European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 24, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 5north backs flying of Confederate Flag Richmond a. A . Senate candidate statement. Is inextricably linked to the South a history of slavery. Oliver. North backs the flying of the Confederate Flag a i do not believe that Banning the Flag is the an �?ohis1 statements arc not Only offensive to african As a Symbol of Virginia a heritage. Ser a North wrote. Americans they Are offensive to any american who North a Republican campaigned wednesday night though he acknowledged that the Flag evokes understands what the Confederate Flag stands for a in Danville where a museums practice of flying the painful images for some North said Virginia Resi Linda Byrd Harden told the Washington Post. She Confederate Flag has generated months of debate. Dents should a expend our energies on conquering a said flying the Flag is an attempt to a Swallow in the North endorsed displaying the Flag As a part of the Cial injustice As it is today rather than focusing on a nostalgia of the Good of South. To glorify fighting great heritage of this state of Virginia. He said symbols of the  for the right to keep slaves is not being honest those who oppose the Flag Are motivated by a political in response the executive director of the state a North the Iran Contra figure is challenging dam  tonal association for the advancement of coloured socratic sen. Charles Robb and Independent Marshall he stood by his comments thursday in a 1 people said she and Many other Blacks believe the Flag Coleman in the november  hangs dutch drug offender Singapore apr Singapore hanged a dutch businessman Friday who was caught carrying about 10 pounds of heroin in his suitcase the dutch embassy said. Johannes Van Damme 59, was the first Westerner to be executed by the Island state for a narcotics crime. He was arrested in 1991 at Singapore a Changi Airport and had been on death Row since last year. In keeping with Singapore a tradition Van Damme was hanged before Dawn at Changi prison. The prison made a terse announcement later. A we had the confirmation that he had been executed at 6 a.m.,�?� dutch embassy spokeswoman Doeke Koekkoek told the associated press. She did not give details. In the Hague Netherlands foreign affairs minister Hans Vanmierlo said be was a disappointed and appalled by the hanging. A president Ong Teng Cheong had rejected clemency pleas from the dutch government and even a rare one from dutch Queen Beatrix. Amnesty International the London based human rights group also pleaded for mercy. On thursday Van dammed a lawyer Edmund Periera said his client was aware of his Fate after the government turned Down a last minute clemency plea. A the is bracing himself for it. He is sad. You have got to be there in his shoes to feel for him a a per Iera told the a. Van Damme who had lived in Nigeria for 15 years before his arrest had said he was innocent and claimed he did not know the packets containing 9.4 pounds of heroin were in the suitcase he was carrying for a nigerian. Van Damme thousands of dutch citizens jammed fax lines to Singapore a presidential Palace thursday calling for him to be spared. Dutch to broadcast details of How to fax the appeals and a special phone line was set up for ordering telegrams Appeal ing for clemency. Amnesty spokeswoman Maud Bredero said a a couple thousands people had called the groups Amsterdam office wanting to fax a message to Singapore. Singapore has executed 78 people for drug offences which were made punishable with a mandatory death sentence in 1975. Possession of As Little As 15 Grams or a half ounce of heroin is considered a punishable offence. Singapore a harsh penalties Drew International attention in May when an american teen Ager Michael p. Fay was caned four times on the Bare buttocks for vandalism. He also served four months in jail. A s s a it it aka \ something a a brewing German Chancellor Helmut Kohl left chairman of the Christian democratic Union toasts with Theo Taigel chairman of the Christian social Union the a due a sister party and a Aigel a Girlfriend Irene Epple at the oktoberfest in Munich on thursday evening. The Trio had been to a Campaign appearance before elections for the bavarian state legislature which Are scheduled for . Korea assails joint exercises by .-Japan Tokyo apr North Korea on Friday called joint .-Japan naval exercises off its East coast a a War Gamble that could complicate negotiations to end a nuclear standoff on the korean Peninsula. A the War Gamble of the . And japanese navies on the East sea of Korea. Impedes the relaxation of tension on the korean Peninsula a said a report in the Rodfong Shimun the official newspaper of North koreans ruling party. The joint Maneu vers began in the Japan sea or East sea As it is called in Korea on monday. Bob Bernal spokesman for the . Forces in Japan said the exercises Are routine and Are held two or three times a year. Bernal said the aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk and its Battle group which were recently deployed to the same area were not part of the joint Maneu vers. The Kitty Hawk is based in Yokosuka Japan. Us. Navy officials have said the United states intends to keep a Carrier operating off Korea a a indefinitely because of the political tensions caused by the North a suspected development of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile in Geneva diplomats from North Korea and America renewed efforts Friday to formulate an agreement that will end suspicions about Pyongyang a nuclear program. The talks expected to last about a week follow initial Progress made last August when the two sides Laid out the first step toward defusing tensions on the korean Peninsula. Neither Side disclosed whether any Progress had been made during an initial four hour session Friday. Trial opens for Man accused of Selling nato secrets Dusseldorf Germany apr an alleged key East German spy went on rial for treason Friday charged with Assing nato secrets to the Kremlin for lore than a decade while working at the Western alliances Headquarters in Brus Els Belgium. Rainer Rupp code named a Topaz allegedly was among the soviet Kab spy Gencye a most valuable sources of Sensi Ive information about natos military dans. Federal prosecutor Eckehard Schulz told the court Friday that Rupp had seriously damaged West Germany a defensive capabilities and caused nato great harm during the cold War. On trial with Rupp were his British born wife Ann Christine and retired maj. Klaus Roe Lerone one of two former officers of the Stasi East Germany a intelligence age icy to whom the couple allegedly reported. The second sex Stasi Man Karl Reh Baum was ill and is to be tried separately. Rupp 49, ostensibly a West German was recruited by the Stasi in 1968, became an economics official at nato Headquarters in 1977, and passed thousands of documents on natos plans to East Germany prosecutors say. Schulz told the packed courtroom that Rupp had Access to a cosmic top secret information including All documents in natos economics directorate As Well As documents in natos document Center where he had duty every six weeks. Rupps wife code named a Turquoise a had Access to top secret nato documents while working for the alliances Security service after 1977. She is accused of assisting her husband. The rupps allegedly were paid 3,000 Marks about $1,900 at today rates a month and received a one time payment of 200,000 Marks $127,000 plus a generous expense account