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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1991)
News Digest ek-p-. x ^ ^ ^ ^ V Edited by Eric Pfanner Rebels arrest president during uprising in Haiti A P PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was arrested Monday afternoon by rebel soldiers at the National Palace, the foreign minister said. The daylong uprising has claimed at least 26 lives. “The president and his staff have been arrested and taken to the army headquarters,” said the foreign min ister, Jean-Robert Sabalat. He told The Associated Press that the govern ment was negotiating “to at least save the president’s life.” Sabalat said a loyal captain was killed when the rebels took over the National Palace about 5:30 p.m. EDT. Rebel soldiers opened fire on Aris tide’s home early Monday and sev eral hours later attacked a military convoy that was taking him and the French ambassador to the National Palace Neither Aristide nor the ambassador, Jean-Rafael Dufour, was injured, according to government sources. Among those killed during the unrest was Sylvio Claude, an evan gelical preacher and two-time presi dential candidate. By nightfall, a presidential adviser, overheard on a radio frequency used by the military, government and embassies, spoke of loyalist soldiers deserting and hostile units moving onto the grounds of the National Pal ace. Voyage of discovery Archeologist seeks Santa Maria wreck ARLINGTON, Va. — While the rest of the world is toasting Christopher Columbus next year, Daniel Koski-Karell plans to un cork an archeological spectacular by confirming discovery of the long-lost wreckage of Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria. Koski-Karell, 44, a profes sional archeologist and underwa ter explorer, believes that he spotted the Santa Maria’s coral encrusted limbers while snorkel ing in 15 feet of water off the northern coast of Haiti in 1987. This week, a private salvage vessel is steaming from Miami toward the Caribbean to begin a systematic search of more than 100 sunken shipwrecks along the Haitian coast to determine whether Koski-Karell’s hunch is correct. “To discover and confirm the location of that famous vessel would certainly be one of the greatest accomplishments ever made in the field of underwater archeology,” he said at his home base in this Washington suburb. If Koski-Karell succeeds, his stunning feat seems likely to overshadow many of next year’s international festivities celebrat ing the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The explorer landed in the Bahamas on Oct. 12, 1492. Later on that epochal first voyage, Columbus visited what became Cuba (where the Pima’s captain defected with his ship) and planted a cross claiming the island of Hispaniola for Spain. Cruising eastward north of the island, which today embraces Haiti and the Dominican Repub lic, Columbus set sail from Cap Haitien on Christmas Eve of 1492. With his ship becalmed three miles offshore and making no headway, Columbus went to Robert Borzekofski/DN bed at midnight. About an hour later, strong tidal currents shoved the square rigged wooden vessel onto a barrier reef. As the tide receded, the Santa Maria’s seams split. The crew ripped open the decks and salvaged some of the cargo before they were forced to abandon ship. Columbus transferred to the smaller Nina and relumed to Spain, leaving most of the Santa Maria’s crew ashore to build a fortified settlement he called “Navidad” (Christmas), using timbers from the shipwreck. When Columbus returned the next year, he found that Native Americans resentful over their mistreatment by the Spaniards had killed all the settlers and burned Fort Navidad to the ground. A few pieces of clothing and an anchor salvaged from the Santa Maria were found nearby. The exact location of Colum bus’ “lost colony,” quickly re claimed by wilderness, has been a mystery for five centuries. But with the help of a Baptist medical missionary who has lived near Cap-Hailicn for about 30 years, Koski-Karcll hopes to find the ruins of Fort Navidad next year. The archaeological consultant and his privately financed part ners, Sea Salvage International Inc. of Orlando, Fla., have an exclusive contract with the Haitian government to locate the Santa Maria’s watery grave somewhere cast of Cap-Haiticn. $1 billion deal to end Exxon case ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The state and federal governments an nounced Monday a new $1 billion deal with Exxon Corp. to settle gov ernment litigation over the nation’s worst oil spill. Under the agreement, which drew criticism from environmentalists and must be approved by a federal judge in Anchorage, Exxon and its shipping subsidiary agreed to plead guilty to four misdemeanors. Two federal fel ony pollution charges will be dropped. The settlement would be the larg est of an environmental damage case in U.S. history. It’s slightly different from the agreement that was rejected by a federal judge and Alaska legislators last spring. Exxon will pay only $25 million more than what it would have paid under that first deal, » Exxon agreed to a $150 million criminal fine, with $125 million of it forgiven “in recognition of the com pany’s voluntary expenditures’’ on spill cleanup, the Justice Department said. And it agreed to pay $100 million in restitution. Exxon will pay an additional $900 million during the next 11 years to settle the state and federal govern ments' civil damage claims. The deal includes a clause that would allow the governments to seek an additional $100 million if new spill damage is found. That could bring the total payments to more than $1.1 billion. The agreement would not affect private lawsuits seeking a total of $59 billion from the oil giant. Documents show Iraq sought nuclear triggers MANAMA, Bahrain — Iraqi nu clear documents flown out of Baghdad on Monday prove for the first time that Iraq was researching triggers for nuclear weapons, a U.N. official said. U.N. officials also said the 44 member weapons team that was de tained for five days last week in a Baghdad parking lot had spirited the contents of some of the documents out of Iraq before flying to Bahrain on Monday. They would not say how. The leaderofthc team, David Kay, said the documents provided impor tant details on various aspects of Iraq’s secret nuclear weapons program, which Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s government has denied having. “You cannot help but be impressed by the sophistication of it,” Kay said. In New York, officials at U.N. headquarters privately expressed embarrassment that the inspectors may have sent some information from the documents directly to U.S. officials in Washington on one occasion. The Iraqis have accused Kay, a U.S. nu clear expert who works for the United Nations, of being a spy for the CIA. U.N. inspectors -are seeking eul weapons of mass destruction and the means to produce them in Iraq. The gulf war cease-fire calls for disman tling all of Iraq’s long-range missiles and any chemical, nuclear or biologi cal weapons. Diplomat sent to U.S. by Soviets for arms talks MOSCOW — The Soviet Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it was sending a top diplomat to Wash ington to open negotiations on Presi dent Bush’s arms-control proposals, and said unilateral cuts had not been ruled out. “The Soviet Union should not re spond urgently to the U.S. initiative. Haste on such questions by the U.S.S.R. and its president would be an insuffi ciently thought-out step on such an important, major initiative,” Presi dent Mikhail Gorbachev said, accord ing to the state news agency Tass. Senior officials said at a Moscow news conference that Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Obukhov, an arms control expert, will go to Washington in the first 10 days of October to open talks. Obukhov will “consider in detail the entire complex of questions aris ing from the new proposals of the American administration, and also pul forward some of our ideas in return,” said First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Petrovsky. The Soviet Union would like to expand the proposals to include strict limits on nuclear testing and eventu ally bring other nuclear countries into the talks, Petrovsky said. “We have accepted these propos als and we stand for the immediate start of dialogue on all these sub jects,” he said. On Saturday, Gorbachev welcomed the proposals in general, saying: “Our assessment of these proposals is posi tive, is very positive.” “I’m very pleased with the reac tion from all around the world. I was very pleased with the Soviet reaction and 1 fully expect that they will coop erate fully,” Bush said Monday. Bush announced Friday that the United States would eliminate all its ground-launched, short-range nuclear weapons; withdraw all tactical nu clear arms from U.S. ships; lake stra tegic bombers off alert; and cancel the development of the mobile MX missile. Although those U.S. steps are uni lateral, Bush called on the Soviets “to go down this road with us” and “to match our actions” with unilateral cuts of their own. He also called for the start of bilat eral negotiations to eliminate all in tercontinental missiles with multiple warheads. “We do not exclude unilateral steps” by the Soviet side, Petrovsky said, speaking in English. “But you know certain unilateral steps need also some kind of qualifications and consulta tions.” He did not elaborate on the quali fications. Gorbachev indicated Sat urday that the Soviets want to know more details about the unilateral American cuts. “This matter is very complex and we still have many questions,” Gor bachev said, noting he had made some queries directly to Bush on the tele phone Friday. Gorbachev said he had agreed with Bush to find “a mutually convenient forum” to clarify the U.S. proposal without delay. Petrovsky said Soviet Foreign Minister Boris Pankin, who is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly session, has contacted U.S. Secretary of State James Baker “to jointly out line a schedule for practical realiza tion of the initiative.” Urban renewal Survey nets quirky solutions to combat cities’ struggles NEW YORK — The solutions to our urban problems are really quite simple: Paint taxis like police cruisers, give out free car radios and require auto horns to sound as loud inside as they do outside. Not to mention roving robotic bath machines and disappearing dog doo. That last innovation seems illusory, but Metropolis magazine was serious when it asked architects, designers and other urbanites how to fix one thing about city life that drives them crazy. The result is what the magazine describes in its October issue as “a repair manual for the great American city.” The goal, said editor Karric Jacobs, was to “combat a growing sense that this city and every American city is in too deep.” And she was referring to more than dog droppings. The remedies — some serious, some absurd, — include a newsstand with an electronic screen displaying headlines; a “roving robotic bath machine” that would catch, scrub and then release dirty people; and a 12 passenger “Cab Plus” that would charge a dollar for any ride and, in a nod to urban etiquette, pick up those who yell loudest or gesture most violently. Since many urban problems are caused by cars, indus trial designer Wendy Brawer would encourage cycling and walking by building bicyclc-powcrcd sidewalk vending carts to serve as HP (human power) service stations. The stations would sell sun screen, hats and goggles for pedestrians and offer tire patch kits, air pumps and reflective tape to cyclists. Bandages, oxygen (bv the minute) and a fool massage machine also would be available. Different solutions were proposed for the car alarm, whose siren can keep people awake. While writer Tony Hiss would outlaw the device, industrial designer Tucker Vicmcister wants to present everyone who graduates from junior high school with a car radio, thus eliminating much of the need for alarms. NelSra&kan Editor Jana Pedersen Night News Editors Chrla Moplensperger .. , _ 472-1766 Cindy Kimbrough “af** »niyton Alan Phelps Assoc News Editors Stacey McKenzie Dionne Searcey Phitnriai cwi. *ar* "a*1* Art Director Brian Shelllto Editorial Page Editor General Manager Dan Shattll r™.. Editor Eric Planner Production Manager Katherine Policky Copyc9®*K ^l 0f faulDomeler Advertising Manager Todd Sears . , _ Sports Editor Nick Hytrek Sales Manager Eric Kringel Assistant Spwts Editor Chuck Green Classified Ad Manager Annette Sue per Arts k Entertain- Publications Board dohn **•*"• Chairman Bill Vobe|da Diversions Editor Bryan Peterson 476-2855 Photo Chief Shaun Sariln Professional Adviser Don Walton braTsklSSi3?>^fS<Q,S^S "^H*^** by*» UNL Publications Board, Ne 38 S.S,5u'<iSe“"’ F-ktt, dunn, » K»»mlc *•>. St SS^*nf: 2^®S?^,cCh*nS*8 10 Dal|y Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34.1400 R St..Lincoln, NE 68588-0448 Second-class oostage paid at Lincoln. NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1991 DAILY NEBRASKAN i ---—---—_i_____J
