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Clinton says he’s close
to resolving debate on ban
Republicans: Postpone decision 6 months
WASHINGTON — President
Clinton said Thursday he remained
committed to suspending the ban on
homosexuals in the military and was
“pretty close” to resolving congres
sional objections to his interim plan.
Aides worked feverishly to mute op
position from Congress and the Pen
tagon.
Whatever their sexual orientation,
Clinton said, “Americans who are
willing to conform to requirements of
conduct in the military service, in my
judgment, should be able to serve in
the military.”
The president postponed for a sec
ond straight day an expected an
nouncement of action.
Republicans pressed him not to
take any immediate action and said
they would try to stop him if he went
ahead. “Take a timeout for six
months,” Senate Minority Leader Bob
Dole said.
Clinton said there was “an enor
mous amount of agreement” on end
ing the practice of asking military
recruits about their sexual orienta
tion. He said there was still disagree
ment with Congress and the military
over the second part of his interim
plan dealing with treatment of ac
knowledged homosexuals already in
the service.
The president gave no indication
of backing away from his ultimate
goal of lifting the military’s 50-year
old ban on homosexuals.
“People should be disqualified from
serving in the military based on some
thing they do, not based on who they
are,” Clinton said.
White House communications di
rector George Stcphanopoulos said
the interim order, the first of the ex
pected two steps, would come “rela
tively soon,” perhaps Friday. It origi
nally had been expected to be re
leased Wednesday.
According to White House expec
tations, Defense Secretary Les Aspin
would draft an executive order for
Clinton to sign formally lifting the
ban after six months. Details would be
worked out by then on how the mili
tary should put the new policy into
effect.
The two-step approach is designed
to give the administration time to
solve potential problems with mo
rale, recruitment, discipline and con
duct.
Clinton said the Joint Chiefs of
Staff agreed that recruits should no
longer be asked about their sexual
orientation.
He also agreed that ‘‘any sort of
improper conduct should result in sev
erance.”
Fourth quarter economi c growth I
is nation’s healthiest in 4 years I
WASHINGTON — A burst of
Christmastime spending propelled
the nation’s economy to its fastest
growth in four years, the govern
ment said Thursday. But analysts
warned the revival would sag with
out more jobs!
The economy during October
December grew at a healthy 3.8
percent annual rate, exceedii^f the
3.4 percent rate of the July-Scp
tember quarter and the 3 percent
rate mosteconomists had predicted.
However, the best performance
of George Bush’s presidency came
too late to convince voters he should
be relumed to office.
“For ex-president Bush, it’s too
bad the election wasn’t held to
day,” said economist Allen Sinai
of the Boston Co. “It’s just ironic
the economy looks so good in the
third and fourth quarters.’’
During the fourth quarter, a 4.3
percent advance in consumer spend
ing accounted for about two-thirds
of the growth. Other bright spots
included a 9.7 percent increase in
spending by businesses for new
equipment and buildings and a 29.1
percent leap in housing construc
tion, the best since the end of the
last recession nine years ago.
At the White House, President
Clinton told reporters that economic
signals had been mixed, with some
favorable signs balanced by con
tinued widespread layoffs among
such corporate giants as Sears, IBM
and Boeing.
“I think there is a lot of response
to the efforts we arc making now,”
Clinton said. But he added, “There
is also a lot of troubling newsabout
lost jobs. We’ve got a lot of work
to do.”
According to the Labor Depart
ment, the number of Americans
filing new claims for jobless ben
efits rose by 2,000 to 362,(XX) dur
ing the week ended Jan. 16. It was
the third consecutive weekly in
crease and brought the total to the
highest level in two months.
Soldiers’ conflict illustrated
by nighttime murder in Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia—The
screams were distinct — the chill
ing call of the fallen. A sniper’s
bullet in his chest, Lance Cpl. An
thony Botcllo was carried from
harm’s way clinging to the sleeve
of hiscomradc’scamouflaged shirt,
his last link to life.
The manner of his death typi
fied the dilemma of the nearly 9 ,(X)0
Marines in Somalia: To show re
straint while going down the law
less, dark corridors of a country
where guns rule.
Botcllo, 21, from Wilburton,
Ok la., had volunteered that fateful
Monday night as the point man on
a patrol looking for snipers who
had been firing on the Marines.
“Let’s get this one done tonight.
Let’s come back,” he told his squad
leader, Cpl. Scott Richards.
As the patrol slopped for a secu
rity check before rounding a cor
ner, Botcllo talked about how there
was no moon out.
Rounding the comer, the 20
man patrol made a left turn onto a
road that turned out to be a trail
dotted with huts.
They heard a gate open.
“We heard the latch lift up on
the steel and we knew something
was up,” recalled CpI. Bill Lamb,
the leader right behind Botello.
Lamb, who was wearing night
vision goggles, saw a Somali step
out.
On previous patrols when So
malis realized the people were U.S.
Marines, they went right back in
side.
Not this night.
Lamb and the other Marines
heard two Somalis cock their rifles.
“I couldn’t see a weapon,” Lamb
said. “They’re putting us out on
patrols and we’re more afraid of
shooting people because of the
press. We didn’t want to shoot until
we knew this person had a weapon. ’
Lamb knew when he saw one
Somali pula rifle on his shoulderas
he knelt and pointed it at Botello,
15 feel away. Lamb fired four
rounds at the Somali.
A third Somali on the roof fired
two green tracers. One crashed
through Botcllo’s arm, an area not
protected by his flak vest, contin
ued through his armpit and into his
chest. Botello sc reamed three times.
“He grabbed a hold of my
sleeve,” said Soman. "He knew
that we were there and we were
bringing him out. ”
Serb battles with Croatia extend;
UN might remove peacekeepers
ZADAR, Croatia — Scrb-Croat
clashes spread to a new front along the
Adriatic on Thursday and Croatia’s
army made gains in its quest to retake
territory, capturing a dam in Serb
held territory.
Fighting also raged in Bosnia, and
this week’s battles marked the first
time that bloodshed was occurring
simultaneously in two former
Yugoslav republics.
The gravity of the deteriorating
situation prompted ahe United Na
tions to consider withdrawing its
peacekeepers in Croatia.
France sent an eight-ship naval
task force steaming toward the
Adriafic on a “mission of protection.’’
Ten of its peacekeepers who were
trapped in Scrb-Croat crossfire were
evacuated to safety by a U.N. convoy
Thursday, but France still has 2,50C
peacekeepers in Croatia.
U.N. Secretary-General Boulro:
Boutros-Ghali said the military of
fensive begun by the Croats last weel
“has placed the entire peace proccs:
in the region in jeopardy.” He hinlet
Wednesday that the 16,000 U.N
peacekeepers and related forces migh
be w ithdrawn from Croatia.
On Thursday, 80 Kenyan peace
keepers were forced to abandon <
U.N.-controlled hydroelectric dam on
a new battlcfront 40 miles southeast
of any previous fighting. The
Croatian army is trying to regain ter
ritory Serbs refused to cede in accor
dance with the U.N.-brokered truce
that ended a six-month civil war in
Croatia one year ago.
The reasons behind the liming of
itsoffensive remains unclear. Croatian
President Franjo Tudjman is under
domestic-pressure to win back lost
territory, and his party faces parlia
mentary elections on Feb. 7.
The U.N. Security Council has
threatened sanctions unless the Croats
withdraw to their old positions.
Tudjman has refused to order a pull
back unless Serb militias in the region
are disarmed.
There was no sign Thursday that
i either side would compromise.
The surge in fighting threatens to
make a shambles of peace talks on
' Bosnia, taking place in Geneva under
U.N. and European Community aus
; pices. Conference spokesman Fred
j Eckhard said Thursday there had been
no progress because of the latest
clashes.
L The multitude of clashes and the
prospect of a U.N. pullout could un
leash much more fighting across the
i Balkans.
Nebraskan
Editor Chris Hopfensperger
472- 1766
Managing Editor Alan Phelps
Assoc News Editors Wendy Mott
Assoc News Editors Tom Malnelll
Editona Page Editor Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Wire Editor Todd Cooper
Copy Desk Editor Kathy Stelnauer
Sports Editor John Adkisson
Arts & Entertain Mark Baldridge
ment Editor
Diversions Editor Kim Spurlock
Photo Chief Klley Tlmperley
Night News Editors Stephanie Purdy
Mike Lewis
Steve Smith
Lori Stones
Art Director Scott Maurer
General Manager Dan Shattll
Production Manager Katherine Pollcky
Advertising Manager Jay Cruse
Senior Acct Exec Bruce Kroese
Classified Ad Manage;* Karen Jackson
Publications Board
Chairman Doug Fiedler
436-7662
Professional Adviser Don Walton
473- 7301
FAX NUMBER 472-1761
The Daily NebraskanfUSPS 144-080) is
published by the UNL Publications Board,
Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St .Lincoln, NE,
Monday through Friday dunng the academic
year; weekly during summer sessions
Readers are encouraged to submit story
ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan
by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a m. and 5
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT
1993 DAILY NEBRASKAN
UPC sees bigger fund cut
than originally expected
By Matt Woody
Staff Reporter_
The budget for the University Pro
gram Council for 1993-94 was cut by
5 percent from its 1992-93 budget at
a CFA meeting Thursday night.
UPC President Gary Doyle called
theCommiltce for Fees Allocation’s
decision “unbelievable.” The com
mittee allocated $176,900 for UPC’s
budget, $5,500 less than Doyle’s re
quest.
“It’s kind of amazing,” he said.
“The one student organization that
asks for a decrease, trying to keep
student fees down, is the one that gets
cut.”
UPC’s budget for last year was
$186,117, nearly $4,000 more than
the requested budget.
The committee trimmed Doyle’s
budgets for three of the four UPC
subcommittees.
Due to participation by only 25
UNL students last year, funding for
the Nebraska Model United Nations
program was eliminated.
Student-supported funding was
also eliminated for COL AGE, the
CommitteeOffering Lesbian and Gay
Events. Committee members said
none of the group’s funds for 1992-93
had been used.
Talks about UPC’s budget were
part of a larger process of determining
the Fund A budget, which is com
prised of UPC, ASUN, and the Daily
Nebraskan. CFA approved budgets
for the other two groups last week.
But before approving the compos
ite budget for Fund A, the committee
revised the Daily Nebraskan’s bud
get, negating the 5 percent increase
that was granted last week.
Members voted 7-2 to cut the
newspaper’s subsidy. CFA Chair
Shane Tucker supported the action,
saying he wanted more evidence sup
porting the Daily Nebraskan’s pro
jected cost increases.
Once the committee gets what it
wants, Tucker said he would have no
problem repealing the cut.
Before adjourning, members voted
to approve $359,991 for Fund A for
the 1993-94 fiscal year, a 2.4 percent
decrease from 1992-93.
This lowers student fees to ap
proximately $7.70 per student per
semester, a decrease of 19 cents.
-- WORLD WIRE —-1
Iraq praises Russia’s criticism of air strikes
BAGHDAD, Iraq Official
news media on Thursday praised
Russia for its criticism of U.S. air
strikes against Iraq.
“The Russian stand represents
the beginning of a new era in world
politics,” the army newspaper Al
Qadissiya said in a commentary.
The newspaper applauded a
statement Wednesday by Russian
Vice President Alexander Rutskoi
that Russia was ready to use its veto
power in the U.N. Security Council
to halt “ill-conceived” American
attacks on Iraq.
The Iraqi media has highlighted
Russian criticism to show the United
States acted without broad interna
tional support.
On Wednesday the ruling Baath
Parly newspaper, Al-Thawra, said
“the new Russian stand represents
one of the achievements of the
Iraqi peace initiative."
LA residents to zoom by subway
LOS ANGELES — After de
cades of dependence on smog
belching automobiles, the city
where cars arc king of the road
ushers in a new era in transporta
tion Saturday: its first modem sub
way.
City officials call the Metro Red
Line the backbone of a regional rail
network that, when completed in
2010, will carry as many as 500,(XX)
passengers a day across Southern
California.
The first leg of the Red Line will
connect the downtown Union Sta
lion with MacArthur Park in the
city’s Wilshire District. Two stain
less-steel rail cars traveling at 70
mph will make the 4,4-mile trip in
seven minutes.
There will be no turnstiles or
ticket takers.
Tickets for the S1.10 fare can be
purchased at subway stations from
ATM-like machines with talking
video screens. Riders are on their
honor when they gel on the subway
cars because no one will collect
tickets.