European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 22, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday november 22, 1993 Tab stars and stripes Merca Somalia a hundreds of people lined the streets of this fishing town sunday waving Flowers and banners to celebrate the inauguration of a Region Al Council seen As a Small first step to Ward National reconciliation. Hoping to restore stability in the clan divided country the United nations has been pushing for the establishment of local and regional ruling bodies that would join a transitional National govern ment to be formed Early next year. Eight of 18 planned regional Council shave been created so far. They include elders and women and Are to hold authority in Security Economy and social matters. In Mogadishu a Council has set in Somalia takes key step up a local police Force. Once an autonomous sultanate Mer Calies 50 Miles Southwest of Mogadishu on the Indian Ocean surrounded by a harsh landscape of desert dried riverbeds and scrub. At Merca s helicopter Landing strip about 30 orphan children in Pink and Green to shirts Sang Welcome Welcome bosom the . Organization in Somalia. They Sang greetings to . Adm. Jonathan t. Howe the . Special envoy who flew in for the inauguration. Hundreds stood around the downtown Market stalls As Howe local elders and the Sultan a Central figure to this Day made their Way to the Council Hall. Mostly healthy now the people of Merca lost hundreds of lives last year to the famine in Somalia that spurred . Effort. The starvation is largely Over an across the country people Are slowly re turning to their land and cattle. But there is widespread banditry an political disputes threaten to disrupt the fragile cease fire among factions. I have the Honor to Welcome Admira Lhowe said Sultan Malik Mukhtar a trim elderly Man in simple cloth stopped by a Brown embroidered Cap. We Are a peace Loving people he said seated near Howe at a Long Council table As people crowded in to listen an cheer. Still we have looters and snipers her who intimidate our people. We want to recruit our local militia As policemen be cause our houses and farms Are being taken by  a country divided into at least 27 clan Sand sub clans Somalia faces a daunting task in rebuilding a National consensus. All 15 of the political factions have agreed to participate in the .-backed Effort. But faction Leader Mohamed Farra Hadid has so far boycotted the councils and has set up his own bodies in Mogadishu and Central parts of the country. Clinton Outlook after successes has a Rosy Hue Seattle a the Clinton administration disclaiming a huge psychological boost As it turns its attention from Asia Pacific sum Mitry to winning completion in Geneva of a Long stalled set of new global trading rules. Leaders who participated in the three Day conference of Pacific rim nations said the meetings in Seattle would help bring pressure to Bear on reluctant europeans to Complete a round of Trade liberalization moves by a dec 15 deadline. The president has had a terrific week Secretary of state Warren m. Christopher said sunday on Abc s this week with David Brinkley. He has completed two parts of this triple play with the successful asian Summit and the passage last week of the North Ameri can free Trade agreement. I Don t think our partners in Geneva have missed the significance of what s happened Here . Trade representative Mickey Kantor said in Seattle. Kantor is expected to press the Point today in talks i Washington with sir Leon Brittan Trade commissioner for the 12-nation european Community. Participants in the 17-nation Asia Pacific economic co operation conference Range Gioan close . Allies to chinese president and communist party Leader Jian Zemin were Quick to pronounce the Summit a Success. One must not exaggerate. There Are still great differences among the members. But a Start has been made president Clinton and participants in the Asla paddle economic cooperation Summit meet the press saturday on Lake Island Wash. Joining Clinton Are from left Chan Lee pal of Thailand japanese prime minister morph pro Hosokawa and president Suharto of Indonesia. See Story on Page 16. Said Hamish Macleod Hong Kong s financial Secretary. And Jiang while refusing to yield to president Clinton demands that China do More on human rights and in some Trade areas was upbeat about the meeting itself particularly the informal Heads of state session that Clinton held saturday at a Lodge on Blake Island in puget sound. Spec should be open flexible and Loose Jian said. The meeting was successful and it will have a positive  Christopher said he was proud of the Way Clinton handled the human rights Issue with Jiang and that Al though there were no great accomplishments the meeting was the message. Administration officials were jubilant Over what the saw As one of the Best few Days of Clinton s presidency an enormous congressional Victory in passing Naftal followed by a warm reception in Seattle even from asian leaders who had eyed him suspiciously at first. . Prepares to resume convoys in Central Bosnia Bucharest blizzard romanian Soldier Clear Snow from the maw train station in Buch on sunday. A Balkan storm the wont in a decade dropped heavy Snow at or North As Turc during the next few Days. Round the clock Snow Clearing efforts kept Bucharest International Airport open but flight were delayed up to three hour. Some train were cancelled and dozens of roads in Eastern and Southern Romania were blocked by Snow More than 3 Fet deep. Set weather on Page 13. Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina a . Peacekeepers and Relief officials prepared sunday for the full re sumption of Convoy operations in Central Bosnia within the next Day or two. But some key Supply routes remained closed. People Are getting ready so we Cando it dispatch convoys at Short notice said it. Col. Bui Aikman spokesman . Peacekeepers in Sarajevo. Aid convoys to Central Bosnia were suspended oct. 26, after a danish truck Driver was killed by gunfire blamed on bosnian government troops. Peter Kessler spokesman for the .high commissioner for refugees said in Zagreb Croatia on saturday that be expected the first Central Bosnia Convoy to leave for Zenia on , Aikman said two key Supply routes in Central Bosnia remained closed by croatian militia. He also reported that serbian Soldier sat a checkpoint outside Sarajevo held up a Relief Convoy for More than four Hou saturday night As it was returning from delivering supplies to a Hospital for men tally Ana physically disabled patients in Lazaric about 12 Miles Southwest of the capital. . Secretary general Putros Boutros Ghali on Friday authorized the re sumption of Aid convoys to Central bos Nia following agreement a Day earlier by leaders of the three warring factions i Bosnia to allow unfettered Access to . Aid  deliveries have been repeatedly blocked by intransigent local command ers and fighting particularly in Central Bosnia where Muslim led government troops and croatian forces have been. Fighting Over contested  agreement also pledged to allow the Unher to determine what constituted humanitarian Aid. Bosnian serbian forces repeatedly have blocked Winter supplies such As blankets and plastic sheeting from reaching Eastern Muslim enclaves such As Srebrenick Zepa and  said bosnian serbs on sat urday again refused to let a 26-truck con Voy reach Gorade which has not received outside Aid in two weeks. Serb were also preventing an Aid Convoy from reaching Tula he  flights to Sarajevo resumed on sunday after heavy Snow forced Cancella Tion of All but two of the expected is flights  the interruption of land convoys Sarajevo has been dependent on the International Airlift for its food supplies