News Digest
Aid conference convenes
WASHINGTON — President Bush
pledged $645 million in new U.S. aid
Wednesday to the beleaguered people
of the former Soviet Union as they
struggle to “make the leap” from
communism to democracy and free
market economies.
Bush’s unexpected gesture at 347
nation conference on emergency re
lief to the Soviet people could inspire
others to hike their own contributions
even though Secretary of State James
A. Baker III had said there would not
be a bidding contest.
In fact, several of the governments
participating in the conference came
forward later in the day with offers of
new assistance, said U.S. officials
who spoke on condition of anonym
ity. The prospective donors and the
amounts were not disclosed.
At a luncheon, Baker singled out
oil-rich Saudi Arabia, Australia and
New Zealand for private consulta
tions.
The United Slates “cannot and will
not falter at the moment that these
new states are struggling to embrace
the very ideals that America was
founded to foster and preserve,” Bush
said in opening the conference.
His aid proposal, which must be
approved by Congress, marked a shift
in emphasis since the new aid would
not have to be repaid. Bush told the
gathering that the United States has
pledged more than S5 billion in vari
ous forms of assistance, but most has
been in the form of agricultural cred
its that will benefit U.S. farmers.
“Let us join together to give these
people a reason to hope,” Bush said at
the ceremonial opening of the two
day summit.
The bulk of the new aid would be
used to set up a $500 million account
for humanitarian assistance. Another
$25 million would purchase badly
needed pharmaceuticals, and $20
million will help farmers become
private entrepreneurs after more than
a half-century of communism. Money
will also go to technical assistance
and development projects.
Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin
saluted the participants in a message
declaring, “humanitarian and other
forms of assistance by the interna
tional community will no doubt help
alleviate the difficulties our popula
tion is facing as we move to a market
economy.”
Hurd said, the next goal must be
getting Russia, Ukraine and the other
republics into the International Mone
tary Fund “and getting down to work
ing out with them the bigger ques
tions of their economic reforms and
whether we can help make sure that
they arc a success.”
i *
tor former Soviet republics to help In their
transition to democracy andpow should tola
asefetsnce be financed?
DEMOCRATS
Jerry Brown — "We should provide technical assistance and encourage our
private industries to help in their transition to democracy, and to aid them in the
famine issue.’
Bill Clinton — Not available.
Tom Harkin — "In the short term, I believe that the United States should provide
humanitarian assistance — in the form of medicine and food — to the suffering
citizens of the former Soviet state this winter, as long as that assistance is
provided by organizations that will ensure that our help directly reaches the
people who are without the basics of life. Over time, we can help the evolving
government there by providing loans and loan guarantees to private organizations
seeking to promote American business and the purchase of American-made
products — and by encouraging the establishment of a free-market economy,
through technical assistance from American businessmen and women, workers,
farmers, and professional managers.’
Bob Kerrey — 'The United States should first make full use of the $400 million
already appropriated by Congress to initiate the dismantlement of the nuclear
arsenals in the four nuclear republics. We should also begin to work with our
NATO allies to provide immediate short-term humanitarian aid by transporting
medical supplies and foodstuffs to targeted population centers in the member
republics of the commonwealth to help them survive the harsh winter. Financing
for this aid should be a multilateral effort done in concert with the European
Community and Japan.’
Paul Tsongas — 'In order to assist the former Soviet republics, the United States
must take three basic actions. First, provide the republics with food aid to avert
economic chaos; second, establish an Enterprise Corps of American
businessmen to assist the republics in moving their economies toward capitalism;
finally, help dismantle their nuclear arsenals. All of these actions can be funded
from decreases in the defense budget, and will do more to create stability than
spending the same dollars on defense."
REPUBLICANS
George Bush — No response.
Pat Buchanan — 'If people are starving in the okf Soviet Union we will be the first
there with food aid. But taxing American workers to send billions of dollars to
politicians in the C.I.S (Commonwealth of Independent States) works against
everybody's interests. Private capital will pour into the resource-rich C.I.S. so long
as C.I.S. policies make the C.I.S. an attractive place to invest. If the vestiges of
socialism survive there, no amount of American aid will help.*
David Duke — 'I don't subscribe to the notion that we are obligated to finance the
government of any country other than the United States of America. As the
breakup of the Soviet Union is seen by all as a unique opportunity, we may assist
in the stabilization of the breakaway republics by providing humanitarian aid.*
_ - Ap
Libya attempts to buy'
U.S. nuclear parts
BONN, Germany — A plane
bound for Libya carrying Ameri
can-made laser equipment for build
ing rockets was seized last month
at Frankfurt airport moments be
fore takeoff, German officials said
Wednesday.
Chief government spokesman
Dieter Vogel said the cargo con
tained “dual use parts which could
be used for nuclear technology.”
Dual use refers to technology that
has been designed for civilian use
but can also be used in arms pro
duction.
Another German official said
U.S. officials had asked Germany
to intervene shortly before the plane
left Frankfurt for Tripoli Dec. 10.
The official, speaking on condi
tion of anonymity, said the cargo
contained “lots of parts,” mostly
laser equipment used in building
rockets. ^
He said the cargo was addressed
to a Libyan organization known to
be working on the country’s rocket
program.
In Washington, State Depart
ment press officer Joseph Snyder
said the administration was aware
of the transaction and has been in
touch with the German govern
ment. Other officials said the
administration was not surprised
by the German disclosure. There
was no elaboration.
The German government source
said a U.S. company, in apparent
violation of export law, sent the
goods to Amsterdam, Netherlands,
where a Dutch firm served as an
intermediary. The goods were then
flown to Frankfurt for the last leg
of the journey, the source said.
The cargo seizure came to light
during the German government’s
regular news briefing Wednesday.
Vogel was briefing reporters on a
new regulation in German export
law that the Cabinet had approved
earlier in the day.
The new rule prohibits “sensi
tive” items from being transported
through Germany to Libya “when
the government has reason to be
lieve these items are to be used for
arms.purposes,” Vogel said.
Asked why Libya had been
singled out, Vogel said: “Because
it’s a special case.”_I
Eight workers radiated
By the Associated Press
The Nuclear Regulatory Commis
sion has ruled that the Cooper Nu
clear Station near Brownvillc vio
lated federal radiation standards after
eight workers complained they were
subjected to large doses of radiation
while involved in cleanup efforts last
October.
The men — known to co-workers as
“The Radiated Eight” — said they
were hired as temporary welders or
metal workers. Some of them said
they were surprised when they were
ordered into the core area of the reac
tor to do cleanup work.
One of the men suffered bladder
damage after working in the reactor.
His doctor told him the only other
place the doctor had seen similar
symptoms was in cancer patients
receiving large doses of radiation
treatment.
“They burned us out. They fried
us, they maxed us out on our radiation
limits,” said Hal Eltistc, 40, of Peru,
who said he docs not know if his
bladder damage is permanent. ‘‘Man,
I was snowed. I didn’t realize what
was happening.”
Joe Flash, a spokesman for the
power company, said the NRC con
sidered it a Level 4 violation, which
carries no financial penalties.
In its response to the NRC, the
company admitted that the subcon
tractors used improper procedures.
‘‘The four Contract Health Physics
Technicians providing radiological
coverage for this job apparentl y fai led
to recognize the significance of this
situation and did not relocate or ob
tain additional dosimetry, nor convey
the workers’ claims to Health Physics
Supervision,” the company said.
The company said it immediately
stopped further work on the project
until the workers’ claims could be
evaluated.
The company said dose evaluations
after the incident “showed that the
workers did not receive doses in ex
cess of (federal) limits."
“To further evaluate the doses
received, a consulting firm was hired,
said Ron Bogus, another company
spokesman, “and the results of this
independent evaluation firm confirmed
the radiological doses the workers re
ceived.”
Economy remains weak, but report predicts turnaround
WASHlNulUN — bconomic weakness
pervaded virtually every part of the country as
the new year began with retailers, factory owners
and bankers all complaining about the sluggish
slate of business activity, the Federal Reserve
said Wednesday.
The Fed’s latest survey of business condi
tions depicted an economy mired in stagnation
with little suggestion of a rebound outside of
some modest gains in housing sales.
“Activity was lackluster as the year drew to
a close,’’ the central bank said in a survey
compiled from reports from its 12 regional
names.
The Fed did hold out the prospect of better
days ahead, noting that “business and banking
contacts generally anticipate that economic
conditions will improve by mid-year.”
The survey noted production cutbacks in a
number of industries in the face of falling
demand, an overhang of unsold goods at many
retail stores following a disappointing Christ
mas season and little demand for new loans at
banks outside of a rush to refinance old mort
gages.
unc oi me tew Dright spots in the Fed survey
was a slight upturn in housing sales and con
struction activity in many parts of the country
in December as first-time home buyers have
been lured into the market by the lowest mort
gage rates in nearly two decades.
That view seemed to be bolstered by a
separate report Wednesday that showed new
construction of homes and apartments jumped
2.6 percent in December to a seasonally ad
justed annual rate of 1.103 million units, the
fastest pace in 13 months. Building permit
applications improved even more in Decem
ber, rising by 5.8 percent.
Housing is the sector of the economy most
sensitive to changes in interest rates and often
helps lead the country out of recession.
Robert Reischauer, director of the Congres
sional Budget Office, issued a new forecast
Wednesday predicting that the economy will
strengthen throughout 1992. He cautioned law
makers against enacting anti-recession tax cuts
that would cause long-run damage by widening
the federal deficit.
Doctor suggests specialists in suicide
DETROIT — A physician who
developed suicide machines and used
them to assist three ailing women in
killing themselves is proposing a
nationwide network of doctors who
could help people end their lives.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian outlines the
plan in an article in February’s Ameri
can Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, a
quarterly for psychiatrists who serve
as expert witnesses in legal cases.
The 85-page issue is entirely de
voted to the article, “A Fail-Safe Model
For Justifiable Medically Assisted
Suicide (Medicide),” and responses
from 13 psychiatrists.
Edward Miller, executive director
of the journal based in Laguna Hills,
Calif, said, “He’s an unusual thinker,
a very avant-garde thinker. But a
scripus thinker.”
Miller said he learned of Kevorkian
through reports of the three lethal
injection suicides in which the doctor
assisted in Michigan.
Kevorkian recommends establish
ing panels of suicide specialists, whom
he would call “obitiatnsts,” who would
review requests from people wishing
tokill themselves. Would-be suicides
would need a doctor’s referral to the
panels.
Of the 13 responses, three gener
ally endorsed Kevorkian’s plan, four
or five strongly opposed it and the
rest saw good and bad in it, Miller
said.
Dr. Jay B. Kohn, a New York
psychiatrist and lawyer, wrote, “The
physician should support and prom
ulgate life, never death.’’
Dr. Michael S. Cleary of Scottsdale,
Ariz. said, “The bottom line is Dr.
Kevorkian has gone too far, tpo fast.”
I
r"
* *