European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 13, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes Friday March 13,1992 at a glance Here Are spuds in your Eye. Couch potatoes and other connoisseurs of Good food Are sure to drool Over the recipes on pages 14 and 15. Mig remains a mystery air Force officials Are keeping quiet about a Jet of apparent soviet origin a a Mig a parked at Offutt fab neb. A Page 4 Bush plan voted Down the Senate voting largely along party lines. Wednesday night rejected president Bush a Short Range economic stimulus plan. A Page 5 state capital flooded ice jams diverted a Rushing River through downtown Montpelier vt., flooding Vermont a capital with water up to 6 feet deep. A Page 6 House votes against veto the House voted to override president Bush a veto of a Bill that would impose economic and human rights conditions on the renewal of China a favourable Trade status. Page 7 card works on Imago top executives of the american express co. Said wednesday that they were trying to retain the company a prestige after a backlash by merchants internal turmoil and a recessionary slump. A Page 17index Abby Ann Landers. 19 action line. 16 comics. 19-21 commentary. 13 crossword. 19 faces a no places. 18 letters. .12 Money matters. 17 sports. 22-28 to listings. 27 weather. .11 retail jobless figures result in Good bad economic report Washington a retail sales jumped 1.3 percent in february marking the first time sales have risen More than 1 percent for two consecutive months since 1985, the government said thursday. All categories except for grocery stores posted gains. The report was the latest suggestion of a turnaround in consumer spending which is vital to any recovery from recession since it represents two thirds of the nations Economy. Retail sales account for half of consumer spending. However in another report the labor department said the number of americans filing first time claims for unemployment benefits Rose to 459,000 in the last week in february pushing the claims figure to its highest level in a month. The new claims for jobless benefits Rose by 22,000 from the 437,000 level of the previous week officials said. Sales had edged up just 0.8 percent in 1991 As the Economy struggled to recover. That was the smallest increase in 30 years and compared with gains of 3.8 percent in 1990 and 6 percent in 1989. The Commerce department said sales of such items As apparel appliances and automobiles totalled a seasonally adjusted $157.7 billion in february up from $155.6 billion a month earlier. January sales were even stronger than first estimated. They were revised to a 2.1 percent Advance rather than the 0.6 percent in the initial report. The revision reflected higher automobile furniture and department store sales and marked the steepest increase since a 2.2 percent gain in february 1991. The Back to Back increase of More than 1.0 percent were the first line sales Rose 1.1 percent in August 1985 and 2.7 percent the following month. Sales had been Flat in november and december. Car dealers reported sales were up 1.4 percent after rising 2.5 percent in january. Excluding the automobile category sales still were up 1.3 percent. Sales of durable goods increased 2.3 percent slightly less than the 2.8 percent Advance in january. Such items Are expected to last More than three years and include cars and carpets. Sales of non durable goods such As gasoline and groceries Rose 0.8 after a 1.7 percent increase in january. 7 die in Sweden As Tram Rolls backward Down Hil Stockholm Sweden a a Tram that had been evacuated just moments earlier rolled backward Down a Hill in Goteborg on thursday killing seven people and injuring More than 30 As it slammed into cars and waiting passengers authorities said. Most of the injured were in the crowd of waiting passengers police said. The Accident occurred at 9.10 . In the Western port of Goteborg Sweden a second largest located 250 Miles Southwest of Stockholm. Bobbi Vopenka head of information for the City a Tram service said a Power failure Haa forced the Tram to Stop at a Busy intersection causing a traffic Jam. A there was a decision to Send the Tram backward along the same route it had come a Vopenka said. A a that a when something happened and the Tram ran backward Down the slope for about 1 Kilometre. A when it came into an intersection it went off its tracks and ran headlong into a Tram Stop and a shop. Two cars were  Vopenka said All passengers were evacuated from the Tram before it started moving Down the Hill. Four of the dead were in a car the Tram slammed into As it Slid Down the sloping Street said Kjell Vollstedt head of Rescue services at the scene. The other dead were believed found at the scene when police and other Rescue workers lifted the Tram upright. Traffic snarl caused by Border agents la Junquera Spain a about 2,000 trucks jammed this French Spanish Border crossing thursday As Spanish customs agents enacted a work slowdown in retaliation against truckers who broke strike lines earlier this week. Trucks on both sides of the Border awaited processing by customs officials whose three Day strike ended wednesday said one customs worker at this major transit Point for vehicles travelling Between France and the Spanish cities of Gerona and Barcelona. Worner from Page 1 organizations full membership of european nations the United states and Canada. A we do not want to become a second Csc a Worner said thursday. A what we want is a stronger  Worner told Security seminar participants that nato will also work in con Cert with the Western european Union the nine member defense component of the european Community. A the we too is Likely to draw on military forces and assets of nato a he said. He assured the largely polish audience that even though nato is not admitting Central and Eastern european countries into membership right away it is guarding their Security through its links with the other european institutions. Through involvement in these organizations and in natos new East West cooperation forum Central and Eastern european countries Benefit from natos stabilizing influence he said. A even without offering formal Security guarantees we contribute to improving the Security situation of our cooperation partners by bringing them closer to the Alliance a Wymer said. A there will be no Security vacuum a he said. Although the Alliance is not seeking to expand its membership a we keep this option open a he said. Poland has expressed Strong interest in joining  because of a reporting error a Story published saturday gave the incorrect time for speeches next wednesday at Stuttgart a opera House to Mark the disbanding of Vii corps. The speeches begin at 3  from Page 1 squarely fixed on an a a intransigent Iraq and a menacing Iran that is vying to become the regions dominant Power. A despite enormous wartime losses Iraq has salvaged a significant military capability and shows every intention of reconstituting its forces a Hoar said. Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein who has been a a uncooperative in complying with . Resolutions passed in the Wake of the War will again be Able to pose an offensive military threat a within the next five years a Hoar said. At the same Lime Iran is working forcefully to position itself As the big gun in the Region he said. A a Iran a potential is clearly growing a he said. Iranian leaders have been buying Large amounts of equipment from the former soviet republics since 1989 As Well As missile patrol boats from China Hoar said. Most alarming from a terrorist perspective Iran is seeking to Purchase at least three miniature submarines from Russia an Effort that if successful would bring a an entirely new dimension to the threat posed by the Radical Tehran regime Hoar said. The command has plans for 86 combined exercises with military forces from persian Gulf nations this year. Hoar said the number of such exercises has increased fivefold since the War ended. A we done to run exercises in the Region if they re not combined a Hoar said. A we have to show that we re there to help them not to fight for them while they hold our  the commands presence in the Region is drastically reduced from the height of the War when More than a half million troops were in theater for the War against Iraq. Today the Central come forces in the Middle East consist primarily of ships. A total of 22 ships Are in the persian Gulf the Gulf of Oman and the Northern arabian sea including the aircraft Carrier America three cruisers and four destroyers. Another five vessels a two destroyers two frigates and an auxiliary ship a Are patrolling the red sea. Navy and Marine corps personnel on those ships number about 17,000, according to Pentagon officials. Additionally there Are about 8,000 army and air Force personnel on the ground in the area most of them in saudi Arabia. The current Force Structure includes a composite air Wing and a Patriot missile defense network. The brigade size army element of about 3,500 soldiers drawn from units in Europe which had been placed in Kuwait As a a Security presence following the postwar demobilization returned Home a some time before Christmas a Hoar said. In the near future Hoar said he will establish a Small Forward Headquarters in the Middle East at a site yet to be determined to provide his commands Home base at Macdill fab fla., with a More direct link to the Region