By The
Associated Press
Edited by Kristine Long
News digest
Netrraskan
Monday, March 14,1994
U.N. orders attack;
Serbs withdraw guns
SARAJEVO, Bosnia
Herzcgo v ina—U .S. gunships were
ordered to strike at Bosnian Serbs
firing at French troops, but the raid
was called ofTSunday after the Serb
guns fell silent and bad weather
obscured the target.
The attack order, coming less
than two weeks after NATO war
planes downed four Bosnian Serb
fghters, demonstrated U .N. resolve
to protect U.N. ground troops. But
the decision to rescind the strike
after the Serbs stopped firing also
showed that NATO sought to avoid
confrontation.
U.N. special envoy Yasushi
Akashi ordered NATO planes to
strike at Serb positions near Bihac
in northwest Bosnia on Saturday
night following a series of attacks
on French positions, U.N. spokes
man Maj. Rob Annink said. A
French soldier was killed in the
same area Friday.
Annink said a Serb tank had
fired at a French armored vehicle,
causing no casualties. Two hours
later, Bosnian Serbs targeted French
positions with heavy machine gun
and anti-aircraft fire.
The United Nations claims the
right to call in air strikes to protect
its forces.
NATO spokesman John Jeffery
in Naples, Italy, said the French
peacekeepers asked for air support
late Saturday. Two U.S. AC-130
Specter gunships based in Brindisi,
Italy, were ordered on an attack
mission, but U.N. ground control
lers called off the strike early Sun
day.
“Mr. Akashi gave permission
for close air support, but due to
weather circumstances and the fact
that the weapons withdrew, there
was no air strike,” Annink said.
French Premier Edouard
Balladur and Defense Minister
Francois Leotard inspected French
troops in the area Sunday. A
Balladur spokesman in Paris, who
asked for anonymity, said Balladur
wanted to visit the soldiers “be
cause they felt like they’re being
forgotten and shot like rabbits.”
Bihac, as well as the desperate
Muslim enclave of Maglaj in cen
tral Bosnia, were rocked anew by
Serb artillery fire early Sunday. But
Bosnian radio said the barrages
stopped when NATO planes
swooped low over the two besieged
areas.
On Feb. 28, NATO jets shot
down four Serb warplanes in north
ern Bosnia. NATO said the Serb
planes had ignored several warn
ings to leave a U.N.-imposed no-fly
zone and were observed bombing
an area controlled by the Muslim
led Bosnian government.
It was the first military strike by
NATO in its 44-year history. It
came after repeated threats by the
alliance to intervene to back U.N.
resolutions aimed at ending nearly
two years of civil war in Bosnia.
Virginia lawmakers approve
incentives for Disney park
RICHMOND. Va.—Walt Disney
Co. moved a step closer to building its
American history theme park when
state lawmakers agreed to provide
$160 million in incentives.
“This is a project that will be the
envy of the entire nation.” said Gov.
George Allen, who made Disney his
top priority during the legislative ses
sion.
The state agreed Saturday to fi
nance $131 million in highway im
provements and provide other subsi
dies for the park in rural Prince Wil
liam County, about 35 miles west of
Washington. D.C.
Disncyalsowillgct$13 million for
tourism promotion and $1.8 million
for employee training. The state will
build a S2.5 million visitors’ ccntcron
land donated by Disney.
“I think it’s a great day for Virgin
ia,” Mark Pacala. a Disney senior vice
president, said.
I’acala said Disney hopes to break
ground for the park in late 1995 and
open in 1998.
Disney’s plan is opposed by some
area residents worried about about
traffic and urban sprawl that would
spoil the pristine countryside.
Supporters of the project depict
critics as fox-hunting elitists who op
pose any development. They argued
that the state needed the estimated
19,000 jobs and millions of dollars in
tax revenues the project would gener
ate.
Nel>ra£kan
Editor Jeremy Fitzpatrick
472- 1766
Managing Editor Adeene Leftin
Assoc. Nows Editors Jeff Zeleny
Steve Smith
Editorial Page Editor Rainbow Rowell
Wire Editor Kristina Long
Copy Desk Editor Mike Lewis
Sports Editor Todd Cooper
Assistant Sports Editor Jett Griesch
Arts & Entertain- Sarah Duey
ment Editor
Photo Chief Steel McKee
Night News Editors JeH Robb
Matt Woody
DeOra Janssen
Melissa Dunne
Art Director James Mehsllng
General Manager DanShattil
Production Manager Katherine Policky
Advertising Manager Jay Cruse
Senior Acct. Exec Sheri Krajewskl
Publications Board
Chairman Doug Fiedler
1 !<> 628/
Professional Adviser Don Walton
473- 7301
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ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT
1994 DAILY NEBRASKAN
New leader ensures voting
MMABATHO, South Africa—A
South African diplomat took over as
leader of Bophuthatswana without
ceremony Sunday to ensure the black
homeland takes part in South Africa’s
first all-race election. —
Ambassador Tjaart van dcr Walt
said a return to normal life was essen
tial so political campaigning could
begin in a stable climate. He also
assured residents he would address
complaints that led to strikes and pro
tests against the homeland’s presi
dent, Lucas Mangopc.
Although Bophuthatswana is nom
inally independent, it will be rcincor
porated into South Africa under the
new constitution. The government
body overseeing the election has been
given authority to ensure the balloting
takes place.
The pre-dawn announcement that
South Africa no longer recognized
President Mangopc’s authority ap
peared to defuse civil unrest that killed
at least 24 people last week.
The takeover showed the resol ve of
South Africa’s white-minority gov
ernment and the African National
Congress to open the entire country to
free political activity. The ANC had
been pressing for Mangopc’s oust for
several days because he opposed par
ticipation in the April 26-28 election.
The election is opposed by some
whites and by the Inkatha Freedom
Party led by Zulu nationalist
Mangosuthu Buthclczi. Some fear the
opposition could increase political
violence and disrupt the election.
Buthelezi condemned the takeover
of Bophuthatswana, saying that
Mangope had been brought down by
violence orchestrated by the ANC, its
Communist Party ally and the govern
ment.
“There appear to be indications
that the same strategies are being de
vised for action in KwaZulu,” the
Zulus’ homeland, he said.
People in Mmbatho,
Bophuthatswana’s capital, and the
neighboring business center of
Mafikeng reacted warily to the news
that Mangope was out. Many said they
lacked faith that a South African offi
cial backed by South African troops
would improve the situation.
Mangope, who had been president
since Bophuthatswana was declared
independent in 1977, agreed Friday to
participate in the election. But he made
the concession only after his security
forces began back ing ANC protesters;
at that, he agreed only to run himself
and did not pledge to allow others to
campaign in Bophuthatswana.
NASA budget cuts raise safety fears
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —
NASA budget cuts and a string of
problems with crucial space shuttle
parts have raised fears of another
Challenger disaster.
In the past few months, NASA has
investigated one serious shuttle issue
after another: booster pressure spikes,
glued engine pumps, flawed engine
welds.
Daniel Mulville, director of
NASA’scnginecringand quality man
agement division, said the problems
are unrelated and in no way suggest
“we have been lax in our standards or
compromise our standards.”
But Alex Roland, a former NASA
historian who now teaches at Duke
University, said he is worried and has
been for years.
“They’ re getting a 1 ittle more com
fortable, perhaps too comfortable, and
that’s what happened with Challeng
er,” Roland said.
John Pike, head of the Federation
of American Scientists’ space policy
project, also said he fears another
accident.
Challenger exploded 73 seconds
after liftoff Jan. 28, 1986, after com
bustible gas leaked from an O-ring
joint on the right solid rocket booster.
All seven people aboard were killed.
It was NASA’s 25th shuttle flight.
Columbia’s two-week research mis
sion. due to end Friday, is No. 61.
NASA estimates the odds of a cat
astrophic failure during the shuttle’s 8
1/2-minute climb to orbit, the most
dangerous part of the flight, at 1 in 75.
But those estimates don’t factor in
recent cuts that have trimmed NASA’s
budget by hundreds of millions of
dollars and forced the agency to delay
some sately improvements.
NASA’s proposed budget for the
next fiscal year contains $3.3 billion
for the shuttle program, down from
$3.5 billion this year, which was down
from $3.9 billion last year.
“This is it. We can’t get any closer
to the bone,” NASA Administrator
Daniel Goldin warned when the pro- '
posed budget was presented to Con
gress last month.
The head of NASA’s space flight
program, Jeremiah Pearson III, in
sists that safety is, and will remain,
paramount.
To save money, NASA has elimi
nated shuttle work deemed redundant,
deferred safety improvements and.
since 1988, reduced the production of
main engines from five to two a year.
Each engine costs more than $40 mil
lion.
Security alert closes British airports
LONDON — Heathrow and
Gatwick, London’s two major air
I ports, closed Sunday night in a secu
, rity alert after coded warnings were
. received. The closure came less than a
day after the third mortar attack on
Heathrow in a week.
The most recent attack was Sunday
morning. In all. 12 shells have been
fired at Heathrow but failed to ex
plode. The Irish Republican Army
claimed responsibility for the first at
tack.
No one has been hurt, but traffic
has been severely disrupted.
Heathrow authorities said Sunday
night that passengers were being held
in secure terminal areas. They said
perimeter roads had also been closed,
and a security plan was put into effect.
Scotland Yard said warnings were
made against Heathrow and Gatwick
airports, and contingency plans have
been implemented at both airports.
The warnings contain codes known to
authorities that appear to make them
authentic.
Four mortar shells hit Heathrow
Sunday morning, one landing on the
roof of Terminal Four, which is used
primarily for British Airways interna
tional flights, while the three others
landed nearby.
The shells were Fired despite a sub
stantial increase in security, includ
ing armed pel ice patrol s, ordered after
similar attacks Wednesday and Fri
day.
Previously, it had not been clear
whether the shells were inadvertent
duds or if they were intended not to
explode.
But David Tucker, commander of
Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch,
said Sunday’s shells were loaded with
plastic explosives and failed onlv be
cause “there appears t be a consistent
mechanical defect.”
Tucker said he believed the launch
ers used in all three attacks were plant
ed at the same time, probably last
Tuesday or Wednesday. They were scl
off by timers. After the first attack,
Gerry Adams, leader of the IRA’s
political ally Sinn Fein, predicted more
attacks if Britain did not accommo
date IRA-Sinn Fein demands for new
communications w ilh the British gov
ernment.
Four parties file for RHA offices
By Stacie Hakel
Staff Reporter
Four parties have filed for the Res
idence Hall Association’s executive
positions, RHA officials said Sunday.
RH A President Raqucl Wright said
at RHA’s weekly meeting that elec
tions for RHA executive board posi
tions would be April 5. with voting
booths in all University of Nebraska
Lincoln residence halls.
Wright said that although four
unofficial parties already had filed for
the ticket of president and vice presi
dent, more students were encouraged
to run.
Wright said RHA could not dis
close the candidates’ names until the
March 27 filing deadline expired.
RHA president responsibilities in
clude presiding over executive board
meetings, appointing committee
chairs, attending five weekly meet
ings and meeting monthly with a coun
selor for student affairs, Wright said.
The president also should expect to
spend at least two hours in the RHA
office each day, talk frequently with
administrators, run errands, plan a
fall retreat, submit awards and more,
Wright said.
“You have to be willing to give all
of yourself,” Wright said. “You will
live, think and breathe RHA for an
entire year, and it’s fun.”
In other business, a bill was passed
to make Glenn Schumann, interim
director of housing, an honorary mem
ber of RHA.
Mick DeVries, Abel senator, saiu
Schumann was an adm inistrator will
ing to listen.
“He wants to hear what you say,
DeVries said.”He’s one of the rare
people that I know who says, ‘What’s
your opinion?’”
Doug Zatechka, director of hous
ing, also was appointed as an honor
ary member.
Wright said Zatechka had repre
sented RHA well, especially when
dealing with UNL administrators like
Chancellor Graham Spanier.