European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 world b the stars and stripes tuesday May 26, 1992 longtime politician elected new president of Italy from wire reports Rome a the Marathon election of Italy a new head of state concluded monday when members of parliament and regional representatives elected Oscar Luigi Scalfaro 73, As Italy a ninth president. The election came after 13 Days and 16 ballots. When voting ended Scalfaro had collected 672 votes with 508 needed for election. Scalfaro is a highly respected Christian Democrat who started his parliamentary career when he was elected to the constituent Assembly that founded Italy a postwar Republic in 1946. He has been a member of the Cabinet several times but has never been prime minister. Kaiserslautern fire kills 1 Berlin a one person died and 23 were injured when fire swept through a hotel in Kaiserslautern Early monday. A police spokesman said a 49-year-old hotel employee was killed and 23 people were injured in the Blaze which started on the first floor of a four Story hotel on the outskirts of Kaiserslautern. The spokesman said that the cause of the fire had not been determined but that arson had been ruled out. Meanwhile firefighters continued battling a Forest fire near the Eastern German City of Dresden. The Blaze had consumed 2,470 acres of Forest and pasture since breaking out on the weekend. The Blaze had been brought largely under control Early monday. Tax on wealth rejected Berlin a Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his coalition partners monday rejected a proposal by president Richard von Weizsacker for a wealth tax to finance German unification. A it is necessary to maintain an investor Friendly climate a Kohl said. A this would not be served by announcing new burdens or supporting capital flight through tax on the Liberal free democratic party Junior partner in Kohls Center right coalition also rejected the wealth tax proposed by von Weizsacker. Observers said the governments rejection of the wealth tax meant the proposal was dead. Successor makes pledge Vienna Austria a Austria a new president elect says he will take a More Active role in his nations affairs than did his predecessor Kurt Waldheim who was shunned around the world because of his alleged nazi past. Thomas Klestil a former ambassador to Washington won a presidential Runoff sunday and takes office july 8. Many believe he will restore Austria a International standing after the Waldheim Era. Klestil said in a television interview sunday night that because of the move toward european integration the International responsibilities of the president would become More important during his term. The presidency is mostly a ceremonial Post but has two main tasks naming the head of Austria a government and representing the country abroad. Major parties lose ground in Berlin communal voting Berlin apr Germany a two major political parties lost votes to smaller ones including reformed communists and right Wing extremists on sunday in the first communal elections in United Berlin in 46 years preliminary results showed. The elections for berlins 23 local councils which perform Basic administrative functions in this City state of More than 3 million do not affect the makeup of the Berlin parliament or its executive Branch. However the communal election results were closely studied because they Are the last major local voting before 1994 parliamentary balloting. They also followed two state elections in which the political establishment was strongly rebuffed in favor of right Wing parties. According to results released by berlins elections office the opposition social democrats got Only 31.7 percent of the vote in the 23 races followed by Chancellor Helmut Kohls Christian democrats with 27.5 percent. Parties Allied with the environmentalist greens had 13.5 percent of the Overall vote. The party for democratic socialism the revamped East German communist party received 11.2 percent. The extreme right Wing Republican party which shocked the nation by winning nearly 11 percent in one recent state election had 8.3 percent of the communal vote. It had been feared the republicans would again reach double digits. A a berlins a voters have Given the republicans a fairly Clear rejection a said former Berlin mayor Walter Momper chairman of the states social democrats. The percentages were based on a majority of votes cast. Final unofficial results were expected later. A party needs at least 5 percent of All votes cast to qualify for representation. German television compared results Between the 12 West Berlin Community councils and the 11 East Berlin councils. The comparison showed the former communists finishing second in the East behind the social democrats with 29.9 percent while the republicans just topped the minimum with 5.5 percent. In the Western councils television reports said the cd finished first with 34.4 percent of the vote followed by the social democrats at 31.8 percent. The republicans reportedly had 9.7 percent of the vote. The republicans first shocked the nation in West berlins 1989 elections winning seats in the state parliament. The party led by a former member of the Hitler is troops campaigns on a platform that blames the country a Large immigrant population for Many of its economic and social problems. Parents tried in baby s death win damages for convictions Darwin Australia apr a couple wrongfully convicted a decade ago in the death of their baby daughter was awarded $980,000 in compensation monday. It has always been the couples Contention that the child was dragged away by a Dingo a a wild dog. During the highly publicized trial Lindy and Michael Chamberlain claimed that a wild dog dragged 9-week-old Azaria away from their campsite near Ayers Rock in Central Australia in August 1980. The baby a body was never found. Police refused to believe them. Lindy Chamberlain was convicted of murder and her husband was convicted of being an accessory after the fact. The movie a cry in the dark starring meryl Streep chronicled the ordeal and took a somewhat compassionate View of the chamberlains claims. The trial was held in a circus atmosphere with a near feeding frenzy by the Media. Many people refused to believe the Mother was innocent because she showed Little emotion or grief during the proceedings. She was convicted in october 1982 and sentenced to life in prison even though there was no motive no weapon and no body. Her husband received an 18-month suspended sentence. She was released from prison in 1986 after the infants jacket missing since the child a disappearance was found near Ayers Rock. In 1988, the Northern territory government threw out the convictions. The couple who have since divorced made a claim for $3.1 million for compensatory damages from the Northern territory. It awarded $680,000 to Lindy Chamberlain and $300,000 to her former husband. The amounts were recommended by an Independent arbitrator said Northern territory attorney general Lindy and Michael Chamberlain in 1980, with a Book she wrote on the disappearance of their daughter. Daryl Manzie. He would not comment on whether the compensation carried an implied apology. The territory had already reimbursed $313,000, most of which went to the seventh Day adventist Church. The Church where Michael Chamberlain once served As a minister covered the couples Legal expenses throughout their mourns As top mafia fighter buried Palermo Sicily Apas a wounded surviving policeman wept near the altar and tens of thousands of citizens crowded outside the Cathedral Palermo on monday bid Farewell to its five latest heroes in the fight against the mafia including the nations top anti crime figure Giovanni Falcone. Falcone an investigative magistrate who led the country a key investigations into sicilian mob activity was killed along with his wife Francesca a Palermo judge and three police escorts saturday in a bombing so powerful it obliterated a Large stretch of Highway near Palermo a Airport. The attack grew out of the a source of hidden Power determined to eliminate All who in the name of the Law try to destroy their infamous Dominion of arrogance and Power of Money a declared Cardinal Salvatore Pappalardo denouncing the mafia to the applause of mourners at the funerals. Outside in the rain the overflow crowd whistled and hooted As politicians from Rome arrived for the funeral. The protest demonstrated that the people believe the Central government in t doing enough to fight the mafia. Unions demonstrated their Solidarity by calling an eight hour strike in Palermo on monday and an hour Long strike in the rest of the country. Turning to his fellow sicilians and referring to dozens of assassinations of anti mafia politicians judges and investigators in Sicily in the last 15 years the Cardinal admonished a we can to fatalistic ally accept what is happening to us to our Island to our with his Arm in a Sling a policeman who was part of falconers armoured Convoy caught up in the bombing sat in a chair and wiped away a steady Stream of tears. Rai state to said he insisted on leaving the Hospital to attend the funeral. His name Wasny to immediately available. The Cardinal who Over the past decade has repeatedly voiced opposition to the mafia opened his speech by denouncing the attackers accomplices who must have betrayed falconers movements and itinerary. Falcone and his wife had just flown in from Rome to Palermo on a private secret services plane. Only a few people were believed to have known his schedule. Pappalardo also denounced the a worrying weakness of our country in the face of such unheard of
