European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 7, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 7, 1994 .u.k. Ministry casts doubt on Gulf syndrome London apr Britain a defense ministry believes the persian Gulf syndrome does not exist after tests on-27 veterans of the 1991 persian Gulf War failed to provide proof a defense spokesman said wednesday. A the More people we see the More evidence there is that desert storm syndrome does not exist a said the spokesman who spoke on condition of anonymity. A fall these people have been found to be suffering from recognized medical diseases not specific to service in the Gulf a he said. In june the . Defense science Board task Force on persian Gulf War health effects said it could not find sufficient evidence of any single Factor that might be causing the wide Range of illnesses brought Home by veterans. This endorsed an Early finding by the Pentagon. Studies by the National institutes of health and others also have failed to discover a specific cause of the illnesses. Veterans in the United states and Britain claim they were exposed to chemical and biological agents. They also suggest that Oil fumes environmental pollutants and medication they took to protect them against biological warfare might have caused their illnesses common symptoms Are fatigue muscle pain skin rashes heart and respiratory problems and tutors. Some veterans reportedly have passed on symptoms to their spouses and children. The ministry of defense faces claims from 396 British veterans who say they have persian Gulf syndrome. They Are seeking Access to their medical records held by the  stars and stripes Page 5token for the sex president former president Bush receives a gift from Cadet sic Shanle Arnold at the . Military Academy at West Point no on wednesday after the corps of cadets passed in review Arnold a Deputy brigade commander is from Franklin Ohio. Bush later was presented the Thayer award Given by graduates to outstanding  May confirm suicide murder of cultists Granges sur Salvan Switzerland apr a letter apparently mailed before 48 cult members died in a mass murder suicide said the group was a leaving this Earth to escape the a hypocrisies and oppression of this  Jean fran it ois Mayer a Swiss expert on spiritual movements who has studied the apocalyptic cult said he received three documents in the mail thursday morning signed by a fictitious a emr.  a what i read confirmed the theory of horrible mass suicide a Mayer based in Lausanne told Swiss radio. He said he believed the documents were mailed by members of the cult. The postmark was Geneva but the Date of mailing was smudged. A Mayer said it appeared the cult balled the order of the solar Temple in Canada arid the order of the solar tradition in Switzerland had suffered from a worsening persecution Complex. A we Are leaving this Earth to find in All lucidity and Freedom a new dimension of truth and absolution far from the hypocrisies and oppression of this world in order to achieve the seeds of our future generation Quot one of the documents said. Swiss police said they found Good Bye letters thursday from some of the cult members but did not release details. Authorities said they had asked Interpol the International police Agency to help search for two people wanted for questioning. A we think they Are closely involved with this sect a said beat Karlen a spokesman for police in the Canton of Fribourg where 23 bodies were found wednesday. The bodies were found in a burned out farmhouse m cheery 45 Miles Northeast of Geneva. Karlen would not identify the two people sought by police but he described them As witnesses. A a it a not As if we Are looking for murderers or anything like that Quot he told the associated press. Firefighters discovered a Safe among the charred bricks and Wood blocks of a burned out chalet in Gran Ges sur Salvan the Alpine Village in the Canton of a Jais 45 Miles Southeast of Geneva where 25 More victims including several children were found wednesday. They refused to reveal the contents of the Safe. Despite earlier fears that the death toll would Rise police said no More bodies were found. Valais Canton police chief Bernard Geiger said police were studying documents and cassette tapes found in six vacation apartments that cult members had a Clit de in a nearby Village. At least one of the three chalets in Granges sur Sal Vamp a where the bodies  was rented by cult Leader Luc Jouret. A charred Bank Check belonging to Jouret and found in a drawer in the chalet was Alt that remained of his presence. It was unclear whether Jouret was among the dead. The bodies were found after fires destroyed the chalets and farmhouse in the two Swiss cantons or states. Police also suspected a link to two deaths in a fire tuesday at a duplex in Canada owned by Jouret. Most of the dead were Swiss French or Canadian. They included the mayor of Richelieu Quebec and his wife a journalist for a Quebec newspaper. Authorities said Canada had asked them last year to investigate Jouret. Police found he was obeying Swiss Law and took no further action said Swiss Justice min Ustiy spokeswoman Corinne Goetschel. Jouret a belgian doctor who once specialized in homeopathy was known among cult specialists for his predictions of the end of the world. He is believed to ave fled to Switzerland last year after being charged with weapons Possession and conspiracy in Canada. Most of the 23 bodies found in cheery Lay in a Circle Oil the floor of a red Mirror lined Chapel beneath the burning farmhouse. Some were dressed in red Black and White ceremonial Robes. Ten had plastic garbage bags tied around their necks with cords and some had their hands bound. Twenty had bullets in their Heads. There were no signs of violence in the chalets. The apartments the cult members had rented near the chalets were full of packed suitcases said Fier Angel Piasente the local Community president. A these people were obviously prepared to leave a he said. The fires in both Switzerland and Canada were set off by Remote controlled electrical devices triggered by a timer or a Telephone Call investigators  now a partner in nato peace program Brussels Belgium apr Armenia on wednesday became the 23rd nation to join natos cooperation program for its former East bloc foes. Foreign minister Vahan Papazyan said armenians membership in the partnership for peace program would help stabilize the troubled caucasus  he ruled out any direct role by nato in armenians six year War with neighbouring Azerbaijan Over the Magorno Karabash enclave. A i done to think that nato can do something to resolve this question a Papazyan told reporters. A a it a Good to have Armenia and Azerbaijan both in the same institutions a he added. A but i done to think there is any need to raise the ques lion of Magorno Karabash in the context of partnership for  _ Azerbaijan joined the partnership in May. As Rescue operations begin Vladivostok Russia apr dozens of Strong aftershocks thursday rattled the Remote Kuril islands already reeling from a powerful earthquake that left thousands of people homeless. Rescue teams began setting up tent villages for those whose Homes were destroyed by the earthquake tuesday night and made preparations to evacuate children to the russian Mainland. A Island residents fear that the aftershocks which seismologists say will last for Days will generate deadly new tidal Waves. Tuesday nights 8.2 quake unleashed Waves up to 9 feet High that swamped coastal areas and hurled boats onto land. Within the past 24 hours As Many As 60 aftershocks were recorded in the Region with magnitudes Between 4.5 and 7, according to russians ministry for emergency situations. There were conflicting reports about the casualty toll and damage to Power and Telephone lines comply rated the work of authorities trying to assess the disaster. A president Boris Yeltsin in a statement expressing his condolences to the victims families said at least 10 people died. But disaster officials said thursday that Only four deaths were now confirmed. Authorities concentrated their efforts on freeing those believed to be trapped under rubble particularly seven people buried beneath a collapsed Hospital on Sturup Island. One of the hardest hit areas was the regional capital of Yukhno Kuriluk. A a blog houses fell apart As if they were doll houses and a few Brick buildings remained intact Only externally a said the Moscow daily Komsomol Skaya pravda