European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 b the stars and stripes Friday june 5, 1992 . Suggests alteration of Earth Summit treaty Rio de Janeiro Brazil a the United slates said thursday it had offered changes to a treaty on protecting animals and plants from extinction opening the door to signing an Earth Summit convention that Washington previously opposed. William k. Reilly head of the . Delegation also said the United states was changing its forestry policy to make Clear cutting of . National forests the exception not the Norm. The changes in the . Position came As . Secretary general Boutros Boutros Ghali opened signing of a treaty on global climate control one of the hallmark agreements to emerge from the Summit. Brazilian president Fernando Collor do Mello was first to sign the document which was watered Down because of . Opposition to Caps on Carbon dioxide emissions the main greenhouse Gas. Meanwhile the Vatican defended its position on birth control telling the summits first general debate that the Church docs not support procreation at any Cost. In a briefing thursday for american reporters Reilly the head of the environmental Protection Agency said the United states has begun efforts to modify the biodiversity treaty in a Way that would allow the United states to sign it. A we have prepared language that would satisfy our concerns and some other countries have it a he said. He declined to give details but added that it would take a a relatively few fixes and removal of clauses for the United states to support it. The United states has come under intense criticism for refusing to sign the biodiversity treaty which would protect the worlds animals and plants from extinction. Environmentalists said the latest . Moves could be a response to that criticism. The United states is concerned it would have to contribute too much to helping prevent extinction and that decisions on How to spend the Money would be up to developing nations which have the greatest variety of species. Reilly also says the treaty threatens the growing . Biotechnology Industry. Bush said previously he would not sign the treaty but also proposed an extra $150 million to preserve the worlds forests Reilly announced that Clear cutting currently the Standard method of logging in National forests would be eliminated under a new . Forest service policy. Quot although it is a proven Forest management tool Clear cutting has become increasingly controversial on National forests because of its appearance and Impact on other resources a f. Dale Robertson the chief of the Forest service said in a statement. Trees Are important because they absorb Carbon dioxide the main greenhouse Gas and their disappearance worsens the effect of Carbon dioxide emissions one fourth of which come from the United states Greenpeace a climate expert Jeremy Leggett said the treaty on climate control was a a tragic failed Opportunity to reduce the threat of global  Boutros Ghali sought to put a positive face on the weakened convention which he called  the treaty recommends reducing Carbon dioxide emissions but does not require reductions or cite targets. A it Falls Short of the initial Hopes of Many negotiators a he said. Quot yet an a Ideal convention. Would not have been much More than a slogan. It would have been  More than 120 Heads of state including president Bush Are expected to sign the treaty when they arrive later at the Summit which ends june 14. But nations have until june 19,1993, to do so. In negotiations before the Summit the United states rejected limiting Carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 Levels by 2000, As sought by european and other countries. The treaty now Calls for reducing those emissions but sets no target. Bush says stiff conservation legislation would Hurt . Industry and stunt recovery of the recession mired american Economy in an election year. The 15,000 delegates began working thursday to Complete key agreements on technology Transfer Ocean pollution Forest Protection population control and environmentally Safe development. Archbishop Renato Martino said that the Vatican a position on birth control has been misinterpreted. A the Catholic Church does not propose procreation at any Cost but rather insists that transmission and care of human life must be done with the greatest responsibility a he said. He said the Church believes human life is sacred and that parents should have the right to determine the size of their families without pressure from government. The archbishop comments reflected controversial remarks preceding the Summit by the most Rev. George Carey archbishop of Canterbury who said that the roman Catholic churches position against contraception helped Knock population control off the Summit Agenda. The Vatican denied it had done so saying the issues of population environment and poverty could not be tackled in isolation. World Qatar Cabinet oks draft of defense pact with . From wire reports Doha Qatar a the Cabinet on wednesday approved a draft defense cooperation treaty with the United states the Qatar news Agency reported. It said the pact would be debated at an unspecified time by the shura Council a consultative body whose islamic members Are appointed by the Emir. The state run news Agency gave no details of the treaty and did not say when it would be signed. Qatar would be the third member of the six nation Gulf cooperation Council to conclude such a treaty with the United states since the Gulf War. Kuwait and Bahrain have signed  ban fights pollution Rome a Italy a capital was to reimpose limits on cars in the City Center starting thursday because of dangerously High pollution Levels officials said. Only cars whose License plates end in an even number were to be permitted to drive in Central Rome starting thursday at 6 a.m., they said. The restriction is to continue through today if nitrogen dioxide readings do not drop below danger Levels. Taxis Public transport cars with foreign licence plates or catalytic converters emergency vehicles and handicapped Drivers Are exempt from the emergency  to pay Back tax Athens Greece a Greece a former Royal family on wednesday agreed to pay $3 million in Back taxes and donate land around its Palace to Charity the finance ministry said. A ministry announcement said sex King Constantine of Greece will pay for most of the $3.2 million he owes in Back taxes and interest by transferring 50 acres Worth $2.3 million to the state. The rest of the debt will be settled in Cash the ministry said.21 Hurt in rail collision Vienna Austria a Twenty one people were injured some of them seriously in a collision Between a passenger train and a goods train in the province of lower Austria on wednesday the austrian radio station Orf reported. The Accident occurred in the station of Gri Inbach am Schneeberg when a regional train coming from Wiener Neustadt collided with the stationary goods train according to  airline reports loss Madrid Spain a Spain a state run airline Iberia wednesday reported a 9 percent decline in passengers last year which it blamed mostly on the persian Gulf War. The airline reported after tax losses for the year of $359 million. It said the six week Gulf War was responsible for most of the loss a or about $300  soothes ruffled fur Rome a besieged by angry owners of fur Coats and Alligator bags the italian government on wednesday backed Down on a census of rare animals and their products. The premieres office said that closer examination of International Law on rare animals showed that it a does no to refer to personal or Domestic use of the products the statement said. An announcement last weekend that italians had to Register the items by saturday led to a Stampede on Forest corps  smuggler seized Geneva a Swiss police at Geneva Airport reported wednesday finding 10 pounds of heroin hidden by a German woman in a Box of paper diapers and bottles of lotion for her baby. The woman who was not identified was arrested May 26 on arrival in Geneva from Bombay India the police report said. Drying the Harvest two men drag their feet through Rice spread out to dry along an unused Section of Highway wednesday in so Apango Al Salvador. The five mile Section was built in the mid-1980s but the Road was abandoned because of the Cost. Coffee and Cotton Are the nations largest crops but Rice is commonly grown