THE 1997 CADILLAC DEVILLE... AUTOMOTIVE SPA ON WHEELS Kitan Fires Factory Workers Jerusalem (JPFS) — Workers at the Kitan textile factory in Beit She'an are preparing for a long and bitter fight for their jobs, fol- lowing an announcement by management that it intends to close most of the plant. Pinni Kabalo, head of the local labor council, said the decision to sack 110 of the factory's 180 employees is a catastrophe for the workers and Beit She'an. Most of the facility will be shut down within the next few days, including firing workers, trans- ferring equipment and loss of sales. The Beit She'an plant will con- tinue to operate its Levis Laun- dry and finished products warehouse. Employees described the com- pany's decision as a "bolt from the blue." The work is to be trans- ferred to Kitan's other plant in Dimona. The company has sug- gested that 25 of the current stall' move to Dimona, but the rest will be dismissed. A statement issued by Kitan said it intends to retain two other departments at the Beit She'an factory. The company has blamed gov- ernment policies, especially its economic program — which has kept the shekel high against the dollar, resulting in much lower profits for the company's exports. The decision was taken to cen- tralize production at Kitan's fac- tories in Dimona and Upper Nazareth and close the finishing department at Beit She'an, the company said. Stk# V212910 ten to choose from Lease $3,000 Down *GMAC SMARTLEASE 36 Mos. First Pymt, Ref. sec. dep. of S600 down payment as shown above, plate or transfer fee due on delivery. State & lux. tax additional. Mile limitation of 36,000. 15c per mile excess charge over limitation. Lessee has option to purchase at lease end. Sedan DeVille S21,628. To get total payments, multiply payment by number of months. 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For Free Estimates (810) 681-8280 Jerusalem (JPFS) — Canada's International Trade Minister Art Eggleton has introduced a bill to the Canadian parliament to im- plement a free-trade agreement with Israel. If enacted, the deal will remove tariffs on industrial products of Canadian or Israeli origin. The only exceptions to this will be women's swimwear at Canada's request and certain cotton fab- rics at Israel's. Tariffs on these will be phased out over two-and- a-half years. Duty-free access or low duties will be applied to a variety of agri- cultural and fisheries products — excluding dairy, poultry and egg products. Talks will be held within two years to further lib- eralize agricultural trade. Ministerial agreement was reached during Industry and Trade Minister Natan Sharan- sky's visit to Canada during the summer. Backers hope the necessary legislation will be completed in the next few weeks to allow the deal to run from January 1, 1997. Canada intends extending the agreement to the PA areas, and hopes talks will start in the near future. Elite Sells Coffee Factories Jerusalem — Elite Industries in- tends to enter negotiations with a European food company in an attempt to sell its coffee factories in Spain, Belgium, and France, the company said in a Tel Aviv Stock Exchange announcement. The European company has offered to purchase all three of Elite's no-brand name coffee fac- tories in these countries. Elite re- fused to provide additional details of the discussions. The factories considered for sale are the Cafes Excela coffee plant in France, which supplies private-label coffee there, and the Fort coffee plant in Belgium, which manufactures and sells roasted and ground coffee under private labels for retail customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Britain. Finally, the company is con- sidering the sale of the Union Tostadora coffee plant in Spain, which is considered the largest private-label coffee manufactur- er in Spain. It supplies premium coffees to the country's leading retailers. Elite's coffee factories have suf- fered greatly over the last few years, primarily due to their in- ability to control the skyrocket- ing price of raw materials and sale prices, which are determined by the market's larger producers. During the last few months, Elite Chairman David Feder- man's most urgent priority has been to reduce Elite's losses in Western Europe. For this pur- pose, Elite hired international (- consulting firm Arthur D. Little, which is expected to present its recommendations to manage- ment within the next few weeks. Already, Elite has said it would follow Arthur D. Little's recommendation to close the Union Coffee plant in Berlin. Union, the main source of Elite's losses in Western Europe, pro- duces private-label products. Israelis Travel Abroad Jerusalem — Almost 700,000 Is- raelis made trips abroad during July and August, the Central Bu- reau of Statistics reported. That represents a 19 percent increase on the same period last year. Of those leaving the country, 78 per- cent traveled by air, a 15 percent increase over the equivalent fig- ure for 1995.