European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 12, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 5 discounts designed to Cut inventory stripes acts after cafes limits books it will take in Transfer by Kevin Robinson staff writer discounts of up to 75 percent in euro Peart stars and stripes bookstores reflect merchandise that the Exchange services May not accept for their Book Marks when the Book Selling operation changes hands oct. 1, stripes personnel say. Based on current acceptance proposals from the Exchange services a majority of books with a copyright of 1992 and later with some exceptions Are being purchased by the Exchange organization for Sale in their stores said col. Steve Hoffman commander publisher of euro Pean stars and stripes. As those familiar with the Bookstore business know copyrights of 1992 and later negate most classics most children s books most cookbooks some historical reference material etc.," Hoffman said in a special bulletin about the Transfer sent to stars and stripes employee wednesday. Exact percentages of stripes Stock of merchandise by copyright were not Avail Able from stripes officials. However Sev eral Bookstore managers estimated that the exchanges copyright criteria affect at least half their inventory. The books and other merchandise that Aren t purchased by the military exchanges either will be negotiated further for a final decision on Exchange acceptance through the Deputy Secretary of de sense or willbe left to stripes to unload. That second option has led stars and stripes to do the following according to Hoffman s bulletin negotiate with the University of Maryland to accept financial responsibility for its $1 million plus inventory. Continue and even raise the percentage on discount sales. Plan to conduct warehouse sales in october and november to sell any remaining stripes inventory. A spokesman for the army and air Force Exchange service Europe deferred any. Comment about the Bookstore trans fers until Ken Moon cafes Bookstore director arrives in Europe next week. Hoffman was unavailable thursday to elaborate on the negotiations. Under a congressional mandate the army and air Force Exchange service and the Navy Exchange Are to absorb the Bookstore operations from stars and stripes by oct. 1. On tuesday cafes officials Are scheduled to talk about the status of the Bookstore Transfer with it. Gen. Richard f. Keller . European come chief of staff. At the same time stripes officials will discuss unresolved issues of the Transfer with officials from the american forces information service and cafes in Washington. As part of that transition the Exchange services were told by the House armed services committee in its fiscal 1995 de publisher sees Silver lining Darmstadt Germany is the. Financial future of the stars and stripes newspaper appears to be on solid ground for the coming year the newspaper s commander publisher said wednesday. The reference  in special bulletin from col. Steve Hoffman to stripes employees. In the bulletin Hoffman outlined the status of the oct. 1 Transfer of the bookstores to the army and air Force Exchange service and the Nav Exchange. Obviously this volatile Revenue issues playing havoc with our forecaster budget Hoffman acknowledged in the bulletin. But Hoffman went on to say that Between Money generating activities such As newspaper sales and. Remaining Book sales and appropriated funds we Are on solid ground for 1995. Even in the worst Case. We remain financially solvent for the coming  stripes officials indicated earlier that the newspaper s financial Well being depended on a shared $12 million subsidy proposed by Congress for the european and Pacific editions of stars and stripes. Also expected to contribute to the stars and stripes financial health i expanded advertising officials have said. Sense authorization Bill to Purchase Only the inventory from the stripes bookstores that it could sell. The defense department also Man dated that the exchanges hire All full time employees working at sales Points including Hub managers at their present salaries Hoffman said in his bulletin. According to stripes personnel therod directive Means the exchanges must hire 103 stripes Bookstore employees. But the exchanges Hoffman said maintain that Only 56 employees Are qualified for Transfer. As the Transfer deadline approaches employees in some bookstores Are play ing a game of wait and see. At the stripes Bookstore in Naples Italy manager John Connolly said he still has t received a schedule from the Nav Exchange As to when his store will be inventoried and transferred. I Don t know when the Transfer will take place said Connolly who has been there for eight years. As i understand if it his Bookstore will be Here for the time being after the Transfer. He said he has t been asked if he will manage the Bookstore for the Navy Exchange. At a Bookstore in Wiir Burg Germany cashier Agnesse Beard said customer seem to be worried if the store will be the same. That store s Transfer Date is set forthe end of september they customers worry if they will Beable to order books like before Beard said. They Are worried a Little bit about the Transfer. Crowds protest plundering by zairian soldiers in Goma Goma Zaire a thousands of zairian demonstrated and set up roadblocks thursday morning i downtown Goma saying they were fed up with thieving zairian soldiers sent to help in the rwandan Refuge crisis. At least six tractor trailers bringing Relief supplies to nearby refugee Camps were stranded at the Border be cause they were unable to navigate through the make shift barricades. Some refugees joined in As about 5,000 townspeople filled the streets throwing rocks and taunting police after a zairian Soldier shot and killed a local Man who had been changing Money on the Black Market. Throw the soldiers out protesters chanted sothers carried a wooden Stretcher bearing the body of the Man shot wednesday night. Meanwhile in the largest of the refugee Camps the United nations suspended food distribution because another Man was beaten to death in a Melee that erupted while food was being handed out wednesday. The Man was killed at the Kib Umba Camp a sprawl ing settlement of 400,000 people where two men were beaten to death tuesday in a fight while rations of Corn soy meal and Maize were distributed. Food supplies Are Short and Aid workers have Bee trying to ease increasingly violent Competition for the rations. But Ray Wilkinson spokesman for the  commissioner for refugees said the motives for the killings were suspect. He suggested some former rwandan government officials or Defeated army troops could be using the chaos at the food distributions to attack people who have been urging refugees to return to Rwanda. We re just not sure How spontaneous these riots Are Wilkinson said. Last week Aid workers stopped handing out food Forone Day in the nearby Catale Camp of about 200,000 people after similar disturbances. The demonstrators said they were tired of robberies and extortion committed by zairian soldiers called to Goma last month to keep order after nearly 1 million rwandan War refugees surged Over the Border into their Community fleeing of advancing rebels. The Hutu refugee re afraid the Tutsi led rebels who now control Rwanda will retaliate for the Mas Sacre of up to 500,000 people mainly Tutsi by Hutu militias and the rwandan army since april. Soldiers fired in the air at least twice thursday to Send the protesters scattering but the crowds re grouped each time. Demonstrators threw signposts de Bris and 2-foot chunks of volcanic Rock onto a Mil Longstretch of the main Road through town. Goma has become increasingly tense since the Refu gees arrived in mid july. Most Nave been moved to a half dozen Camps Miles away from Goma. But thou Sands of refugees still live in traffic circles doorways and almost any other available space in the City of80,000. Soldiers have been stealing goods and extorting Money from Aid organizations refugees and anyone else possible in the town and at the Airport. They have been seen helping themselves to Relief supplies. A zairian Soldier stands among rocks left by angry demonstrators on a Street in downtown Goma. Bosnia Airlift halted after bullets hit planes Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina a three . Planes were struck by bullets thursday in Sarajevo forcing officials to suspend a humanitarian Airlift restarted just two Days ago. Bullet holes were discovered on the planes after they returned safely to bases in Ancona Italy and the croatian port of split said maj. Dacre Holloway a . Military spokesman. The planes were hit on the ground at the Sarajevo Airport said Peter Kessler . Aid spokesman. There was no immediate word on who was suspected of firing the shots. The Airlift a lifeline for the besieged capital during most of the 28-month bos Nian War was suspended More than three weeks ago after planes were hit by bullets believed to have been fired from serbian positions. It was restarted tuesday. The situation in Sarajevo is extremely grave Kessler said. We have almost no food stocks in the  the shooting was another sign of mounting tensions around Sarajevo. Bos Nian serbs have tried to tighten their siege of the City and Muslim led govern ment forces have gone on the offensive. . Peacekeepers said As Many As 3,000 bosnian government troops have moved into a combat zone just North of Sarajevo in the past two Days. A peacekeeper spokesman maj. Rob Jannink said bosnian serbian forces also were being strengthened