European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                R ripes vol. 52, no. 217 sunday november 21,1993 d 8693 a White House assails severity of deficit plan by Chuck Vinc Washington Bureau Washington a House proposal to freeze annual Cost of living adjust ments for military retirees until age 62would be a sobering message to our troops in the Field defense Secretary Les Aspin said Friday the proposal is one of several dozen contained in a sweeping deficit reduction package sponsored by reps. Timothy , d-minn., and John r. Kasich r Ohio. The plan has come under increasingly Sharp attack by administration officials who say it would cripple health dare Reform efforts and threaten military readiness. Aspin and the administration s budget director Leon e. Panetta discussed the Broad Impact of the Penny Kasich pack age at a White House briefing. The administration s most immediate concern is a proposal to apply $40 billion in anticipated medicare savings to the deficit. The White House is counting on that Money to fund a Large chunk of its health care reforms. To make the health care plan work we be got to be Able to use the medicare savings Panetta said. Penny and Kasich softened some of the military related aspects of their plan thursday in response to criticism. For example they dropped a proposal to replace three year accompanied Tours in Europe with one year unaccompanied ours and revised the provision on Retiree Colas so that current  continue to receive them. Even so Aspin said the plan is still troubling on a number of fronts. Even if the Retiree Cost of living freeze was not applied to current service Mem ers it would still be a major change inthe pay and benefits package Aspin said. It could certainly affect our efforts to attract and retain Quality  Aspin also expressed concern about proposed personnel cutbacks in the Penny Kasich plan which Calls for see plan on Page 2 u.s., asians agree on a United front Blake Island Wash. A Leaden of asian and Pacific nations meeting in the seclusion of a pug sound Island vowed saturday to forge closer economic ties and declared growing sense of Community among  we be agreed that the asian Pacific Region should be a United one not divided said president Clinton summarizing for the 14 leaders. We be agreed that our economic policies should be open not closed he added that the group Hopes to see Long stalled world Trade talks wrapped up by a dec. Is deadline. Members of the Asia Pacific economic cooperation forum concluded a Day of informal talks by issuing a joint vision statement espousing Freer Trade and More global economic growth. But the declaration was Short on specific commit  statement strictly limited to eco nomic issues asserted we Are United incur commitment to create a stable and prosperous future for our  i be been struck by How Many Priori ties we share Clinton said flanked by the casually dressed asian leaders with puget sound As a backdrop. For the United states the spec con Ference marked a historic economic turn toward Asia with the fastest growing economies in the world and less emphasis on Europe struggling with sickly economies. Clinton summing up an informal three hour meeting said the unprecedented Summit had enabled the group to forge a stronger regional identity and a stronger  on another subject Clinton said South korean president Kim Young Sam would meet with him in Washington to discuss Asee United on Page 2 Alex Camul 19, of Caracas Venezuela Nap at Boston s Airport Friday. The Colleg student was heading Home on american airlines but was stymied by a walkout american pilots refuse to hold sympathy strike fort Worth Texas up while its striking flight attendants continued to picket terminals across the United states on saturday Amer ican airlines said it was Happy that it pilots refused to join the Wall put. We Are pleased at the pilots de sire not to strike but not surprised american officials said in a statement saturday morning. They said they sensed that most pilots did not want to strike. The Allied pilots association said Friday that it would not join the flight attendants strike because the walkout is already an overwhelming  Union president Rich Lavoy said its Board decided in an emergency meeting not to tabulate the ballots Ina membership vote on the sympathy strike Issue because of the flight attendants Success. The Board determined that the need for a sympathy strike has been see strike on Page 2 30 ears Niter the assassination so m Xiv . Inside today Republican filibuster May prevent passage of gun legislation this year is ass Wurzburg school employees upset by cuts in mall service seepage3