Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 20, 1991, Winnipeg, Manitoba John Dafoe focus Winnipeg Pross a 7 f 19yl syrian troops stand behind a lebanese Soldier Damascus still Calls the shots in in the Middle East Maze Washington even after six Days of unproductive Middle East talks broken off by the israeli delegation this week so that it could report to its a sense of amazement remains that they happened at Radical changes in International a War in the persian Gulf and a determined president created the circumstances that brought the parties to Madrid for a ceremonial venomous exchanges in Madrid did not create Confidence that future talks would inability to agree on a site for the next stage reduced Confidence israels Effort to have the second stage of talks held in the Middle East was opposed by Arab desire to have the talks in the arabs said that holding talks in the Middle East would involve at least one stage in Isra conceding de Facto recognition of one of the subjects of the the United states persuaded them All to come to provided meeting rooms in the state department and let them get on with Israel delayed matters for five but everyone arrived at their separate entrances to the state department december 10 and the second stage was under now the process has been adjourned and the situation looks remarkably similar to what it was after Little agreement nothing of substance was achieved in there is agreement to meet for resumed but not on where to the arabs want them held in the israelis want them held in the Middle they probably will be held in on or after january peace is no no commitments have been unilaterally or despite things have in All delegations met in they met israels delegation met face to with Lebanon and in meeting no such talks were held with the joint Jor Dania palestinian delegation because the palestinians decided to do exactly what the Washington editor David Macdonald arabs had complained that Israel was trying to do prejudge the outcome of a joint jordanian palestinian delegation suited the palestinians in Madrid but Sud Denly did not suit them in per haps due to pique Over israels delaying tac separate meetings it was generally understood that there Yould be one meeting of the israeli delegation with the joint jordanian palestinian Dele to be followed by separate meetings in which Israel would meet with the Palestin ians and the jordanians to discuss issues of direct Mutual this sensible arrange ment was upset when the palestinians demanded that they meet face to face with is Rael at a not a the palestinians pounced on an israeli description of the second meetings As saying they would not be insulted by being relegated to subcommittee the palestinians wanted the status of a sep Arate delegation and so of a separate sover eign which is what they were sup posed to have come to Washington to begin they wanted at the Start what they had originally hoped that they might gain at the the result was that not once could the is the jordanians or the palestinians enter their assigned room and begin while israeli delegations met with the Leba Nese and the the third set of talks was restricted to benches in the the jordanians were prisoners of the refusal of the palestinians to enter the room with them and the refusal of the israelis to enter the room without the israelis and the palestinians were informally meeting face to face on these negotiating face to face As they never had each Side offered pos sible solutions but they could not the atmosphere was not although it got the palestinians no nearer to the self de termination they the lebanese talks produced nothing but went the lebanese sought israeli withdrawal from South while the israe Lis wanted a peace Strong Security guarantees and withdrawal from Lebanon of Syrias Strong occupation the fact is that Lebanon cannot sign a peace treaty unless Syria permits it Only Syria can make Security guarantees work by refusing to let Iran terrorist oper ate in South Lebanon Only Syria can make Syria pull its troops talks with Syria seemed to begin reason ably but swiftly became Chilly and Syria wanted its Golan Heights returned before talking about anything syr Ian unread Ness for real bargaining was Tele graphed by refusal to Exchange Telephone numbers with israeli refusal to drink Coffee with to make Small talk with them or to ride in the same there seemed to a syrian Assumption that at tending the talks and publicly supporting in Resolution 242 were huge enough conces Sions to justify return of its territory without talking about a treaty with Iron Clad Security guarantees for control of water for the Golan Heights bring dam ascus within artillery provide warning time of a syrian give control of water ease the problem of anticipating terrorist attacks from South Lebanon and keep Galilee settlements out of Range of syrian artillery for the Heights provide military Opportunity and regained prestige in the Arab when the syrians decide to negotiate Seri it ought to be possible to shape a Deal that would cover lebanese issues As Well As the Golan the syrians Call the shots in if they want part or All of the Heights they will have to satisfy Israel about Security at its Border with As Well As Security at its Border with Las object to criticism of generous pension plan Edmonton Alberta Las love to whine these Days about unfair criticism of their taxpayer subsidized otherwise knows As the pension the latest to weigh in is tory Premier Don who says that his yearly pension will not be if he retires in As the Al Berta association of taxpayers has the Premier will probably get Only a it the taxpayers association goofed apparently because it assumed continuous service by the the new a formed furious at the benefits paid to has been holding news conferences to charge that Alberta politicians have the sweetest Deal in they made a mistake in the premiers but the Public is unlikely to feel much sym a cries of pain there Arent Many albertan like the can work at a Job for just 20 years and earn a pension of even after Tak ing a six year break in the Middle of the ser the Las cries of pain Are refuted every year by two pages of the governments own Public these make for the most revealing Reading in the whole thick wad of budget related some of the More striking cases u former treasurer Hydman gets a year while serving As paid chair Man of the Federal governments task Force on u Helen Hunley Drew during her time As another paid to q Gordon Taylor pulled Down for his years As Drumheller and another pension from Ottawa for his later time in Ottawa As a tory q exp remier Peter Lougheed is paid every As we he is other Wise employed As a lawyer and As a director Don braid in Alberta of a Hal dozen major Canadian o former Deputy Premier Dave elected with in gets one of the fattest pensions of All he was in office for four years after Lougheed and in Cabinet for 17 opposition politicians Benefit of although usually not As richly be cause they dont have the advantage of calculations based on recent lofty Hob the former sacred gets a William an Edmon ton new Democrat who wont run in the next will draw a More modest but still worthwhile sum about if the elec Tion comes in the total yearly payments under this plan came to the Las contributions per cent of earnings made up for Only a fraction of these contributions might soon Rise Sharp but the Las will still Benefit from a Cou ple of devices that nobody else Best three years for their pensions Are calculated on the Best three years of and on four per cent of those earnings multiplied by years of elsewhere in the Alberta civil service where the pensions Arent bad by most Stan Dards calculations Are based on a five year average and Only per cent of this Means that a civil servant with Wil Liam Roberts rather than receiving would get Only Premier Getty urges critics such As the taxpayers association to get their facts they should when it comes to Las pensions in its hard enough to believe the former Premier Peter Lougheed gets a pension of More than a a Newfoundland myth started during the second world War has come Back to haunt the free press a year ago last the weekly published a Story about Manitoba aviator Bob i Emerts restoration work on an old Hurri it had gone to Newfoundland and salvaged some remnants from an old fighter plane that had crashed in a near Green the crash killed Pilot Douglas of Keno Diemert also brought Back More than a few rusted he repeated to weekly reporter Doug Nairne a farfetched Story some Green Harbor residents still Tell about the crash of Hurricane the since de bunked by an Eye witness and official re has Ruggles being a nazi sympathizer and Saboteur of bombers in when military police caught up with stole the Hurricane and was shot Down attempting to Nairne went through official Accident re spoke with historians about the crash and talked with Green Harbor resident Jim Vaters who indicated there was no doubt in any of our minds that the plane had been shot he included All those details along with the legend in his first a week lat Nairne wrote another Story govt history denies Pilot shot last Winnipeg lawyer Smellie wrote the free press on behalf of retired Squadron Leader Lamont Parsons who authorized the ill fated Low flying practice run from which Ruggles didst Smellie and Parsons Are friends and both have worked on a National committee for the Canadian corps of Parsons had received a letter from the Sis Ter of in it she expressed con Cern that repeating of the myth Clouds her Brothers in Parsons wrote to Smellie requesting his help in Clearing the Good name of also included in ombudsman Barry Mullin the correspondence was a letter from Ellen Margaret who along with her a Hugh were eyewitnesses to the Parsons said the morning following the crash a medical officer and men to help carry a met with Kirby and a police went to the crash site and re moved the a funeral with full military honors was held from the anglican Cathedral in Johns and burial took place in the War Graves cemetery in the Accident investigation Board concluded the crash was caused by inexperience of the Pilot in allow ing the aircraft to go out of control at so Low an Altitude that he was unable to recover be fore hitting the Parsons also said he had spoken with the Green Harbor resident reporter Nairne Parsons was 10 years old when the Accident took place and the retired Squadron Leader quoted him As saying he had never really believed the Story about the plane being shot Parson said he had been in touch with Sev eral surviving including the com manding Squadron Leader and they All share my sorrow at the discredit this Story has brought upon the Ruggles fam ily and on the Peck said in an interview from Pentic where she now lives that she was having a picnic with her Mother and brother when the crash i can re member it like it was said Peck describing How one of two planes Sud Denly nosedive into the Wjk can Tell you step step How we got to the crash site and put out the the plane was pretty much together and his body was still in my dad said prayers right Peck said she heard no gunfire before the crash nor did we see any Bullet holes in the her recollection of the time of the Early afternoon Accident corresponds with the official Accident she added that she also remembers it was a Bright Clear Day because i received a terrible she said she had never heard the its a Nasty thing for his sister to have that on her assessment newspapers Deal better in facts than they do when forced to get into myths or the danger in reporting romanticized modern myths is that some read ers Are bound to believe them even though the facts strongly suggest was the Mere mention of the Green Harbor myth enough to damage the Good name and memory of Ruggles i dont think so but that not How family and his fellow officers saw while both stories touched on the legend and the inconsistencies in official Accident the official denials were Given prominent play and certainly received preferential treatment to the debunked my Only quibble was with the Saboteur shot Down in that appeared on the continuation of the first it was too pointed for a Story that tended to poke substantial holes in the legend of Hurri Cane it should have contained the myth Angle rather than making an unequivocal its time to Clear the memory and Good name of Douglas Sqq setting the record straight estimated weekday circulation of the free press int As stated in my column last net sunday circulation is about according to circulation director Ron using circulation Fig ures for a on week period this said net circulation weekdays is about with saturday net circulation slightly More than a Story Winnipeg Deputy mayor Dave Brown said contained untruths and innuendo appeared 12 and not 11 As reported in an our mistake Brown used the 11 Date in a letter of a copy of which he sent to the denied lists of subcontract councillors express appeared inside the local news a photo outline on wednesdays food front indicated Val grand prize Winner of the free press heres to your health recipe uses a Blowtorch among other Kitchen items to make her award winning three bean in the Blowtorch int used when making the Chili it used for other culinary i also want to take this Opportunity to wish All up readers a Happy and Safe Holiday doonesbury by Garry Trudeau who 1120 arson Hie 600v gop Founza fire 00mbit looks sure like c a speak Turzy 70 the a6reas5 ;