an important strategic asset for the United states on nato s traditionally vulnerable Southern flank. Croton which would Cost almost $500 million is meant to House the 401st tac fighter Wing that is leaving Torr Jon a Spain. The Bill now goes Back to the full House and Senate for approval. It would then go to president  laughing matter rep. Jim Nussler Iowa wears a bag Over his head on the House floor thursday to protest the banking practices of his House colleagues. The House voted to dose its Bank alter a howl of Public protests Over members writing rubber checks. See Story on Page 4. Bush Hopes use of Force can be avoided in Haiti Washington apr president Bush said Friday he hoped the military coup in Haiti would be reversed a without any kind of Force a adding that he would be reluctant to use . Military Power there unless american lives Are at risk. At a news conference at which he repeated his warning to veto a $6.4 billion Bill to extend unemployment benefits Bush opened with a defense of his Overall Domestic Agenda against democrats who say it does no to exist. Disowning political motives Bush nevertheless took unusual Steps to rebut critics who claim he does no to care about Domestic  said he kept tabs on the half hour of questioning and most of it dealt with foreign and defense issues rather than Domestic policy. Quot. I just Hope it does no to come out that this is All in a interested in because its not a he said. After a meeting with deposed haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide at the White House Bush said he was optimistic that a multinational Mission by the organization of american states Yould be Able to bring about a peaceful restoration of Aristide to Power. But asked if the United states might participate in a multinational Force a if one is assembled a to forc Early return Aristide to Power Bush said a Well 1 think we be got to wait to Sec. I done to want to get out ahead of where this Oas Mission  a we Are committed to democracy in Haiti a the president said. The president repeated his defense of Robert m. Gates his embattled nominee As director of the Central intelligence Agency calling him a a thoroughgoing professional and saying he was sure Gates had not distorted intelligence data for political purposes As his detractors have claimed. The president began his news conference expressing Don t know Why people Are tone deaf up in Congress about this a president Bush optimism about the Economy. He said he was prepared to veto a $6.4 billion Bill that would extend unemployment benefits for 20 additional weeks citing figures released earlier Friday on unemployment to bolster his Case. He said the 0.1 percent decline in the unemployment rate in september was a one More sign that he Economy is  Bush has contended the recession is Over and the Economy in recovery thus there is no need for such an ambitious Bill to extend benefits. He has said he supports a More modest measure backed by Senate republicans to extend benefits for 10 weeks. A i done to know Why people arc tone deaf up in Congress about this a Bush said. A it does no to help to simply add More to an already intolerable  he claims the democratic unemployment Bill would bust last years budget agreement. On other topics Bush a said that no Date has yet been set for a Middle East peace conference tentatively set for this month and defended his delay of $10 billion in housing loan guarantees for Israel As a the right thing to  a declined to appraise the five Man democratic Field that is running for the nomination to oppose him in 1992, saying he will a let the voters sort that out in the primaries. Soviets plan 700,000 troop Cut link further reductions to talks Moscow apr the soviet Union plans to Cut its military personnel by 700,000 and does not Rule out further reductions in the framework of a worldwide a collective Security system the defense ministry said thursday. The statement appeared to refute remarks earlier this week by defense minister Yevgeny Shaposhnikov a Deputy col. Gen. Pavel Grachev that deeper cuts were planned. The defense ministry statement said the soviet Union plans to trim its armed forces to 3 million Down from 3.7 Mil lion a in the foreseeable future and in the context of disarmament negotiations with the West. The soviet Union a is not ruling out further reductions depending on the development of military political situation and the formation of a new system of collective Security a the statement said. The statement came while the soviet military is weighing a response to president Bush a initiative to make deep cuts in the . Nuclear Arsenal. On tuesday an Independent news Agency quoted Grachev As saving the planned cutback will reduce the soviet military to Between 2 million and 2.5 million in the next three years. The newspaper  Gazita a a Day no general staff official As saying he knew on thursday however quoted a senior nothing of a coordinated reduction plan. Ministry spokesman Vadim Nikanorov explained that the number of military personnel a is not an arbitrary one. It depends on the general situation whether it develops in the same direction As now and to what extent the collective Security system that we want to create is   weekend in sunday Magazine