The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 16, 1990, Page 2, Image 2

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    News Digest
Colombian drug summit rules out use of U.S. troops
CARTAGENA, Colombia - Presi
dent Bush and three Latin American
leaders, conducting a tense summit
under an air, sea and land security
shield, forged agreement Thursday
on a new joint drug-fighting strategy.
Bush called it “the first anti-drug
cartel."
Flanked by the leaders of the three
largest cocaine-producing nations,
Bush called the summit an "ice-break
ing” event. He vowed to step up
attempts to curtail the demand for
narcotics at home, saying "we are
making progress” but that more needs
to be done.
A joint communique signed by
Bush and Presidents Virgilio Barco
of Colombia, Jaime Pa/ Zamora of
Bolivia and Alan Garcia of Peru
apparently ruled out the use of U.S.
military forces in the Andean region.
“Each country'may involve its armed
forces in this fight within its own
national territory," it said.
In their meeting, they steered away
from some of the most controversial
drug initiatives, such as the idea of a
naval cordon off Colombia, andchosc
instead to deal in broader themes.
That helped keep harmony among
sometimes differing leaders.
Extraordinary security precautions
were taken to protect Bush and his
three summit partners, with some 5,000
uniformed troops watching over the
proceedings. Battleships presented an
imposing force off shore and helicop
ter gunships hovered nearby.
But Colombian guerrillas made their
own point, one of defiance. They
kidnapped an American priestinCali,
the third U.S. citizen taken prisoner
by rebels this week. Also, a small
bomb exploded Thursday morning, 4
1/2 miles from Barranquilla Airport,
damaging a voltage regulator of a 1 ine
that fed the air conditioning of the
airport where Bush landed two hours
later.
Summing up his talks with the
Latin American presidents, Bush told
reporters, “I owe it to the children of
America, the United Stales, ... to
these three presidents, to guarantee
them that we will do everything we
can to cut... the demand for narcot
ics in the United States.”
That was a message that had been
awaited by the three Andean presi
-4 4
Every tactic and
every weapon pales
into insignificance
compared to the
need to reduce de
mand.
Barco
Colombian president
-9 9
dents, who came to the summit com
plaining that the United States had
not done enough at home to curtail
demand for drugs.
‘‘Every tactic and every weapon
pales mte insignificance compared to
the need to reduce demand,” Barco
said. ‘‘The only law that the narco
terrorists do not break is the law of
supply and demand.”
Zamora said the leaders had talked
about creating an ‘‘alternate econ
omy” so the peasants of the coca
growing and processing nations would
not be dependent on the crop for their
livelihoods.
At the end, Garcia, who once threat
ened to boycott the summit to protest
the U.S. invasion of Panama, spoke
of the need for a vigorous crop substi
tution program, and with a smile,
asked, “Where’s the beef?”
Barco said, “No,” when asked if
Colombia would be willing to have
U.S. naval forces patrolling in inter
national waters off Colombia’s coast
to keep track of drug shipments. “It is
not necessary,” he said.
In their communique, the summit
nations called for a “world confer
ence against illicit drug trafficking in
1991.” The four nations agreed to
hold a high-level followup to Thurs
day’s session within six months, but
specified no level of U.S. aid to help
the South Americans.
Bush previously had pledged S2.2
billion over five years to aid the Andean
countries economically and militar
ily in waging the drug war. He said
Thursday he did not foresee any
immediate increases in that commit
ment.
But he did say the four had taken
significant steps to work together on
the problem. “We in fact created the
first anti-drug cartel.”
Responding to Colombian com
plaints that U.S. trade policy has
harmed its major legal exports such
as coffee, cut flowers and sugar, Bush
promised to work to help open more
U.S. markets.
U.S. officials also reached agree
ment with Bolivia to help stem the
movement of U.S. firearms into South
American nations and signed tax
accords with both Bolivia and Peru
aimed at establishing a system to trac e
drug profits and money-laundering
schemes.
Barry indicted for possession and lying
WASHINGTON - Mayor Marion
Barry was indicted Thursday on eight
charges of possessing crack cocaine
and lying repeatedly to a federal grand
jury questioning him about drug use.
”1 know that when a trial is held I
will be exonerated,” Barry declared.
Barry was undergoing treatment
at a Florida substance abuse clinic
when the grand jury relumed the
indictment to a federal magistrate.
He enrolled in the clinic after his
arrest last month in what authorities
say was a videotaped hotel drug sting.
He said in a statement that the
indictment “represents a continuation
of the poliucal lynching and excesses
that the Justice Department in this
multi-year, multi-million dollar ef
fort to investigate me and the Barry
administration.”
Barry said he had no plans to re
sign. His lawyer, R. Kenneth Mundy,
said Barry would return from Florida
for arraignment within 10 days and
plead innocent
In the face of rumors that have
dogged him the past several years,
Barry steadfastly denied ever using
drugs. In his statement Thursday, Barry
said he was undergoing treatment for
“the disease of alcoholism.”
While Barry has been undergoing
treatment he has turned over the day
to-day operations of the district gov
ernment to a city administrator.
The indictment charged that dur
ing a Jan. 19, 1989, grand jury ap
pearance Barry lied under oath by
staling he was unaware that Charles
Lewis was involved with drugs and
by slating that the two men hadn’t
exchanged cocaine.
Lewis, who is cooperating with
the investigation, was recently sen
tenced to 15 months in prison on drug
charges.
Each of the three false declaration
charges carries a five-year prison term
and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Four charges against Barry involve
alleged possession of cocaine between
Dec. 16-22, 1988, the period when
Barry was visting Lewis at the down
town Ramada Inn.
The fifth drug-possession charge
stems from Barry’s Jan. 18 arrest at
the Vista International Hotel where
he was visiting a former girlfriend,
Rashccda Moore.
Nebraskan
Editor Amy Edwards
472-1766
Managing Editor Ryan Stsevss
Assoc News Editors Lisa Donovan
„ _ Eric Planner
Arts & Entertain
ment Editor Michael Deeds
Diversions Editor Mick Dyer
Graphics Editor John Bruce
Photo Chief David Hansen
Night News Editors Jana Pedersen
Diane Brayton
Art Director Brian Shell Ho
Graphics Editor John Bruce
Sower Editor Lae Rood
Genera* Manager Dan Shaft II
Production Manager Katherine Policky
Advertising Manager Jon Daehnks
Sales Manager Kerry Jeflries
Publications Board
Chairman Pam Hein
472- 2588
Professional Adviser Don WaKon
473- 7301
The Daily Nebraskan(USPS 144 080) is
published by the UNI Publications Board, Ne
braska Union 34, 1400 R St , Lincoln, NE,
Monday through Fnday during the academic
year, weekly during summer sessions
Readers are encouraged to submit story
ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan
by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a m and 5
p m Monday through Friday The public also
has access to the Publications Board For
information contact Pam Hem, 472 2588
Subscription pnce is $45 for one year
Postmaster Send address changes to the
Daily Nebraskan Nebraska Union 34,1400 R
St ,Lincoln, NE 68588 0448 Second class
postage pa d at Lincoln NE
ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT
1990 DAILY NEBRASKAN
Tadzhikistanis defy bans
MOSCOW - Thousands of people
defied a ban on protests in Dushanbe,
the violence-tom capital of Tadzhiki
stan, to demand the resignation of the
entire local Communist Party leader
ship, Soviet media said Thursday.
A crowd, estimated at 8,000, also
demanded jobs for lens of thousands
of unemployed, better housing and an
end to the sale of pork, which the
largely Moslem population is forbid
den to cat, the official news agency
Tass reported.
Another demonstration outside the
main government buildings attracted
2,000 to 5,000 people who chose a
committee that recommended settling
problems peacefully, Tass and other
sources said.
Mansur Sultanov, deputy chair
man of the Tadzhik branch of Gostel
radio, said by telephone there were no
shootings or riots Thursday, but Tass
said bands of armed militants roamed
the streets.
The news agency said 18 people
had been killed and 200 injured since
the violence began Saturday night in
Dushanbe, 1,600 miles southeast of
Moscow near the borders of China
and Afghanistan. It said 57 soldiers
were among the wounded.
A report of a bizarre incident said
an Italian actor whose crime-fighting
television show has been broadcast in
the Soviet Union was caught in the
violence Saturday night and found
himself signing autographs when a
tank that rescued him stopped at some
burning buses.
Corrierc Della Sera, an Italian
newspaper, said Michele Placido of
the television show “Piovra” arrived
in Dushanbe on Saturday to make a
movie about the war in Afghanistan.
It said one Soviet member of the
film crew was killed and others were
injured when a mob stormed their
hotel and partially burned it.
Riots began when rumors spread
that ethnic Armenians fleeing perse
cution in the Azerbaijan republic were
being moved into Tadzhikistan, where
housing is scarce. Officials said only
a few dozen refugees had arrived.
Authorities declared a state of
emergency Monday that prohibits
demonstrations and imposes a curfew
Irom 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to help stop
ethnic attacks and looting.
German opposition leaders
question Kohl’s motivation
BONN, West Germany - Oppo
sition leaders Thursday accused
Chancellor Helmut Kohl of using
the East German crisis to enhance
his political standing and secure a
place in history as the man who
unified Germany.
During a raucous, insult-filled
Parliament session, Kohl in turn
accused the opposition of being
allied with the old Communists
who ruled East Germany with an
iron fist.
The chancellor also came under
fire in East Germany, where the
Communist-led government ac
cused Kohl of exaggerating the
country’s economic and political
problems to speed reunification.
The verbal brawl in Parliament
gave West German voters a pre
view of what is likely to be a bitter
campaign for West German elec
tions in December, and the pivotal
role reunification will play.
The West German campaign is
even influencing the campaign for
East Germany’s first free elections
March 18. In anticipation of even
tual reunification, West German
parties have been aligning them
selves with, and in fact influenc
ing. the fledgling political parties
in East Germany.
Hans-Jochcn Vogel, head of the
main opposition Social Democrats,
accused Kohlofprovidingtoolitlle
financial help for East Germany
and of using unification for his
own political benefit.
"You have talked, awakened
hopes, set conditions . . . and
meditated over your place in the
history books. But there hasn’t been
much help,” said Vogel.
Kohl’s address was interrupted
several times as he lambasted the
Social Democrats for having close
contacts with East Germany’s now
disgraced Communists during years
Kohl
past.
Vogel reminded Kohl that his
own Christian Democrats are now
supporting the East German Chris
tian Democrats, who for years were
allied with the Communists.
In East Bprlin, East German
government spokesman Wolfgang
Meyer also accused Bonn of over
dramatizing the political and eco
nomic situation in East Germany
in an attempt to speed unification.
The Kohl government has said
that more than 2,(XX) East Germans
daily are fleeing West as the East
German economy nears collapse.
A key issue to reunification is
whether a new German state would
be neutral. East Germany is a key
member of the Soviet Warsaw Pact
and West Germany is a strategic
component of NATO.
Kohl and the United States w ant
what at least is now West Germany
to remain in NATO, while the
Soviets want a neutral Germany.
Earlier this week, theGcrmanys
and the four World War II allies --
the Soviet Union, the United Stales,
Britain and France -- agreed to
talks on reunification that w ill deal
with the alliance issue.