European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes world sunday August 21,1994 nuke stings May lure smugglers officials say Bonn Germany a a Man arrested last wee when he delivered a plutonium Sample to an undercover police agent at the Bremen train station was an undercover agent himself for another police Bureau his lawyer says. Police deny the alleged smuggler was working for them at the time of his arrest but conceded Friday that he previously did. They do acknowledge the would be buyer was an undercover agent. In fact of the 276 nuclear smuggling crimes recorded i Germany since 1992, almost All have been sting operations including two of the three other finds of weapons Grade material this summer police and researchers said. In saturating the Market with fake buyers some officials believe German police May have opened a Pandora s Box of deadly nuclear radiation by offering big Bucks to russian scientists and criminals willing to smuggle out the material. There s no evidence of a real Market for plutonium in Germany said Hans Georg von Bock Undt chief prosecutor in Bremen. There s a danger that our interest in pursuing criminals is bringing danger int Germany. As Law enforcers we simply can t do  others including bavarian police chief Ginter Beck Stein say the germans Only accelerated a process of leakage that would have occurred anyway. Bernd Schmidbauer the government s intelligence coordinator said the sting operations show authorities Are effectively turning up smugglers and leaks in russian nuclear installations forcing the russians to admit the prob Lem and work with Western authorities to solve it. " Schmidbauer said Friday that German police were concerned that some officials in Russia were involved in smuggling. When the first Low Grade radioactive material began leaking out of the former soviet bloc in 1991, German police created nuclear smuggling divisions and sent dozens of agents into the Field. Arafat Peres share kind words amid worries of More violence Gaza City Gaza strip a Loleader Yasser Arafat called the. Israelis cousins Friday and Israel s foreign min ister said the palestinians Are neighbors we would like very much to be of help and assistance  underlining that atmosphere Israel freed More palestinian prisoners arid handed Over responsibility for education in the occupied West Bank to the pales Tinian autonomy government. But on the first anniversary of the Oslo accords that led to palestinian self Rule in the Gaza strip and West Bank town of Jeri Cho the Specter of continuing violence weighed heavily on the Friendly words. Foreign minister Shimon Peres repeat edly stressed that Arafat s government must Stop attacks by Radical palestinian that have killed five israelis in Gaza since autonomy began in May. Peres was the most senior israeli offi Cial to visit Gaza since autonomy started in May. He came for meetings with Arafat to Mark the anniversary of the peace accords. It is in the palestinian interest to fight terror Peres said. You can t develop Gaza and other areas if the terrorist prevent the development of tourism Industry and the like/1 the i Zadine Al Assam group the armed underground of the islamic Funda mentalist Hamas movement has claimed responsibility for the attacks on israelis. Arafat s government detained some Hamas activists last week and Arafat tried to reassure Peres that the problem was under control. Alleged Beirut Abductor reported slain Beirut Lebanon a the suspected Mas and of the fatal kidnapping of . Marine  r. Higgins in. 1988 has died in a mysterious car Accident in Tehran a Magazine reported saturday. The arabic language Ash Shiraz weekly quoted unnamed knowledgeable sources in Tehran As saying Munzer Hassan Rammal died in what seemed to be a prearranged Accident to get rid of  the report could not be independently verified Ash Shiraz gained Fame in 1986 for revealing the Iran con tra affair in which officials in the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran to win the release of  hostages then channelled the proceeds to Contra rebel sin Nicaragua. Rammal was a Security chief of the iranian backed Hezbollah or party of god in South Lebanon when Higgins was abducted feb. 17, 1988. Ash Shiraz said the lebanese shiite Muslim militant was killed after iranian Security officials Learned of contacts Between Rammal and islamic quarters in the iranian  links with Western  Higgins of Danville ky., was chief of a 76-Memberobserver Force attached to . Peacekeeping troops in South Lebanon. The group that kidnapped him the shiite Organiza Tion of the oppressed on Earth released a videotape july 31, 1989, that purportedly showed Higgins Dan gling from a makeshift Gallows. The group said he had been executed in retaliation for Israel s abduction of a Hezbollah linked shiite Cler dul Karim Obeid in South Lebanon on us intelligence reports have said Higgins died ear Ner while under torture. Governing party favored As Mexico prepares to vote from the associated press Mexico City foreign and Domestic observers say Mexico s vote today for president May be the cleanest Ever but Many Are still sceptical it will be free of fraud. Civic Alliance the largest of several Independent poll watching groups said its directors were roughed up its offices in Matamoros ransacked handsome of its workers threatened. The Alliance a coalition of nongovernmental groups helping to train foreign observers blamed the government and ruling party for the harassment Ernesto Zedillo of the institutional revolutionary party or Pri is favored to win which would ensure the party s continuous hold on the presidency since it was formed 65 years ago. Former congressman Diego Fernandez Dezevallos of the conservative National action party was second in recent polls. Cuauhtemoc Cardenas repeat candidate of the leftist democratic revolutionary party lagged in third after Alac Kluster Campaign. Cholera cases hit Russia Moscow with hundreds of cholera cases i Southern Russia authorities have imposed Tough travel restrictions to prevent the contagious disease from spreading into other areas. The russian Republic of Dagestad has been worst hit. At least 290 people have cholera and 230 More Are infected though they Are not yet sick according to russian emergency situations ministry spokesman Karl Smolikov. Sixteen people have died from the intestinal disease and the epidemic is still on the Rise. Thirty five new cases were reported in Dagestad on tuesday and wednesday the itar Tass news Agency reported. Scottish Laird arrested London Scotland Yard has arrested one fits own an accountant who reportedly was living the High life in the scottish Highlands As the Laird of Tomintoul. News reports Friday said that about $6 million May be missing from the funds of the metropolitan police. Police did t identify the suspect but new reports said he was Tony Williams 56, assistant director of finance. Williams and his wife owned several properties inthe Village. Williams also bought the title of Laird of Tomintoul one of the Many titles that can Besought and sold in Britain. Alleged toe Cutter charged Seoul South Korea an anti-. Student activist was arrested Friday on charges he chopped off a toe to avoid serving in the South korean military prosecutors   Jang 27, a former student Leader at Nosun University in the Southern City of Kwangju was accused of cutting off his left big toe with a hand a in 1991, prosecutors said. Park allegedly claimed the military was a mercenary puppet of the imperialist .  r Park was the first student activist to be arrested on such charges. Prosecutors in Kwangju say 14 members of a underground pro North korean Campus group were suspected of having chopped off their fingers or toe Between 1988 and 1991 to avoid a compulsory military duty. Aj1 adult South korean men must serve 2vi years in the military cows invade new Delhi new Delhi India the cows Are Back on new Delhi s streets arid not by popular demand. Thousands of cows have invaded the City snarling traffic and making children pass within inches of cows and bulls As they walk to school. Crashing into a cow or even nudging one aside with a bumper is sinful for most hindus who worship the beasts As Mother cows., they wander Down new Delhi s streets All year but during Good monsoons such As the current Sisr take.i�,he warmth of the roads in great numbers to avoid their rain soaked Sheds. Y week after the rain ended police   that stood Serene Yat f sections ursing them to  m 5 walked Down the Middle of Wnent As of they realized most Drivers would t hit them on purpose