Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 21, 1990, Winnipeg, Manitoba If Winnipeg free april Lithuania eyes fuel Deal pm visits no ways Oil Patch of photo Norway a Lithuania prime minister came to the heartland of no ways Petro Leum Industry yesterday and suggested a Trade of farm products for Oil to help the Baltic Republic sur Vive a soviet Energy Premier Kazimiera asked about reports soviet soldiers stormed a printing Plant and beat civilian guards in denounced the in White House spokesman Marlin Fitz water told reporters the United states is conferring with its allies on the the lithuanian its not so easy for the soviet army to provoke conflicts and although it is often Clear that this is their Prunskiene told we can Only say that these clashes Are very but the situation has happened be she she also said she has been told by lithuanian authorities in Vilnius that a trip she planned to Canada and the United states at the end of april has been apparently to avoid a conflict with the Summit set to begin May i got the idea that my trip was too close to the Summit meeting in but in not sure this is Why the trip was she said after receiving a Cable from the foreign ministry in the soviet trying to prod Lithuania to recant on secessionist has Cut off crude Oil sup most of its natural Gas Supply and food has been diverted from the Baltic Prunskiene came to this West coast Oil town to meet managers of the government stat Oil the company has said it is ready to sell Oil to Lithuania on a Normal commercial the norwegian government told the lithuanians they Are Welcome to buy its but it has Given no promises of Aid or Prunskiene suggested that Lithuania and Norway could Trade Agri cultural products and other products for though we dont know if Norway is interested in buying our it would be natural for those who buy Oil to also pay for she told but our situation is As you the hard currency has always been taken from Lithuania to the soviet embargo Means the time has come in Lithuania to find new sources of Oil deliveries and look to other she soviet troops put a Chain and padlock on communist party printing Plant in Vilnius this looking for new possibilities May Start in this which pumps million barrels a Day from North sea Oil is the second largest Oil exporter outside the open Oil it also produces natural Gas but has no Way to deliver it to Lithia the White House said that while it is stepping up contacts with Western allies Over new soviet actions against it will make no decisions on retaliation until at least Early next the president has stepped up consultation with our allies concerning appropriate responses the United states should Fitz water told reporters travelling with president Bush in we expect these consultations now under to be concluded Early next Bush had warned thursday in key that there were limits to his patience and that he was considering appropriate measures of retaliation against the soviet Union for its economic sanctions against w photo Prunskiene and stat Oil director Johan void share we Are deeply concerned about news reports of the economic crackdown in Fitz water his remarks were the clearest indication yet that the White House intends to retaliate for the soviet squeeze on soviet Economy abysmal Washington a intelligence experts painted a grim picture of the soviet unions econ omy saying the Reform efforts of president Mikhail Gorbachev Are failing and predicting an unstable year soviet economic performance was abysmal in the worst since Gorbachev took Over in said John the Cen trial intelligence Agency Deputy director for the joint Cia defence Intelli gence Agency report to Congress also noted a four per cent to five per cent drop in real soviet defence spending last strengthening the position of those in the Congress who Are seeking larger Pentagon budget the study also forecast a daunt ing Road ahead for the democratically elected governments of for Mer soviet satellite countries in Eastern included in the forecast High Price increases and falling on the other it said that Poland and other countries Are making Good starts at attracting the private investment needed for Helgerson cited declines or Stag nation in the construction and transportation sectors of the soviet unions Economy and said the country Energy product Ion dropped last year for the first time in four consumer prices Rose an Esti mated six per shoppers turned to Blac Market sources for and essentials were a while per capita consumption in creased during the this was largely due to Sharp increases in sales of alcoholic beverages and imports of consumer goods that Are not supplied by the soviet sys Helgerson told the congressional joint economic in an Effort to meet consumer the soviets boosted imports of some items coupled with a decline in Oil piled up a Trade deficit of billion he Overall economic growth for 1989 was about per the report but noted that even that Fig perestroika Cia says ure is misleading because it is based on dubious statistics and does not take into account distribution problems that kept goods from reaching Helgerson said the first Quarter of 1990 has not been and the Prospect for even a modest economic recovery seems to us Remote at the likelihood is that inflation will continue and shortages will he the Economy in fact could deteriorate it is in a fragile state and a severe Shock could cause output to drop precipitous shocks could come from eth Nic strikes or consumer he Popes visit to Czechoslovakia viewed As truly historic event Prague a Pope John Paul is weekend visit to Czecho the first by a will be a symbolic release for Many of the country roman catholics from their communist it also Marks a further step in the Vatican move into Eastern Europe As new no communist governments restore Lon broken in my opinion this is a truly historic president Vaclav Havel said in an easter sunday radio it is happening one week after let us contemplate about the importance of Sacri resurrection and red Emp it was Havel who invited the pol is born pontiff to visit czech Oslo country changes name Prague Reuter the czechoslovakian parliament changed the country official name for the second time in three weeks but Only after a recount in the country now will be known As the czech and slovak federa Tive a Compromise de signed to end months of argument Between Czechoslovakia two a first vote in the House of a one of parliaments two approved the new name and was declared valid by parliamentary chairman Alexander but some czech deputies said the vote count had not been correctly after a a second vote was taken and this time a two thirds majority was achieved Comfort ably and the new name passed into ending a four month National the debate began Early this year to find a name More appropriate in the pos communist Era than the czechoslovak socialist it degenerated into the so called great Hyphen debate As slovaks insisted their National identity could be properly reflected Only in a name that formally divided them from bohemians and weary deputies voted on March 29 for two versions of a new Czechoslovakia would be called the czechoslovak federative Republic in the czech lands and the Czecho slovak federative Republic in so slovak nationalists were still not thousands demonstrated in the regional capital of Bratislava to demand a further name or else their own separate slovak legislators have accepted the new a new National coat of arms was also consisting of a shield divided in four with Lions in two quarters symbolizing the czech Republic and crosses in the others representing he issued the invitation Only two Days after taking office the pontiff is to arrive Czechoslovakia peaceful Revo Lution toppled the Hartline communist leadership of Milos Jakes in 10 Days of Street protests and mass it practically coincided with the canonization of a by the Pope and Havel Drew a playful link Between the two Many believers think it All went so Well because it was a bit of a Miracle from Havel said in his radio i am sure you feel the symbolic the sterility of the communist Dogma brought about a Christian Renaissance in the late 1980s that was unparalleled in recent Czecho slovak the past rulers had nothing to Vaclav a former underground priest and human rights said of the religious re after some the Natu ral longing for dignified life led to the creation of a Community where people can Trust one on March police used dogs and a water Cannon to Dis Perse thousands of believers peace fully rallying in downtown Bratis the capital of for More religious the crackdown became a Symbol of religious persecution in Slova the Eastern and strongly Cath Olic part of the same More than 000 believers signed a petition for greater Freedom of Canadian world Trade plan backed by Paul Tosto Knight Ridder financial news puerto Mexico ministers from the worlds leading trading nations threw their tacit support behind a proposal pushed by Canada to create a new world Trade organization to arbitrate disputes in International but some questioned whether the timing of the new plan could damage the current round of Trade Reform Canadian Trade minister John Crosbie used meetings Here this week with top diplomats from More than 20 nations to pitch his plan for the new designed to enforce any new Trade rules created by negotiators to the general agree ment on tariffs and the Gen Eva based free Trade new regulations Gatt negotiators Hope by Decem Ber to write new regulations for Trade in services and a Host of other areas that now have few or no International if they Crosbie said the current Gatt system is inadequate and a new Structure would be needed to make sure those rules Are details remain but the key to the according to Docu ments circulated by Canadian is to provide a More effective system to Settle Trade fights Between Gatt among its new Canadas plan would allow nations to Appeal rulings made against them by a Gatt which Canada says would reduce the threat of unilateral Trade retaliation by one country against the entire dispute settlement pro Cess would be held to a maximum of 18 including the twos status would be similar to the International monetary and membership would be open to All current Gatt despite his some minis ters have questioned the timing of Crosbie with some arguing the proposal is premature and May Hurt their efforts to write the rules Crosbie Hopes the to eventually will Trade representative Carla Hills said earlier this week that ministers needed to write the Laws before they build the court but Crosbie told reporters thurs Day that the existing Gatt Struc Ture was not an organization but merely a it int even its amazing that it this is not the kind of situation we can allow to continue when the Prosperity of the world depends upon International should the current round of talks result in new Trade they will be impossible to operate without a Crosbie dec spokesman Nice Wegter said Europe was sympathetic to the con and japanese foreign ministry spokesman Makoto Yamanaka said Japan was very much interested in the idea but he cautioned that considering the plan now might delay the Overall Trade Reform Crosbie said he was not using this meeting to begin negotiations on his but merely to explain he said he Hopes Gatt ministers will agree to his plan at the conclusion of the talks in december in and that the organization could be pulled together in Early Bush backs vision of new nato key Reuter French president Francois Mitter Rand to Paris yesterday confident that he dispelled con Cern about his country commit ment to he appears to have convinced president Bush thursday that interests Are not threatened by French plans for Europe to take a More assertive role in its own Securi Bush even hailed Mitterrand enlightened Lon term vision about the future shape of the Western Alliance and its relations with Europe own i think that president Mitterrand and i Are very close together on the concept of nato in the he told a joint news the Assurance is in striking con Trast to the buildup to the informal unidentified officials had warned through the French Media that the two allies seemed to be Drifting apart on their blueprints for the new France pulled its armed forces out of the alliances integrated com Mand in determined to keep total control of its nuclear French governments have stuck to that Independent path Ever and in key Largo the French Leader ruled out the Prospect of any full return to As everyone or should France has a specific defence policy and she intends to keep that Mitterrand but he took pains to dispel fears that France thought formed in 1949 at the Start of the cold had utterly lost its purpose with the sudden decline in soviet he said the Atlantic alliances role in european defence and strategic balance is As important he gave the strongest endorse ment to Date of the need for troops to remain in but nato has to adapt to Chang ing he adding that Bush backed his Call for the 16member Alliance to hold a Summit this year to Chart its the meeting will be held after Bush and soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev discuss the new world order in detail at a Summit scheduled May 30june Mitterrand wants the new nato to be complementary to other alliances in the 12country european Community is set to integrate politically and in the Security Mitterrand speaking the same Day that France and West Germany made a High profile initiative to Speed up the up photo directors in distress about 10 members of the Board of directors of London life insurance including president Gordon Cun were stuck for about 20 minutes yesterday in an elevator at the company head office in As they were heading for the firms annual it i ;