European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 31, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a the stars and stripes thursday october 31, 1991 . Halts military Aid to afghan Muslim rebels from wire reports Islamabad Pakistan a for the first time in a decade the United states has stopped All military Aid to Muslim guerrillas fighting to overthrow Afghanistan s communist style government diplomatic sources say. The cutoff took effect oct. 15, they said although a  pact to end All arms shipments to warring parties in Afghanistan a 13-year-old civil War does not take effect until Jan. I. The United states supports a  peace plan providing for a cutoff of weapons to both sides a cease fire and peace talks followed by installation of a transitional government to oversee elections. The United states has provided billions of dollars Worth of weapons and ammunition to the Mujaheddin or islamic holy warriors during the More than nine years the soviet red army fought the rebels in Afghanistan. Moscow withdrew the last of its 115,000 troops in february 1989 under a   pressures Haiti Washington a president Bush intensified pressure on Haiti a leaders tuesday to restore democracy by tightening . Trade sanctions effective nov. 5. The Only exceptions were Basic food shipments essential medicines and commercial flights. Meanwhile the state department ordered the departure from Haiti of All non essential . Government employees As Well As dependents of Federal employees. This followed a earlier announcement urging All . Citizens to depart Haiti As soon As  closing set Moscow a the ukrainian parliament decided tuesday to close the chernobyl nuclear Plant within two years and called on the United nations to help finance the dismantling of the Power station the site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster. A this is the optimal decision for today considering the technical conditions at the station and the social political climate a said Vladimir f. Shokos Hutny president of the chernobyl Union and a member of the ukrainian  replaces Burleson As Usa eur chief of staff Heidelberg Germany a maj. Gen. Craig a. Hagan assumed duties As the chief of staff for the . Army in Europe and 7th army on oct. 24, a command spokeswoman said wednesday. Hagan previously served As Deputy chief of staff for training at the army a training and doctrine come at fort Monroe a. The 54-year-old general is a 1960 graduate of the . Military Academy at West Point. He replaces maj. Gen. Willard m. Burleson jr., who is retiring from Active duty. Burleson served As usar euros chief of staff since August 1989. Croatian flotilla stopped in route to Dubrovnik Zagreb Yugoslavia apr Navy patrol boats stopped a flotilla carrying Dubrovnik residents and top croatian officials to the Adriatic port wednesday croatian reports said. The City has been under under siege for weeks by Federal forces. The flotilla consisting of the ferry Slavija and about 60 Small boats was stopped at 6 03 . By Navy patrol boats insisting the flotilla be searched said the croatian defense ministry in the republics capital of Zagreb. Aboard the Slavija were senior croatian officials including Stipe Mesic the head of Yugoslavia a incapacitated eight Man Federal presidency and croatian Premier Franjo Greguric. Tracer rockets were fired and some machine gun fire was heard the ministry said. But no injuries were reported and it was unclear How close the reported fire came to the flotilla. There was no Independent confirmation. An official with the maritime come in split Croatia a main port said the Navy insisted that the Slavija and other boats be inspected in the montenegrin Harbor of Zelenika. But Mesic insisted the inspection be conducted in Croatia. Mesic negotiated by Telephone from the boat with yugoslav Deputy defense minister . Stane Brovet in Belgrade. They agreed the flotilla would be searched near the croatian held Island of Maljet Northwest of Dubrovnik the split command said. Agreement Between Mesic and Brovet appeared to defuse tensions around the flotilla. An offensive by the serbian led yugoslav army against the walled medieval City of Dubrovnik was launched oct. 1. Many of the troops besieging the port Are from Montenegro Serbia a traditional ally. Boats have Only been allowed through the blockade to bring Aid or pick up refugees fleeing the besieged City. Some reporters and foreign officials have also been allowed in. On tuesday senior diplomats from the United states and Europe visited Dubrovnik where 50,000 residents have taken Refuge mainly inside the old town s ancient White Stone Walls. The City has been without Power since the siege began and the potable water Supply is nearing an end officials said. Meanwhile sporadic fighting was reported elsewhere in Croatia. Shooting was heard in the Danube City of Vukovan also under siege by Federal troops and serb insurgents for More than two months. Sisak the last major croat held town in the Bani a Region just South of Zagreb came under artillery fire from Federal and serbian forces in neighbouring pct in a the croatian defense ministry said. Croatian officials have said 5,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled or lost their Homes in the undeclared War that began after Croatia declared Independence june 25. Motorists fuming a scuffle Breaks out tuesday at a filling station in Riga Latvia where motorists Are finding it increasingly difficult to buy fuel for their cars. Delivery of gasoline promised by the soviets has been irregular for years but has reached a crisis Point since latvian Independence officials  foes share nato classroom setting by Walter Jain cake staff writer a few years ago their paths would have crossed Only on the Battlefield. But former enemies met As colleagues in the classroom last week at the nato school in Oberammergau Germany. It was the first time that mid level officers and civilian defense officials from former Warsaw pact nations nato nations and some non aligned nations have come together said maj. Tony Billings a shape Public affairs spokesman. The 76 students represented 24 nations including former Warsaw pact nations of Bulgaria Poland Romania Czechoslovakia Hungary and the soviet Union. Fourteen nato nations were represented. Iceland and Luxembourg did not participate. Representatives from non aligned Finland Malta Sweden and Switzerland also participated. The five Day course was billed As a a special orientation course and was constructed around lectures addressing the Structure and intent of nato recent political changes in Europe and the future order of european Security. The lectures were translated into English French German and russian and were interspersed with discussions Billings said. He said that although no diplomatic decisions were made during the course each participant would carry Home a a better understanding of not Only our Mili tary structures and defense arrangements but of each other at a personal  he also said a purpose of the orientation was to communicate to former enemies of nato that the Western Alliance was defensive in nature. It. Col. Grzegorz Wisniewski from the department of military foreign affairs in Warsaw Poland said a officially our press and propaganda tried to explain to us that it nato was an aggressive pact but almost All people in my country at Home on the Street we knew that it Wasny to the  he pointed out that Poland had been pressured by the soviet Union after world War ii and did not have the free Dom to oppose participation in the Warsaw treaty. He said his nation is now in a position to act As a Bridge Between East and West. . Navy cmdr. Ron Hesso Erser of the nato International military staff in Brussels Belgium said he was cautious before the course. But he said a my perceptions changed drastically As i developed friendships that two years ago would have been forbidden by our  in opening remarks oct. 21, . Army Gen. John r. Galvin natos top military commander declared that a the cold War was Over and stressed the importance of improved relations Between the Milit Aries of All european nations