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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 1991)
ry lVT ^3TA7F) 1 Q £3 "fr Associated Press Nebraskan ^ JL ^1 f i mS XiLw^ w Edited by Tabitha Hiner Monday, August 26,1991 Republics speed independence Gorbachev prepares for changes MOSCOW - President Mikhail Gorbachev struggled Sunday to stem the disintegration of his central au thority, but a sixth Soviet republic declared independence and Russian* Federation leader Boris Yeltsin con tinued to assert control. Gorbachev huddled with top ad visers, preparing a speech for the national legislature on Monday. But Yeltsin apd other reformers said they wanted to bypass the largely conser vative legislature and instead con vene the more reformist Congress of People’s deputies. Yeltsin, speaking Sunday nighton Russian television, said the national legislature should formally dissolve Gorbachev’s Cabinet of* Ministers, many of whose members were in volved in last week’s failed coup, including Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov. The legislature was scheduled to convene Monday, but Yeltsin said he would prefer to wait an extra day to call a session of the larger and more reformist Congress of People’s Depu ties, the 2,250-member body that selects the 542-member legislature. The smaller body has taken a decid edly harder line. “It’s better to gather the Congress of People’s Deputies a day later and decide all questions straight away on the involvement of the Cabinet of Ministers, on the replacement, the structure, new cadres — much will have to be changed,” Yeltsin said in his televised remarks. In the chaos created by the hard line coup, the 15 Soviet republics were moving rapidly to assert their independence from Gorbachev’s central government. The legislature of Byelorussia passed an independence declaration, becoming the sixth republic to do so. The Ukraine, the second largest re public, declared its independence a day earlier and scheduled a referen dum for Dec. 1 to ratify it. Deputy Zcnon Poznyak, head of Byelorussia’s pro-independence People’s Front faction, said, “This means we are leaving the Soviet Union.” The Moldavian legislature planned to discuss independence at a session on Tuesday, the independence news agency Interfax reported. Meanwhile, Western countries, including France, Norway and Den mark, said they were recognizing the independence declarations of the three Baltic republics — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — and U.S. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said he ex pected the United Stales to take the same step shortly. Gorbachev’s spokesman, Vitaly Ignatenko, acknowledged that “there’s no one today to prevent the national republics from choosing their own road.” The failed coup led to a stunning upheaval of the Soviet power struc ture, culminating in Gorbachev’s resignation Saturday as Communist party chief. « «4 • uniciai recognition ot Baltic state liDeration should be determined soon, say authorities U/A CUIMn'r/MT 'T'L _ t t l « * « #1 . . . % . , S. « * fl ■_ Tvnuiuiivji vn - i lie uiilieu States will recognize the independ ence of the Baltic states in “a rela tively short period of time,” Secre tary of Defense Dick Cheney pre dicted Sunday. “I think that is basically a question of formality at this pbint,” Cheney said. Secretary of State James A. Baker III declined lo go that far, however, saying “we never ceased to recognize them. President Bush, after greeting vis iting Canadian Prime Minister Brian i iviuiruncy aunuay ai ms Maine sea side vacation home, was asked whether the United States would recognize the Baltics. He strongly hinted he expects the Soviet parliament to grant independence at a meeting on Mon day. “A lot of developments going on there, all moving in the right direc tion,” Bush replied. “We’ll know a little bit more after tomorrow. We’re just biding our time.” “Everyone knows our policy,” he continued. “We want to see the Bal lies iree. lci » j>cc wiuu tomorrow.” # Meanwhile, Arkady Maslennikov, a spokesman for the Supreme Soviet, said that he foresaw “some kind of orderly divorce orteparation” for the restive Soviet republics. The Dutch Foreign Ministry said Sunday that European Community foreign ministers would meet later this week to decide if the 12 EC members should recognize the re publics’ independence. -i Federal planes shoot at Croatia Civilians killed, injured in clash between army and republic Site of battle between Croats and rival Serbs BELGRADE, Yugoslavia - Fed eral army jets and tanks fired on Croatian positions Sunday in one of the most serious clashes yet between the army and forces of the breakaway republic, Croatia’s media reported. A shell hit a car in Vukovar in eastern Croatia, killing three civil ians, the local radio said. Eleven other people were injured, it said. Federal troops and the repub lic’s security forces also exchanged fire in the Krajina region south of Zagreb. Radio Zagreb said one Croatian guardsman was killed. The clashes came one day after Croatian forces shot down a fed eral air force plane near Vukovar, a town 24 miles southeast of the Croatian stronghold Osijck, on the Danube River border with Serbia. Radio Zagreb said Serb guerril las helped by federal troops were trying to take Vukovar, and de scribed the fighting as the heaviest involving the federal military since Croatia declared independence June 25. Radio Zagreb also reported heavy fighting between Croatian forces and Serb militants near Borovo Naselje, just north of Vukovar. LToaua s ouu.uuu seres, wno make up 12 percent of the repub lic’s population, say territories under their control will remain in Yugo slavia if Croatia persists in its drive to secede. Croatia accuses the federal mili tary, whose officer corps is domi nated by Serbs, of giving weapons and logistical support to Serb in surgents fighting Croatian security forces. The army says it is only inter vening to separate the two warring parties but will retaliate if attacked. More than 250 people have been killed since Croatia declared inde pendence. An Aug. 7 cease-fire proclaimed by the federal presi dency failed to slop the fighting. On Sunday, Croatian President FranjoTudjman and Defense Min ister Luka Bebic toured several Croatian-held towns in the region of Banija, south of Zagreb, the radio said. Tudjman and his military com manders met Saturday in Zagreb to make “preparations for the defense of Croatia.” Croatian leaders have said the republic will order a general mobi lization unless the army withdraws to its barracks by Aug. 31. Reports: Turkish guide kills BBC journalists LONDON (AP) - British newspa pers reported Sunday that a Turkish guide has admitted killing two British Broadcasting Corp. journalists whose bodies were Found last spring in north eastern Iraq. But the reports said the Turk, Hashim Ciftci, had no information about the third member of the BBC television crew, who remains miss ing. A Foreign Office spokesman said two Scotland Yard detectives relumed from Turkey and northern Iraq late last week and have submitted a report of their investigations into the deaths of BBC cameraman Nick Della Casa and his brother-in-law, soundman Charles Maxwell. The Sunday Times and the Ob server newspapers reported that Ciftci had confessed to the killings to Scot land Yard detectives. Royal Marines found the bodies in northeastern Iraq on May 23. The newspapers reported that Ciftci said he did not harm Della Casa’s wife, Rosanna, who was last seen by journalists around March 30 in Dohuk, Iraq, with Maxwell and her husband. Ciftci reportedly abandoned Mrs. Della Casa in the mountains of north ern Iraq after he shot the two men in an argument over his fees. The Sun day Times said Ciftci shot th<? men with the semi-automatic rifle the team carried for their protection. ■ Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev met with top advisers on Sunday to prepare for a special session of the Soviet parliament. ■ Marshal Sergei Akhromeyev, the top military adviser to Gorbachev committed suicide in the wake of the failed coup. Akhromeyev, 68, formerly the chief of staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, has expressed hard-line views on foreign and domestic relations, but was not known to have taken part in last week’s coup attempt. ■ Gorbachev’s wife, Raisa, has fallen ill since the attempt to oust her husband from power. A presidential spokesman refused to specify her ailment but said that she is expected to recuperate “in a matter of a couple of days." Source: AP reports O Lawmakers in the Byelorussian republic voted unanimously Sunday to declare full independence. Byelorussia, the Ukraine and Russia formed the Slavic core of the country once known as the Russian empire that became the Soviet Union after the 1917 revolution. Q Lithuania’s president Vytautas Landsbergis called for the Soviet parliament to annul the last documents relating to the three republics' annexation. The restive Baltic republics picked up more international support in their Independence drive. Norway and Denmark said tfiey were establishing diplomatic ties with the re publics. Germany invited the Baltic foreign ministers to dis cuss diplomatic recognition and Sweden plans to discuss the I issue in parliament this week. J Asof4p.m.EDT ] AP Study: Women get 2.6 percent of Fortune 500 top positions WASHINGTON - Less than 3 percent of the top jobs at Fortune 500 companies were held by women in 1990, according to a study that blames sex discrimination and an enduring old-boy network. Only 175, or 2.6 percent, of the 6,502 corporate officers employed at the nation’s largest companies last year were women, according to the study released Sunday by the Femi nist Majority Foundation. The study, which looked at jobs at the level of vice president and up, was based on figures compiled by a Uni versity of Southern California re searcher. “At the current rale of increase in executive women, it will take until the year 2466 — or over 450 years — to reach equality with executive men,” said Eleanor Smeal, the former presi dent of the National Organization for Women who now heads the Feminist Majority. The Washington-arca research and advocacy organization timed the re I lease of the study to coincide with the 71st anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the United States. Besides the low number of women in key executive positions, the study also found that corporate boards weren’t crowded with women. Last year, 4.5 percent — or 254 of 5,384 — of the Fortune 500 directorships were held by women. Only five women are the chief executive officers at the Fortune 500 companies. The study said women comprise 40 percent of all executive, manage ment and administrative positions, up from 24 percent in 1976. “They remain confined mostly to the middle and lower ranks, and the senior levels of management are almost exclusively male domains,” the study said. Citing various reports, the study said women arc still victims of an old boys’ network and male “clubbincss that dominates corporate executive suites. • ---“I Nebraskan Editor Jana Pedersen Night News Editors Chris Hopfensperger 472-1786 Cindy Kimbrough Managing Editor Diane Brayton Alan Phelps Assoc News Editors Slacev McKenzie Dionne Searcey Priito iai d Karm Wells Art Director Brian Shelllto Editorial Page Editor Eric Planner General Manager Dan Shattll rjlnu Fdl,or TaWtha Hlner Production Manager Katherine Pollcky copy Desk Editor Paul Do malar Advertising Manager Todd Sears Assistant Qrwvla c5il? JJIck Hytrek Sales Manager Eric Krlnoel Assistant Soorts Editor Chuck Green Classified Ad Manager Annette Sueper . Publications Board Ld'^ iohf1 p«yn« Chairman Bill Vobe|da Diversions Editor Bryan Peterson 436-9993 hoto Chief Shaun Sarlln Professional Adviser Don Walton braskaUnK>n34bi4or?R^tS,|S 14.4'0®2) '• Pushed by the UNL Publications Board, Ne weekly dunng^ummer issi'oris”*Monday ,hrou0h Fr,day durin0 the academic year, phontng^72*1*1° ,ubm" ®K>ry 'Peas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by accesstoihe PuWiSSr^p800,5 p m MondBy *vo'#' Fr)day The bub'ic a'S° ha Subscription com** Bill Vobeida, 436 9993. St ,LincoinSNE ftBSMo^n88*^^®8,t0 ,he Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34, 1400 R ALL ua«B^f?°Ili^aisPos,aO« paid at Lincoln. NE ---— L MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1991 DAILY NEBRASKAN_