European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 04, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 r the stars and stripes wednesday August 4,1993 at a glance John Hoffman stands in knee deep floodwater and surveys his living room in St. Charles. To. For de tails on the Midwest flooding see the Story on Page 4. Aid urged for Gulf vets veterans exposed to toxic sub stances or environmental hazards during the persian Gulf War would receive priority treatment at a hospitals under a House passed Bill. Pag5 sex Saunor accuses Navy a former Sailor says . Navy investigators violated his civil rights by seizing videotapes that allegedly show him and an enlisted Man hav ing sex. New life starts. Two year old Jessica is beginning a new life with virtual strangers her biological parents. Page 7 russian pullout halted Russia has temporarily stopped withdrawing its troops from Poland. Pages nuclear ban urged japanese peace activists Are Call ing for an end to nuclear weapons As they prepare to remember the world s first atomic bombing. Page 9 Little growth foreseen the government s chief economic forecasting gauge is signalling an anaemic performance ahead. Page 13 Index Abby Ann Landers. Classifieds. 25-27 comics 21-23 commentary 15 crossword 21 faces n places. 24 focus 17-20 Horoscope 27 Jumble 27 letters. 14 Money matters. 12-13 sports 29-36 to listings 35 weather 16 e hailed As the beginning Washington a president Linton on tuesday hailed a $496 billion deficit reduction Compromise As the be ginning not the end As democrats moved to muscle it through Congress this week. \ it s a Good package. It s solid it real numbers Clinton said speaking of the plan that is his primary legislative goal of the year j democratic negotiators in Congress were applying Nal touches to the Bill that had been six months in the  final vote was expected in the House on thursday and in the Senate on Friday. Clinton said that while the emerging Compromise is different from his original proposal i feel quite Good about it. To criticism that the measure does no contain enough in budget cuts Clinton said there will be Many More budget cuts. This is the beginning not the  congressional democratic Leader agreed monday to reduce the number of elderly americans who would be hit by higher social Security tax and to slow the growth of medicare. Those deals were aimed at sealing the votes democrats will need to approve the plan. With Only minor details of the budget package still unresolved party leaders said the Way was Clear for House an Senate votes. Congress Hopes to leave Friday for  summer recess. Clinton portrayed the final version Ashe Best that could be achieved Given de mands of the people we have to get votes  he said they did not want a higher Energy tax they wanted incentive for business and did not want less than $495 billion in deficit cuts. Of the decision to make tax increase sin the measure retroactive to last Jan. 1 instead Xref july Clinton said. It was fairer Way to do it rather than run the risk of dropping below,$490 billion i deficit  asked if the higher taxes in the plan would be a drag on the Economy As re publicans have charged Clinton said it s ironic that the same people who filibustered the jobs program earlier this year Are worried about a drag on the Economy. They had a Chance to put a half a Mil lion americans to work and turned away from it he said. Democratic leaders predicted the Bill would pass if narrowly. We re not bringing it up to have the Bill Defeated. We re bringing it up to pass the Bill said House speaker Thomas , a Wash. So we believe we have  confusion from Page 1 past weekend things Are in a flux and it too Early to Tell How High the Dollar will go in Exchange value against european currencies Pels said about the near col lapse of the european monetary  Are adjusting our projections for european currencies right  Ems is based on an Exchange rate mechanism or Erm that was established in 1979 to help dec members Stabi Lize their currencies and plot a course to Ward monetary Unity by 1999. The past weekend s near disaster for european economic Unity started thurs Day when the German Central Bank decided not to lower a key lending rate. It ended monday with an Erm that noway be More symbolic than substantial Pels  is definitely a step Back for european monetary Union he said. It the Erm has collapsed. It still exists but Only on  swirling uncertainty in european Money markets was most noticeable for americans on Friday when the Exchange rate for one Dollar at military banking facilities moved from 1.68 to 1.70 German Marks for the first time since sept. 6,1991. However because the German Mark is still acknowledged As King of european currencies and the German Central Bank is still reluctant to reduce its key lending rates Pels said the current troubles with in the Erm will have no big Impact on the Dollar s value against the Mark. It the Mark will show a gradual depreciation against the Dollar he said. Sure enough on monday afternoon the Dollar slipped Back a pfennig to a rate of 1.69 Marks for  tuesday the slide continued with another three pfennig fall to 1.66 for to Day s rate. Of . Army staff sgt. Christophe Meadows even a Mark rate in the 1.60s is better than the rate in september 1992,-when the Greenback hit Rock Bottom at 1.35  last september my rent was of but we did t go out that much said Meadows who with his wife spec. Mary Meadows shares the costs of living on the Economy in Grafe Wohr Germany. When the Dollar moved Back into the1.50s late in 1992, the Meadows took advantage of the Exchange rate to sightseeing Berlin. Currently Christopher Meadows Fig ures that 70 percent of his purchases Are still on base at places such As the Post Exchange. However he added his wife splits her purchases 50-50 Between on base and off base shopping. Although . Dollars buy More Ger Man Marks the Meadows Cost of living and overseas housing allowances know Nas cola and Oha have dipped. The military adjusts these rates Ever two weeks if the Dollar moves up or Down More than 10 percent against a preset level. I noticed about a $40 to $50 drop Nicola and about $25 drop in Oha on my Les pay statement Meadows said. Sunday s emergency meeting of dec finance ministers adjusted the limits that its currencies could move up or Dow from 2.25 percent to 15 percent. If a cur Rency moved outside that Range the Etc ventral Banks were under agreement to help stabilize that currency by buying Iton the open Market. Economists predict the Erm s expanded currency fluctuation limits will help nations such As France Battle recession and at the same time keep their currencies from being devalued. This is done by allowing dec members to reduce their Short term interest rates lower than Ger Many a Pels said. As a result Mone tary policies can be judged by Domestic fundamentals instead of Germany  currently the currencies of Germany the Netherlands France Belgium Den Mark Ireland Spain and Portugal oper ate within the Erm. England and Italy dropped out of the monetary Union i september 1992 when their currencies fluctuated outside Erm limitations. Clinton from Page 1 Day to hear from military advisers on the logistics of protecting the bosnian capital through airstrikes and the plan is not expected to be implemented before then. I Don t think there is a firm time line but the clock is ticking White House press Secretary Dee Dee Myers said. Nato allies meeting monday in Brus Sels Belgium approved . Plans to strike serbian forces if they do not Stop their siege of Sarajevo. Europeans had rejected a similar but broader proposal from the Linton administration this Spring. The approved plan which would us warplanes to break the serbian stranglehold on the capital and increase the flow of humanitarian help goes further than an earlier nato plan to retaliate for attacks on . Peacekeepers. We d like to see. An end to the fight ing Clinton said during a picture taking session at the White House. There should be an end to the shelling of Sarajevo an end to the misery before we go Ijo ugh another water with grave grave difficulties  the endorsement from nato also re iterates the West s resolve to protect.. Peacekeepers Clinton said. In a final nato statement the allies agreed to make immediate preparation for undertaking. Stronger measures including airstrikes if bosnian serbs continue attacks on Sarajevo. The White House said Little about the timing of any bombings. The specific de tails As to How and when Are something that will be worked out Myers  bosnian serbian air Force com Mander Gen. Zivomir Ninkovic in is Headquarters in Northwestern Bosnia warned that if . Fighters attack his forces will fire Back with All their might. Heidelberg army civilian Dies in Las vegas Cir a i grrr i i of  \ Heidelberg Germany is an army civilian who worked for the Mil itary club system in Heidelberg died Sun Day in Las vegas. Wayne Chester Michael Lucas 51, was the assistant chief of operations in the 411th base support in St Community operations div. Officials said they did not know what the cause of death was or Why Lucas Wasin Las vegas. Born and raised in Chicago Lucas nicknamed Mike sewed in the  army and retired As a staff sergeant Lucas had lived in Heidelberg for the past six years. He is survived by his wife Heidi and a daughter Renee. A memorial service will be held at . Friday in the Patrick Henry Village Chapel in Heidelberg. ,