European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday january 20,1995chechens abandon capital Palace Grozny Russia apr troops hoisted russians Flag thursday Over Chechnya a bombed out presidential Palace the Symbol of the Republic s Independence drive during five weeks of War with Moscow earlier in the Day chechen fighters had abandoned the Palace which had been wrecked by weeks of russian artillery and rocket fire. The rebels also withdrew from the Railroad station another base of their resistance. V 7. A a a a a a a a a a a a a chechen fighters played Down their surrender of the palaces smoking Hulk saying they would take the fight to other parts of the capital. A a we wont have any particular bases a Well be moving All around the City a said a fighter with an assault Rifle stung Over his shoulder who would not give his name. 7 a a a a a. A /. Russian military sources told the inter fax news Agency that there were several pockets of chechen resistance in the City including one close to the presidential russian president Boris Yeltsin declared an end to the military Campaign for Chechnya. A the subsequent Mission to restore Law order Ana civil rights will lie with he Interior ministry a Yeltsin said in a statement late thursday. A a a a a a a rebels have vowed that if Grozny Falls they will wage a guerrilla War from the mountains South of the. City. 1 a a v7 a 7 a. .7 they had stubbornly held off the russians at the Palace since the Kremlin began the ground assault on Grozny on new year s eve. Chechen said they left the Palace overnight after a russian bomb or artillery Shell penetrated to the basement. Rebel fighter hindi be Sultanov said there were no plans to retake the building. Quot Why its just a Skeleton a he said. He said that after the Shell hit wednesday night the chechen fighters began withdrawing. By Midnight they had moved All russian prisoners and the last chechen fighters withdrew about 3 . Grozny was relatively Calm thursday after a night of relentless artillery and rocket attacks. A pall 01 dark smoke Hung Over the City. / the russians were directing their artillery fire to the South of Grozny Scenter apparently in an Effort to disrupt Supply lines to the rebels. In the ground assault on Grozny a few Hundred chechen had battled the russian army to a near standstill in the City Center blunting the russians overwhelming superiority in men and  Paul beautifies australian woman Sydney Australia apr welcomed thursday by the eerie drone of aboriginal wind instruments Pope John Paul ii honoured a woman who helped spread the roman Catholic Faith across the australian Outback a Century Aso 7, a -. V a a a a aboriginal elders burned leaves of a eucalyptus tree As a Smoky substitute for traditional Christian incense just before the Pope began the beatification of Mother maty Mackillop before thousands of worshippers at Randwick Racetrack. Mackillop is the first australian to be beatified one of the last Steps toward possible sainthood. She founded an order of nuns battled the male Church Hierarchy and was briefly excommunicated by her Bishop John Paul More than Halfway through a four nation asian tour looked weary when he arrived for the outdoor ceremony under overcast skies. He was greeted with chants of a John Paul two we love you a accompanied by a line of australian Bishops and other clergy he walked slowly from his armoured a Pope mobiles to a High altar platform. Instead of climbing its Steep staircase he took an elevator specially installed at the rear of the Structure. The Pope has had difficulty walking since a hip replacement last april. The pontiff praised Mackillop who died in Sydney in 1909, for her pioneering work among the needy in australians Remote sparsely populated Outback deserts. He also warned of a new a spiritual wilderness a which he said was made up of a wastelands of indifference and intolerance the desolation of racism and contempt for human beings. The Pope leaves today for sri Lanka. Mousa Bali Mayev Center is welcomed by members of his family wednesday after coming Home in the first prisoner Exchange of the War in Chechnya. Bali Mayev was traded for a russian whose platoon surrendered in Grozny. Thousands of people have been killed since russian troops moved into the predominantly Muslim Republic in the caucasus mountains on dec. 11 to put Down its drive for Independence. The first prisoner Exchange of the War a one chechen for one russian took place wednesday at Assino Skaya a Village 35 Miles from Grozny. Mousa Bali Mayev a 17-year-old chechen captured after being wounded returned to a heroes Welcome Sergei Kuznetsov a 19-year-old russian whose platoon surrendered during a Battle in Grozny on sunday was taken to a russian Camp. He said he had asked for assurances he would hot be shot for deserting representatives of chechen president a Khokhar Dunayev met earlier in the week with russians prime minister and said both sides agreed to Stop using heavy artillery by wednesday evening As a step Towart cease fire. But there was no sign of an end. At a Kremlin meeting wednesday Yeltsin said direct talks with Dunayev were out of the question. Asked whether he would talk with Dunayev russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said thursday Quot we do hot talk with bandits a itar Tass news Agency said. Yeltsin said his government was prepared to talk to Field commanders clan leaders Ana representatives of local governments in Chechnya. And Yeltsin told re porters be was fully in charge despite the Low profile e has kept through the  Page 1 its who they said usually do not abduct women or children. A. 7 . And israeli officials noted that the kidnappers Hadnot released photographs or other identification which militants usually do to prove a kidnapping. . Officials think a ski area in Turkey is a an unlikely place for terrorists to Kidnap someone a Bacon said. A leading shiite Muslim group also questioned the claims noting that a caller gave the wrong name of the shiite Man the group wants released. At the turkish ski resort . Army col. Edward Fitzgerald said that unless the . State department tells him otherwise his searchers will continue to assume that Couillard 37, and his son Matt became lost sunday while skiing in the mountains Northwest of Ankara. A a. A a a a a Couillard and his son were reported missing sunday afternoon when they failed to meet another son at the Daruk ski Lodge in the Kartal Kaya ski area near Bolu. The family was part of a Busload of americans who had come to the resort from Ankara 70 Miles Southeast. Fitzgerald who is chief of the office of defense cooperation in Ankara where Couillard works said a decision to end the search would not be made until saturday at the earliest. The first Calls in the Case were received wednesday a caller told a turkish news Agency and television station that the americans had been kidnapped by the Lebanon Freedom fighters. State department sources said wednesday that in both cases the caller warned that the americans would be killed in 48 hours unless Israel freed lebanese Ger Rila Mustafa Dirani. Later a caller who claimed to be telephoning from Turkey told an israeli radio station that the missing . Officer would be killed unless Israel freed Dirani. The caller to the israeli station did not Issue a deadline. Bacon said the . Consulate in Istanbul received two Calls thursday from the group whose existence was not known to . Officials prior to this incident Anatolia news Agency of Turkey also received Calls thursday in which an unidentified person said the americans would be killed if lebanese shiite Radical Hagi Ali Dirani was not released in 21 hours the Agency said. 7. 7 a. As noted by the shiite Muslim group he is a differ ent person from the israeli prisoner who is Hagi Dira Nils Uncle. 7 Israel snatched Mustafa Dirani from his Home in Southern Lebanon last May to use him As a bargaining Chip for israeli air navigator Ron Arad missing since 1986 and believed once held by Dirani. Hezbollah an umbrella organization for. Groups that kidnapped dozens of westerners in Beirut in the 1980s said it was not involved in the disappearance of the two americans. Spokesmen at Hezbollah a press office who refused to 6e identified by name also said they had never heard of the Lebanon Freedom fighters. Couillard and two of his sons travelled with a turkish tour company by bus from his duty station in Ankara to the ski resort sunday said Haldun Armagan a . Embassy spokesman in Ankara. Fog and Snow showers have hampered the search of forts. Four . Military helicopters joined the search when the sky cleared thursday morning but Snow and fog returned by afternoon. More than 100 turks and americans Are involved in the search. Bacon said the . Contingent includes 16 army special forces troops from in Ciurlik a who have experience operating in cold weather and rugged terrain. Public affairs personnel at in Ciurlik a in Southern Turkey said no special Security precautions Are in Force at the base. At Ankara where the missing skiers arc stationed a spokesperson said officials Are talking to residents about taking precautions but that there has been no official change in the base Security status. Security at Izmir air station in Western Turkey also remained Normal thursday. Contributing to this report Marian Hamilton in Naples. Italy and Chuck Vinch in Washington