European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 07, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday february 1993 world the stars and stripes Page 11 russian army in decline generally brass slashed As military moves toward civilian control Moscow a Russia has sharply Cut the num Ber of its generals and the defense ministry could be come a civilian led institution within two years de sense minister Pavel Grachev said in an interview published Friday Grachev a general told the weekly newspaper argue Menty i Sakti arguments and facts that 2,218 Gener als now serve in the russian armed forces. That is one general for every 1,262 soldiers and 312 officers he said. By comparison in 1987 there was one general per 530 soldiers and 169  further cuts in the top officer ranks Are expected. Grachev said the russian defense ministry formed just one year ago after the collapse of the soviet Union might have civilian leadership after 1995, when the situation in the army stabilizes. Some of russian president Boris n. Yeltsin s advis ers wanted him to appoint a civilian As defense minister last year but Yeltsin chose Grachev a career officer. Grachev said , civilian led defense ministry would resolve military political problems and fill orders for armaments hardware and the Sale 5f Wear  managing military tasks would be left to professional officers on the general staff. Yeltsin who ordered the creation of Independent rus Sian armed forces last May has said the military would eventually have about 1.5 million  under a civilian defense minister. The Borrner soviet Union had about 3.7 million Servic members mostly draftees. Grachev said the army s most pressing problem was Lack of housing for officers. At present there Are about 150,000 homeless offi cers families in the army. Due to a mass withdrawal of troops from abroad we estimate that about 400,000 families will become homeless by 1995. Russia already has halted the withdrawal of its troops from the Baltic states citing Lack of housing. But it has agreed to Speed up the withdrawal of former so Viet troops from Germany in return for $300 million in housing and billions of dollars in debt Relief. Grachev also said he favored total liquidation of nuclear arsenals and huge stockpiles of conventional weapons that would not be needed in a future War. If there were a major War he argued it would begin with attacks on nuclear Power stations chemical plants dams and water reservoirs even if you Don t us nuclear weapons it would be a nuclear chemical War with zones of floods and of radioactive and chemical  there would be no Battlefront As such Grachev said. 80 German soldiers linked to racist attacks Berlin a a lawmaker said Friday that 80 German soldiers were involved in Radical rightist attacks last year including four officers. Alfred Biehle a conservative member of the bundestag the lower House of parliament made the comments in an inter View on Adf National television. Biehle said that during the past year when More than 2,100 violent Radical at tacks were reported resulting in 17 deaths investigations were opened against 80 members of the German armed forces for alleged involvement. He said most of those. Investigated were Low ranking troops although four officers also took  he did not Dis close the specific ranks. Biehle said that 11 investigations against military members had been completed while the others were ongoing. Neo nazis and other Radical rightists shocked the nation last year in a surge of attacks against refugees and desecration of jewish memorials and cemeteries. Biehle said military members were found to be involved in 59 such attacks. Helge Hansen a German army officer in the inspector general Section said officials have detected no trend indicating that rightist radicals were especially volunteering for military service. I cannot discount that there arc individual cases Hansen said. However he added that the military docs not usually spy on the troops private undertakings when they Are off duty. Hansen said detailed background investigations of soldiers were Only carried out on those serving in High Security Type jobs. British stuntman Falls to death while reconstructing Accident London a a British stuntman who appeared in Indiana Jones and James Bond films died while filming the reconstruction of a parachuting Accident the British broadcasting corp. Said saturday Tim tip tipping 34, fell to his death Friday after his Parachute did not open a bbl statement said. The former Royal Marine commando was attempting to re create the escape of a parachutist who became entangled with an aircraft. He fell into Woods near Alnwick 305 Miles North of London. Tipping was on contract to bbl Bristol which was filming a sequence for the 999 series that reconstructs real life dramas. The name of the series comes from the emergency services number in Britain. Unlike Many stuntmen he was an All Rounder. He would do fight scenes fire jobs and car crashes but parachuting was what he was Best at stuntman Mark me Bride said of his colleague. Tipping was trying to re enact Terry Wakenshaw s survival of an Accident last september. Wakenshaw s Parachute be came caught in the wheels of a Cessna 206 air plane. He was dragged along the fuse Lage and injured his head Chest and arms. Wakenshaw managed to pull an Emer gency cutaway handle fall 500 feet and open his Reserve Parachute. Officials Are investigating Why tip Ping s Parachute did not open during the reconstruction. Tipping had executed two successful rehearsals of the stunt and was carrying two Reserve chutes when he died Accord ing to the bbl. The b0c cancelled a series of four pro Grams repeating highlights from the first 999 series. Cyprus vote a referendum on Unity Nicosia Cyprus a greek cypriots go to the polls today in presidential elections that will also decide whether they accept or reject . Proposals for reuniting the Mediterranean Island Cut in two by a 1974 turkish invasion. The election is widely seen As the most crucial poll since Cyprus gained Independence from Britain in 1960. The Campaign has been dominated by the Issue of the . Set of ideas pro nosing a Federal arrangement Between the greek cypriots and the breakaway turkish cypriot state let proclaimed a decade ago today s ballot is widely viewed As an unofficial referendum on whether greek cypriots Are prepared to accept the . Blueprint defined last year after nearly two decades of fruitless talks. Nearly two thirds of the 600,000-Strong greek cypriot majority Are eligible to vote and polling Booths were to open at 6 30 .  will not be voting. V or i by w British explorers sir Ranulph Fiennes right and or. Michael Stroud it the South pole in a recent photo released thursday. Laic Friday they broke the 1909 record for the longest Polar Anarch without the help of mechanized vehicles or dogs. Wear oiling britons set record in Antarctica London a Frostbitten and emaciated two britons who began walking across Antarctica on nov. 9 have set a record for the longest Polar journey without the help of mechanized vehicles or dogs their spokes Man said saturday. Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Michael Stroud travelled 1,257 Miles across the Antarctic in 89 Days beating a record set by a three Man expedition 84 years ago said David Harrison. They radioed to the expedition s base in Chile on Friday night that they had reached the Summit of the Beard More Glacier Harrison said. Fiennes 48, and Stroud 37, have Only 36 Miles to go before achieving their second objective the first Cross ing of the Antarctic on foot. They undertook the journey to raise $2.9 million for the multiple sclerosis society. Their trek so fur is 12 Miles farther than the previous record set in 1909 by australians Douglas Mawson and Edgeworth David and briton Alistair Mackay on an expedition to find the magnetic South pole. The earlier explorers hunted pen Guins and seals along their coastal route Fiennes and Stroud have hauled All their food on sleds. Both men arc suffering from malnutrition but Are in Good spirits Harri son said. Fiennes a Well known adventurer in Britain has an infection in one foot and both of his feet Are Frostbitten. Stroud an army physiologist who is studying the limits of physical endur Ance has Frostbitten hands