World IN BRIEF : EUROPE, AFRICA : Study Finds Better Airport Security

A U.S. commission on aviation security and terrorism appointed after the Flight 103 disaster said that airport security has improved in Europe. But, “if there is an Achilles’ heel in aviation security, it is Africa, which is literally a basket case,” said Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation subcommittee on aviation. Oberstar, at a London news conference, cited poor training for security personnel, high staff turnover, insufficient detection equipment and economic pressures on African governments for shortcomings there. President Bush appointed the seven-member commission after Pan AM Flight 103 from Frankfurt to New York via London was blown up by a terrorist bomb over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on Dec. 21, 1988.