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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 1988)
News Digest Official: North met twice with Noriega WASHINGTON — Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega, Panama’s military ruler, met with Lt. Col. Oliver L. North twice in 1985 and agreed to provide military training for U.S. - backed Contra rebels, an exiled for mer Panamanian official testified Wednesday. The witness, Jose I. Blandon, once a senior member of Panama’s intelligence apparatus, said Noriega later offered to send Panamanian soldiers inside Nicaragua to conduct “terrorist sabotage” against that f -- ' -. 1 1 country’s leftist Sandinisla govern ment. But he said North replied that he had no authority to accept such an offer and would relay it to his superi-' ors at the National Security Council. Blandon also testified that Vice President George Bush used Noriega in October 1983 to warn Cuban leader Fidel Castro that the United States was about to invade Grenada. He said the message from Bush was to warn Cuba not to try to inter vene in the U.S. military action against the Caribbean island nation. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the phone call from Noriega meant “Fidel Castro probably knew about it (the invasion) before we did.” Blandon, appearing under oath before the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on terrorism, contra dicted statements by Noriega last week that in a December 1985 meet ing with Rear Adm. John Poindexter, just installed as presidential national security adviser, the subject of Nica ragua had not come up. NelSraskan Editor Mike Rellley 472-1766 Managing Editor Jen Deselms Assoc News Editors Curt Wagner Chris Anderson Editorial Page Editor Diana Johnson Wire Editor Bob Nelson Copy Desk Editor Joan Rezac Sports Editor Jett Apel Arts & Entertain ment editor Charles Lleurance Asst Arts & Entertainment Editor Geoff MeMurtry Graphics Editor Tom Lauder Asst. Graphics Editor Jody Beam Photo Chief Mark Davis Night News Editors Joeth Zucco Scott Harrah Art Director John Bruce General Manager Daniel Shattll Production Manager Katherine Pollcky Advertising Manager Marcia Miller Asst. Advertising Manager Bob Bates Publications Board Chairman Don Johnson, 472- 3611 Professional Adviser Don Walton 473- 7301 The Daily Nebraskan (USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board. Nebraska Union 34, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb (except holidays), weekly during the summer session Subscription price is $35 for one year Postmaster Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb 68588-0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln. Neb ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1988 DAILY NEBRASKAN I Homeland leader ousted in coup JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — The army of Bophuthatswana seized control of the tribal homeland early Wednesday and deposed the president. South African troops then entered the homeland to aid the ousted government. President P.W. Botha of South Africa told Parliament in Cape Town that he ordered South African secu rity forces into Bophuthatswana at the request of members of the Cabi net of deposed President Lucas Mangopc. Bophuthatswana, 200 miles northwest of Johannesburg, is one of four nominally independent black homelands inside South Africa. No other country recognizes their inde pendence. In seizing control early Wednes day the Bophuthatswana army ac cused Mangopc of corruption and human rights abuses. The army said In a Daily Nebraskan article Tues day it was reported that debate would continue Wednesday on a bill to es tablish living wills. Debate was not scheduled to continue Wednesday. power would be handed over to an opposition parly. Botha said South African forces were in the process of carrying out their mission and he was awaiting information from the forces’ com mander. He made it clear that South African troops had entered the home land. He said the South African forces had been ordered to give priority to the safety of the South African Embassy and its personnel in the capital, Mmapatho, to Mangope, his Cabinet and their families. He said the request for assistance “in the name of peace and justice” had come from Bophuthatswana Foreign Minister S.L.L. Rathebc, who had taken refuge in the South African Embassy with some other members of the Cabinet, relatives and officials. j Gorbachev criticizes NATO effort on weapons MOSCOW — NATO efforts to develop weapons to supplant those l banned by the new superpower accord will undermine the agreement and could have serious consequences, Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gor bachev said Tuesday. He also acknowledged a “deep-rooted’' fear of the Soviets by some j Europeans that could make them reluctant to give up nuclear arms. The Kremlin leader made the comments in a meeting with Lothar Spaeth, minister-president of the West German state of Baden Wuerttembcrg, who is on an official visit to Moscow, the Tass news agency reported. On Sunday, two U.S. officials attending a weekend meeting in West Germany called for improvements in the North Atlantic treaty Organization’s short-range nuclear missiles and conventional forces. Robertson declares himself ‘on the winning edge’ CONCORD, N.H. — Republican Pal Robertson declared in New Hampshire Wednesday lhal “I’m on the winning edge” after finishing | second in Iowa, while Paul Simon, the Iowa runneruip among Demo crats, stepped up his criticism of Richard Gephardt but admitted his own campaign had money problems. Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis sailed in for a fight on his home turf, declaring he would lead the pack after the Feb. 16 primary here. Iowa winner Gephardt at least partly agreed, describing himself as “clearly the underdog”. U.N. envoy says final Afghan agreement near ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — U.N. mediator Diego Cordovez an j nounced Tuesday that a virtual agreement had been reached to end the j Soviet Union’s eight years of military intervention in Afghanistan. Cordovez, appearing tired but pleased, told a news conference in the \ Pakistani capital that officials from Islamabad and Kabul would go to l Geneva for a new and possibly final round of indirect peace talks on March 2. All that remains is to “fill in the blanks” of the Soviets’ disengage ment, Cordovez said. Human rights report released Soviet improvements cited, dramatic progress awaited WASHINGTON — Mikhail S. Gorbachev improved the Soviet human rights performance last year, and there “has been some relaxation in the harshness of repression,” but more dramatic progress is awaited, the Slate Department said Wednes day. In its annual report on human rights in 169 countries and territories, the department also said it observed positive signs in Poland, Hungary, South Korea and Taiwan. On the negative side, Richard Schiller, assistant secretary of state for human rights, told a news confer ence North Korea is the worst viola tor of human rights. The report, repealing a long list of conditions imposed by the Israeli government on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza terri tory, said hopes for the establishment of democracy in Haiti were set back and concluded “there was no prog ress toward respect for human rights in South Africa.” On the situation in the Soviet Union, Schiftcr said, “we have not witnessed the dawn of democracy in the USSR,” which he called a one party dictatorship dominated by sc crct police. In the past, dissenters and demon strators in the Soviet Union were often sent to Siberian camps; they are still beaten or harassed, but the over all new ph i losophy is “to let them be,” Schifter said. The 1,358-pagc report was sent to Congress to give senators and repre sentatives guidance in deciding which nations arc worthy of U.S. aid and trade benefits. Israeli police action that has led to more than SOdeaths among Palestini ans docs not warrant cuts in U.S. aid to Israel, Schifter said. R6n/e Hipness Prezest L^es to f»t‘t away from all bureaucratic hub bub by going to Ihingsville where he Ls frequently seen sporting flashy shades and singing the theme from Rawhide. I Break away from your everyday hub-hub, buy your shades from Thingsville. I Centrum THINGSVILLE Gateway!