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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 25, 1986)
Tuesday, November 25, 1986 Page 2 Daily Nebraskan New Digest By The Associated Press Arms sale delbate Official challenges Reagan on Iranian statements WASHINGTON A top-ranking State Department offi cial on Monday bluntly challenged President Reagan's assurances that there's been no recent evidence of Iranian involvement in terrorism, while Reagan defended anew his decision to approve arms shipments to Tehran. "I don't like to have to differ with my president, but I believe there is some evidence of Iranian involvement with terrorists," Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead said during an extraordinary appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Whitehead testified as Reagan said, "I didn't make any mistakes" and declared that "I'm not firing anybody." the president than sat down with members of his Cabinet and top advisers to weigh new moves, amid a crescendo of calls by members of Congress for a White House shakeup. In statements that left some House committee members stunned, Whitehead, the No. 2 State Department offical unde" Secretary of State George Shultz, also suggested pointedly that Congress rein in the national Security Coun cil, and said publicly that his department was disenchanted with the unit. In his nationally broadcast speech Nov. 13, Reagan defended his policy of selling arms to Iran, saying that "since U.S. government contacts began with Iran, there's been no evi dence of Iranian government complicity in acts of terrorism against the United States." Whitehead contradicted that Monday. Responding to the committee's questions, he said: "There continues to be terrorist acts in Iran of the type that we find to be reprehensible." State Department spokesmen had been saying for weeks that while Iran remained on a list of nations officially identified as "terrorist-sponsoring states," they would not provide evidence that nation has sponsored any recent terrorist acts. On Friday, however, Whitehead, and other State Depart ment officials speaking privately, linked Iranian-sponsored groups to the kidnapping of three Americans seized in Beirut since Sept. 9. 4 4 0 4 i Israel quiet on arms role JERUSALEM Foreign Minister Shimon Peres tried Monday to defuse pressure on the Israeli government to disclose its role in shipping U.S. arms to Iran, promising to report to a watchdog subcommittee in Parliament. He flatly refused, however, to give information about any Iranian arms deal when he appeared before the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, an unwieldy, 26-member body where deliberations are rarely kept secret. He promised instead to brief the six-member Sub committee on Armed Services. The development came amid concern that an angry U.S. Congress could make Israel a scapegoat for the U.S. administration's sales. The political uproar in the United States over the arms shipments has just begun to spread to Israel, where many Israelis accept that arms deals are not a subject for public debate. The full 120-member Knesset, or parlia ment, scheduled a debate for Tuesday on the issue. President Reagan has said he authorized a third coun try, reportedly Israel, to ship arms to Iran to try to form links with Iranian moderates. In Brief Two die in skydiving accidents HAZLETON, Pa. A free-falling skydiver was knocked unconscious when he collided with a fellowjumper and fell 8,000 feet to his deat h with his parachute unopened. Everard L. Pampellonne, a Cornell University graduate student from Ithaca, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday, said Luzerne County Deputy Coroner Andrew Piskel. Pampellonne crashed into Donald Kellner, 50, a skydiving instructor from Sugarloaf who had just opened his parachute, according to state police Trooper John Hlivia. Kellner, who says he has made more than 10,000 jumps in 25 years, landed safely and suffered cuts and bruises. Pampellonne had-been skydiving for at least three years, said Piskel. SPARTA, 111. A student who had jumped more than 150 times fell to his death Saturday after his parachute became tangled. Jeffrey Parker Rodman, 22, a graduate student in architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., had planned to release a toy parachute carrying a doll, which was attached by a cord to his leg, so the doll would land with him, said Dave Verner, owner of Archway Parachute Center. But Rodman's main parachute got caught in the cord, Verner said. Rodman managed to cut away his tangled main parachute but did not open his reserve chute in time, said Illinois state police Patrolman David L. Stine. Hasenfus pardon appeal may be filed MANAGUA, Nicaragua The lawyer for imprisoned American Mercen ary Eugene Hasenfus said Monday he expects to file an appeal for a pardon this week and a Roman Catholic archbishop said he believed a pardon would be approved. Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramirez said in Boston that a pardon could depend on improved U.S.-Nicaraguan relations. Hasenfus' attorney, Enrique Sotelo Borgen, said in an interview with The Associated Press that he was waiting to consult with her client's American lawyers before presenting a formal request for a pardon to the Sandinista government's National Commission for Protection and Promo tion of Human Rights. Any pardon must be approved by the human rights commission, the president and congress. Hasenfus, 45, of Marinette, Wis., was sentenced Nov. 15 to a 30-year prison term after being convicted of flying weapons to U.S.-supported Nicaraguan rebels. He was captured by Sandinista troops on Oct. 6. Committee selects site for winter games SPARKS, Nev. The U.S. Olympic Committee voted over whelmingly Sunday to make Anchorage, Alaska, its represen tative to host the 1994 winter Olympics. The USOC's 86-member Exec utive Board also approved Colo rado Springs, Colo., as the site of an Olympic Hall of Fame, and approved Oklahoma City as the location for the 1989 U.S. Olym pic Festival. USOC President Robert Hel mick said the main reason for supporting Anchorage as the U.S. bid city for the 1994 Winter Games was that other American cities including Reno, Nev. wouldn't have enough time to make an adequate presentation to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC is expected to make its decision on the 1994 Winter Olympics location during the 1988 Summer Games at Seoul, South Korea. All bids must be submit ted to the IOC by next April. Helmick's argument of the inadequate time for other U.S. cit ies to submit bids was questi oned by Bruce Bogaert, head of the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Organizing Committee. - Anchorage was chosen over several cities in the battle for the 1992 U.S. bid, but the IOC last month selected Albertville, France, to host those Games. Rick Mystrom of the Anchor age organizing committee for the Games, said the city has spent $3 million in seeking the Winter Olympics and will spend nearly that much over the next two years. Mystrom also said Alaska "will begin a very intensive lobbying process" to get a favorable IOC vote. He said Anchorage has a good chance because it will be the first formal applicant for the 1994 Games. Flooding forces dozens from their homes Road washout strands 1,000 at mountain resort SNOQUALMIE, Wash. Flooding caused by heavy rain and melting snow forced dozens of families from their homes Monday and blocked the only highway to a mountain resort where about 1,000 weekend skiers were stranded. Flooding and mudslides cut off rail roads east and west of Seattle, one by a mudslide that cut a 300-foot-deep gap through 60 feet of track. Water and a slide also closed Interstate 90, the state's major east-west highway, for part of the day. Plans had been made to airlift skiers off Mount Baker, near the Canadian border north of Seattle, Neil Clement, spokesman for the Whatcome County Department of Emergency Services, said Monday. About 80 families were evacuated when the Snoqualmie River flooded at least 200 houses three feet deep in this town about 25 miles southeast of Seat tle, officials said. 1-90 was closed through Snoqualmie Pass, about 55 miles east of Seattle, by water and a slide, but the westbound lanes were reopened Monday, said Rick Daniels of the state Department of Transportation. Barclays pulls out from S. Africa JOHANNESBURG, South Africa Barclays Bank of Britain, citing finan cial and political pressure, said Mon day it sold its last shares in its South African affiliate for about $230 million. It was the biggest divestment yet by a foreign company. A consortium of South African com panies signed the deal last week to buy Barclays' shares in Barclays National Bank of South Africa, the country's largest commercial bank. "The Barclays PLC sale of shares must have an impact on the South Afri can economy. It is certainly not a peri lous matter, but it is cause for serious concern in terms of psychological impact," Basil Hersov, chairman of Barclays National, told a news con ference. The London-based Barclays Bank PLC once owned 100 percent of the local affiliate but since 1973 has reduced its share to 40.4 percent. Its final pullout is the first by a major British company but follows withdrawal by numerous American companies, most recently General Motors, Kodak and IBM. The value of the divestment and number of employees involved 26,000 made it the largest so far. However, officials of the local affiliate said the existing staff and operations will be maintained. South African bankers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they feared Barclays' withdrawal would encourage pullouts by other British companies. Britain is the largest for eign investor in South Africa, with $8.5 billion. "Barclays are longstanding friends of South Africa," said local managing director Chris Ball. "They're not doing this to punish South Africa. In London, Barclays spokesman Geoffrey Kelly said the sale was made chiefly because of the affiliate's poor economic performance and unfavora ble prospects for the South African economy. East Germans shoot, kill man at Berlin Wall BERLIN East German border guards fired dozens of shots Monday at a young man trying to climb over the Berlin Wall to the West and he fell to the ground covered with blood, West ern authorities said. They said he prob ably died. A West Berlin witness to the wall shooting reported hearing shouts of "Halt, stand still," followed by 30 to 50 shots on the eastern side of the wall at about 1:30 a.m., West Berlin police said. The witness said he saw someone climb to the top of the wall, then col lapse and fall back into East German territory, according to police. "I got you, you pig," an East German border guard shouted at the bloodied form sprawled on the ground, police said. They said the man was covered with a tarpaulin and carried away. In Bonn, the Intra-German Relations Ministry issued a statement saying the would-be escapee was a man and was "probably killed." Police spokesman in .West Berlin also told The Associated Press the man most likely was dead. The witness also reported an appar ent protest by an East German guard, who shouted at fellow guards and ang rily threw his hat to the ground, police said. The guard was disarmed by his colleagues and escorted away, they said. It was the fourth time in 1 2 days that East German guards have shot at flee ing people, said West Germany's chief government spokesman, Friedhelm Ost. France, Britain and the United States, which have administered Berlin's West ern sectors since World War II, de manded an end to "brutal force" by East German guards at the wall. Erf'.r Snoquaimiejtiyer' j yj Snoqualmill , j J Seattte Washington : Correction In Monday's article "NU Board of Regents to allow alcohol at ball," (Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 24) NU Regent Robert Koefoot did not say the decision was a "one time occurence." The quote should have been attributed to UNL Chancellor Martin Massen gale. Massengale said he dis agreed with Koefoot. Massengale said students will not see the decision as "a foot in the door" to change UNL's alcohol policy. It was also reported that ASUN senator Richard Burke was an Arts and Sciences senator. Burke is a Teachers College senator. The Daily Nebraskan regrets the errors. An ad on Page 3 of the Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 24, incorrectly listed CROSSFIRE as the band appearing at The New Horny Bull, Nov. 25-29. The band appear ing is Whiskey River Boys. The Daily Nebraskan regrets the error. Neliralskan The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board Monday through Friday in the fall and spring semesters and Tuesdays and Fridays in the summer sessions, except during vacations.