1NJ PWC D 1 CTPSt Associated Press
JL ^1 w w M. £■* w Edited by Eric Pfanner
Talks punctuated by promise, frustration
Arabs, Israelis
go home, pledge
to meet in future
MADRID, Spain — Arabs and
Israelis went home Monday with mixed
feelings of frustration and anticipa
tion after an intense foray into the
realm of peace. Israel and Syria were
mired in recriminations, but prom
ised to meet again.
The talks smashed a 43-year taboo
on direct Israeli-Arab talks, setting in
motion a process of face-to-face
negotiations to resolve one of the
most intractable regional conflicts in
the world.
The United States and Soviet Union
sponsored the talks, and President
Bush’s assessment was: “We have a
long way to go and interruptions will
probably occur, but hopes are bright.”
The brightest are for negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians
living under its military rule in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. The dim
mest are for a thaw between Israel
and Syria, the region’s most bitter
foes.
“I would like to express our regret
for leaving this city without having
tangible results,” said Syrian Foreign
Minister Farouk al-Sharaa.
Hard-line Israelis inaugurated a
new Jewish settlement in the Golan
Heights just hours after the talks ended.
Syria’s main demand is for the return
of the heights, captured by Israel in
the 1967 Mideast war.
There were also reports that Israeli
troops shelled the positions of radical
Muslim guerrillas in Lebanon.
In the Iranian capital of Tehran,
Shiite Muslim demonstrators burned
American and Israeli flags and an
effigy of Uncle Sam outside the for
mer U.S. Embassy compound to mark
its takeover 13 years ago by Iranian
radicals.
The late-night talks in Madrid were
the first-ever direct discussion be
tween Israel and Syria and they lasted
five hours, into the early hours on
Monday. The enemies failed to move
even an inch from their positions.
Syria refused an Israeli request to
establish direct contacts to arrange
the site for the next round of talks,
scheduled later this month.
Both agreed to meet again — if the
United States comes up with an ac
ceptable location. Officials on both
sides said Washington or other sites
in North America were possible.
Israel’s delegates “talked about
everything except the land that the
Israelis occupied and have been oc
cupying for the last 24 years. That is
the Golan Heights,” al-Sharaa said.
The Israelis countered that Syria’s
demand for Israeli concessions domi
nated the meeting.
A -a
Interest cut predicted
Fed to lower rates, economists say
WASHINGTON — The Fed
eral Reserve will decide today to
lower interest rates again, many
private economists, predicted.
Some analysts said Monday that
they believed Washington poli
cymakers will be forced to take
more dramatic steps in a bid to
dissipate widespread gloom about
the economy.
These economists saw the chance
for a triple-play package of further
Fed rate cuts coupled with a tax
cut package from Congress to put
money in consumers’ pockets and
an easing of bank regulations aimed
at alleviating the credit crunch.
While ruling out a tax cut this
year in an interview in the Wall
Street Journal, White House budget
director Richard Darman said, “If
the economy is still sputtering, then
it is conceivable to me that there
would be the right political context
in which to enact a responsible tax
cut (next year).”
While economists were split on
the chances of a tax cut in 1992,
they were in general agreement
that at least one more round of Fed
rate cuts was in the offing, given
the dismal economic reports of
recent weeks.
The government reported last
week that the unemployment rate
climbed to 6.8 percent in October,
while home sales took their biggest
nosedive in 2 1/2 years and con
sumer confidence plunged. After
the unemployment report Friday,
President Bush renewed his call
for the central bank to lower inter
est rates.
The Fed’s top policymaking
committee, the Federal Open Mar
ket Committee, will meet behind
closed doors today to consider what
to do next. _l
17 killed as blacks strike,
shake S. African economy
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
— Millions of blacks went on strike
Monday as anti-apartheid groups shut
down large parts of the economy in a
bid to force the white government to
share power. At least 17 people were
killed in strike violence.
The massive strike, which was to
continue today was officially called
to protest a new tax. But it was widely
seen as a power struggle between the
government and black opposition
groups.
The strike appeared to be one of
the most politically effective actions
taken recently by opposition groups,
which have frequently been left on
the defensive by President F.W. de
Klerk’s rapid reforms.
Skeleton staffs made up of mainly
white workers kept many businesses
operating at partial capacity, but the
streets of some cities were deserted.
Johannesburg’s sidewalks were
mm
clear of the hundreds of blacks who
normally sell fruit and vegetables,
and white supervisors unused to cash
registers struggled to serve whites.
Essential services were not hit by
the strike, and power stations, most
transportation and other services ran
normally.
Strike organizers claimed at least
3 million people were taking part in
the action, but the figure could not be
confirmed. The Congress of South
African Trade Unions alone has 1.2
million members.
The African National Congress and
the allied Congress of South African
Trade Unions, the groups that called
the strike, want a say in economic
policy. Although de Klerk has scrapped
apartheid laws, the opposition says
little has changed.
“The organized working class has
today and will tomorrow strike a body
blow to apartheid,” said Jay Naidoo,
general-secretary of the trade union
congress.
The government alleged that many
blacks were intimidated into staying
home, a charge denied by the groups.
Opposition leaders threaten further
action if the government does not
accept their demands.
Business spokesmen said they had
no nationwide figures, but that 50
percent to 80 percent of black work
ers did not show up at most major
businesses. The country has 30 mil
lion blacks.
Government officials estimated the
strike will cost the economy about
S800 million in lost production.
The strike is opposed by the ANC’s
main black rival, the Zulu-dominated
Inkatha Freedom Party.
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The new Apple Computer Loan is
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Lower Level Nebraska Union
472-5785
^_Hours: 8am-5pm_j
Food facts
FDA prepares changes in nutrition labeling
WASHINGTON — For years, beverage
manufacturers have said each 12-ounce can of
soda pop sold in vending machines contains
two servings.
But most people drink the whole can in one
sitting and the federal government is likely to
propose Wednesday that the label say it’s just
one.
The change is expected to be one of the
hundreds of serving sizes that will be specifi
cally designated as the Food and Drug Admini
stration unveils its plans for implementing the
bulk of the new Nutrition Labeling and Educa
tion Act.
When all is done, the sporadic, conflicting,
often purposefully unclear labels now volun
tarily stamped on food packages will conform
to specific rules. The labels, which will be
required on about 90 percent of all food sold in
grocery stores, could revolutionize the way
Americans cal by making them more aware.
The FDA has already laid out its ideas for
changing ingredient listings, adding details about
sweeteners and including whether the product
contains monosodium glutamate, a flavor
enhancer said to produce allergic reactions in
some people.
The agency has also detailed how juice
beverage manufacturers should specify the
percentage of real fruit juice contained in their
products and how grocery stores should display
nutrition information for fresh produce and
fish.
This week, the food industry and the public
will learn for the first time specifically how the
government wants terms such as “low-fat,’’
“low-cholesterol,” “low-sodium” and “light'
to be defined.
They’ll find out what kinds of foods are
recognized by the government as helpful in
fighting certain illnesses.
And, after years of debate over what consti
tutes a serving size, federal regulators will give
their opinion.
Nebraskan
Editor Jana Ptdtrun, 472-1766
Managing Editor Diana Brayton
Assoc. News Editors Stacey McKenzie
Kara Walls
General Manager Dan Shattll
Production Manager Katharine Pollcky
Advertising Manager Todd Sears
Sales Manager Eric Krtngel
Publications Board Bill Vobejda, 476-2855
Chairman
Professional Adviser Don Walton, 473-7301
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT
1991 DAILY NEBRASKAN
- *» . . . • * -
Kerrey calls for cuts
in federal government
WASHINGTON — Nebraska Sen. Bob
Kerrey said Monday that he would seek dra
matic cuts in the federal bureaucracy, congres
sional operations and the defense budget if he
were elected president in 1992.
Kerrey, one of six Democrats seeking the
party’s nomination, proposed cutting the num
ber of federal departments in half and reducing
the military budget by up to 40 percent in the
next decade.
Kerrey, who like other candidates is cam
paigning against a government he says hds
gone astray, also said Congress should cut its
staff by 30 percent and make do with only a
quarter of the committees and subcommittees
now operating.
“Government waste at the Washington level
is a moral issue,’’ the former governor said in a
speech at the National Press Club. “This is an
attempt to re-establish the confidence of the
American people that we understand that our
tax dollars come from them.”