Mpwc pre5s JL t W ^ A_^ 121V^ Sr Edited by Brandon Loomis ^i—— Lithuania’s president agrees to com promise proposal MOSCOW - Lithuania’s president said Wednesday his Baltic republic would consider suspending tempo rarily some of the pro-independence laws that drove the Kremlin to im pose an economic embargo two weeks ago. President Vytautas Landsbcrgis agreed to the step in a letter to French and West German leaders who last week proposed that such a compro mise would help start negotiations between the republic and Moscow. “Everything is negotiable which does not question the matter of re stored independence of the Lithuanian slate on March 11,1990,” Landsber gis said in his letter to French Presi dent Francois Mitterrand and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The letter was read to Lithuania’s parliament, the Supreme Council, which gave its approval without a vote, said Aidas Palubinskas, a spokes man for the parliament. ‘‘Putting our confidence in France and the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as in other Western democra cies, and in their support of Lithu anian democracy, we arc asking you to transmit to the Soviet authorities our consent to consider a temporary suspension of the effects of the deci sions taken by the sovereign parlia ment of the Lithuanian Republic that could trouble the Soviet authorities,’ Landsbcrgis wrote. The idea behind the proposal from France and West Germany was that if Lithuania temporarily suspended those laws, the Soviet Union, in return, might case its pressure on the repub lic and also agree to talks on seces sion. Palubinskas stressed that the pro posal from Kohl and Mitterrand did not ask for rescinding the declaration itself, but urged the suspension of laws passed to implement the inde pendence declaration. Lithuania declared independence on March 11, trying to restore the freedom itenjoyed before 1940, when the Soviet Union forcibly annexed it along with Latvia and Estonia. It has since passed laws designed to back the independence drive, including ending conscription of Lithuanians into the Soviet army, issuing identity cards for non-Lithuanians and seiz ing Communist Party property. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has declared the independence decla ration invalid and rejected negotia tions with the republic, saying such talks arc reserved for foreign"coun tries. He demanded that Lithuania rescind those pro-independence laws. Gorbachev imposed a partial eco nomic blockade, cutting supplies of fuel and other commodities to Lithu ania. As of Wednesday night, no re sumption of any of the fuel supplies has been reported. The republic of 3.8 million people has been struggling economically ever since the embargo was imposed. -■ -a * US. test scores continue to decline WASHINGTON - Despite bally hooed efforts at education rctorm, student achievement is continuing a decline that began three years ago, the government said Wednesday in a controversial report. Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos said the annual statc-by-state perform ance chart, popularly called the wall chart, “makes it clear that, as a na tion, we are still not seriously com mitted to improving education for all Americans.” The chart has been criticized as promoting flawed data and making unfair state comparisons. Timothy Dyer, executive director of the Na tional Association of Secondary School Principals, said American “young people arc simply too complex to hang on a wall.” The chart, he said, “has as much to offer educational improvement as the Edscl offered the automotive industry.” Cavazos, however, defended ihe chart. “It is the only national measure ment of educational performance,” he said. “It’s the best that we have. Until we develop other measures, we will have to rely on the wall chart.” Officials say the White House argued for abandoning the 7-ycar-old practice this year because President Bush and the nation’s governors had worked to develop national educa tion goals and still are devising more accurate forms of assessment. The report found that the average American College Testing Program examination scores declined nation ally by 0.2 of a point, to 18.6, from 1988 to 1989, while the average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores de clined by one point, to 903, during the same period. A perfect ACT score is 36; a per fect SAT score is 1,600. The test scores arc used by col leges and universities as one standard of admission. States administer either the ACT or SAT, not both. Nebraska was among five states with declining ACT scores. The report also found that the na tional high school graduation rate declined from 71.7 percent to 71.1 percent from 1987 to 1988; the per centage of public high school gradu ates who received a qualifying score on advanced placementcxaminations declined from 8.8 percent to 8.6 per cent between 1988 and 1989. Bill Honig, California superinten dent of public instruction, said the chart “causes more mischief than benefit” because much of the data is a rehash of statistics already made public. Keith Geiger, president of the National Education Association, said the chart “only continues to confuse and frustrate the public.” ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SERIOUS FUN? Let yourself go with the Lied Center's Serious Fun Series. It's a package of special performances at a special k student price— starting at just $30! Call 472-4747 for more information and a beautiful I j season brochure today! I HI II ..M LIED CENTER ,***i2^f FOR PERFORMING ARTS _ □February 1 8pm ■ unl student ID* ______________ Program dates subject to chanae-NO REFUNDS Order this j^| ——————— senes for a 10% discount, of 15% with another senes purchase ■ Make checks payable to the University of Nebraska or charge to:_Visa_MasterCard ■ Card No_Expiration Date__ ■Authorizing Signature__ i ■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■a Former hostage embarrassed, angry others still held captive WIESBADEN, West Germany - Former U.S. hostage Frank Reed revealed Wednesday he was held for months w ith two other Ameri can captives in Lebanon and said he was angry and embarrassed that they have not been freed. Reed, who was released Monday after 42 months in captivity, said he also was held with two British hostages. Reed was flown Tuesday to Wiesbaden for a battery of medical exams and questioning at the U.S. Air Force hospital. “1 have not seen Tom and Terry fora while and I don’t know where they are,” Reed said, referring to Terry Anderson, The Associated Press chief Middle East correspondent, and Thomas Sutherland, an American educator. “For God’s sake, it’s nearly the sixth year for these men. I’m absolutely embarrassed I’m out before they are.” Reed, in his first comments to reporters since arriving in Wiesbaden, said he spent * ‘ the good part of two years w'ith Tom and Terry.” Anderson, the longest-held Western hos tage in Lebanon, was kidnapped on March 16, 1985. Sutherland was seized June 9, ld85. ‘ ‘1 fell you, I ’ m very, very angry that Ander son .. Tom and Terry ... are not fra;,” Reed said from the hospital balcony. Reed, pale and dressed in his blue hospital bathrobe, said he last saw' Sutherland in Febru ary 1989. Sutherland turns 59 on Thursday, marking his fifth birthday in captivity. Reed, 57, also said he spent three years in the intermittent company of Briton John McCarthy and Brian Keenan, a dual Anglo Irish citizen. He said he saw them just before his release and they were “well and alive.” 1 have been with John and Brian since last October, Reed said. “I’ve spent almost three years eiihci with John and Brian or having them somewhere in the house with me.” McCarthy, .33, a journalist for the London based Worldwide Television News Agency was kidnapped April 17, 1986. Keenan, 3# latcr>PCared Whi,C wa,kmg 10 work six days Those were the only people I knew” in ctiptivity, Reed said of the four hostages. I he founder of a private school in Beirut Reed was the second American hostage freed in nine days. Robert Polhill, freed April 22 went through the same medical tests and de I bnefing last week. I A special State Department team questioned Reed for a second day Wednesday, seeking clues about the 16 remaining Westerners held hostage by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. Six of the captives arc American. President Bush thanked Syria and Iran lor aiding holh hostages’ release but has said he will make no deals for hostages. Both Syria and Iran hope to establish closer ties with the West. But on Wednesday, Iran’s spiritual leader Ayatollah All Khamenei ruled out negotiations with the United States to end 11 years of hostility between the nations. It was not known what the anti-American stance meant lor the possibility of any further hostage releases. Reed, who lost 60 pounds in his 3 1/2 years of captivity said he initially had been angry with the U.S. administration that hostages were still being held. “But I don’t think lam now,’’ he said. On the basis of information I have received . . . it appears to me perhaps we are on the right track to getting these people out.” The boisterous, lanky Reed was cheered by dozens of journalists as he appeared on the balcony for what was supposed to be a no questions photo opportunity. Standing on the balcony with his wile and their 9-year-old son, Tarek, Reed smiled and affectionately tousled his child’s hair, saying it was ‘‘justgreat” lobe reunited with his family. Reed said he was “feeling good hut tired. ‘‘I’d like to stay another week or two, bu they want me out of hereon Friday, he joked. Asked what he wanted to do when he gcs back to his home in Massachusetts, Reed said. “Hide,” but then rethought the question, anc said: “I’d like to have a big Maine lobste, about three pounds.” H Reed has taken advantage of his new-lou freedom to telephone the kin of other hostag to relay what he knows about their conditio • Anderson’s sister, Peggy Say, sam told her: ‘ ‘Terry was in reasonably good neaJ . although he had been having physical pr lems. ... He said Terry’s attitude was sun feisty, as far as the guards go, and he always screaming for something to read. , In London, a group pressing for releas' McCarthy said Reed telephoned the hostag _ father to say both Keenan and McCarthy well: “They have some minor health P*”,, lems. They exeicise daily and read voraciously