European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 9, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 b the stars and stripes thursday april 9, 1992cis arms called threat to Europe by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau Rome a the continued existence of huge arsenals in what remains of the former soviet Union poses grave risks to Europe s stability says a leading russian armament expert. The legacies of soviet Over armament have left the members of the Commonwealth of Independent states awash with huge often homeless armies they have no need for and cannot pay and with enormous stocks of decaying nuclear weapons whose Security is at risk or. Alexander a. Konovalov told participants at the 15th nato symposium in Rome. Konovalov in an address tuesday on the symposiums second and final Day gave a chilling assessment of the Way institutions in the Cis Are eroding and the perils they present. A unfortunately my country presents a lot of risks to the stability of Europe a Konovalov said. Konovalov estimated that the current size of Cis armed forces counting Border guards and some Interior ministry forces exceeds 4 million troops and that the commonwealths newly emerged Independent states have not the funds to pay them. Rapidly unfolding events in the soviet Union a practically forced them the armed forces to become an Independent Power. Now we Are trying to change that a Konovalov said. The upcoming rapid reduction of those forces threatens to bring about a very dangerous situation said Konovalov who Heads the russian Academy of sciences Section on general purpose forces and conventional arms. The armed forces facing joblessness he said Are the potential source of a social explosion. A the armed forces Are left alone and arc very dissatisfied Quot said Konovalov warning that a if no one takes care of them they will find the Means to  another dangerous problem according to Konovalov is their immediate and drastic reduction plus the dramatic restructuring of their defense budgets. A the real amount of defense spending never was known to the soviet parliament or to the Public a and the official data released by the defense ministry keep watch russian warns West by j. King Cruger Mediterranean Bureau a russian armament expert told the 15th nato symposium on tuesday that the West must insist that arms control treaties signed by the soviet Union be adhered to by members of the Commonwealth of Independent states. A the West has already missed two unique opportunities to demand that the non russian members renounce All nuclear weapons or. Alexander a. Konovalov said. He said the first Opportunity came when the republics were seeking recognition As Independent entities and the second came when these same states sought admission to the United nations. Konovalov said that while doubts surrounding the Security of strategic nuclear weapons have largely been put at rest by the passing of the nuclear trigger to russians president Boris n. Yeltsin the More serious threat to Security and stability in Europe is linked with tactical nuclear weapons. Strategic nuclear weapons would be used to strike Long Range targets while tactical nuclear weapons would normally be used on the Battlefield. Konovalov said tactical nuclear warheads Are spread out across the former soviet Union including in some potentially unstable areas. These stocks of nuclear warheads Are guarded by special units of the armed forces he said but it is impossible to guarantee that no local nationalist forces will attempt to take at least part of them under control. There is no Clear answer he said As to whether such a group would be Able to launch the weapons. But he noted that there is a speculation that the old versions of tactical nuclear weapons. Have no electronic code system to guard against unauthorized us Konovalov said. The russian said thousands of such weapons designed in the Early period of soviet nuclear development Are still held in substantial quantities. A to disassemble these warheads and to utilize the radioactive materials is very costly and threatening to the environment a the russian said. A the lifetime of nuclear weapons is quite limited and when nuclear warheads age they deteriorate a said Konovalov adding that such deterioration is taking place on a Large scale in Cis weapons stocks. To illustrate the pollution threat faced by the Cis from old weapons systems alone Konovalov said a around the former soviet Union there Are More than 500 old warships either surface or submarine at Anchor or half sunk. Their corrosion threatens whole oceans with pollution and they Are rusting away at the rate of 30,000 tons of steel per  Konovalov said that although the Cis needs to emulate Western Security arrangements and requires know How from the West a in general we have to do our Job by ourself. This is the Only Way to overcome the  the Cis has some a a interesting High technology awaiting exploitation Konovalov said. A unfortunately it Isnit available to the West a he said. A it is not available because the defense Industry was traditionally and stupidly surrounded by a Barrier of secrecy and the state took care of keeping Industrial secrecy a the main result of this policy was ruined civil Industry. It was the main victim. Even among the defense enterprises now there is no Exchange of information. That is Why it is very important to collect this information and to make it available for potential Consumers a the russian said. He said the soviet Union had spent in the tens of billions of dollars to keep Industrial secrecy. Konovalov who trained As a scientist declined to specify about what kind of technology the former soviet Union possesses except to say that a physically very interesting things exist a lot of  Konovalov added that the Cis needs Western knowledge to advise on what kind of its products and technology could be brought quickly to the Market. Was Only the tip of the iceberg Konovalov said. Recent evaluations made by experts show that a at least 35 percent of the soviet unions Gross National product was spent on military needs and the amount could have been As High As 50 percent of the Gnu being spent on the unified military sphere. A we Are now Down to less than one seventh of that in this years proposed budget a Konovalov said. A up to 80 percent of the country a machinery Industry production was used for military purposes a the russian stated. The commonwealths defense Industry has a very High regional concentration with roughly 80 percent of defense plants in Russia. A nine million russians Are engaged in arms production and a total of 30 million people Are directly dependent on the arms Industry. With no defense orders coming to the plants this year this potential for unemployment could be More socially explosive than the military a plight Konovalov said. The fact that soviet defense workers Are being better educated better organized and More advanced than other workers could Lead to democratic changes and boost economic development in the Cis but uncertainty and decreases in their living standards a could put them on the other Side of the barricades a Konovalov warned. Mengele s death confirmed by genetic tests team says Frankfurt Germany apr a German prosecutor said wednesday that sophisticated genetic testing has confirmed that Josef Mengele the a Angel of death of the nazis Auschwitz concentration Camp died in Brazil in 1979. Frankfurt prosecutor Hans Eberhard Klein who headed the investigation told a news conference that Mengeler a death has been  the genetic testing proved that Bones discovered in Brazil in 1985 were those of Mengele he said. Previously some people had questioned whether the remains belonged to the nazi doctor accused of sending some 400,000 people to the Gas chamber. With Klein at the news conference was Alec Jeffreys a British genetics scientist from Leicester University in Britain who carried out the testing. Jeffreys said the test results proved a beyond reasonable doubt that the remains found in Brazil belonged to Mengele. The genetic tests were made possible by Mengeler a son Rolf Jenckel who gave a blood Sample in january. Jenckel who changed his family name had refused for More than a year to provide the Sample. Mengele survivors say that in addition to sending tens of thousands to the Gas chamber Mengele performed genetic experiments on humans particular twins. Most of his victims were jews. Newly released files in Argentina on nazis who fled there after world War ii show that Mengele arrived in 1949 on an International red Cross passport under the name Gregor Helmut of Italy. In 1956, he obviously Felt secure enough to apply for Argentine identification papers under his real name he had the German embassy certify he was Mengele. The police files show an order to arrest Mengele in july 1961, but its unclear whether it was carried out and if not Why. In june 1985, the remains were exhumed near Sao Paulo Brazil from a grave marked a Wolfgang  friends of a a Gerhard said he actually was Mengele and they directed police to the grave. Witnesses said Mengele had lived in Brazil for 18 years and drowned in a swimming Accident in 1979 at the age of 68. An International group of forensic experts examined the Bones and a set of dental a rays believed to be Mengeler a and announced they were reasonably certain the remains were his. But the a Angel of death was later reportedly seen in Portugal and the United states and the controversy has refused to  strikers continue hobbling dutch rail traffic Amsterdam Netherlands apr Wildcat strikes wednesday hampered the nationwide rail network for the third straight Day. International train traffic to Belgium and Germany was brought to a virtual standstill for much of the Day. The Union had called on members to return to work after a 48-hour official strike scheduled to end at 5 . Wednesday. However workers at several major stations stayed away to protest dutch rail s refusal to meet their pay Ana staffing demands. No major traffic jams were reported As commuters switched to cars and left Home Early to avoid the lengthy Highway backups monday and tuesday. Movement through the Rotterdam and Amsterdam railway stations in the nations two largest cities was halted by the action. Dutch rail was unable to say when Normal service would resume. A a we re doing our Best but its impossible to get any kind of picture of what a happening nationwide a said spokesman Dirk Dragstra. Bert Duim spokesman for the federation of dutch unions said that while negotiators from two of the three striking unions had reached agreement with dutch rail on tuesday night workers from All three were continuing the Wildcat strikes