MOGADISHU (Reuter) - American troops searched vehicles in the Somali capital for weapons and tightened their grip on the airport yesterday in a clampdown on gun rule before President George Bush arrives today. This is probably the most controversial part of their mission as defined by a United Nations mandate.Last week, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, the 2e REP, the toughest and most glamorous French regiment, blue helmets replacing their white kepis, took over Sarajevo airport from the French marines in the UN Protection Force (Unprofor) who secured it and opened it to relief flights six months ago.'They are going to find it is a big moral problem,' said a marine NCO. Indeed, the US Commerce Department's preliminary 'dumping' determinations against carbon steel producers in 19 countries could not have come at a worse time for the new Administration. Nevertheless, the race may not provide the easy pickings their trainers had hoped for and BRANDON PRINCE (nap 2.00), may prove too strong..

The RFU intends revealing all on Tuesday at the East India Club in London - a fashionable venue for rugby media events these days, though I venture this will be more prosaic than the British Isles tour party announcement last Monday. In 1990 Courage paid pounds 2.1m; in '93 it is fair to assume the figure will not have reached the pounds 4m that has been bandied about even if Heineken's pounds 2.1m backing (plus pounds 1m in marketing support) of the Welsh league has raised the stakes for everyone. Miraculously, few people starved to death in central and northern Bosnia last winter. Mr de Larosiere is the only contestant in the election of a new EBRD president, which takes place today. 'I've never tried to operate on a plane with an interpreter, but it won't mean we compromise safety We will just slow things down After all, it's my neck.