European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 24, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 24, 1992 the stars and stripes Page Airlift builds framework of Cis Aid by Randy Pruitt staff writer Moscow a operation provide Hope will end in a few Days but the projects overseer said the . Humanitarian Airlift May have Laid the groundwork for a Long term solution to the food and medical shortages now facing the former soviet Union. Bob Watters the personal representative of . Ambassador at Large Richard Armitage said nato will be used As a coordinating Center for marshalling the transportation of Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent states. Watters is also director of defense operations at the . Mission nato in Brussels Belgium. Rather than use cargo aircraft supplied by the military Watters said emphasis will be placed on surface transportation involving a combination of ships trains and trucks. A we Are in the process of getting this Center in Moscow in touch with the coordinating Center at nato so you will see this connection building Over the next few months a Watters said. Two weeks ago the political Arm of nato established a cell to organize and keep track of shipments from All nato nations. A Onato for years has been set up for receiving a lot of supplies for another purpose a he said. A the whole transportation system to in place to do a different Type of  through provide Hope Watters said russian government officials have shown they can organize and receive shipments and move supplies to the needy. E re under no illusions our Aid will solve the problem but it will Lead to further technical assistance a Bob Watters a total of 64 flights Are being made to 31 cities designated As the most needy in the Cis. As of saturday 58 flights were completed and the final flight was to be wednesday or thursday. A air was the big show but it was important a Watters said. A it demonstrated a commitment to go everywhere through the Cis and it was also done to encourage other nations to be donor nations As  through provide Hope russian authorities and other former soviet republics have developed an infrastructure for handling future shipments lie said. Watters could give no Date when new shipments will begin. A in atom a principal role is to contribute to the stability in Europe a he said. A a we be realized for the past year and a half that humanitarian assistance will be a new role nato can step into. What we do not want is an explosion of any kind. We want democratic processes to be Able to continue. Anything to contribute to that stability in the Short and Long term is  Watters said More surplus . Persian Gulf supplies will make their Way to Russia soon but not aboard . Military aircraft. The russians will Send two cargo air planes Able to lift about 15 tons each to Frankfurt Germany. Nato has already provided two a acs Trainer Boeing 707s to move provide Hope teams into Central asian republics Watters said. Nato will also furnish air planes to transport medical Survey teams into All states he said. A Onato is playing an Active role Quot he said. A Russia is aware of it and wants to encourage  other nations in nato have also made substantial contributions he said. The canadians have made available a Squadron of c-130 cargo planes based in Germany. A there will probably be a monitoring role for the european command and probably shape As Well when the nato role expands Quot Watters said. A we  have done this provide Hope without the military role. A a we re under no illusions our Aid will solve the problem but it will Lead to further technical assistance Quot he said. Watters predicted that instead of bringing in powdered milk other countries would help the Cis build factories to turn excess milk into powder. A we do not see this As an Issue of the . Providing Aid to the russians but rather a partnership to allow Russia to restructure its Economy a he said. A Russia has undertaken an enormously Complex and courageous  Watters said future military flights should not he ruled out especially in an  kitchens warming russian hearts by Randy Pruitt staff writer. Moscow a american food is still a big hit in the salvation army soup Kitchen off Dubovski Boulevard. Elderly russian women grasp the hand of salvation army capt. Kathleen Ljungholm when she Steps in the door. They Peck her on the Creek. Through smiles they say a thank  through tears they say a god bless  it is a scene repeated every Day at noon and it will continue As Long As the food lasts. In a City of food shortages and High prices pensioners suffer More than the average citizen. For Moscow a hungry elderly these clean cheery cafeterias Are a Sanctuary. It was the Moscow salvation army that got the first shipment of surplus a rations from the persian Gulf War enough for 140,000 meals. Suddenly food intended for operation desert storm is now being used to quell a russian Winter storm half a world away. The food will last one More month said Ljungholm a husband capt. Sven Erik Ljungholm who Heads the Agency a Relief Effort. The salvation army has set up 19 similar centers in Moscow a City of 10 million. Four Hundred and fifty russian volunteers staff these Bright warm dining Halls that Are called  they Are certainly More appealing than the typical russian restaurant. A single Carnation sits in a vase on each table. Napkins Are brought out to the diners a fixture usually reserved for Classy eating establishments. A the first Day we opened we watched the old ladies a said Kathleen Ljungholm. A they smiled and their Gold Teeth shined in the Light. They said it was great to have a change of taste in  a this is a very Good restaurant a said Danya Hanzine 71, who has lived in Moscow for 35 years. During world War ii she served As a nurse on the Kalinin front. She lives alone and draws 400 rubles about $6 a month. A what can you do with this Money a she asked. She has come Here every Day for the past three weeks but admitted a i Felt ashamed for a Long time and did no to come. Its a great support for  despite the Scarcity of food before she is optimistic. A things Are now better. They be become More quiet  times were harder before and after world War ii she said. She used to knit shawls for a living. A it was very bad work a she said. A now i done to feel Well. My arms and feet  a eighty year old Lydia Kar Olova peels a hard boiled egg with a shaky Hana. A we would like to thank other countries. They Are giving us presents every Day a she said. A Box of lasagna Lay by her plate of steaming vegetable soup. She receives a pension of 740 rubles about $10 a month. She lives alone and has no relatives. She counts herself luckier than most. A nurse brings her a plate of food every Day. Saturday was the 80th birthday of Valentina Volkova who has lived in Moscow since 1931. This meal was a birthday dinner and she was celebrating it alone. The pot of food beside her was for her husband who injured himself in a fall the Day before. A i find the food Good especially now a she said. A we do not have any food and because we re old we can to stand in Long  As Long As the Aid continues the Ljungholm Hope to open More and More restaurants they said. Gernady Shalumov a 65-year-old invalid lives alone on a pension of 342 rubles about $5 a month. A everything is expensive in the stores so i try to make both ends meet a the retired Mechanic said. He has been coming Here for about a month and he is grateful. A when we done to have anything that a a lot of help a he said. Two wrinkled women Bent with age stand by the door. They smile at the visiting americans. A i want to thank you All of you from other lands a one said. A i wish you health. Let there be no  a thanks for the kindness a said the other woman. A people pay for kindness with  they walked out of the warmth into the below Zero chill and disappeared Down the snowy Street. Until  make Token withdrawal in South Lebanon Beirut Lebanon apr shiite Muslim guerrillas withdrew a Token Force of about 200 gunmen from South Lebanon on sunday after agreeing to halt rocket attacks on Israel and its self proclaimed Security zone in Lebanon. But police said an estimated 800 guerrillas remained in Battle scarred Border villages in the Region. The halt in guerrilla rocket attacks and the partial withdrawal comes after a week of fighting and helped defuse tension in Lebanon on the eve of the resumption of Middle East peace talks in Washington. But later sunday a shiite Muslim Leader addressing a rally of some 20,000 people called for More guerrilla attacks against Israel. A your resistance should never Stop a vowed Sheik Hassan Nasrallah Leader of the iranian backed Hezbollah or party of god. A the Only Way to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East. Is the return of All the jewish occupiers to the lands from which they originally came a he said. Hezbollah Calls for the destruction of Israel and has demanded that jews living in Israel return to the countries from where their families originally emigrated. The fundamentalist movements spiritual Mentor Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah echoed his Call for attacks by declaring a Only resistance attacks steer the nation in the right  both men were addressing a Beirut rally to mourn Nasrallah a predecessor Sheik Abbas Muslawi who was killed in an israeli helicopter ambush in South Lebanon on feb. 16. Musawir a wife and son also were slain in the attack. The agreement to halt rocket attacks on Israel and its a Security zone was announced saturday by Lebanon a higher defense Council a group of senior army and police commanders after talks with Hezbollah and the other main shiite militia the syrian backed amal. No rocket attacks were reported sunday As some of the 10,000 refugees who fled the fighting straggled Back to their villages through heavy rain