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® ® ^ JL By The £Jk £2 | Associated Press %kt §*Jf 8* Edited by Jennifer O'Cilka U.S. prays for peace; Iraq rallies for war President prays for peace as demonstrators march on nia Avenue, but none were charged. While House press secretary Mar lin Fitzwater said, “The president is at peace with himself. He’s ready to make the tough decisions ahead that are necessary.” “I think he’s reflective and reso lute. And I would say that he’s confi dent in the correctness of our course and the strength of our coalition,” Fitzwater added. The Pentagon said that more than 415,000 American troops were on station in the Persian Gulf, facing an Iraqi force of 545,000 in Kuwait and southern Iraq. The aircraft carrier, America, entered the Red Sea, bring ing to six the number of carriers in the region within range of Iraq. “Obviously the forces can read the calendar,” said Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams. “They know what the date is.” Bush summoned his top national security advisers to a meeting to dis cuss “the full range of diplomatic and military issues relevant at this time,” Fitzwater said. Asked if the president had decided to go to war, Fitzwater said, “A final decision has not been made in the sense that the war hasn’t started, but I’m not going to comment on any further decisions. Period.” Fitzwater said Bush would not attempt to call Saddam or otherwise reach out to Iraq. “I don’t expect any furUier effort. We’ve made every effort possible.” WASHINGTON - President Bush prayed for peace but prepared for war Tuesday. As Iraq defiantly spurned peace overtures, the Pentagon said it was “ready to execute any order we receive from the president.” The White House underscored Bush’s warning that war against Iraq “44 -- A final decision has not been made in the sense that the war hasn’t started, but I’m not going to comment on any further deci sions. Period. Marlin Fitzwater White House press secretary -— could come “sooner rather than later, if there was no last-minute move by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to withdraw his occupying army from Kuwait. France said its peace initiative had elicited no response from Baghdad and that the moment to use force “has, alas, arrived.” Outside the White House, hun dreds of anti-war demonstrators marched in spring-like weather under the watchful eye of dozens of police officers, including officers on horse back. The Park Police said 55 young people were arrested after sitting and lying on the sidewalk on Pennsylva Pentagon estimates of the forces in the Persian Gulf region fluctuate constantly. Here are U.S. Defense Department figures released January 15 for some of the men and equipment in Iraq’s military and in the multinational force: IRAQ__ALLIES 555 000 415,000 268,000 regular army (35.000 short (approx.) xJm8T^ 480,000 reserves o1 ,he 9oal) "(Iraq has deployed - ^ ¥ 545,000 of these troops to Kuwait and southern Iraq) Troops 5,500 Including: 1,000 1,753 ■ 500 T-723 (approx.) (approx.) ■ 1,000 T-62S Tanks _ '_ 700 1,250 464 (approx.) Combat Aircraft _ No significant 80 95 navy (approx.) (approx.) Warships __ Note: Turkish troops not included. Some countries deployed planes to Turkey: these are also not included. Source: U.S. Dept, of Defense; AP research AF All figures are estimates of forces now deployed in or near Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq or committed td be transported there Merchant and hospital ships, transport aircraft, and countries sending exclusively medical support units are omitted. Iraqi citizens pledge lives to Saddam BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thousands of Iraqis marched in cities across the nation Tuesday and pledged to give their lives for Saddam Hussein in a war against the allied forces. Thousands of others crammed buses and cars to flee the capital in the last hours before the U.N. deadline for Iraq to leave Kuwait elapsed at mid night Tuesday, or 8 a.m. local time “The holy war is about to begin,” said one demonstrator in Baghdad, waving his AK-47 rifle. His son, who was about 10 years old, held a shoul der bag brimming with ammunition. Officials of the ruling Baath Arab Socialist Party said similar demon strations were held in the major cities of Karbala, Basra and Mosul, and that altogether at least 5 million of Iraq’s 18 million people took part. In Baghdad, a city of 4 million, the marchers included government offi cials, students and housewives. “We will die for you, Saddam,” women carrying rifles shouted. Others in Arab robes danced with pitchforks and swords as symbols of the Iraqi president’s vow that any conflict would become a popular war in Iraq. Most shops in Baghdad were closed. At popular fish eateries on the banks of the Tigris River, normally pricey dishes from restaurant tanks were offered at a discount. Americans brace for threat of terrorism WASHINGTON - From the dome of the Capitol to the sky scrapers of Wall Street, Americans braced Tues day for the unfamiliar threat of terror ism. Iraqi officials have warned that a U.S. attack would unleash a wave of terrorism against Americans. And government officials say that although most their information points to at tacks on Americans abroad, they’re not taking any chances. “There is increased security” at the White House, said presidential spokesman Marlin Filzwater, includ ing more uniformed officers and closer inspection of people entering the grounds. A chest-high fence was erected on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House, where anti war protesters gathered. The Pentagon canceled all unsched uled building tours as it improved security. New York City police opened a terrorism 911 hotline and a joint command center with 15 other agen cies, including the FBI, to gather in telligence and help businesses and government agencies with security problems. The New York Stock Exchange double-checked IDs and baned lunch time food couriers. “It’s been our experience that they (the Iraqis) don’t always make empty threats,” said one counter-terrorism official. Neil Gallagher, an FBI counter terrorism expert, said Iraqi agents have in the past attacked Iraqi dissidents in the United States. He declined to elaborate. Lack of experience with terrorism and the open nature of the U.S. soci ety make Americans particularly vulnerable. An unattended bag left in a sub way car or post office in major U.S. cities may not elicit any reaction. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has not taken any special steps to deal with the possibil ity of a terrorist attack on public tran sit in the naiton’scapital, said spokes woman Marily Dicus. In Florida, m ilitary bases, airports, nucleat plants and other potential targets were steppin up security. “Florida is a real target,” said John Joyce, spokesman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement “We have tourists in and out, we have our geographical location, we have nu clear power plants - we even have a Super Bowl later this month.” The Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion has asked all commercial nu clear power plants to take added se curity precautions. Airports, large and small, were on alert. The Coast Guard moved to shield U.S. ports and coastal factories. To reduce the threat, the Immigra tion an Naturalization Service has begun photographing and finger painting travelers carrying Iraqi and Kuwaiti passports. The State Depart ment ordered all but four Iraqi diplo mats to leave the country by midnight Jan. 15, to prevent them from “or chestrating” terror acts. “Their preparations are already made,” said Vincent Cannistraro, the CIA’s chief of counter-terrorism un til four months ago. “For the first time, I think the threat is coming home.” U.S. agents are monitoring known members of radical Plaestinian, Lib yan and other groups, said a counter terrorism official. But with 60,000 Iraqi immigrants and another 8,500 students and tourists, “it’s hard to know where to look.” Iraq’s Ambassador to Paris, Abdui Razzak al Hashimi, said in a recent TV interview that fundamentalists in the United Stales could unleash "an expression of individual hate much more dangerous” than organized ter ror groups. Nebraskan Editor Eric Planner 472- 1766 Managing Editor Victoria Ayotta Assoc. News Editors Jana Pedersen Emily Rosenbaum Editona: Page Editor Bob Nelson Wire Editor Jennifer O'Cilka Copy Desk Editor Diane Brayton Sports Editoi Paul Do meter Arts & Entertain ment Editor Julie Naughton Diversions Editor Connie Sheehan Photo Chief William Lauer Assistant Photo Chief Al Schaben Night News Editors Pat Dlnslage Cindy Wostrel Art Director Brian Shelllto General Manager Dan Shattll Professional Adviser Don Walton 473- 7301 The Daily Nebraskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Ne braska Union 34, 1400 R St., Lincoln, NE. Monday through Friday 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 Bill Vobejda, 436-9993. Subscription price is *45 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St.,Llnjoln, NE 68588-0448. Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1991 DAILY NEBRASKAN Deadline here. Nebraskans spend Tuesday in anticipation Nebraskans at home and in the Persian Gulf spent the hours before Tuesday’s deadline for Iraq to leave Kuwait in tense anticipation, some hoping war would be over quickly, others praying it would be averted. “This is what I joined up to do along with everyone else. It’s our job, said Army Reserve specialist Jeff Haight of Minden, who telephoned a Kearney radio station Tuesday from his post in Saudi Arabia. “We have to defend our rights and others’ rights. That’s what we are here for,”Haighttold station KQKY. President Bush had United Na tions authority to use force after midnight EST to remove Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Haight said the mood among U.S. troops in the gulf was one of nervous anticipation. Of peace demonstrations in the United Stales, Haight said: “We’re for peace, too. But some times you’ve got to get peace through power. Peace is the best thing in the world.” Hastings native Rob Osman, an announcer with Armed Forces Radio in Saudi Arabia, said troops were anxious and tired of waiting for the deadline. “Let’s get it over with,” were the words he used to describe the consen sus among troops. Osman, who spoke to a friend who is a West Virginia broadcaster, said he was working out of a mobile radio van just 40 miles from the Saudi Kuwait border. Sen. Bob Kerrey. D-Neb., again criticized the Bush administration and its handling of the gulf crisis. In a statement issued in Washing ton Tuesday, Kerrey repeated that the administration is placing too much emphasis on an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait. “We have transformed Jan. 15 from a deadline for Saddam Hussein into a deadline for our soldiers. We have put the pressure on ourselves," Ker rey said. In Columbus, the Nebraska Public Power District said it is stepping up security at the Cooper Nuclear Sta tion near Brownvillc and other facili ties to guard against terrorist activity. The district’s emergency security plan for countering potential terrorist attacks has been in effect for two days, NPPD spokesman Ron Bogus said. The nation’s power plants are under Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion instructions to guard against ter rorism, he said. Dwayne Smith, assistant to the Loup Power District’s general manager, said employees have been asked to be on the alert for strangers at the facilities who might be involved in sabotage. He said Loup’s electrical generation facilities in Columbus and Monroe are enclosed by fences. The Columbus Police Department is not aware of plans for anti-war protests, but officers brushed up on crowd-control measures, Capl. Pat Foust said. In Omaha, public school officials pul in place crisis teams to help pupils and school staff members cope with developments in the gulf, said school district official Stan Maliszewski. Students with parents or other close relatives who have been mobilized have been identified by the district, Maliszewski said. Elementary schools that have counselors have held weekly group meetings with pupils to discuss any problems, he said. Meanwhile, Gov. Ben Nelson re affirmed a policy of his predecessor aimed at reducing fuel consumption because of the possibility of war m the gulf. Gov. Kay Orr’s directive was lor slate agencies to reduce gas consump tion by 5 percent. Nelson Monday sent the agencies a message saying he expects them to abide by the direc tive.