European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thes lbs vol. 50, no. 253 500 2sunday, december 22,1991 d 8693 soviet Union ceases to exist Gorbachev urged to resign Alma Ata Kazakhstan a the Heads of 11 former soviet republics proclaimed a new Commonwealth saturday and put an end to the soviet Union after seven decades of terror and Reform. They urged that president Mikhail s. Gorbachev resign with dignity. Gorbachev essentially now a Leader without a country would make a decision soon on his future according to a spokesman in Moscow. The 60-year-old president who unleashed sweeping reforms since coming to Power in March 1985, did not attend the meeting in the capital of Kazakhstan. After five hours of talks the 11 leaders signed documents that declared their territories were now part of the Commonwealth of Independent states. Russian president Boris n. Yeltsin the driving Force behind the Commonwealth said at a news conference that the old soviet Union and its Central authority was dissolved. A now that we Are no longer forcibly bound by the chains of the Center when the Center has been destroyed and the totalitarian communist system has been destroyed the Field is open for forming a democratic Commonwealth a the kind civilized countries should be in,1�?T Yeltsin said. The leaders established a joint command by Russia Kazakhstan byelorussian and the Ukraine Over the nuclear weapons on their soil appointed former soviet defense minister Yevgeny Shaposhnikov As interim head of All nuclear and conventional armed forces and agreed that Russia would inherit the soviet unions seat in the . Security Council. It did not however give any one Leader exclusive control Over the a nuclear Button a an Issue that continues to Divide Russia and Kazakhstan. The Commonwealth which was formed dec. 8 by Yeltsin and the leaders of the Ukraine and byelorussian in a Hunting Lodge near the soviet polish Border has now been joined by All former soviet republics except fiercely Independent Georgia which is torn by internal conflict. The Baltic states which gained their own Independence after the failed August coup have not expressed interest in membership. But despite the new Structure Many of the problems of the old soviet Union remain the shattered Economy an aging and dilapidated infrastructure Ana bloody ethnic strife. The presidents of the member states see soviet on Page 2three key agreements will serve As a basis for the new Commonwealth a the 11 republics will enter on an equal basis As co founders. A the Alma Ata declaration Wilt recognize the Independence of the republics and their current Borders. A a temporary military command will be  with Santa Claus five year old Randle Morris chats with Santa via a radio supplied by the 36th comm so Mars station at the recreation Center at Pitburg a Germany. Assisting Randie is staff sgt. Jerry k. Locke. Santa was talking to Randie from the Mars station at Rhein main a Germany. Serbs in Bosnia form their own Republic Belgrade Yugoslavia a serbs in ethnically mixed Bosnia and Hercegovina saturday proclaimed a Republic a Day after Bosnia itself declared it will pursue Independence from crumbling Yugoslavia. The development was Likely to raise tensions in the country where the secession question has led to months of bloody warfare in Croatia. In Belgrade meanwhile the serbian dominated remnant of the Federal presidency was weighing a response to a european Community decision to recognize Croatia and other Independence minded yugoslav republics. As Serbia Montenegro and two serb an provinces met to discuss the eco a plan Croatia was mostly Calm. But croatian officials reported Early morning shelling of Osisek a key Eastern croatian stronghold and officials and the radio said Adriatic towns from Pula to Zadar were attacked by air. There were no reports of casualties. In Sarajevo capital of Bosnia and Hercegovina the republics sizable ethnic serb minority declared that the serb enclaves were uniting to become the Republic of serbian Bosnia and Hercegovina. Ethnic serbs in Croatia proclaimed a similar serb Republic on thursday. The serb Community in Bosnia controls More than half of the states territory and is certain to be strongly opposed by local muslims and croats. The declaration of sovereignty comes a Day after Bosnia announced it would seek recognition from foreign countries becoming the fourth of Yugoslavia a six republics to opt for Independence. The parliament in Macedonia voted thursday to join Croatia and its neighbor Slovenia in seeking recognition from the european Community. Finding a vaccine to prevent his key to military s aids research by Janet Howells Tierney Washington Bureau Washington a military research labs Are in the forefront of developing a vaccine to prevent the initial infection that leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome or aids according to the Secretary of the army. A your primary goal is to reduce the incidence of new his infections to Zero to arrest and then reverse the progression of the disease in those already infected and to eliminate fatalities from his in military populations a said or. Col Donald Burke chief of the aids program at the Walter Reed army Institute of research. Recent results have left military researchers optimistic that one of those goals May be within their grasp thanks to a vaccine that goes by the Humble name of gpl60. Three years ago a group of 30 service members and retirees who tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus were first inoculated with the vaccine. The group treated As outpatients continue to receive regular doses of gpl60 and so far none has developed full blown aids Burke said. A they Are All living Normal lives and beyond regular visits Here they show no signs of the disease and have had no significant Side effects a he said. The groups relative health seems to be linked to the to Helper cell which is the target of the deadly aids see aids on Page 2 he army is in the forefront of our National Effort to find a Means of fighting aids and As an Institute we constitute a research resource of immense  a Secretary of the army Michael . Stone