News digest
Clinton’s day busy with visitors, meetings and a bombing I
Scott Maurer/DN
WASHINGTON — On his first
day in the Oval Office, President
Clinton said Thursday his adminis
tration would not flinch from mili
tary showdowns with Iraq follow
ing a fresh challenge. The Senate
rushed approval of more of his
Cabinet but hundreds of senior po
sitions remained vacant.
After partying into the early
hours after his inauguration, Clinton
spent all morning greeting thou
sands of visitors to a White House
open house. Well-wishers wailed
outdoors for hours fora quick hand
shake and greeting from Clinton.
It was almost 1 p.m. before he
paid his first visit to the Oval Office
before moving on to a meeting with
senior aides.
Clinton told them,“We just have
to be dominated by high standards
and clear vision and we ought to
have a good time doing it.”
His wife, Hillary, was checking
out the Oval Office. She will have
an office in the West Wing, the first
time a first lady has had space
there. A spokesman said she would
be closely involved in developing
Clinton’s health-care program.
Day one brought the first break
in the military cease-fire extended
by Saddam Hussein as a goodwill
gesture to the new president.
Pentagon officials said two U.S.
warplanes fired on an Iraqi air de
fense site after it turned its radar on
them. It was not clear whether it
was a calculated test of Clinton.
The new president said he was
slicking with the Bush
administration’s policy, which
called for instant strikes against
belligerent forces and measured
responses to violations of “no-fly”
zones imposed in Iraq by Gulf War
allies.
Later, White House communi
cations chief George
Stcphanopoulos said, “Everything
right now is consistent with the
previous practice, and President
Clinton supports it.”
On Capitol Hill, the Senate con
firmed nine of Clinton’s Cabinet
members and five other lop offic
ers. Hundreds of senior positions
remained open.
Zoc Baird, Clinton’s nominee
for attorney general, faced grow
ing public and congressional oppo
sition over her hiring of illegal
aliens for housework.
Stephanopoulos said Clinton still
believed she would be a good attor
ney general.
There was an air of confusion as
Clinton’s new team searched for
telephone numbers, directions and
a general plan of operation. Re
porters were angry about restric
tions on access to press offices that
were always open in previous ad
ministrations.
Clinton will move quickly to
revoke the ban on homosexuals in
the military, officials said. An ex
ecutive order is expected within a
week.
Clinton also plans to act Friday
on executive orders expanding
abortion rights.
U.S. fighters retaliate
after Iraqis target plane
WASHINGTON — President
Clinton warned Iraq on Thursday he
will brook no threats to allied aircraft
palroliing the no-fly /ones. He spoke
after two U.S. warplanes fired at an
Iraqi radar that had targeted them.
“We’re going to stay with our
policy,’’ Clinton told reporters as he
met with his senior staff on his first
full day in office. “It is the American
policy and that’s what we’re going to
stay with.”
The clash ended a brief respite in
hostilities between Washington and
Baghdad that began Tuesday when
Saddam Hussein ordered a “cease
fire” in honor of Clinton’s inaugura
tion.
In Baghdad, the Iraqi News Agency
quoted an unidentified official as de
nying that a radar had been turned on
and claimed the U.S. planes’ attack
set a fertilizer storage area on fire and
damaged crops. It also said Iraq is
sticking to its cease-fire “despite the
behavior of the U.S. plane, which was
aggressive and provocative.”
At the Pentagon, spokesman Lt.
Cmdr. Joseph Gradisher dismissed
the Iraqi claim that no radar had been
turned on. “We stand by our report,”
Gradisher said.
Secretary of State Warren Christo
pher, in remarks at the State Depart
ment, echoed Clinton’s resolve.
“The United Slates intends to pro
tect our pilots in the no-fly zone,’
Christopher said. “When their radai
illuminates our pilots we arc going tc
protect our pilots.” The new secre
tary said the Iraqis “know perfectly
well what it takes to comply with the
U.N. resolutions and the establish
ment of the no-fly zones. I think whai
happened today is a reflection of the
determination that the Clinton ad
-44
The United States
intends to protect our
pilots in the no-fly
zone. When their
radar illuminates our
pilots we are going to
protect our pilots.
-*Christopher
secretary of state
-99 ~
ministration will have in that area.”
Clinton’s spokesman, George
Slcphanopoulos, said the new presi
dent was following established policy,
allowing U.S. pilots to defend them
selves when threatened.
“Right now everything we’re do
ing is consistent with past practice.
There is no change at this lime,” he
said.
The incident occurred at 5:09 a.m.
EST, the military said in a statement.
A U.S. Air Force F-4G “Wild
Weasel” and an F-16 “Fighting Fal
con” were escorting a French Mirage
plane conducting photo reconnais
sance in the northern no-fly /.one, the
statement said.
The two U.S. jets noticed flashes
of anti-artillery fire in their direction,
but did not respond to the provocation
“because the aircraft were out of range
of the fire,” the statement said.
After the radar “locked on” the
aircraft, the F-4G fired an anti-radar
HARM missile at the radar and the F
16 dropped two cluster bombs on the
site.
The incident occurred about 10
miles south of the town of Mosul.
There was no immediate report
whether any damage had been done to
the missile site, the statement said.
The F-4G and F-16completed their
mission “without further incident,”
the statement said.
A senior Pentagon official, com
menting on condition of anonymity,
said“Wc’rc back in the cat-and-mouse
business again,” with Iraq. He said the
Pentagon isn’t sure whether the inci
dent was the result of directions from
Baghdad.
“Either someone didn’t get the
word, orders weren’t obeyed, or all
bets arc off,” the official said.
Allied patrols of the northern and
southern no-fly /.ones will continue,
despite Saddam’s pledge to end pro
vocative activities.
The new hostilities came despite
calls from Baghdad for a “new page”
in U.S.-Iraqi relations.
It also came as U.N. weapons in
spectors landed in Baghdad.
Jets bomb
Iraqi radar
At approximately 5:09 a.m. EST a U.S.
Air Force F-4G “Wild Weasel" and an
F-16 “Fighting Falcon" were targeted
by Iraqi radar while escorting a French
Mirage plane on a reconnaissance
mission. The F-4G fired a HARM
missile at the radar and the F-16
dropped cluster bombs on the site. U.S. F-4G "Wild Weasel" I
_Jbn_
Iraqi radar locks on to aircraft
(considered a prelude to
possible attack).
r-----1-1 I
. .. *■ >.
i
The U.S. F-4Q fires a high speed
anti-radar missile (HARM) which
locks on an enemy radar signal
and uses it as a guide to destroy
the source.
AP
I-World Wire
Troops could remain in Somalia till March
MOGADISHU, Somalia —
Some American troops the United
States had hoped to pull out of
Somalia before or soon after Presi
dent Clinton’s inauguration could
remain until as late as March, a
U.S. military spokesman said
Thursday.
Marine Col. Fred Peck said no
timetable could be set until the
U.N. Security Council adopted a
resolution necessary to transfer the
U.S.-led relietopcration to a U.N.
force.
The United Nations also must
name a commander and determine
the rules of engagement. The law
lessness of this nation was demon
strated once again Thursday when
a Chinese reporter was seriously
wounded and his Somali drivc^
killed by roving gunmen. Ameri
can troops have fired freely to pro
tect themselves, but U.N. troops
usually face restrictions.
Humanitarian group: kerbs using rape otten
ULNfcVA — 5»crb lorces in
Bosnia have regularly used rape
and harassment as part of their
campaign to force Muslims and
Croats to flee their homes, Am
nesty International said Thursday.
The organization said that in
some cases, the violations were
carried out in an organized or
systematic way, with the deliberate
detention of women for the pur
pose of rape and sexual abuse.”
Amnesty International said all
warring factions were guilty of
human rights abuses, but that Serbs
carried by far the most blame.
_I
Baird steadfast, ignores calls to quit I
WASHINGTON — A combative
Zoc Bainl rejected calls to withdraw
as attorney general-designate on
Thursday despite rising public and
congressional opposition. TheClinton
administration offered her muted sup
port in the furor over hiring illegal
aliens.
“Right now, Zoc Baird is his nomi
nee,” While House spokesman George
S tephanopou los tol d reporters as Bai rd
underwent a second day of grilling by
---
the Senate Judiciary Committee. He
also said President Clinton may never
have discussed the pivotal issue with
his nominee prior to picking her.
Several senators announced their
opposition, including two Republi
cans on the Judiciary Committee, the
lone Republican among the Senate’s
six women, and three moderate Demo
crats.
A possible swing vole on the com
mittee, Republican Arlcn Specter of
Pennsylvania, said her prospects for
confirmation arc “very much up in the
air.”
VI think that my overall record
gives me the potential to be a great
attorney general," Baird testified.
“The potential that I have to serve this
country ... should override the par
ticular incident.”
Baird, 40, a $500,000-a-year law
yer for the Aetna Life & Casually Co.,
has since her nomination paid $2,900
in fines and roughly $12,000 in back
taxes for employing a Peruvian couple.
-—-1
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