Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1993)
XflnWQ DTGFST Nebraskan Edited by Jeff Singer X 1J / V V k-/ JL/XvJJ-^ky X Friday, November 19,1993 Aidid emerges from hiding MOGADISHU, Somalia —Fresh from forcing a U.N. retreat on an order for his arrest, Gen. Mohamed Farrah Aidid emerged from hiding Thursday for a jubilant greeting from 4,000 shouting, dancing and drum ming supporters. Militiamen with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles guard ed him when his van drove into a marketplace for his faction’s weekly “peace” rally. Crowds pressed around the van, women danced to the sound of drums and people beat the sand with their hands. The celebration came two days after the U.N. Security Council lifted an arrest warrant for Aidid that had put a $25,000 reward on his head. It was issued in June after militiamen of his clan faction were blamed for at tacks that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. The search for Aidid in his south ern Mogadishu stronghold had effec tively stopped after a fierce battle in early October killed IX American soldiers and more than 300 Somalis. “He obviously has a lot of power in Mogadishu,” U.S. special envoy Rob ert Oakley told reporters after meet ing with Aidid before the rally. “The United States realized we made a mistake getting involved.... I’m glad to see the U.N. Security Council changed course.” Aidid, who leads one of the coun try’s 15 major factions, is a powerful force mainly in southern Mogadishu and parts of central Somalia. At the rally, three men played elec tric drums and guitars as Aidid ad dressed the crowd in his first public appearance in more than five months. “All Somalis must understand wartime is over. Without outside in terference, all Somali factions can solve their problems among them selves,” he said. In a sign of growing U.S. popular ity, Oakley’s convoy was cheered when Aidid militiamen escorted it through the crowd a few minutes be fore the clan leader arrived. Aidid’s faction had praised Presi dent Clinton for reining in the search for Aidid and deciding to pull out the 16,000 U.S. military personnel by March 31. Questions about relations arose after faction leaders warned against the resumption of American military patrols announced carl icr this month. “I did not hear any threats, implicit or explicit. I think the suspicion has dropped,” Oakley told reporters after his meeting with Aidid. Mistrust of the United Nations re mainsstrong in Aidid’s faction, which has accused U.N. officials of ignoring it in political talks. Aidid has boycott ed U.N.-sponsored local ruling coun cils being set up as a first step in rebuilding a governmental structure wrecked by Somalia’s civil war. “We do not need intervention. The U.N. should deal with humanitarian issues. We need help to build schools, hospitals, roads,” Aidid said, looking relaxed in a brown-and-blue floral print shirt and blue pants. “I told him they will be here for a long time. I told him it would be a big mistake if he allowed issues like that" to delay humanitarian efforts, Oakley said at a news conference at the Amer ican compound. Oakley said Aidid promised to at tend an international conference on aid for Somalia scheduled for Nov. 29 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Although the conference is to fo cus on humanitarian issues, Oakley said that “knowing Somalis, you can be sure there will be lots of political discussions.” American Airlines strike causes delays, confusion DALLAS — Flight attendants struck American Airlines Thurs day, forcing the nation’s largest airline to cancel some flights. The carrier threatened to fire strikers and said it intends to use managers and nonstrikers to keep most flights going. The strike, which began at 8 a.m. Central time, delayed other flights and caused passenger con fusion at airports across the coun try. “We arc in the process of shut ting it down,” said spokesman Ray Abernathy of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. The airline and the union failed to reach a new contract agreement in two days of federally mediated, last-ditch talks. They are split over pay, staffing and other issues. The union, which represents 21,000 flight attendants at Ameri can, said its members would be off the job for 11 days, including the Thanksgiving travel period, among the year’s busiest. American said it was confident flight attendants who cross picket lines and managers newly trained as flight attendants would enable it to staff flights in line with govern ment safety rules. In the past, (1 ight attendants strik ing alone at other airlines have failed to close a carrier. If the fl ight attendants can persuade the more powerful pilots not to fly, they would stand a much better chance of shutting down American. The pilots union estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of Ameri can’s passenger flights operated Thursday. “The American Airlines system is presently in a state of chaos,” said union president Rich LaVoy. Passengers at some airports try ing to get on American planes were stymied Thursday. However, it was not immediately known how many flights were canceled or whether the strike, the biggest against an airline since machinists struck East ern Airlines in 1989, was having a broad impact. Perot’s popularity drops after debate over NAFTA Thirty percent of Americans say they don't favor Perot NEW YORK — Only one in three Americans sees Ross Perot as playing a positive role in helping the country solve its problems, and even Perot voters give him mixed ratings, ac cording to an Associated Press poll released Thursday. The conventional wisdom is that Perot’s popularity was bruised badly during the trade fight, but the poll shows many arc withholding judg ment: 42 percent don’t know enough to tell their impression of Perot, while 27 percent say it is favorable and 30 percent unfavorable. Other findings: •Just more than two-thirdsof those who call themselves ’92 Perot voters have a favorable impression, but 32 percent now rate him unfavorably or don’t know. • Twelve percent think what Perot is now saying and doing will hurt the country’s efforts to solve some of its problems, while 39 percent don’t see much effect positively or negatively and 15 percent are not sure. Men, high-income Americans, young adults and those born around World War II arc somewhat more likely to be among the third who sec Perot’s role as help ful. • Twenty percent of those polled say that if Perot had been elected president last November, he would be doing a better job than President Clinton. Most of these people arc not Perot voters. They tend to be young, male, Republican and apparently anti Clinton. While 27 percent say Perot would be doing a worse job in the White House, the majority say he would be doing about the same as Clinton, or they’re not sure. The national telephone poll of 1,002 adults was conducted by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultants. Results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll was taken three days after Perot debated Vice President A1 Gore on the North American Free Trade Agreement and ending the night be fore Perot’s side lost the House vote. Withholding judgment on Perot ki.i ___ C n/nr ^hln Do you think what Ross | Perot is now saying and g doing will help or hurt in solving some of the country’s problems, or not have much effect either way? I KIsa amauiav Will holrv --V4 STATE WIRE Nebraska senators plan on NAFTA passage OMAHA — Nebraska’s senators predicted easy passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the Senate, one day after the state’s representatives threw aside party af fi 1 iat ion and voted to approve N A FT A. “It’ll pass, no doubt about it,” said Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb. But he said passage of NAFTA is only the first step to boosting wages and creating jobs in the United States, Mexico and Canada. “If we follow through, we can make this work,” Kerrey said. Sen. Jim Exon, D-Ncb., said he remained undecided on NAFTA. “It comes down to whether or not it means a net minus of jobs, or a net plus of jobs for Nebraska and for the country,” he said. “But it’s a foregone conclusion that it will be passed in the Senate, whatever I think.” - SPORTS WIRE Football will be more than a game Saturday NEW YORK — Harvard visits Yale in The Game, Cal is at Stanford for The Big Game, the Civil War resumes between Oregon and Oregon State and it’s Iron Bowl time with Alabama at Auburn. Victory Bells will toll in California, somebody will snatch the Old Oaken Bucket, grab the Bronze Pig or drink from the Beer Barrel on Rivalry Day in college foot ball Saturday. The Iron Bowl may have lost a bit of its meaning with the game no long er played at neutral Birmingham, but when Alabama pays a rare visit to Auburn, intensity never wanes. “It never ends. It’s 365 days a year,” Auburn coach Terry Bowden says. “People don’t greet each other by saying, ‘Hello.’ They say, ‘I’m an Auburn fan (or Alabama fan). Who arc you for?”’ The Victory Bell will be ringing in Los Angeles, but it will be a trip to the Rose Bowl that really matters when UCLA plays Southern Cal at the Col iseum for the Pac-10 title. It’s also Tennessee vs. Kentucky for the Beer Barrel, Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, M innesota vs. Iowa for the Bronze Pig, Washing ton vs. Wahington State for the Apple Cup, Mississippi vs. Mississippi State for the Golden Egg and Lehigh vs. Lafayette in their 129th meeting. Bjorklund Continued from Page 1 “If we’re ever going todo anything to change these altitudes,” she said, “we’re going to have to send these kinds of messages.” Sgt. Bill Manning of the Universi ty Police said the case alerted Lincolnites to safety issues. “The public was in a real excited state in the days right after her disap pearance,” he said. “There was spec ulation as to what did happen.” Since then, Manning said, the case’s publicity has built, not only because it involved a death in small town Nebraska but because those who knew Harms wouldn’t let anyone for get. “Nebraska isn’t the site of a lot of instances similar to this,” he said. “A lot of it. I’m sure, had todo with her friends and family.” They pushed to keep up publicity efforts and continued to investigate. Police officers also checked and re checked leads and pushed themselves to solve the case, he said. “It’s a combination of everything that was going on,” Manning said. At the same time Harms was miss ing, Kenyatta Bush, an Omaha worn an. had disappeared. Manning said. The local press published more sto ries on Harms than the other woman, he said, because the Harms story was local news. “I don’t know that Candice Harms got as much attention in Omaha where Kcnyatla Bush was,” he said. According to the state Bureau of Vital Statistics, the number of mur ders per year in Nebraska has aver aged about 50 since 1987. Manning said the Harms incident hadenough impact on the community to affect some operations of local police. Forexample, officers now normal ly do not make arrests when driving unmarked police cars, he said. “I wouldn’t expect people to stop for those any more,” he said. Prosecutors during the trial had said Harms probably thought Bjorklund was an undercover police man because he was carrying a police scanner and a gun. Kriss said the incident had changed the behavior of many civilians, too. “The whole experience has fright ened us,” Kriss said, “but it’s also made us more aware to protect our selves. “In that tragic and ironic sense, Candice Harms empowers all wom en. That’s her legacy.” Officials to define commission's role By Mark Harms Staff Reporter Defining ihe role of Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Post Secondary Education is causing prob lems, even after the commission has been operating for two years. Members of the NU Board of Re gents and other higher education spe cialists will meet Friday to discuss what the commission’s role should be at UNL and other state colleges. “This has been a new experience foreveryone,” J.B. Milliken, NU cor poration secretary, said. “This is an opportunity to sec how things have gone over the past two years.” The Nebraska Council for Public Higher Education, a nonpolicy-mak ing body consisting of the regents, the Board of Trustees of State Colleges and the governing boards of commu nity colleges, is meeting to discuss how far they think the commission should take its role. Regents Chairman John Payne o( Kearney said he thought the coordi nation commission was unnecessary. “1 feel it’s another layer of bureau cracy,” he said. Regent Don Blank of McCook said the Legislature established the com mission to oversee higher education in Nebraska. The commission is sup posed to prevent unnecessary dupli cation of programs and ensure the state’s money is spent wisely. Blank said he approved of the com mission’s coordinating role. But he said it sometimes intruded into the role of governing Nebraska’s univer sities and colleges. Blank said many state senators agreed with him. Payne said members of the higher education council, who will meet at the Ramada Hotel, 141 N. Ninth St., at 10 a.m., would try todecide ways to avoid future problems. He would not specify what types ofproblems would be discussed at the meeting. A special meeting of the board ol regents had been scheduled Friday to approve the new president’s contract and discuss tuition guidelines. Milliken said. The meeting was can celled, and the issues will be dis cussed at the regents ’ regul ar meet i ng Dec. 4, he said Netlralskan FAX NUMBER 472 1761 The Daily NebraskanfUSPS 144 080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34 1400RS1 Lincoln NE Monday through Friday during the academic year; weekly during summer sessions Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phomnq 472-1763 between 9 a m. and 5 p m. Monday through Friday. The public also has access to the Publications Board For information contact Doua Fiedler 436 7862 Subscription pnce is $50 for one year, * ' Postmaster; Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St .Lincoln NE 68588 0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE. ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT 1993 DAILY NEBRASKAN _