Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1992)
News Digest Edited by Roger Price Scientists unlikely to defect WASHINGTON — Nuclear sci entists who worked in the Soviet weapons program aren’t likely to cross the “great moral threshold” required to sell their expertise to Third World countries, senior officials from the Commonwealth of Independent States said Thursday. “So far, we don’t know of a single example” of a nuclear scientist leav ing the former Soviet Union, said Yevgeny Avrorin, chief scientist at the Russian nuclear arms complex at Chclyabinsk-70. “Not only that,” he went on, but “we don’t know of any proposals being made.” Avrorin was one of several senior CIS officials who met with American scientists to discuss nuclear weapons issues at a seminar sponsored by the Federation of American Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Coun cil.-1 One of the officials, Gen. Sergei Zelentsov, said at a news conference thatremoval of tactical weapons from all former Soviet republics except Belarus and Ukraine is complete. Zelentsov said the process is run ning about two months ahead of sched ule and should be completed in May. Geographic consolidation of the nuclear arsenal of the former Soviet Union has been a major goal of the Bush administration. When Secretary of Stale James A. Baker III visited Russia earlier this month he met with Avrorin at Ch elyabinsk. Later, a senior administra I | ! I Source: Federation of American Scientists AP lion official said in Moscow that the Russians had told Baker they were well over half finished moving the short-range weapons to Russia. As for out-of-work nuclear experts, U.S. officials have expressed concern that scientists who were among the professional elite in the former Soviet Union but now are out of work would receive offers to help Iran, Iraq and Libya develop weapons. “A lot of experts were left job less,” said Avrorin. He said the con cern they would rush to accept job offers from countries eager to join the ranks of nuclear slates were exagger ated. “A great moral threshold has to be crossed,” he said. Avrorin said that about half the nuclear scientists once employed by the Soviet Union are no longer in volved in military projects. Boris Y- Nekipelov, first deputy minister for nuclear warhead devel opment in the Ministry for Atomic Power and Industry, said Russian law prohibits nuclear scientists from emigrating for ten years after leaving the weapons program. Campaigns begin personal attacks By the Associated Press Bill Clinton, Bob Kerrey and Paul Tsongas vied to attack one another Thursday in a Democratic presidential race growing testier by the day. “This isn’t a love fest,” said Kerrey. There arc seven con tests and 783 delegates on next Tuesday’s Democratic bal lots. Kerrey de rided Clinton’s reasons for not serving in Vietnam as “baloney.” Clinton said Tsongas’ opposition to a middle class tax cut was “cold blooded.” Tsongas went after both his rivals, noting they raised the gas taxes in their states but now were criticiz ing his call for a similar increase. Clinton also mended fences with Jesse Jackson after bitterly accus ing him of “backstabbing” when he was told erroneously that Jackson had decided to back a Democratic rival. Clinton’s comments were picked up by an open microphone and recorded without his knowl edge. Tsongas piled into that dispute calling Clinton’s comments ‘vitu perative,” and suggesting they were unpresidential. ‘‘I think the Ameri can people want a president who’s cool under fire and that kind of instinctive, angry emotional out burst I don’t think is appropriate,” he said. The verbal fisticuffs came as the five major Democrats girded for next week’s primaries in Mary land, Georgia, Colorado and Utah, and caucuses in three other states. The 504 delegates at stake in contests on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, and another 783 on March 10 are more than enough to propel one candidate along the path to nomination and doom others to oblivion. Clinton had Tsongas in his sights as he sought support for next week’s primary in Colorado, where polls show him narrowly trailing his rival. He called the former Massachu setts senator “a candidate of Wall Street” for his pro-business eco nomic policies, noting that Tson gas earned S200,000 in corporate board fees last year and is a regis tered lobbyist in Washington. Tsongas retorted with what seemed like a reference to the draft controversy: ‘‘Is Bill Clinton now our resident expert on courage?” House adopts temporary, election-year tax cut WASHINGTON — The House on Thurs day approved a temporary, election-year tax cut for 90 million wage earners that would be financed by permanently raising taxes on the richest 1 percent of Americans. The final vote on the bill was 221-209. Bush’s own plan was rejected on a near party line vole of 264-166. Rep. Mickey Edwards of Oklahoma, chair man of the Republican Policy Committee, countered that the Democratic bill was de signed not to benefit the economy but to “tax the rich, bust the budget, raise the deficit and beat the president.” The Democratic substitute for the Bush bill was accepted on a 221 -210 vote before the final roll call was taken. Forty-six Democrats voted with the Republicans in both cases. The legislation now goes to the Senate Fi nance Committee, which next week begins writing what likely will be a similar version. As a result, Republicans insist, there is no chance it will become law because Bush will veto it. He and other opponents ridiculed the maxi mum $400-a-year tax cut that wage earners would collect from the bill this year and next. Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Demo cratic caucus chairman, said that represented a 10-percent lax reduction for a $30,000-a-year family. The centerpiece of the Democratic bill is a 20-pcrccnt credit for Social Security and Medicare taxes paid this year and next. About 80 percent of all workers would get the maxi mum credit of $200, or $400 for a couple. The bill would boost the 31 percent maxi mum lax rate to 35 percent, which would affect the estimated 1 million people with incomes above $105,(XX) for singles and SI85,(XX) for couples. In addition, about 60,000 people with incomes over $1 million a year would face a new surtax of up to 10 percent. Drop in home sales cause analysts to doubt economic recovery claims WASHINGTON — Existing home sales fell 1.5 percent in January, the first decline in four months, and claims for jobless benefits rose for a second straight week in mid-February, re ports said Thursday. The negative figures, combined with recent reports of a rebound in factory orders and climbing retail and automobile sales, showed the cross currents buffeting the economy. “It’s an economy that’s gasping for air,” said economist Mark Zandi of Regional Financial Associates in West Chester, Pa. “Sometimes it’s below water and sometimes it’s above. There’s no clear sign the recovery is imminent.’’ John F. Welch Jr., chief executive of General Electric Co. said, “There is clearly no clear direction.” Welch who is chairman of the Business Council, which is made up of the chief executives of 100 of America’s largest corporations, told reporters after a council meeting here Thursday, “Things arc a little better — and I mean little, with a heavy underline.” The National Association of Real tors on Thursday attributed the de cline in sales of previously owned homes to consumer uncertainty over the economic outlook and a blip in mortgage rales as much as to the usual mid winter lull in housing ac tivity. Sales fell 1.5 percent, to a season ally adjusted annual rate of 3.22 mil lion units, from 3.27 million a month earlier. It was the first decline since a 2.5 percent drop in September. The Midwest posted the only re gional gain. Noting a 12.6 percent advance over January 1991, Dorcas T. Hclfant, the Realtors’ president said, “Sales eased up a bit but, overall, the market is in much better shape than it was a year ago.” Most analysts contend that the housing recession ended in January 1991 and that the housing sector has assumed its traditional role of leading the economy out of the recession. Hclfant also said a national survey in early February showed a substan tial increase in contracts signed for closing later this year, hinting that a jump in activity could come as early as the spring. Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported that 7,000 more people filed initial claims for unemployment compensation in the week ending Feb. 15, pushing the seasonally adjusted total to 459,000. It was the second straight advance, although less than the 18,000 increase a week earlier. Existing home sales Seasonally adjusted annual rata, millions ot units To FMAMJ JASONDJ 1001 1002 Jan. 91 Dec. ‘91 Jan. 92 ■ ■ Source: National Association of Realtors AP While cautioning that the changes from week to week can be extremely volatile, analysts noted that the four week moving average for claims has remained at a discouragingly high level of about 450,000. • .tV War over in Yugoslavia BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — The president of Serbia declared the war with Croatia over Thurs day,ending his quest to keep Yugo slavia united. President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia appeared to be respond ing to mounting opposition inside Serbia over the war’s human and economic toll. Many Serbs have turned against the once popular leader and are demanding his res ignation. “Today we can say that most of the agony in our country is over, and that conditions now exist for the peaceful and democratic solu tion of the Yugoslav crisis,” Mi losevic told Serbia’s parliament as a U.N.-mediated truce stretched to nearly two months. In a rare public speech, Mi losevic also seemed to move away from previous insistence that Serb dominated regions in other repub lics be united with Serbia. He said Serbia’s union with liny Montene gro in a smaller Yugoslavia was “the best option/* 3 killed in riots at space center MOSCOW — Poor food, hazing and beatings helped set the stage for riots by hundreds of soldiers at the former Soviet Union’s main space center, newspapers said Thursday. Three people were killed in the violence Monday and Tuesday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where angry soldiers reportedly looted supplies and burned barracks. The unrest reflects deep problems in the former Soviet army, including falling morale and mistreatment of recruits. The riots invol ved several hundred of the 17,000 soldiers assigned to construction jobs at the cosmodrome, about 1,560 miles southeast o( Moscow. The soldiers stole 17 cars, looted food supplies and warehouses, and burned four barracks, according to the Nczavisimaya Gazeta (Independ ent Newspaper) and Interfax news agency. NelSraskan Editor Jana PederMn Professional Adviser Don Walton, 473-7301 472-1766 Publications Board Chairman Bill Vobelda, 472-2588 Postmaster: Send address changes to the Dally Nebraskan. Nebraska Union 34, 1400 R St.,Lincoln, NE 68588-0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1992 DAILY NEBRASKAN _