European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 20, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 9russian optimistic about Cis future More Aid will help provide second Start he says by Vince Crawley staff writer Rhein main a Germany a on an air base where american Crews make daily Relief flights to the former soviet Union a russian welfare official expressed appreciation for operation provide Hope and said he a doing everything possible to ensure the donations Are going to those in genuine need. Evgeny Ivanov an official who works for a russian state social welfare Agency also urged More foreign investment in the future of the new Commonwealth of Independent states. If the Commonwealth can get $4 billion in foreign Aid this year a four times the amount now proposed a then that a will be quite sufficient to give the new democracies a a second Start a Ivanov said. Quot the new team of Young people led by president Boris a Yeltsin they Are just trying to have a balanced budget a said Ivanov one of 29 members of russians humanitarian Aid commission. A they Are trying to put their belts tighter and not have a great  Yeltsin a recent lifting of state controlled prices has resulted in runaway inflation within Russia. Ivanov stopped Short of predicting Success for his country a economic plans saying a everyone should be an Optimist in such a  Ivanov twice spoke of the Opportunity for a a great joint venture Between the Commonwealth and the rest of the world. A i think it is in the interest of the european and world communities to have a stabilized Russia a said Ivanov who often said Russia when he was referring to the Cis. A after the stabilization there is an Opportunity to open a huge Market. There is a huge russian federation compared with the Small countries of Western Europe. Disabled veterans of the War in Afghanistan a the elderly orphans and mothers of babies Are among those who will be helped by provide Hopes food and medical shipments Ivanov said. They Are among the 64 million people identified As a most vulnerable during the sweeping economic Reform. The minimum pension for russian citizens is now 342 rubles about >3.42 a month he said. The $165 million in food and Medicine sent so far by the United states is being distributed to places such As orphanages and kindergartens but about $250 million Worth of food shipments from european countries is being sold at reduced prices at 139 stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg Ivanov said. At the stores which Are frequently inspected by the humanitarian Aid commission meat was Selling at 60 rubles per kilogram about 30 cents a Pound last week and the Price of butter was a few rubles lower he said. By comparison meat in open shops was Selling for nearly 2vi times that amount 150 rubles a kilo according to St. Petersburg residents who helped unload an operation provide Hope aircraft on sunday. The average russian worker earns about 800 rubles or roughly $8 a month. The Bush administration has proposed another $645 Ivanov million in Aid to the former soviet Union but this has not yet been approved by Congress Ivanov said. Corruption has Long been a problem with donations to the former soviet Union Ivanov acknowledged. In past years about 68 percent of donations went to Moscow \1vi percent went to St. Petersburg while Only 15 percent went to the rest of the Commonwealth Ivanov said. A this was unjust a he added. His Agency works with foreign officials to Monitor distribution of foreign Aid and while corruption exists on site inspections Are reducing the amount of humanitarian supplies entering the Black Market compared to commercial transactions he stressed. A we appreciate the provide Hope flights very much a Ivanov said. A we understand that it is just a beginning and Only  air shipments he said Are expensive and he urged nations to Send donations by ship. Last year the soviet Union race id 240,000 tons of food and this year another 1 million tons have been pledged to the new Commonwealth. A but you see it is not enough a Ivanov said. Still a we Are proud that there is no  his country urgently needs 2 million tons of meat 1 million tons of sugar 300,000 pounds of vegetable Oil and 800,000 tons of baby food including milk Ivanov said. A we Are reasonable a he said. A we expect that it will not come  he said the Commonwealth does no to want Long term handouts. It prefers technical assistance and knowhow. A we would like to just have a second Start a he said. A we Are doing our utmost to Stop this process of inflation to control the situation and stabilize  for Navy of cuts shake civilian workers by the Washington Post Washington Navy and air Force plans to eliminate or Transfer some Washington area civilian jobs have sent Shock Waves through other agencies. The naval sea systems come plans to eliminate about 120 jobs by Spring. The air Force will move 500 workers from Andrews fab in suburban Maryland to Wright Patterson fab in Dayton Ohio in june. As Field units shrink Headquarters workers wonder when the shoe will drop for them. Various numbers a none confirmed a Are being floated. As a result personnel offices Are Busy handing out copies of the office of personnel management a pamphlet on reduction in Force rules and the defense departments pamphlet on the priority placement program. The defense department which has 90,000 of the Washington areas 365,000 Federal jobs has a lot of experience in downsizing. After Congress ordered army Navy air Force Ana Marine commissary operations to consolidate with the Headquarters at nearby fort Lee Ait appeared that nearly 1,000 civilians in More than 30 locations might be out of work. But officials said that nobody lost his or her Job in a if and that Only a handful declined Job offers. A the key has been to be flexible and be ready to relocate a an official said. A the people with problems have been those who can to or wont move. For them things could be  for example about half the 570 civilians whose jobs at Mare Island naval shipyard near san Francisco were abolished arc still unemployed. Nobody knows the size of the future cuts. The defense department recent Yesti mated it would be eliminating 130,000 civilian jobs by 1995 a from its 1987 Start. Thanks to last years hiring freeze Normal attrition and Early retirements it has already Cut about 70, xxx positions. The Impact of civilian military cuts on Washington is anybody a guess but Many people Are making plans in Case they wind up on a hit  general will Lead nato s fast action corps Brussels Belgium a amps a British army general has been selected to command a new nato multinational corps being formed to respond to crises rapidly. It. Gen. Sir Jeremy Mackenzie will Lead Allied come Europe a rapid reaction corps when it is established. Mackenzie currently commands the 1st British corps headquartered at Bielefeld Germany. Mackenzie is leading a group that is drawing up plans for the corps. The entire command staff is expected to be established by fall. The corps Headquarters will be in Germany but an exact location has not yet been selected. The corps is an outgrowth of the alliances Post cold War strategy which Calls for smaller More Mobile flexible forces and less Reliance on nuclear weapons. The corps will be made up of an undetermined number of divisions of diverse military capabilities. The forces will be trained to deploy within Days. Concert organizer to face charges Seoul South Korea apr police said wednesday that they would charge the organizer of a new kids on the Block concert at which a teen age girl was killed and More than 50 people were injured in a Stampede. About 200 screaming fans rushed the stage during the groups concert monday at Seoul a olympic gymnastic Hall which police allege was overcrowded. Park Jung Yun 17, died Early wednes Day. She had been listed As brain dead since her heart stopped beating monday. Police said Hong Hyon Pyo chief organizer of the concert could face up to two years in prison if convicted of a negligence charge. Hong 35, president of Sor Abul records was questioned by police for allegedly having sold 4,000 More tickets than he was authorized to sell. Nato chief worrier plans talks in Russia Ukraine by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium nato Secretary general Manfred Wymer will travel to Russia and Ukraine in the next week at those governments invitation. The visit is Worner a first trip to Moscow since the soviet Union dissolved and the Commonwealth of Independent states formed in december. Worner will be received by russian president Boris n. Yeltsin on tuesday. A nato spokesman said he did not know wednesday what topics the two were expected to discuss. In december Yeltsin sent a letter to a nato foreign ministers meeting in which he expressed interest in russians eventually becoming a member of the Alliance. At that time Wymer responded by saying a nothing is excluded a and noting that Yeltsin a letter called nato membership a a Long term political  Worner and his wife Elfie Are expected to arrive in Kiev on saturday. The Alliance Leader is to meet ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk and the foreign and defense ministers. On sunday night the Edmers Are to travel to Moscow. On monday Worner is scheduled to met with russian officials including Deputy prime minister Gennady Burbulis foreign minister Andrei Kozarev and the chief of the Cis armed forces marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov. Foreign ministers from the Commonwealth states will be at nato Headquarters in Brussels on March 10 for a meeting of the North Atlantic cooperation Council. The Council is expected to admit into membership those states that have received diplomatic recognition by nato countries. The nato spokesman said it was unclear wednesday whether every nato member had to recognize the states before the former soviet republics could become members