Sbos“ News Digest
Tuesday, November 15,1994 Page 2
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Asia-Pacific nations support
U.S. policy in North Korea
JAKARTA, Indonesia — In an
orchestrated show of unity, President
Clinton won pledges Monday from
China, Japan and South Korea to
keep pressure on North Korea to
freeze its suspected nuclear weapons
program. Asian and Pacific leaders
also neared agreement on a free-trade
pact.
In talks with presidents and prime
ministers far from home, Clinton was
closely questioned about last week’s
GOP election sweep.
Pledging cooperation with Repub
licans, Clinton said, “My strategy
will be to have an open door and to
have a lot of contact.’’
Clinton met privately with the
leaders of China, Japan, South Korea
and Australia and then attended a
dinner opening the 18-nation Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation fo
rum (APEC). The menu featured
smoked Bali duck, oxtail soup, grilled
salmon steak and mango ice cream.
Still jet-lagged after back-to-back
trips to the Middle East and Asia with
nonstop campaigning in between,
Clinton joked, “I think I’m still some
where between Jordan and Jerusa
lem.”
Clinton held a news conference in
a lush garden at the U.S. Embassy
where his remarks mixed with the
whistles of song birds.
He brushed aside objections from
allies about halting American en
forcement of the Bosnian arms em
bargo.
Clinton portrayed his move as pref
erable to an outright revocation of the
arms ban, insisting, “We are not vio
lating the arms embargo.”
Asia is the world’s fastest growing
economic region, and U.S. trade
across the Pacific is three times as
large as that with European nations.
U.S. officials predicted endorse
ment Tuesday of a statement calling
for "open and free trade” throughout
the region by the year 2020. Indus
trial companies would try to achieve
the goal by 2010 while less-devel
oped countries and newly developed
nations would aim at the 2020 target.
Despite the trade emphasis,
Clinton elicited statements of sup
port for an accord to freeze and ulti
mately dismantle North Korea’s
nuclear program in exchange for en
ergy aid and eventual diplomatic rec
ognition.
While China, South Korea and
Japan already have endorsed the North
Korean agreement, Clinton show
cased the issue because the accord
will have to be implemented over 10
years and many details still must be
worked out.
Clinton expressed sympathy for
students who scaled the fence of the
U.S. Embassy here and were occupy
ing embassy grounds to protest Indo
nesian policy in East Timor, annexed
by Indonesia in 1976.
GOP ready to make changes
WASHINGTON — With their
leader pledging a “very profound
change in government” Republicans
said Monday they would hold the
House in session seven days a week if
necessary next year to vote on a 100
day agenda ranging from tax cuts to
welfare reform.
“This is time to be open to dra
matic, bold changes,” Speaker-to-be
Newt Gingrich told a crowded news
conference at which he was flanked
by Rep. Richard Armey of Texas,
introduced as the next majority leader,
and the leaders of a GOP transition
team.
Gingrich later walked to the other
side of the Capitol to meet Senate
GOP Leader Bob Dole. On an unsea
sonably warm day, the two men sat
on an outside terrace discussing their
plans for the 104th Congress. “It’s a
great opportunity,” Dole said later of
the Republican majorities in both
houses.
He said he expected close coop
eration between the houses. “If he
has a bill and we have a bill, hope
fully they will be the same,” Dole
said. "We need to coordinate when
ever we can. That doesn’t mean we
are never going to disagree.”
Earlier, Armey said Republicans
would be hard-pressed to gain the
two-thirds majority needed fora Con
stitutional amendment setting term
limits for lawmakers and to balance
the budget. But he predicted most of
the “Contract with America” would
pass.
House officials stressed tnat al
most nothing would be immune from
review as they take control after a 40
year Democratic majority.
Gingrich, R-Ga., said he didn’t
“automatically reject” cjjt in the
lawmakers’ $133,600 aiMal salary,
with a reduction in the amount of
time Congress remains in session. He
also announced creation of a biparti
san group to study changes in the
House schedule that would make it
easier on the personal lives of junior
lawmakers with school-age children.
One GOP lawmaker suggested the
Republicans might cut off federal
funds for numerous organizations
such as the Black Caucus; the Arts
caucus and the Hunger caucus. These
are groups formed by lawmakers to
push a variety of interests within the
House. Lawmakers donate funds from
their office account to pay for them at
a cost of a few million dollars annu
■> ally.
GOP aides said it was possible the
size of congressional committees
would be cut as Republicans achieve
"s goals
wt Gingrich has embraced prayer in schools, an end
eapons ban and fewer taxes on the rich. His plan for
rfuT Republican party is more moderate. A look at the
A balanced budget
An amendment to the constitution would make a
balanced budget mandatory.
Voting no
The GOP wants a legislative line-item veto,
which means Congress could pass some
elements of a bill and reject others.
* Anti-crime
The GOP would eliminate social programs aimed at
preventing crime. Repealing the assault weapons ban
is not on the agenda.
Welfare reform
The party wants to limit recipients to two years of
eligibility. Proposals for “work reform* have also been
discussed.
Tax changes
The plan would cut taxes on capital gains and give
businesses a break.
Family funding
The contract includes a $500-per-child tax credit and
calls for enforcement of child support laws, tax
incentives for adoption and an elderly dependent
care tax credit.
Military action
The party wants to prohibit U.S. troops from being
placed under United Nations command.
Term limits
The GOP would limit terms for members of Congress.
I , , —... , ■
their goal of reducing committee
staffs by one-third.
Republican officials said hundreds
of Democratic aides would be out of
work, some relatively quickly when
the new Congress convenes. Some
Republicans reported being inundated
with resumes from job seekers.
There was no clearer signal of the
House’s new order than the news
conference at which Gingrich, Armey
and others spoke. It was carried live
on CNN and attended by an overflow
crowd of reporters.
Gingrich and Armey said the “Con
tract with America” signed by more
than 300 House candidates would be
pushed to a vote within 100 days, as
promised. The proposals include
AP
welfare reform; a crime bill; a series
of tax cuts, including a reduction on
capital gains and relief for families
and certain senior citizens; a bal
anced budget amendment, term lim
its and other measures.
“We will complete the contract
within 100 days,” Armey said. “If
that means working seven days (a
week), we’ll work seven days. If that
means working 20 hours a day, we’ll
work 20 hours a day.”
The new Republican majority,
Gingrich said, was “determined to
get a very profound change in gov
ernment for the American people.”
In a slap at the Clinton administra
tion, he said Republicans would at
tempt to “truly lead.”
Philippine earthquake
kills dozens on Mindoro
MALAYLAY, Philippines (AP)
— A strong earthquake rocked the
Philippine island of Mindoro early
Tuesday, killing at least 23 people
— many as they slept — and de
stroying nearly 200 homes.
In Malaylay, a small fishing
village on the island’s northern
coast, at least 23 people died, eight
were missing, and 32 homes were
destroyed, officials and police said.
Injured people sitting and cry
ing in the rubble of their homes
said moments after the quake struck
a wall of water washed through
their village on the mouth of a
river.
Local radio stations reported at
least 31 people died on the island,
many while sleeping in buildings
that collapsed, including a Philip
pine Coast Guard structure. Both
stations quoted Rodolfo Valencia,
one of the island’s two governors.
Lourdes Masing of the National
Red Cross in Manila said 188
homes were heavily damaged.
Mindoro Island still is recover
ing from a typhoon that struck last
month, destroying much of the
island’s coconut and rice crops.
President Fidel Ramos, who is
at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co
operation forum in Indonesia, or
dered $208,000 to be sent to the
island to help rebuild destroyed
homes. Food and medical supplies
were being flown in on four mili
tary helicopters.
The quake, which occurred at
3:15 a m. today, had a preliminary
magnitude of 7 and was centered
in a strait about seven miles north
east of Malaylay.
Lasting about four minutes, the
quake was felt throughout central
and south Philippines, including
Manila, 75 miles north of the epi
center, said Ted Sandoval, an earth
quake specialist.
But Sandoval said no tidal
waves were reported or expected
from the quake, one of the stron
gest ever to occur on the Lubang
fault, one of the area’s most acti ve.
The Philippines, a Pacific ar
chipelago of 7,100 mountainous
islands, sits on at least four major
faults.
I News...i
in a Minute
Simon says no more Senate
CHICAGO — Sen. Paul Simon, the bow-tie wearing New Deal 1
disciple who battled Robert Bork’s Supreme Court nomination and 1
briefly ran for president, said Monday he will not run for re-election in
1996.
Simon, Illinois’ top elected Democrat, said he wants to retire before
he loses his enthusiasm and doesn’t want to mount the massive fund
raising campaign necessary for another race.
Simon said the Republican landslide in last week’s elections wasn’t
a factor in his decision, adding that he believes the Senate needs
“people who believe we have problems the government can help.”
Simon said he has no plans beyond 1996, when his six-year term
expires, but made it clear he is not considering another presidential
race.
Police kill gunman in shootout
SAN FRANCISCO-A drifter
with a history of weapons arrests
opened fire with several guns dur
ing a 20-minute barrage, pinning
down residents, shoppers and din
ers, killing a police officer and
wounding three other people.
The gunman, wearing a bullet
proof vest, was shot and killed by
police after firing more than 100
rounds into surrounding buildings
and Sunday evening traffic.
“It was like war," said Charlie
Malloy, who abandoned his pickup
truck when a bullet pierced the
hood.
The gunman, identified as Vic
Boutwell, 37, had been living in a
van in the Santa Cruz Mountains
for several years and also spent
time in Mexico, police said at a
news conference.
He was arrested five or six years
ago in San Jose, where his family
lives, and weapons were confis
cated at the time, officers said.
They also mentioned an arrest in
Washington state, but had no de
tails.
Police had not determined his
motive.
California shootout
Beginning
with a
carjacking in
Mountain
View, a
gunman went
on a two-hour
crime spree
Sunday, firing
100 rounds
into San
Francisco
buildings and
killing a police
officer. Police
then killed the
gunman.
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