European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday. June 1, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3u.s., saudis set military framework by Don Oberdorfer the Washington Post Washington a the United states and saudi Arabia have settled on an obscure 15-year-old military training pact As the Legal framework for a Broad expansion of strategic cooperation Between the two nations according to . And saudi sources. The United states wants to expand the military relationship to permit More extensive .-saudi exercises and pre positioning of . Military equipment in Case of future conflicts. Acceptance of the 1977 military training Mission treaty As the basis for an expanded relationship and other developments such As saudi participation in the Middle Eastern peace process Are signs of a fundamental improvement in relations the sources said. Besides saudi arabians strategic importance in the Middle East it is also the largest foreign supplier of Oil to the United states. Quot we cooperated together at a time of extraordinary a a a a a a a said a senior pea official who it asap result. Bed the relationship As As a saudi official put it a you never forget somebody who saves your  the United states came to the Aid of saudi Arabia with about s50.000 troops following iraqis invasion of Kuwait. After the successful ouster of iraqi forces from Kuwait in operation desert storm Washington was frustrated in its quest for postwar agreements permitting it to leave a Large number of . Tanks armoured vehicles ammunition and other Materiel in saudi Arabia. Quot if in the next few years it again becomes necessary for the United states to deploy combat Power abroad the strategically vital Region encompassing the Middle East and persian Gulf is at the top of the list of Likely locales a said Cia director Robert m. Gates in recent Cong res Glenn Ford still critical Hospital says Santa Monica Calif. Up a Veteran actor Glenn Ford hospitalized with pneumonia and heart trouble improved slightly saturday although he remained in critical condition a Hospital spokeswoman said. The 76-year-old actor was admitted to St. John s Hospital on May 17, suffering from blood clots in his lungs and an arrhythmic heartbeat. On Friday Hospital officials disclosed Ford had developed pneumonia further weakening his condition. But his condition appeared to improve slightly saturday Hospital spokeswoman Pat Kirk said. On Friday Ford s doctors were pessimistic after Fords condition took a turn for the worse. A there is no longer As much reason for optimism relative to or. Fords condition a cardiologist or. Carter Newton said. A this condition has worsened. He has developed pneumonia. He is still fighting but has grown  Ford a major Star from Hollywood a Golden Era appeared in More than 100 feature films in a 50-year career usually playing an amiable but Tough and Intro so Mil testimony but the saudis worried about anti american sentiments in the Arab world and fundamentalist groups at Home wanted to make any new Security arrangements with a handshake or even unspoken understandings. . Officials initially proposed negotiating full scale defense agreements such As those that have been recently signed with Kuwait and Bahrain two other persian Gulf nations. The decision to use an amended version of the 1977 .-saudi Accord which covers the stationing of a Small number of military advisers there is expected to open the Way to a Compromise on How explicit to make the arrangement. State department attorneys Are said to be making Progress toward agreement in discussion with the saudis. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney earlier this month approved a Pentagon plan to store essential support equipment for five to six fighter wings or roughly 400 planes in Southwest Asia. Most of the equipment is believed to be destined for saudi Arabia. In the same document the annual defense planning guidance Cheney directed the army to set aside 200 of its most Modem tanks and 200 fighting vehicles for eventual storage in the area. This represents a cutback of about one third in the original Pentagon plan for Cut site positioning of ground Force equipment. However the planning document indicates the saudis have not yet agreed to store the tanks and personnel  because the persian Gulf is a Likely place for the United states to deploy firepower the Navy which now stations an aircraft Carrier Battle group in the area 183 Days a year May increase this to As much As 270 Days a year according to the Pentagon guidance. The air Force has been directed to Send a team of fighters bombers and support planes to the Region for the period when no . Aircraft Carrier is stationed nearby the document said. In addition to the recent . Security pacts with Kuwait and Bahrain and renewal of a 12-year-old military Accord with Oman Washington is close to agreement with Qatar another persian Gulf monarchy and is negotiating an Accord with the United Arab emirates. Together with the expected Deal with saudi Arabia the most important Arab Oil Power in the area this network of agreements would allow the United states flexibility in peacetime mint any exercises or to Deal with a renewed threat from Iraq Iran or any other source in the Region. More than Ever the United states would be in position to be the unchallenged protector of the persian Gulf. Even now . Military activity and flexibility in the Region is much greater than before the War against Iraq according to . Sources. In contrast to the situation before iraqis August 1990 invasion of Kuwait Quot we now have the ability to put in the Type of forces that would give anybody pause a a senior defense official said. Bad hurricanes May give coast a Jolt expert warn in at a  or / a or a an potato actor Glenn Ford in 1987 spec Tive hero. Fords career included movies and television spanning a half Century beginning with a minor role in 1939 in heaven with a barbed win Fence. Many of his films were done at Columbia pictures where he was under a Lon term contract. It was at Columbia that he made one of his Best known films Gilda co starring Rita Hayworth. He made a series of films with Hayworth at Columbia. Coral Gables Fla. A for years the director of the National Hurricane enter has sternly announced that hurricanes threaten densely populated coastlines but it seems no one was listening. Americans have scrambled to live along shores. A Hurricane is just a storm and the property is insured so every thing will be of right probably not. And weather patterns indicate a bad year is in the Atlantic wind. Ignorance and economics Are two top concerns that officials face As they prepare people for Hurricane season which stretch is from now until november. Hurricane Donna was the last big storm to strike southwestern Florida for example. The Hurricane roared through Naples Back in 1960. Since then the population of surrounding Collier county has increased sevenfold. The United states has been spared devastating destruction for Manv years with the notable exception of Hugo which hammered the Carolinas in 1989. A a it a a real Lack of experience a said Bob sheets who Heads the Hurricane Center. A Hugo came along and woke a lot of people up including  Hugo caused $7 billion Worth of damage making it the most expensive Hurricane Ever. Quot when one considers the fact that Hugo struck a relatively Low population density area and still caused such massive losses it is not difficult to envision a National economic catastrophe for the future a sheets said at the 14th annual Hurricane conference held recently in Norfolk a. Had Hugo followed the path of a powerful 1926 Hurricane that Tore across Florida s Peninsula and into Alabama losses could have totalled $10 billion to $15 billion insurers figure. A what they be indicated is that Given two such storms they be got problems in the insurance Industry a sheets said adding that some insurers would Likely go out of business. Americans have been lulled by the relatively mild storms that have struck the nations Eastern shores during Hurricane seasons Over the past few decades. But hurricanes run in cycles and the peaceful Cycle May be ending. A we think that within the next few years a this year next year a we re going to come Back into that Cycle a he said. A certainly within this  sheets also is worried because 80 percent to 90 percent of the 44 million americans now clustered along the nation s coasts have never lived through a major Hurricane. Sewer overflow kills fish in Paris Paris up a Paris firefighters have scooped Nore than 250 tons of dead fish from the Seine River Ince wednesday after a mass killing blamed on heavy Ains and polluted Waters officials reported sunday. The fish were asps rated by a Lack of oxygen in the Vater after a series of violent thunderstorms caused Paris were to overflow and Send much of their polluted water directly into the River instead of into treatment plants. Recent record High temperatures in the Paris Region also aggravated the situation officials said. On saturday alone More than 135 tons of fish were recovered by the fire department. Authorises it Jtj the situation returned to Normal sunday in some pans of the Seine but other areas remained  the French government has asked the City of Paris to possibly Speed up its a clean Seine project started about 10 years ago which includes plans to modernize the City a ancient sewer system. The sewers overflow about once every two years resulting in similar environmental problems. In the Long term the City will have to increase greatly its sewer capacity to ensure All water passes by a treatment Plant before being dumped into the Seine. In the Short term the local government could follow London a initiative on the thames River and invest in a device that injects massive doses of oxygen into the water after heavy Rains or in times of intense  sets record by Selling 23.2 million lottery tickets Austin Texas apr Texas set a world record for first Day lottery sales with at least 23.2 million $1 tickets sold officials said saturday. The previous record was 21.4 million set at the Start of californians lottery in 1985. The first Day Texas lottery tickets were sold Between 6 . Friday and 2 . Saturday. A you will never reach surpass the first Day sales again. No lottery has Ever done that and we certainly done to expect that to happen a state comptroller John Sharp said