European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vol. 51, no. 39 350 vvsszksxbsr.i�?T. Tuesday May 26,1992 =-.j a j my  c d 8693 Abush orders coast guard to halt haitian refugees haitian refugees crowd one of two . Coast guard cutters docked at the Guantanamo Bay naval base to help House the overflow. Kennebunkport Maine a president Bush shifting tactics to grapple with the massive number of people fleeing Haiti has ordered the coast guard to intercept the refugees at sea and return them to their Homeland. Bush a order sunday brought an immediate outcry from haitian advocates who called monday for a . Blockade to enforce the economic embargo against Haiti and put additional pressure on its military leaders. A your government has the ability if it wanted to get rid of the thugs that arc running Haiti a said Jack Lic Barman of the new jewish Agenda one of several Miami groups protesting the Bush decision. The advocates said they would pursue a court Challenge of the legality of forcing refugees Back to a nation where they could face persecution. But the White House cited a a dangerous and unmanageable situation in the overcrowded refugee centers at the Guantanamo Bay naval base the . Facility in Cuba where refugees picked up in the Caribbean by the coast guard Are being held. Bush issued an executive order from his vacation Home in Maine stating that the coast guard has the authority to intercept vessels beyond . Territorial Waters and return them to Haiti. It is intended to discourage haitians from trying to flee to the United states in the Wake of the september coup that ousted president Jean Bertrand Aristide. The policy a follows a Large surge in haitian boat people seeking to enter the see refugees on Page 2pact gives Russia bulk of conventional arms Brussels Belgium a Russia would keep the Lions share of tanks artillery and other non nuclear weapons under an agreement worked out among the former soviet republics nato said monday. A table released by the Western Alliance shows Russia retaining nearly half 6,400, of the 13,150 tanks allotted the former soviet Union under a landmark arms control treaty. Russia would hold onto More than halt of the 20,000 armoured combat vehicles assigned by the conventional forces in Europe Accord. And it would keep almost 50 percent of a total of 13,175 artillery pieces. The treaty would slash the number of tanks armoured combat vehicles artillery pieces combat aircraft and attack helicopters in Europe. The Accord was signed in november 1990 but has not gone into effect. The nato allies have pressed the newly Independent states of the former soviet Union to Honor the terms of the Accord. They want the agreement to become effective in Early july. Nato fears the pact will unravel now that the soviet Union a signatory has collapsed. At a Summit earlier this month the Commonwealth of Independent states and Georgia which has not officially joined the Cis agreed in principle to implement the agreement. Officials from the Cis met monday with the nato allies to confirm their decision and detail How they would share the weapons cuts promised by the former soviet Union. The weapons cuts would be made by Cis members Russia Ukraine Belarus Moldova Armenia and Azerbaijan along with Georgia. All of the states lie in the see pact on Page 2bush vows Strong military As . Honors veterans from wire reports president Bush marked memorial Day on monday by pledging to head off deep defense cuts and to account for . Service personnel still missing in Vietnam. Memorial Day parades weren to held in Chicago and new York City but elsewhere the nations fallen soldiers were remembered monday with traditional observances. Speaking at a Brief american legion ceremony in Kennebunkport Maine where he was spending the Holiday weekend Bush said a we will never Stop trying to have every single service member accounted  while saying the cold War is Over Bush added a we must keep this country Strong enough As to repel any threat to our nations Security and As president i will do just  Bush and congressional democrats have waged a Battle Over military spending in the aftermath of the cold War with the president insisting he will not accept cuts that As he put it leave the nation with a a hollow  a we cannot go Back to the. Days of weakness that invite mischief and that invite possible International terror a he said. The reference was clearly intended to remind the nation of iraqi president Saddam Hussein a aggression although Bush made no reference to the persian Gulf War. Bush has in the past made frequent references to the conflict that helped see Bush on Page 2