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[News Summaries-Office of Press Secretary, 1989-1991]
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415892686
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[News Summaries-Office of Press Secretary, 1989-1991]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Tony Snow Subject Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Snow, Tony, Files
Subseries:
Subject File, 1988-1993
OA/ID Number:
13897
Folder ID Number:
13897-006
Folder Title:
[News Summaries-Office of Press Secretary, 1989-1991]
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18
29
2
5
News Summary
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1989 -- 6 a.m. EDT EDITION
TODAY'S HEADLINES
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Bush Suspends Military Sales To China -- President Bush suspended
military sales to China Monday, and warned Chinese leaders that "it's not
going to be business as usual" following their bloody confrontation with
prodemocracy demonstrators.
(Washington Post, Washington Times, AP, UPI, Copley, Scripps Howard)
Guard Attempts To Assassinate Premier Li Peng -- An officer on guard at
Beijing's Great Hall of the People fired four shots at Premier Li Peng, but
the Chinese leader escaped with only a slight wound, a newspaper
reported Tuesday.
(AP)
Troops Clash In Western Beijing Chinese troops reluctant to enforce
martial law have clashed with other forces in western Beijing, Western
diplomats said Tuesday.
(Reuter)
Administration May Sell 60 F16s To Pakistan The Bush administration is
considering the sale of 60 F16 fighter jets to Pakistan at a cost of $1.4
billion and may announce an agreement during the visit here of Pakastani
Prime Minister Bhutto, according to U.S. officials.
(Washington Post)
NETWORK NEWS (Monday evening)
CHINA CRACKDOWN/PRESIDENT -- The
President has stepped up his public
disapproval of the Chinese government.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A-2
IRAN/PRESIDENT President Bush
NATIONAL NEWS
A-9
said Monday that he'll make no
overtures to Iran's new leaders
NETWORK NEWS
B-1
until the nine Americans now being
held hostage in Lebanon are freed.
FOREIGN MEDIA
C-1
SOVIET UNREST - In ethnic violence
in the republic of Uzbekistan, dozens
of people are reported dead.
This Summary is prepared Monday through Friday by the White House News Summary Staff.
For complete stories or information, please call 456-2950.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BUSH SUSPENDS MILITARY SALES TO CHINA
President Bush suspended military sales to China Monday, and warned
Chinese leaders that "it's not going to be business as usual" following
their bloody confrontation with prodemocracy demonstrators.
Accusing the army of "brutally suppressing popular and peaceful
demonstrations" in attacks that have left hundreds dead, the President
said he wanted to "signal" the military that "we want to see restraint."
Bush rejected calls from Congress for more severe action, including
the withdrawal of the U.S. ambassador in Beijing. He said he also has
ruled out for now imposing sanctions because "I don't want to hurt the
Chinese people." But he said he was reserving the option to take more
action if there is more violence.
At a hastily called White House news conference Bush also
announced suspension of military exchanges with China and U.S. aid to
humanitarian efforts to help victims of the violence
Key democratic and Republican members hailed Bush's response,
although several urged stronger sanctions.
(David Hoffman & Helen Dewar, Washington Post, A1)
Bush Halts Arms Aid To China, Urges Restraint In Beijing
Relying on instinct and personal knowledge of China, President Bush
Monday halted $685 million worth of arms sales to Beijing but refused to
sever the carefully crafted U.S.-Chinese relationship.
"This is not the time for an emotional response," Bush told reporters
at the White House, "but for a reasoned, careful action that takes into
account both our long-term interests and recognition of a complex internal
situation in China."
White House officials admitted to congressional leaders Monday that
the situation in China is "confusing," but Bush hopes that moderate
factions will rise to power and that the military will rebel
Bush said Monday, "I can't begin to fathom for you what exactly led
to the order to use force."
"I condemn it; I don't try to explain it," Bush said.
(Ann McFeatters, Scripps Howard)
Bush Invokes Sanctions Against Chinese For Repression Of Students
President Bush, harshly condemning the Chinese military's violent
crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, Monday suspended American
military aid to China and warned that burgeoning commercial ties between
the U.S. and China would be cut if the repression continues.
Bush, speaking at a hastily called press conference at the White
House, said, "The United States cannot condone the violent attacks and
cannot ignore the consequences for our relationship with China, which
has been built on a foundation of broad support by the American people.'
Bush also said the U.S. government would give a "sympathetic
review" to requests from any of the 40,000 Chinese students in the U.S.
who wanted to extend their student visas.
(Benjamin Shore, Copley)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-2
Bush Responds To Chinese Massacre
President Bush, in the first formal U.S. response to the massacre of
peaceful democracy demonstrators in Beijing, suspended military sales to
China Monday but said he did not want to break diplomatic relations.
"When you see these kids struggling for democracy and freedom, this
would be a bad time for the United States to pull out," Bush said in a
statement that drew support from Congress and visiting Chinese
students
In addition, Bush
announced a review "of other aspects of our
bilateral relationship as events in China continue to unfold."
Bush said it would be "180 degrees wrong" to recall the new U.S.
ambassador to China, James Lilley, a former top CIA official, since it
would deprive the U.S. of "the best listening post" in Asia.
(Thomas Ferraro, UPI)
Bush Suspends Arms Sales To China, Praises Chinese Protester
President Bush suspended U.S. arms sales to China on Monday to
protest the military's bloody weekend crackdown and called on people
around the world to stand symbolically with the young Chinese
demonstrator who braved a column of tanks.
"That image I think is going to be with us a long time, Bush told an
evening meeting of business executives in a departure from a prepared
text on education
Bush told an audience of the nation's top business leaders he was
haunted by the "bravery of that individual that stood alone in front of the
tanks rolling down the main avenue."
Bush also told members of the Business Roundtable that U.S.
companies should continue to trade with China, [and] that he did not
support a suspension of trade despite the military brutality.
(AP)
BUSH DEFENDS RESPONSE TO BEIJING BLOODBATH
It was noon Saturday in Kennebunkport when President
Bush
abandoned his optimistic view that the situation in China would get
better
as intelligence and news reports filtering in Saturday showed that
the People's Liberation Army had fired on students in Beijing.
"There was a hope that this was an aberration," said a Bush aide,
but when the pictures of bloodied students appeared on television, "that
was shown not to be the case. "
"That's what prompted his statement on Saturday," said an
administration official Monday
As the killings continued Saturday night and into Sunday, the
President said "look, we've got to take some action."
Asked at a White House press conference Monday if he moved too slow
in reacting to the violence in China, Bush said: "I don't think we've
waited so long I made very clear in a personal communication to Deng
Xiaoping my views on this."
(Paul Bedard & Warren Strobel, Washington Times, A11)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-3
BUSH GETS BIPARTISAN PRAISE FOR MOVES AGAINST CHINA
President Bush won praise from across the political spectrum for his
cautious steps in response to the brutal violence in China, but with the
plaudits came warnings that tougher actions might be needed soon
"We agreed right around the table that the President's actions were
just right, Sen. Pell said after a 45-minute White House meeting
between the President and congressional leaders
[Sen. Cranston, Copley reported, gave Bush an "A-plus for his
words, for the diplomacy and the directness and knowledge he
displayed
I think he's taken the appropriate steps.
Sen. Helms said Bush was "taking it one step at a time. It's fine
so far. It depends on whether the atrocities continue.'
"Let's take it cautiously," added Rep. Synar. "One of the things we
don't want to do is hurt the people themselves." (Joseph Mianowany, UPI)
ANALYSTS FEAR CHINA MAY BE SLIDING TOWARD CIVIL WAR;
LITTLE BUSH AND U.S. CAN DO ABOUT IT
U.S. officials and other analysts fear that China may be sliding
toward a prolonged period of violent turbulence and perhaps civil war,
events that would cause untold suffering in China and seriously set back
U.S. interests in Asia and beyond.
The analysts said there is little the U.S. can do, aside from the kind
of symbolic support for the prodemocracy movement President Bush offered
Tuesday in halting U.S. arms sales and military exchanges with China
Richard Holbrooke, a former top China analyst at the State
Department, emphasized that China's leaders "are tough, ruthless
communist leaders."
Shu-Park Chan, a Santa Clara University engineer said in a
telephone interview Monday that the students "are reorganizing and will be
better-prepared for the next confrontation [which] will be even stronger
than this one."
"A civil war could be coming, and it would be a disaster," said
Martin Lasater, a China expert at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport,
R.I. Lasater added that with the West unwilling to cooperate with a
repressive Chinese government, the Chinese leadership would be virtually
forced to turn to Moscow for economic and technological assistance.
(David Wood, Newhouse)
U.S. IS KEY TO CHINA'S MILITARY MODERNIZATION
The suspension of arms shipments to China by President Bush Monday
was aimed at strengthening the hand of Chinese army moderates and
warning hard-liners that their rearmament program could be derailed if
repression continues, administration officials said
Bush stopped short of imposing a permanent ban on this military
assistance, officials said Monday, for fear of losing leverage to influence
events in China
The People's Liberation Army already has the bullets, tanks and
helicopters it needs for continuing its bloody suppression of student
demonstrations. However, administration officials contended that the
prospect of Bush making his suspension a permanent ban might moderate
the behavior of the Chinese army, which is still technologically primitive
and faces modern Soviet divisions on its northern border.
(George Wilson, Washington Post, A16)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-4
CHINESE NOT LIKELY TO BE CRIPPLED BY U.S. ARMS CUTOFF
U.S. analysts said Monday that the arms cutoff [to China ordered
by President Bush Monday] is not expected to affect China's military
production capability, which is largely self-sufficient
What could be affected is the pace of modernization for the Chinese
military, which by some estimates is 20 years behind the technical
expertise of U.S. and Soviet forces, analysts said.
(Bill Gertz, Washington Times, A11)
U.S. SIGNALS OPPOSITION TO USE OF FORCE
The U.S. measures against China announced by President Bush were
designed to express U.S. opposition to the use of force in Beijing and
encourage prodemocratic elements of the Chinese civilian and military
leadership without rupturing the wide interaction between the two
countries that has developed in the past 10 years, administration officials
said Monday.
Explaining the policy behind his actions in unusually candid fashion,
Bush told a news conference, "There clearly is turmoil within the ranks of
the political leadership as well as the People's Liberation Army. And now
is the time to look beyond the moment to important and enduring aspects
of this vital relationship for the United States. "
The extensive web of relations, which until a few weeks ago was
considered secure and almost unshakeable, is now at risk because of the
bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square
This is because the basic
orientation of the Chinese regime toward its own people and toward the
outside world seems to have shifted radically, at least for the moment,
and in ways abhorrent to American public opinion.
(News analysis, Don Oberdorfer, Washington Post, A16)
BUSINESSES BEGIN BEIJING PULLOUT
NEW YORK -- American businesses said Monday they yanked workers
from Beijing because of the army's massacre of civilians, and U.S. airlines
canceled China layovers to avoid stranding planes if airports closed
"With respect to our own staff, I think it is time to withdraw for a
while," said Jerome Cohen, an international lawyer whose firm has offices in
Beijing. "Until this weekend I though that was unwarranted. But now we
have to think of people's safety.
"A political uncertainty and a standoff is one thing. A massacre is
another," said Martin Weil of the U.S. China Business Council.
(AP)
ACROSS U.S., A FRANTIC HUNT FOR NEWS
NEW YORK -- Horror stories about army atrocities in Tiananmen
Square and on college campuses in Beijing circulated like wildfire Monday
among Chinese students and scholars in this country as their frenzy for
news from China intensified
While the students are preoccupied about their classmates' safety at
home, other Chinese Americans interviewed here said they were jolted into
action by the wanton killings and President Bush's initial, low-key
response
"To say [Bush] deplores violence is totally out of proportion with the
situation," Yu Ying-shih, a professor of East Asian history at Princeton,
said of Bush's initial reaction Saturday. "It disgusts me."
(Marianne Yen, Washington Post, A12)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-5
GUARD ATTEMPTS TO ASSASSINATE LI PENG
HONG KONG -- An officer on guard at Beijing's Great Hall of the
People fired four shots at Premier Li Peng, but the Chinese leader escaped
with only a slight wound, a newspaper reported Tuesday
The daily Ming Pao, [a Chinese language paper respected for its
coverage of China], quoting unidentified sources, said the guard was
killed immediately, members of his family were arrested and about 170
other guards at the Great Hall were quickly disarmed.
It did not identify the slain officer but said his sister and a
girlfriend and her brother were among the victims of the weekend assault
by army troops on students in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
(AP)
TROOPS CLASH IN WESTERN BEIJING
BEIJING -- Chinese troops reluctant to enforce martial law have
clashed with other forces in Beijing, Western diplomats said Tuesday
One diplomat said groups of the 38th Army, long seen as unhappy
about enforcing martial law
were fighting troops loyal to President Yang
Shangkun.
Diplomats said they have no details of the size of the revolt
A Western diplomat said he had received two independent accounts of
a battle at about 1:00 a.m. local time in the south of the Chinese capital
that left at least 30 military vehicles burned out.
"We presume it was troops against troops," he said.
(William Kazer, Reuter)
CHINESE ARMY UNITS SEEN NEAR CONFLICT
BEIJING -- Opposing armies maneuvered to confront each other
Monday night and early Tuesday in a power struggle here that raised the
prospect of a civil war beginning in this capital.
More than 30,000 troops of a Chinese field army loyal to senior
leader Deng Xiaoping and his allies braced for possible clashes with other
army units believed to have opposed the weekend military assault on
prodemocracy demonstrators here
Thousands of troops from around the country were reported to be
converging on the capital Monday night, some loyal to Deng and
some
believed to be opposed and preparing to confront the 27th Field Army
The government and the military Tuesday were locked in a fierce
struggle for control between hard-liners and more moderate forces.
(Daniel Southerland, Washington Post, A1)
BUSH COPES WITH PRELIMINARY SUCCESS
When President Bush was asked whether his journey to the Western
summit was his greatest political triumph, he smiled and said "No" without
an instant's hesitation.
Was it his election to be president? "Now we're talking," Bush said,
relaxed and satisfied as Air Force One neared the runway Friday
It had been his best week since the inauguration. Now the challenge
is to make it last. The successes that heartened Bush and his high
command are preliminary.
Proposals are not achievements. And the agenda already has
changed, posting a new challenge. What was to have been a series of
leadership briefings on NATO turned instead from last week's success to
this week's crisis -- the savage Chinese crackdown on protesters
demanding democracy.
-more-
(Walter Mears, AP)
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-6
POLISH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES STUNNING DEFEAT BY SOLIDARITY
Top Officials Apparently Rejected By Voters
WARSAW -- Poland's Communist Party acknowledged Monday that the
Solidarity union movement scored a stunning victory in Sunday's historic
parliamentary elections, but opposition leaders warned that the rejection of
the ruling Communist leadership had been so one-sided that it might touch
off a serious political crisis.
Although no official results were announced for the
election
Solidarity said its compilations showed that all 161 candidates for
the Sejm, or lower house, would be elected in the first round of voting,
as would most of the nominees for the 100-member Senate
In a terse statement on state television Monday night, Communist
Party spokesman Jan Bisztyga acknowledged that the results of the election
were "truly disadvantageous" for the party but he said the leadership
would not alter its commitment to reforms
But, he warned that "if
triumphalism and adventurism create an anarchic situation in Poland,
democracy and social peace would be seriously threatened."
(Jackson Diehl, Washington Post, A1)
DOZENS REPORTED KILLED IN SOVIET ETHNIC TURMOIL
Scores Of Homes Burned In Uzbekistan Strife
MOSCOW -- Legislators from the Soviet Central Asian republic of
Uzbekistan blamed a mixture of "hooliganism" and deep-rooted historical
grievances Monday for the weekend clashes there that may have left
dozens of people dead and hundreds injured in the Soviet Union's latest
flareup of ethnic violence
Uzbek members of the new Congress of People's Deputies said the
turmoil grew out of hostility between the republic's Uzbek majority and
members of the Meshket minority who have long sought to be allowed to
return to their ancestral homes in Soviet Georgia
Soviet President Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders who have
promoted government openness have warned that ethnic violence could
jeopardize political and economic reforms.
(Michael Dobbs, Washington Post, A9)
ADMINISTRATION MAY SELL 60 F16s TO PAKISTAN
Announcement Possible As Bhutto Visits
The Bush administration is considering the sale of 60 F16 fighter jets
to Pakistan at a cost of $1.4 billion and may announce an agreement during
the visit here of Pakastani Prime Minister Bhutto, according to U.S.
officials.
John Kelly, assistant secretary of state-designate for Near Eastern
and South Asian Affairs, said during testomony before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Monday that the sale was "probably going to be the
subject of an announcement within the next day or two" in connection with
her visit which began Monday
The wisdom of the proposed sale has already been questioned by some
members of Congress who fear it will only fuel further the conventional
and nuclear arms race under way between Pakistan and India and divert
Pakastani resources away from needed economic investment at home.
(David Ottaway, Washington Post, A4)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-7
U.S., BRITAIN PRESS NEW IRANIAN LEADERSHIP TO END EXTREMISM
NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Iraq and Kuwait expressed hopes for peace after
the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, but the U.S. and Britain said Monday
that normalizing relations depends on ending the extremism he
espoused
In London, Foreign Office Minister Lord Glenarthur said Britain is
ready to resume normal relations with Iran if the Tehran government
renounces international terrorism and violence.
President Bush said the U.S. will review ruptured relations with Iran
"as soon as we see some move away from oppression and extremism." But
he said he would not make overtures to the new government in Iran as he
was "not sure yet" about the meaning of changes there following
Khomeini's death.
(AP)
MOURNERS BLOCK KHOMEINI FROM FINAL RESTING PLACE
ATHENS -- The burial of Ayatollah Khomeini was postponed Tuesday
after throngs of mourners blocked the vehicle carrying [his]
body
leaving it stranded in downtown Tehran, the Islamic Republic News
Agency reported
"The vehicle carrying the body is reportedly stranded in a downtown
street in Tehran due to the massive crowd," the news agency said. "The
date of the burial will be announced later.'
(Ralph Joseph, UPI)
THOUSANDS MOURN KHOMEINI
Eight Crushed To Death In Tehran As Crowds View Body
TEHRAN -- The body of Ayatollah Khomeini, sealed in a white shroud
and encased in glass atop a pyramidal funeral bier, lay in state here
Monday on a dusty plain as hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered to
pay tribute to their deceased spiritual leader.
By mid-morning, the wailing and chanting mourners had grown so
large and dense around the 30-foot-high bier that eight people were
crushed to death and hundreds more injured by the intense pressure of
the crowd, Iran's state news agency reported
Iran's official news agency Monday said that [Khomeini]
died from a
heart attack.
(Patrick Tyler, Washington Post, A9)
U.S. SAID CONCERNED OVER PALESTINIAN CROSS-BORDER RAIDS
The U.S. Monday expressed concern over recent cross-border
attempts by Palestinians to infiltrate into Israel but said it would go ahead
with a planned June 8 meeting with the PLO.
"This series of infiltration attempts during the past week in South
Lebanon is very disturbing," State Department spokeswoman Margaret
Tutwiler said.
"We urge those responsible to refrain from incidents that can only
result in further violence and bloodshed," she added.
(Reuter)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-8
OAS TO RENEW MEDIATIONS WITH NORIEGA
The OAS meets here Tuesday amid expectations it will send three
foreign ministers back to Panama in a new effort to induce Gen. Noriega to
surrender control of the country and permit democratic civilian rule,
diplomatic sources said Monday
Secretary of State Baker met Monday with Ecuadoran Foreign Minister
Diego Cordovez and OAS Secretary General Joao Baena Soares to discuss
next steps
According to sources, the ministers, despite being rebuffed by
Noriega on their earlier visit, believe it is too early to concede failure.
(John Goshko, Washington Post, A6)
BANKERS EXPRESS DOUBTS ABOUT BRADY PLAN
Treasury Secretary Appeals For Support At Madrid Conference
MADRID -- An appeal to commercial bankers by Treasury Secretary
Brady to support his new debt strategy for the Third World met a chilly
response Monday at a private gathering of prestigious international
bankers.
In an indirect allusion to food riots in Argentina and related political
problems throughout Latin America, Brady warned that "everyone here
shares a common interest" not only in a drive for economic growth, but also
"to foster democracy."
But questions from the bankers almost unanimously reflected concern
or suspicion about the Brady Plan. Separately, a number of bankers said
that debtor countries were lobbying for too large a percentage of
writeoffs, insisting that huge private market discounts do not represent
the true value of their loans.
(Hobart Rowen, Washington Post, C2)
EDITOR'S NOTES: "Battle Tanks Seize Position On Avenue Of Eternal
Peace,' by Daniel Southerland, appears in The Washington Post, page A1.
"Low Morale, Declining Status May Complicate Army's Role In China's
Crisis," by Lena Sun, appears in The Washington Post, page A17.
"Pol Pot's Resignation Seen As a Khmer Rouge Ploy," by Joseph De
Rienzo, appears in The Washington Times, page A9.
###
NATIONAL NEWS
BUSH ANNOUNCES EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
President Bush, who vowed to be an "education president," Monday
announced he will create an education policy advisory committee to help
improve America's troubled schools.
"Our schools are in trouble -- real trouble," Bush told the Business
Roundtable Conference on Education. "The time for study is past. It's
time to take action now."
A Bush spokesman
said the advisory committee
will provide the
President with status reports on the state of the nation's educational
system
"They will be the President's eyes and ears in education," he
said.
(Thomas Ferraro, UPI)
ATTEMPTS TO STREAMLINE PENTAGON PROCUREMENT SOFTEN
AMID RESISTANCE OF A JEALOUS BUREAUCRACY
Top Pentagon aides quietly made a startling proposal recently: Wipe
out about 20,000 of the military's nearly 100,000 jobs directly responsible
for purchasing.
The aides viewed the massive retrenchment as a bold first step in
President Bush's campaign for "the most effective defense, not just the
most expensive."
But reform-minded Defense Secretary Cheney apparently pulled back.
According to current and former defense officials, he rejected the proposal
for deep cutbacks, claiming it was backed up by too little analysis and
that it could disrupt the military's acquisition system
Clearly, the defense secretary who came in promising changes has
been daunted by his own procurement organization -- a world-wide
bureaucracy
It's politically difficult to eliminate the patchwork of
jealously guarded fiefdoms within the Pentagon, each one with some
authority to decide which weapons to purchase and how much to pay for
them.
(Andy Pasztor, Wall Street Journal, A30)
ELIMINATE PACS BUT PUT NO LID ON HONORARIA, QUAYLE SAYS
Political action committees should be eliminated, but unlimited
honoraria for members of Congress is OK, Vice President Quayle said
Monday.
And, he said, he fears that the cost of campaigning and the cost of
living in the capital may restrict Congress to the very rich or the very
young.
Quayle said, "I've never been particularly bothered by the amount
of honoraria a member of Congress takes as long as it is disclosed. I think
people are smart enough to make up their minds on that."
Abolishing PACs "would be a prudent thing to do
But I don't
think it's
the panacea to this [ethics] thing," he said.
(Joycelyn Winnecke, Scripps Howard)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- A-10
2
JACKSON SEES ATTORNEY GENERAL ON BEHALF OF REP. GRAY
Attorney General Thornburgh Monday rejected a request by Jesse
Jackson for a special counsel's probe of news leaks about a possible FBI
probe into personnel practices in the office of Rep. Bill Gray.
"I wish he would, but he won't,' Jackson said minutes after a private
meeting with Thornburgh. "We cannot have the fox investigating the hen
house."
Thornburgh declined comment Monday, but Jackson said the attorney
general told him that his own reputation depends on the success of his
investigation of the leaks.
(John Bennett, Scripps Howard)
DISCOVERY ON THE IRAN-CONTRA PAPER TRAIL
The original version of a White House document showing that
then-President Reagan approved a secret 1985 deal to reward Honduras for
its continued support of the Nicaraguan contras has been found in Los
Angeles among presidential files set aside for the Reagan library,
according to informed sources
Sources close to new congressional inquiries expressed concern that
other relevant documents in Reagan's presidential files may never have
been selected out by a White House system and thus never seen by the
Hill's Iran-contra panel. But so far, the House and Senate intelligence
panels are not addressing this broader question.
(Walter Pincus & Joe Pichirallo, Washington Post, A21)
MINORITIES SET BACK ON JOB BIAS
The Supreme Court Monday made it more difficult for minorities to use
statistics to win claims of racial discrimination in employment while making
it substantially easier for employers to rebut discrimination charges.
The
5-4
decision,
written
by Justice White, was hailed by business
lawyers and condemned by civil rights lawyers
Barry Goldstein, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund said the court "reversed the most important fair
employment decision that the Supreme Court has ever made."
Stephen Bokat, general counsel of the U.S. Chamber of Congress,
said the ruling relieved employers who had been "scared" by recent
rulings "that suggested that statistical disparities alone would be enough
to require employers to disprove the claim" of discrimination.
(Al Kamen, Washington Post, A1)
MAJOR BANKS LOWER PRIME RATE A HALF POINT
Major banks Monday lowered their prime interest rates by half a
percentage point, to 11 percent, signalling reduced borrowing costs for
consumers and businesses.
The action came amid mounting evidence of an economic slowdown,
which is almost certain to induce the Federal Reserve to slightly relax its
grip on the supply of money and credit, according to both Wall Street
analysts and government sources.
The banks' move was initiated by Citibank Monday morning.
(Paul Blustein, Washington Post, C1)
EDITOR'S NOTE: "Democrats Tag Seat 'Pepper Memorial'; GOP Sees
Opening," by the AP, appears in The Washington Times, page A5.
-end of A-section-
NETWORK NEWS SUMMARY
(Monday Evening, June 5)
CHINA
ABC's Peter Jennings: The question is this: Does the continuing civil
unrest in China mean the country is on the verge of civil war?
There are thousands of heavily armed troops supported by tanks and
artillery in various positions around Beijing tonight, their commanders
apparently fearing not so much another confrontation with students as
a counterattack by other divisions of the Chinese army. Across
China there are signs of anger with what's been going on, and in
Washington the President has stepped up his public disapproval of the
Chinese government.
ABC's Jim Laurie reports that the people have turned to guerrilla
action to oppose the army. The more people think of the weekend
massacre the more angry they get. People here are no longer
surprised at estimates that 7,000 may have been killed or wounded by
the army.
Jennings: A U.S. intelligence report sent to the President today
says that the crucial element in China now is whether reluctant army
units will join in the government crackdown or fight it. Some
American analysts believe that division within the military has actually
widened -- that officers opposed to the violence are gaining strength.
Jennings: The State Department today described the situation in
China as chaotic. It advised Americans not to travel there. There
are an estimated 10,000 Americans living in China now, including 370
American students in Beijing. Tonight many of them, as well as
other foreigners, are at the very least apprehensive
Condemnation of the Chinese government was virtually universal
today. At the White House, just as President Bush was about to
come under intense pressure from Congress, he announced a series of
sanctions against the Chinese government.
ABC's Brit Hume: Under mounting pressure from Congress for
stronger measures than his mild. statements of the weekend, the
President used a hastily called news conference to say publicly what
he had said through private channels to his old friend Deng
Xiaoping. (President Bush: "The United States cannot condone the violent
attacks and cannot ignore the consequences for our relationship with
China.")
Mr. Bush said he is suspending government military sales to China,
which consist largely of new U.S. technology China is buying for its
F-8 fighter plane. He also suspended military visits and meetings
between the two countries, offered the 40,000 Chinese students in
this country permission to stay longer, and offered U.S. aid through
the Red Cross for students injured in the army assault.
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- B-2
Hume continues: But with the situation still unfolding, a power
struggle apparently underway in the military, and the U.S. as yet
unsure who is in charge and who will come out ahead, the President
refused to take such further steps as recall of the U.S. ambassador.
(President Bush: "When you see these kids struggling for democracy
and freedom, this would be a bad time for the United States to
withdraw and pull back and leave them to the devices of a leadership
that might decide to crack down further.")
With Chinese students demonstrating in the streets of Washington, the
President invited some Chinese students to meet with him in the Oval
Office. They applauded his actions.
(GWU student Jia Hao: "And also it would be a big blow to those
who are responsible for the massacre -- those vultures of Beijing.")
Earlier reaction from Capitol Hill was also favorable, indicating the
President has bought some time for a policy of continued involvement
with China in the hope that its leaders may yet turn away from
violence.
(ABC-Lead)
NBC's Tom Brokaw: China tonight is a country consumed by rage, grief,
chaos and rumor. It seems to be teetering between a military state
and civil war. There are reports of military units fighting other
military units -- a bloody division brought on by the weekend
massacre in Tiananmen Square in which certainly hundreds --
probably thousands -- were killed. Rumors that Deng Xiaoping is
dead or dying. Rumors. Nothing confirmed
Deng Xiaoping, the
Chinese leader, the 84-year-old godfather of Chinese economic reform,
is the subject of twin rumors tonight that he ordered the troops to
shoot the demonstrators or that he is gravely ill, maybe dead. A
senior Administration official in this country said the death rumor is
unsubstantiated. The White House is operating on the premise that
he is still alive
In this country President Bush condemned the
weekend massacre and appealed for political and military restraint
while imposing a series of U.S. sanctions.
NBC's Jim Miklaszewski: After two days of criticism that he was too
weak in his response to the violence in China, President Bush took
action. In a White House news conference, the President condemned
the military crackdown in Beijing and put the Chinese government on
notice.
(President Bush: "I think it is very important that Chinese leaders
know it's not going to be business as usual, and I think it's
important that the army know that we want to see restraint.")
The President cut off all U.S. military sales to China both by the
government and private business, and stopped all visits between U.S.
and Chinese military leaders. He also ordered special consideration
for Chinese students who want to stay in the U.S., and offered
humanitarian and medical aid to the victims of the violence through
the Red Cross. But Bush rejected calls for stronger measures -- to
impose economic sanctions and recall the U.S. ambassador. The
President said he did not want a total break in U.S.-China ties for
the sake of the longstanding relationship and the student
demonstrators.
(President Bush: "When you see these kids struggling for democracy
and freedom, this would be a bad time for the United States to
withdraw and pull back and leave them to the devices of a leadership
that might decide to crack down further.")
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- B-3
Miklaszewski continues: Later, in a meeting set up to highlight the
sanctions, visiting Chinese students praised the President's actions.
(GWU student Jia Hao: "And also it would be a big blow to those
who are responsible for the massacre -- those vultures of Beijing.")
Overall, the actions won widespread approval from Capitol Hill.
(Rep. Solarz: "I think it's a significant step in the right
direction.")
But many lawmakers still believe the President should have gone
further. Sen. Helms has prepared legislation calling for economic
sanctions if the bloodshed continues.
(Sen. Helms: "It will send a forceful message as to what they can
expect if they don't stop this slaughter in Beijing.")
President Bush said he reserves the right to take additional steps if
the violence escalates. While the sanctions are considered pretty
much symbolic, President Bush remains optimistic and predicts that
the students will ultimately prevail in their demands for democracy.
At the same time, however, some U.S. officials fear that the current
violence in Beijing may have set back U.S.-China relations for years.
Brokaw: The State Department called the situation in China "chaotic"
-- an understatement. It urged all Americans in the city, about
10,000 of them all together, to stay indoors and told several hundred
Americans attending colleges in Beijing to leave their campuses and go
to hotels. It also warned against travel to the city. For their part,
American businesses say they have begun evacuating their employees
from Beijing.
(NBC-Lead)
CBS's Dan Rather: A huge force of soldiers and tanks took up positions
in Beijing today, the specter of an all-out civil war hovered over the
Chinese capital. More civilians died as tanks fired at unarmed
civilians in the streets. Some people tried to fight tanks with their
hands. But the occupying army in the capital now seems to be
preparing for a possible assault by other elements of the military,
perhaps an attempt at a military coup. The Communist Party
hard-liners who dominate the government of China have had nothing
to say. None has appeared in public for several days.
CBS's John Sheahan says there are credible reports of soldiers who
have set their own vehicles on fire and withdrawn in disgust at
making war on their own people.
Rather: President Bush today issued his toughest statement on China
so far, saying its leaders were "brutally suppressing a peaceful
movement." President Bush ordered limited sanctions, but says he
does not want to break relations.
CBS's Wyatt Andrews: Abandoning his early wait-and-see approach,
the President today sent a get-tough message to the Chinese military.
He suspended all U.S. military sales to China, declaring the United
States cannot do business as usual.
(President Bush: "And I think it's important that the army know
that we want to see restraint, and this is the best way to signal
that.")
The order puts in limbo $686 million in military sales to China,
effectively halting American assistance to the Chinese F-8 fighter
program and stopping U.S. aid to two ammunition factories.
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- B-4
Andrews continues: Top-level military visits are also suspended. In
addition, Mr. Bush offered Red Cross help for those injured in the
violence, ordered a review of U.S. relations with China, and said the
United States would sympathetically view requests from Chinese
students who want to extend their visits in the United States.
Significantly, the President did not suspend any other trade with
China or cut off diplomatic relations with Beijing.
(President Bush: "This would be a bad time for the United States to
withdraw and pull back and leave them to the devices of a leadership
that might decide to crack down further.")
A group of four Chinese students, hastily invited to the White House,
hailed the President's new plan.
(Chinese student: "A measured response, I think, may help the
things in China move toward a good direction.")
Despite earlier complaints that the President moved too slowly, this
latest plan of action won immediate support.
(Rep. Foley: "I think the actions he's taken are prudent, and I
agree, I think, the United States ambassador should remain there.")
(Zbigniew Brzezinski: "We have to condemn what has been
happening, but we have to do it in such a way that we do not
foreclose the possibility of a closer relationship again.")
Yet Mr. Bush will still face pressure to do even more.
(Sen. Helms: "I am going to seek contingency legislation to suspend
trade, investment, financial and other ties to this brutal communist
government.")
That the Chinese military appears divided against itself is not seen as
a bad sign here at the White House. President Bush, who is reading
the tea leaves and watching television just like everyone else, says a
splintered military proves a high level of support for the
students, and that the idea of democracy has taken root in China for
good.
Rather reports that the governments of Cuba and Vietnam backed the
Chinese government's crackdown and massacre today. (CBS-Lead)-
IRAN
ABC's John McWethy: There was no new offer from President Bush to try
to improve relations with Iran now that Khomeini is dead -- just a
blunt challenge.
(President Bush: "They know what they need to do. They have
been a terrorist state, and as soon as we see some move away from
oppression and extremism of that nature we will review our
relationship.")
The President demanded release of the nine Americans being held
hostage by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. Only then will the U.S.
consider talking to Iran. The Bush Administration is taking a tough
approach to Iran because officials argue there is no reason to believe
the new government there will be any better than the one headed by
the Ayatollah Khomeini. In fact, there is some concern within the
intelligence community that Iranian-inspired terrorism might actually
increase as different factions in Iran try to use the terrorist weapon
to gain influence. Some analysts argue now would have been a good
time to offer a more positive message to Iran to give those factions
who want better relations with the West something to work with. The
President obviously disagreed.
(ABC-2, CBS-5)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- B-5
Brokaw: President Bush said today that he'll make no overtures to Iran's
new leaders until the nine Americans now being held hostage in
Lebanon are freed, and British officials said their relations with Iran
cannot return to normal until Iran's death sentence on author Salman
Rushdie is withdrawn.
(NBC-4)
POLAND
Jennings reports that the official results of the first real election in Poland
in 40 years wouldn't be released until Wednesday. The Communist
Party has already conceded that opposition candidates running under
the banner of the independent union Solidarity won by a landslide,
and then the government warned Solidarity not to get carried away
by its victory.
ABC's David Ensor reports that Lech Walesa is worried that the party
could react to this setback by calling off further moves towards
democracy. In a dramatic announcement at the top of tonight's news,
the government conceded defeat in the election and promised
continued reforms. Solidarity spokesmen applauded the approach,
saying it contrasts favorably with the brutality in China. But
Solidarity officials are still uneasy.
(ABC-6, NBC-2, CBS-2)
SIBERIAN TRAIN
Brokaw: In Moscow today President Gorbachev denounced as a disgrace
the deadly gas pipeline explosion in the Ural mountains yesterday;
462 people were killed and/or are missing. Gorbachev said a spark
ignited liquid petroleum gas leaking from the pipeline.
NBC's Bob Abernethy reports that at the new Congress Mikhail Gorbachev,
who visited the disaster scene yesterday, gave a solemn report.
(Gorbachev: "How could such a thing come to pass? The
incompetence, irresponsibility, bad management. This outrage. I say
to you comrades, we won't get anywhere if we permit such laxness.")
(NBC-3, ABC-8, CBS-4)
SOVIET UNREST
Jennings reports that in ethnic violence in the republic of Uzbekistan near
the Afghan border, dozens of people are reported dead and more than
70 hospitalized.
(ABC-7, CBS-3)
JOB DISCRIMINATION
Jennings reports that in an Alaska salmon cannery case, the Supreme
Court has made it harder for minorities to prove they are victims of
job discrimination by ruling today that minorities have to show that it
is actually company policy which causes racial imbalance without a
valid business reason for having it that way.
(ABC-3, CBS-6)
PRIME RATE
Jennings: Major banks cut their prime rate half a percent to 11% today.
They were following the lead of a small bank in St. Louis that cut its
prime last Friday
(ABC-5, NBC-5, CBS-9)
-end of B-section-
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
NATO SUMMIT
"In short, however famously they may be getting on, the Bush
Administration does want to put relations with Britain on a different
footing. The Bush White House is in effect drawing up a new pecking
order. What we've seen throughout this week and here again today is
George Bush making himself the dominant force in Western politics and
Western thinking
"
(Channel 4 News, Britain)
"The enormous change now being wrought in the international political
landscape means that the Western Alliance no longer needs a tough guy in
the shape of Mrs. Thatcher. For the Americans, concerned now to deal
delicately with an awakened Germany, the British role as organizer of the
European allies has become an embarrassment and a problem rather than a
help."
(Guardian, Britain)
"Bush has become the leader of the Western world. Gorbachev must
beware if Bush 'the cautious, the man without a vision' continues his
offensive
But 'the world continues even after the summit.' The
initiative is now in the Western camp and time runs short, notably in
Vienna where decision on cuts of conventional armaments must be made if
one does not want to see disunity prevail again in NATO ranks. George
Bush will have to maintain the pressure even though this is not his style."
(Radio France, Jean-Luc Hess, France)
"The Brussels Atlantic summit did not erase all NATO problems with a
magic wand. An abyss remains for example between Thatcher's absolute
intransigence and Genscher's ambiguous flexibility. Much more important,
it was an occasion for the Untied States to discover a daring and clever
President and for the Europeans to get to know a competent and open
partner
"
(Radio Europe, France)
"What nobody still considered possible came about after all: NATO's
anniversary summit ultimately turned out a success
George Bush
deserves the lion's share of the credit for this historic event. His
conventional arms control proposal, in terms of contents and timing, was a
diplomatic masterpiece. Not only did he force a consensus among the
continental Europeans he also eliminated all doubts about the conception
and quality of U.S. policy and diplomacy With Bush's proposal
Gorbachev is put faster and more thoroughly to the test than he will
probably like to see. Consequently, it cannot be excluded that the
Warsaw Pact will now erect new obstacles and discover new problem areas
where the devil is in the detail. This however, will be a fairly
uncomfortable position for Moscow, since the whole world would see that
rhetoric is one thing and substance yet another
"
(Rheinischer Merkur/Christ und Welt, West Germany)
"George Bush is resorting to polite diplomatic fibs when he tries to
make people believe that there were neither winners nor losers in the SNF
dispute. The clear winners of this poker game are Margaret Thatcher and
the Bush Administration, which did not prove to be quite as clumsy as
some Bonn politicians thought it would
"
(Deutsches Allgemeines Sonntagsblatt, West Germany)
-more-
Tuesday, June 6, 1989 -- C-2
"The last-minute compromise formula cannot conceal the fact that
NATO's severe crisis continues unabated
Politically speaking, the
modernization really revolved around the Anglo-Saxon claim to supremacy.
With Great Britain's backing, the Untied States wants to assert its
leadership role in security policy against the FRG's claim to leadership in
detente
"
(Deutsches Allgemeines Sonntagsblatt, West Germany)
"To keep the Germans down? This continues to be, though it is
never openly said, one of NATO's reasons for existence
The U.S. and
British insistence on the Lance modernization was, in political terms,
nothing but an attempt to
solidify the German division with a new missile
fence
It's paradoxical. The French have one foot in and one foot
out of NATO; the British have one foot in the EC, but not the other.
We, in turn, who with Teutonic faithfulness are sworn in on both these
alliances, are accused of being freeloaders, unpredictable or a floating
kidney whenever we assert our interests as clearly as all the others. The
reason is that we keep bringing up our desire for reunification
German unity? We can find it in a different kind of structure than one
central German state, namely under the roof of a free Europe in which
there is room for two free German states. Unless we openly commit
ourselves to this, we continue to run the risk of NATO being used as an
instrument to discipline the Germans."
(Die Zeit, West Germany)
"Bush has every reason to be satisfied
He dispelled all doubts,
resolving the SNF dispute in a way that enables the Germans and the
British to sing victory, while, in reality, Bush is the winner. He
convinced the skeptics, throwing on the Vienna negotiating table the most
audacious disarmament proposal in the history of East-West relations.
George Bush showed that he can change course when international
circumstances require it
He finally emerged from the shadow of his
predecessor
"
(II Tempo, Italy)
"In manner, President Bush has come across on the international
scene as a man of presence. He knows what he is talking about. He acts
like a man who is head of the most powerful nation on earth -- and he has
now made the response to Moscow's proposals the world has been waiting
for. Much more remains to be done -- but President Bush has made a
start.
"
(Irish Independent, Ireland)
"The fact that the summit which was anticipated with fear, turned out
to be a thorough success is a small miracle. Furthermore, Bush succeeded
in getting wide applause for a withdrawl of American troops from Europe.
It took a long time before the new American President was able to put his
stamp on global politics. His first step deserves at least to be called
promising.'
(Haagsche Courant, The Netherlands)
"Bush created a style: to let himself be beaten, play it cool, and
unexpectedly rise from the ashes with a surprising sparkle. The strategy
was repeated in Europe
In a spectacular coup de theatre, Bush
launched the boldest challenge to the charismatic Soviet leader
Without realizing it Bush gave in to the pacivists. Never before had a
leader gone so far on disarmament issues
"
(O Journal, Portugal)
"In these first days after the summit, the U.S. President can be
satisfied with a job well done
Bush's policies mean a step toward
detente and better understanding and cooperation. This is really
gratifying
"
(Politika, Yugoslavia)
-end of News Summary-
Ran,
Dress Conference Party
in Amaresti office, 8PM
Be there?
Work
News Summary
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 1991
6:00 A.M. EST EDITION
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Baker Visits Violence-Afflicted Israel -- Secretary Baker arrived
on his first mission to Israel Monday as a wave of Arab-Israeli
violence shook this country, but said he found "signs of new
thinking" among old antagonists in the Middle East.
(Washington Post)
NATIONAL NEWS
Bush Pushes Crime War -- President Bush moved Monday to convert
victory in the Persian Gulf to victory on Capitol Hill, demanding
passage by June 14 of anti-crime proposals that the last Congress
refused to enact.
(Washington Times, Washington Post, Scripps Howard)
Democrats Plan Quick Action On New Civil Rights Bill -- House
Democrats say they hope to move swiftly on a new civil rights bill
while focusing heavily on its benefits for women, a strategy aimed
at blunting charges that passage would lead to quotas in hiring.
(AP)
NETWORK NEWS (Monday evening)
BAKER TRIP -- Secretary Baker
is in Israel looking for a
willingness to talk, rather than
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A-1
a commitment on specifics.
NATIONAL NEWS
A-7
The Israeli government,
while insisting it will not give
NETWORK NEWS
B-1
up the occupied territories in
exchange for peace, is still
FOREIGN MEDIA
C-1
casting the Baker visit in a
positive light.
CRIME BILL -- Both sides are
saying that security at home is
even more important than security
in the Gulf.
This Summary is prepared Monday through Friday by the White House News Summary Staff.
For complete stories or information, please call 456-2950.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BAKER'S MEETING WITH SHAMIR OVER;
'SIGNS OF CHANGE' IN ARAB ATTITUDES
JERUSALEM -- Secretary Baker, finding signs of new Arab
attitudes toward Israel, met with Prime Minister Shamir today in
an effort to push the nascent peace process forward with a positive
Israeli response
Shamir's media adviser, Avi Pazner, said Shamir agreed with
Baker on a two-track approach to a Middle East settlement. "We
have the feeling we can start to try to make the process of peace
go," Pazner said.
(Barry Schweid, AP)
BAKER VISITS VIOLENCE-AFFLICTED ISRAEL
Secretary Finds 'New Thinking'
In Mideast And Foreign Minister Levy Agrees
JERUSALEM -- Secretary Baker arrived on his first mission to
Israel Monday as a wave of Arab-Israeli violence shook this
country, but said he found "signs of new thinking" among old
antagonists in the Middle East
The army reported Monday evening that two soldiers were killed
and two wounded Monday in the Gaza Strip when they were struck by
a car driven by a Palestinian. Officials said they were still
investigating whether this was a deliberate attack or an
accident
After a dinner meeting Monday night, Baker and Israeli Foreign
Minister Levy indicated they were somewhat optimistic about
reviving the Middle East peace process in the wake of the Gulf war.
Baker said, "I have seen what I consider to be signs of new
thinking" among Arab leaders toward Israel. Levy said Baker's
report left him with the impression that the Arab states "are
beginning to show signs of change
Israeli officials said the Arab attacks of the last two days
dramatized Israel's continuing security problems. "This is why we
have to be very careful about going toward concessions that may be
fashionable, but weaken our defenses,' said Shamir's adviser, Avi
Pazner in a reference to the land-for-peace formula that is favored
by President Bush.
(Jackson Diehl & David Hoffman, Washington Post, A14)
IRAQI OPPOSITION DISCUSSES OUSTER OF SADDAM HUSSEIN
BEIRUT -- Iraqi opposition groups banned in their homeland
resumed their three-day meeting Tuesday on ousting Saddam Hussein
amid reports of fierce violence in the Iraqi capital
As the 325 Iraqi opposition secular, Sunni Moslem and Shiite
religious figures prepared for the next session, Beirut Radio
broadcast a French report that Saddam had been wounded in an
assassination attempt.
The radio quoted the French TF-1 TV report as saying that one
of Saddam's guards opened fire on him in Baghdad, wounding the
Iraqi leader and killing senior aide Taha Yassin Ramadan. There
was no confirmation of the report.
Iraqi opposition sources reported fierce violence in Baghdad.
They said many people were killed or wounded in street gunfights
between troops loyal to Saddam and dissidents. (Riad Kaj, UPI)
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-2
PALESTINIANS AND BAKER TO CONFER
Secretary Baker pushed headlong into the convoluted world of
Palestinian politics Monday, declaring that he will meet today with
leaders from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip but will ignore
their insistence that they carry the banner of the PLO.
Baker
also said he was pleased by Israel's initial reaction
to his ideas
"We have our problems with the PLO," Baker said. "We used to
have a dialogue with the PLO. That dialogue is terminated. We
think the PLO made a substantial error in supporting Saddam Hussein
in the war that recently concluded."
Baker's statement that the U.S. dialogue with the PLO was
"terminated" suggested a toughening of his position
but that
rhetorical flourish seemed to conflict with Baker's plan to meet
today with a group of prominent Palestinians, most of whom closely
identify with the PLO.
"These people are as much PLO as anyone," said Daoud Kutab,
a pro-PLO Palestinian journalist
Palestinian leaders meticulously designed their delegation to
include representatives of each of four PLO factions
"This means a resumption of the dialogue between the PLO and
the United States," insisted Saeb Erakat, a college professor and
one member of the group.
(Doyle McManus & Daniel Williams, Los Angeles Times, A1)
FRENCH ENVOY URGES ISRAEL TO 'ENGAGE'
Rocard Sees Opening On Palestinian Issue
French Prime Minister Rocard, after meeting with President
Bush at the White House, said Monday Israel should take advantage
of the Gulf war to move toward a solution to the Palestinian issue.
He predicted close cooperation between the U.S. and France in any
Middle East diplomacy.
Rocard said the Gulf war had "further strengthened" the
relationship and the "mutual trust" between France and the U.S.,
and played down any differences -- including the timing of an
international peace conference for the region -- as mostly
questions of procedure
Bush lauded French participation in the Gulf war, saying, "We
were just solidly together." He called France "A key, terribly
important country" in helping to resolve the longstanding problems
of the Middle East.
(Dan Balz, Washington Post, A16)
AS KUWAIT'S ROYALTY RETURNS, CHAOS REIGNS
KUWAIT CITY -- Two weeks after liberation, the big question
is: "Who's running Kuwait?"
Everyone seems to be tugging in different directions as the
half-deserted capital city licks its wounds and enforces martial
law.
Food is still scarce, telephone lines are dead, and water and
electric power are rationed. The banks are still closed, and the
Iraqi dinar remains the currency of the moment.
Yet the government, which has declared a three-month period
of martial law, seems to be directing most of its energy toward
catching Palestinian collaborators, not restarting the country.
(Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times, A1)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-3
SAUDIS WARY OF TAKING LEAD IN MIDEAST PEACE
Old Animosities Toward Israel still Linger
RIYADH -- Many in the West hoped that after victory over Iraq,
a newly confident Saudi Arabia would lead the way toward
reconciliation between Arab countries and Israel.
But if interviews in recent days with more than two dozen
Saudi Arabians from a variety of backgrounds are any indication,
such hopes may be premature. These Saudis suggest that the war ha
done little to soften Arab attitudes toward Jews and Israel
Many of those interviewed talked about what they described as
layers of Zionist conspiracy stitched beneath the surface of the
multinational coalition organized by the U.S.
However, many also vented fury at King Hussein for siding with
Iraq during the war and at Palestinians for rejoicing when Scud
missiles fell on Saudi cities. They said these wounds would not
be healed easily in peacetime. still, none said their anger at
Iraq's Arab allies translated into a changed attitude toward
Israel.
(Steve Coll, Washington Post, A16)
IRAQI TREATMENT OF PILOTS 'SEVERE'
U.S. Officials Cite Malnourishment,
'Duress,' Delayed Medical Care
Eight U.S. Air Force pilots were treated "in a fairly severe
fashion" resulting in injuries while they were prisoners of war in
Iraq, an Air Force general said Monday.
The general said the anti-war statements some U.S. servicemen
made on Iraqi TV "were given under duress of a variety of types,"
but said he could not elaborate.
All of the pilots are malnourished, some of whom lost as much
as 30 pounds, and several suffered broken bones and hearing loss,
said Brig. Gen. Robert Peal, commander of Malcolm Grow Air Force
Medical Center at Andrews Air Force Base.
(Mary Jordan, Washington Post, A17)
TURKS MEET WITH IRAQI OPPOSITION
Policy Shift Seen A Blow To Saddam; Fighting Continues
BEIRUT -- The Iraqi opposition gained important political
support Monday as Turkey announced that high officials of its
government, in a major policy reversal, have met with Iraqi Kurdish
leaders who are attempting to overthrown Saddam Hussein.
The announcement from Ankara by Turkish President Ozal came
as more than 20 Iraqi opposition groups opened a three-day meeting
here intended to forge a unified approach toward their goal of
toppling the regime in Baghdad.
Ozal
noted Monday that other countries including Britain and
France have been meeting with Kurdish leaders and that Turkey had
more at stake in the region
Fighting reportedly intensified in several areas in Iraq
Monday, according to accounts by opposition sources that could not
be independently verified. Opposition leaders here claimed that
60,000 Iraqi troops had surrendered or defected and that half the
pro-Saddam units in northern Iraq had collapsed.
(Jonathan Randal, Washington Post, A1)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-4
FOR U.S. AND IRAN, A CHANCE FOR TIES
Iraq' military defeat and the prospect of creating new
security arrangements for the Gulf provide an opportunity for the
U.S. and Iran to repair their long-tattered relationship -- if the
two sides decide to do so.
The two countries have emerged from the Gulf war with three
common goals: the military containment of Iraq, preservation of
Iraq's territorial integrity and the creation of a postwar security
structure in which Tehran plays an important political role.
But the convergence of interests does not mean that the U.S.
and Iran are now poised to bury their longstanding differences.
Rather, it reflects a practical realization by both sides that
since they are destined to be involved in the region they may as
well cooperate."
"At this stage, both sides are peering through the window,'
said Gary Sick, who has written and lectured extensively on U.S.-
Iranian relations. "They haven't climbed through."
(Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, A14)
TERRORISM THREAT HAS DIMINISHED, STATE DEPT. SAYS
The State Department announced Monday that with the cessation
of hostilities in the Gulf war, "we believe the threat from Iraqi
sponsored terrorism has lessened" throughout the world.
While cautioning that "previous wars in the Middle East have
frequently been followed by a terrorist aftermath" and that the
general danger of anti-American terrorism prompted by the Gulf war
remains real, the statement said, "There is currently no specific
and credible information on a terrorist threat to the American
public.
The AP reported that tourism industry officials have seen an
increase in international travel by Americans in recent weeks.
(Jim McGee, Washington Post, A15)
REPORT: MORE IRAQI AGENTS ARRESTED IN EGYPT
CAIRO -- Security authorities have arrested five Egyptians
accused of trying to smuggle explosives for Iraqi-sponsored
terrorism, the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported Tuesday.
The arrests brought to 32 the number of alleged Iraqi agents
reported arrested in Egypt
Al-Ahram said the five men were arrested Sunday after arriving
from Jordan.
(AP)
JORDAN LINK REPORTED FOR SPIES SLAIN IN SYRIA
The undercover agents who were killed by Syrian terrorists
last fall, apparently after the U.S. compromised their identities
during a diplomatic exchange with Syria, were working inside Syria
for Jordan's state intelligence service, several Bush
administration officials say.
The agents were among Jordanian intelligence operatives
working inside Palestinian terrorist groups who have provided
Jordan with valuable information on terrorist activities, the
officials said. Jordan, in turn, has shared much of that data with
the CIA and other Western espionage services responsible for
preventing terrorist acts.
(Michael Wines, New York Times, A8)
-970m-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-5
HOSTAGES IN LEBANON REPORTEDLY MOVED
Sources Say Men Held BY Shiites In Bekaa Valley
BEIRUT -- Pro-Iranian Muslim extremists holding 13 Western
hostages have moved the captives from Beirut's southern slums to
new hideouts in eastern Lebanon, security sources said Monday.
The report coincided with a fresh drive by the U.S. and
Britain to secure the release of the hostages through the efforts
of Iran and Syria
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the
captives are believed to be held in hideouts controlled by Shiite
fundamentalists in and around Baalbek in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
(Farouk Nassar, Washington Post, A15)
MAJOR FORGES NEW EC ALLIANCE WITH GERMANY
BONN -- Prime Minister Major, anxious to end his country's
isolation in the EC, has forged a new alliance with Germany and
signaled a clear break with the European policies of his
predecessor Margaret Thatcher.
At an Anglo-German summit Monday, Major called for London and
Bonn to cooperate "warmly" in the EC and made clear he did not
share Thatcher's distrust of the Germans or the fear that they
would dominate a more closely integrated Community.
"I think the message that emerges from this summit is the
extent and the warmth of the coming together in relationships
between Britain and Germany," Major told a news conference. "In
Britain we're very pleased with this." (Richard Murphy, Reuter)
NORTH KOREA IN GULF 'SHOCK'
PYONGYANG -- The dramatic success of U.S. forces in the
Persian Gulf was has had a major impact on North Korean military
thinking, long based on the same Soviet technology that took such
a beating in Iraq.
Diplomats here and in Beijing say Kim Il Sung
must now
realize after Iraq's defeat that conventional warfare on the tense
Korean peninsula is a "non-option."
"There's no doubt the Gulf war was a big shock to the
leadership," said one senior diplomat here who requested
anonymity
"America was regarded as a paper tiger in Asia, said an Asian
diplomat in Beijing. "It was beaten like a wet rat in Vietnam, and
because of this we tended to underestimate it. But the Gulf war
has changed all that. "
"America kept its promise that if Saddam was not out of Kuwait
by Jan. 15, they would attack. That was a real shock," he said.
(Michael Breen, Washington Times, A1)
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-6
LAWMAKERS WALK OUT OF PARLIAMENT,
HOLD VIGIL WITH PROTESTERS
BELGRADE -- Opposition lawmakers stormed out of Serbia's
parliament early Tuesday and joined a vigil by anti-communist
protesters mounting the most serious challenge to Marxist rule in
Yugoslavia's largest republic
"Let them have their one-party parliament," said one lawmaker,
Milan Paroski
The remaining lawmakers met into the night to discuss the
crisis, and police in riot gear kept an eye on the protesters in
central Belgrade.
(AP)
BELGRADE PROTEST ECHOES PRAGUE UPHEAVAL
Serbian Anti-Communist Movement Swells After Crackdown
BELGRADE -- What began here Saturday as a bloody melee between
Serbian police and bottle-throwing anti-government protesters has
matured in the streets in the past three days into a powerful,
peaceful anti-communist demonstration reminiscent of Prague in the
revolutionary fall of 1989
After nearly three days of nonstop chanting and speechmaking,
the young people in the streets appear to have checked the
government's willingness to use force, and riot police stayed well
away from the crowd
In response to the protests, the Serbian government Monday
organized a demonstration in support of itself. More than 30,000
people, many bused in from state-owned factories, gathered outside
central Belgrade in a rally "for the defense of the republic."
(Blaine Harden, Washington Post, A1)
SKINNER SEES INCREASED U.S.-BRITISH AIR COMPETITION
An agreement guaranteeing landing rights at London's premier
airport for two strong U.S. airlines may spark increased
competition between British and American carriers, Transportation
Secretary Skinner says.
Skinner offered the prediction Monday as he announced the
successful end of prolonged talks to enable United and American
airlines to replace struggling Pan Am and TWA at Heathrow Airport.
"This agreement should be seen as the prelude to more
important talks in the near future to liberalize the aviation
relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom," Skinner said
at a news conference.
(Lawrence Knutson, AP)
EDITOR'S NOTES: "After Victory A Sense of Unease [In Saudi
Arabia]," by Steve Coll, appears in the Washington Post, A1.
"Gulf Victory Spurs Congressional Calls To Punish Saddam," by
Steven Koarow, appears in the Washington Post, A3.
NATIONAL NEWS
BUSH APPEALS TO PATRIOTISM IN PUSHING CRIME PACKAGE
Key Provisions Identical To Past Proposal
President Bush, dressing up last year's crime package in this
year's surge of patriotism over the Gulf war, called on the
Democratic Congress Monday to honor the nation's veterans by giving
them "an America where it is safe to walk on the streets."
Bush's crime package, sent to Congress Monday, contains some
new twists but offers basically the same elements as a proposal
sent to Capitol Hill in 1989 and last year. "The truth is the vast
majority of these core proposals are identical to those that we
sent up two years ago," Bush told an audience of law enforcement
officials brought to the White House for the unveiling of the
package
What is principally new between last year
and this year is
the President's soaring popularity in the wake of the Gulf victory
and his repeated references to veterans of that war in promoting
the package
Sen. Biden
suggested that war victory or not, Bush is likely
to have the same problem this year with his crime package that he
had last year. Biden said the Democrats are "ready right now" to
approve virtually all of the elements of the White House bill, as
long as Bush will accept new federal controls on assault weapons
and more federal funding for state and local law enforcement.
"One of the biggest reasons the returning veterans are not
safe on the street is because of these assault weapons," Biden
said, not because too many appeals are being filed by inmates or
because a federal death penalty is lacking for some crimes.
(Ann Devroy & Michael Isikoff, Washington Post, A4)
Bush Pushes Crime War
President Bush moved Monday to convert victory in the Persian
Gulf to victory on Capitol Hill, demanding passage by June 14 of
anti-crime proposals that the last Congress refused to enact.
"The time to act is now; the time to schedule congressional
hearings is now,' Bush said as he prepared to spend political
capital on a domestic issue -- a policy area where he has been
reluctant to confront Congress in the past.
"We are on a 100-day clock," he told the National Association
of State Attorneys General in the East Room, referring to the
countdown he began Wednesday in a speech to a joint session of
Congress.
The President's plan contains one major new twist -- it would
allow firearms to be used as evidence of federal crimes even if
seized during an illegal search
"Simply put, if the President would join the Congress in
banning the murderous weapons that are killing police officers,
children and countless innocent bystanders, we could easily pass
a comprehensive crime bill within the next 100 days," Sen. Biden
said.
(Frank Murray, Washington Times, A1)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-8
Bush Sends Anti-Crime Bill To Congress: Seeks Early Passage
Spurned by Congress for two years, President Bush resubmitted
his controversial anti-crime bill Monday and demanded passage in
100 days.
If Bush hopes to use his record-high 90-percent popularity
rating to push the bill through, he is likely to be disappointed.
The bill angers liberals because it seeks to expand the
federal death penalty.
Some conservatives dislike the bill's curbs on automatic
weapons, including a ban on gun magazines that fire more than 15
rounds without reloading
In appealing for passage of the bill, Bush said it is "on
America's most wanted list. No more loopholes. No more rolls of
the dice.'
Rep. Conyers sid Bush's bill has "nothing that hasn't been
tried -- and failed -- over the years of trying to get through."
(Ann McFeatters, Scripps Howard)
DEMOCRATS PLAN QUICK ACTION ON NEW CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
House Democrats say they hope to move swiftly on a new civil
rights bill while focusing heavily on its benefits for women, a
strategy aimed at blunting charges that passage would lead to
quotas in hiring.
With the bill expected to clear its first congressional
hurdles today, House Education and Labor Chairman Ford said
supporters didn't plan to delay because of opposition from
President Bush at a time of his enormous postwar popularity.
"I don't legislate on the basis of poll results," said Ford,
a key supporter of the bill. "I wouldn't bring out a different
bill is his popularity were at an all-time low. "
Rep. Gephardt said in an interview the civil rights bill is
one of several the Democrats hope to move on quickly
"We came very close last time," Gephardt said. "I think we
can do it. "
Supporters were put on the defensive by descriptions of an
unreleased poll and research survey done by a private firm on their
own behalf. It was first disclosed by the Washington post, which
said the studies found important groups of white voters have come
to see civil rights advocates as pressing for special, preferential
benefits instead of equal opportunity.
(William Welch, AP)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-9
SOME BUSINESS AND GOP LEADERS OPPOSE TAX CUTS
BECAUSE OF FEARS OVER INEVITABLE OFFSETTING BOOSTS
Continuing deficits and new pay-as-you-go budget rules have
left some corporate and GOP leaders worried that seemingly
attractive tax-cut proposals would inevitably turn out to be a
Trojan horse concealing offsetting tax boosts. Add to that mix
congressional Democrats! rhetoric for "tax fairness,' and the alert
is sounding that any such tax increases would hit businesses and
upper-income taxpayers.
"Politically, any major corporation that comes out today for
tax cuts its shooting itself in the foot,' says Rob Perlman, vice
president, taxation, for Intel Corp.
A similar warning is going out to Republicans from an unlikely
source: Sen. Gramm
While Gramm takes aim against bipartisan measures to cut the
payroll taxes that finance Social Security, others apply the
warning of hidden tax increases as well to President Bush's
proposal to reduce taxes on capital gains, which Gramm supports
At the American Business Conference, which speaks for the
chief executives of 100 midsized companies, Barry Rogstad,
president, says, "We're not pushing capital gains on the Hill right
now because I quite honestly think it would be foolish.'
(Jackie Calmes, Wall Street Journal, A20)
SCHROEDER PITCHES FAMILIES' PLIGHT
New Chair Of Panel On Children Vows It Will Be Seen And Heard
Rep. Schroeder's appointment last week as chairwoman of
the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families has
left the most senior woman in Congress with a feeling that she has
taken command of one of the hottest troops on Capitol Hill
In an interview Schroeder said her priorities for the coming
year include measuring the way federal tax laws work hardships on
families; developing model state statutes that would protect the
economic interests of children when their parents divorce;
monitoring the education goals established by the White House; and
searching for ways to bring down teenage birthrates.
"The good news is that the right and left are starting to come
together on some of these issues," said Schroeder, citing
legislation introduced by Republicans in the House and Senate to
increase the personal tax exemption for children.
(Paul Taylor, Washington Post, A19)
U.S. ISSUES PROPOSED RULES ON HIRING DISABLED PEOPLE
The Bush administration has issued another set of proposed
rules for carrying out the Americans With Disabilities Act, this
time on hiring and accommodating disabled workers.
For example, the regulations
place strict limits on how far
employers may go in inquiring about a job applicant's disability.
Under the rules, employers may not directly ask about an
applicant's disability, whether it is an obvious impairment like
blindness of a hidden condition like diabetes, high blood pressure
or AIDS
The regulations do permit employers to detail the physical
requirements of a particular job and to ask whether the applicant
can fulfill them.
(Steven Holmes, New York Times, A19)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-10
CRITICS RAP STRATEGIC OIL BILL AS DISGUISED TAX
A Senate bill requiring millions of barrels of imported oil
to be diverted into the government's strategic reserve is a
disguised import tax that will have to be paid by consumers, the
Bush administration and others say.
"To me, it looks and acts suspiciously like an oil import
fee," said Sen. Chaffee, who complained Monday that the higher
costs would hit some areas such as New England especially hard
because they rely heavily on imported oil
"It's a sacrifice that should be made," Sen. Johnston
contended, acknowledging that diverting about nine percent of oil
imports would cost some $5 billion a year and probably increase oil
prices about four cents a gallon.
The proposal also had the support of Sen. Wallop
but
the
administration opposes it, saying it amounts to an energy tax and
would threaten economic growth
"The effect would be the same as (an oil import) tariff,"
Assistant Energy Secretary Robert Gentile testified.
(H. Josef Hebert, AP)
FOOD PROGRAM CUTS THOUSANDS IN AREA
Higher food prices and rising need have forced governments in
the Washington area to stop providing food to thousands of
undernourished children and mothers
"It seems like the [federal] budget doesn't take care of the
people who need it " said Columbia resident Karen Johnson, who
learned last week that her twin daughters, age four, will no longer
get their free monthly [food allowance].
The cutbacks mean that mothers who had depended on the Women,
Infants and Children program for much of their children's food are
now having trouble getting even basic necessities
Some help may be on the way. President Bush has asked for an
increase of nearly $225 million in WIC funding as part of his 1992
budget.
(Brooke Masters, Washington Post, A1)
PRESSING CASE FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
Supporters of national service -- the idea that citizens ought
to be encouraged to give a year or two out of their lives to their
country -- are trying to seize the opportunity accorded their cause
by the ongoing celebrations of the service just rendered by U.S.
troops in the Gulf
But the outcome of the conflict with Iraq also presented
supporters of various national service schemes with a large
problem: The very successes of the war -- how fast it went, how
low the casualties were, how skilled the troops proved to be -- may
have been the best argument ever for the volunteer military. Why,
ask opponents of national service, do we need to alter what
works?
At [one] level, the quest for national service is a particular
obsession of Democrats who think that middle-class voters are wary
of welfare programs like the old GI Bill, which provided generous
benefits to those who were widely thought to have earned them
through service in W.W. II. The advantage of such programs, says
Sen. Nunn, is that they restore "the crucial link between civic
duty and public reward.' They also did a lot to promote upward
mobility.
(E.J. Dionne, Washington Post,
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- A-11
LIBERALS FIND JUDGE GUILTY OF BIGOTRY
Liberal interest groups have targeted a federal judge in Miami
for their first concerted attack on a judicial appointment since
the defeat of Judge Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court
four years ago.
The liberals charge that U.S. District Judge Kenneth Ryskamp
of Miami is unsuitable for a seat on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals in Atlanta because he is insensitive toward racial
minorities and women
"In general, they're trying to Bork him by distorting his
record to make him look like an insensitive bigot,' said Thomas
Jipping, legal affairs analyst with Coalitions for America. "With
Bork the Left simply misinterpreted the facts. But with Ryskamp
they're just misstating them.
Supporters say the anti-Ryskamp coalition contains no one who
has had any contact with the judge. They cite as an example a
letter signed by seven members of minority groups who have argued
cases before him.
"We have found no active practitioner who has experienced any
judicial mistreatment at his hands, not anyone who knows of any
such treatment on his part,' the letter said. "To the contrary,
our commonly-held view is that he has always been fair, decent and
objective, as well as competent."
(Dawn Weyrich Ceol, Washington Times, A4)
ROEMER DECIDES 'TIS NOBLER IN GOP
Louisiana Maverick's Governor Abandons Democratic Party
BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana Gov. Roemer, the Hamlet of bayou
politics, Monday finally resolved who and what he wants to be: a
Republican.
At a ceremony on the front lawn of the governor's mansion that
resembled an inauguration, Roemer formally abandoned the Democratic
Party, and act that brought to an end a decade of soul-searching
by the brooding maverick from Shreveport and culminated months of
recruiting by President Bush and national Republican operatives who
viewed Roemer as a pivotal convert in their renewed bid to realign
the South.
(David Maraniss, Washington Post, A1)
BUSH DIDN'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
George Bush -- president, commander in chief, leader of the
free world -- had to prove his identity Monday.
The skeptic: 8-year-old Anthony Henderson at a suburban
Washington high school.
"How do I know you're the president?" Anthony asked.
Bush produced a driver's license: "See. B-U-S-H."
"Bush, George
So you are the president."
"I know how I can prove it. There's a great big black
limousine car out there.
or better: an autograph card. "You can take it home."
"The teacher said we can't take autographs."
Some days you can't win.
(Jessica Lee, USA Today, A1)
EDITOR'S NOTES: "The Search For Bush's Other Barbara [the
President's W.W. II TBM Avenger torpedo bomber]," by Donnie
Radcliffe, appears in the Washington Post, E2.
-End of A-Section-
NETWORK NEWS
(Monday evening, March 12)
BAKER TRIP/ISRAEL
ABC's Peter Jennings: We begin tonight with another American
effort to shape a permanent peace in the Middle East. We've said
that many times in the last 25 years. This time, the Secretary of
State, James Baker, is the man who wants to make a difference. He
and President Bush hope that this time, after the battlefield
defeat of Saddam Hussein, there is a more widespread interest than
usual in compromise and settlement among enough Arabs and enough
Israelis to really make a difference. Baker's already been to
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt; tonight he's in Israel.
ABC's John McWethy reports from Israel. The visit is one Baker is
not likely to forget.
(TV Coverage: Secretary and Mrs. Baker stepping off plane.)
Within minutes of landing, the Secretary saw glimpses of the many
faces of this country, including those from the right wing, who
fear Baker will ask Israel to give up too much.
(TV Coverage: Israeli demonstrators; man holding sign reading
"Baker lives in occupied Texas.")
The Secretary and his wife Susan were taken to Israel's memorial
to the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. It was intended to
be a powerful introduction to the heritage of this country. And
for the Bakers, it clearly was.
(TV Coverage: The Bakers in memorial; Mrs. Baker crying.)
At this point, Baker is looking for a willingness to talk, rather
than a commitment on specifics. The Israeli government, while
insisting it will not give up the occupied territories in exchange
for peace, is still casting the visit in a positive light.
(Yossi Olmert, Israeli government spokesman: "There is no question
that there is going to be progress. There has to be progress. But
one visit in itself cannot make all the difference.")
Hoping that it will make a difference, Baker announced that he will
become the first Secretary of State to ever meet a delegation of
Palestinians in Israel. One who will probably be in the meeting
Tuesday says it is a good sign.
(Hanan Ashrawi, Bir Zeit University: "This new phase means that
a new political process is starting, and perhaps there is going to
be real, effective action.")
(ABC-Lead)
ABC's Dean Reynolds reports from Israel. Today there were four
funerals for the women who were stabbed to death by a Palestinian
in Jerusalem Sunday. The Palestinian, from a Gaza Strip refugee
camp, told police he did it to send Secretary Baker a message.
(Secretary Baker: "What has happened, in my view, is an effort to
kill peace.
There was more. Israelis believe six Arab gunmen were trying to
do the same. They came across the border from Jordan today and
wounded two soldiers before the Israeli army killed all of them.
(Defense Minister Arens: "I suppose they're trying to make a very
special impression and maybe send a very special message to
Secretary Baker as he arrived today.")
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-2
Reynolds continues: The day's last bloody message was received at
an Israeli hospital tonight: two Israeli soldiers were wounded,
and two others died in a hit-and-run attack by a Palestinian driver
in Gaza. A day like this left Palestinian moderates with little
to say.
(Daoud Kuttab, Palestinian journalist: "I cannot explain it, other
than just deep frustration and bad luck for the Palestinians.")
It is sure to lead to a greater crackdown on the Palestinians, and
provide political ammunition for extremists on both sides who
oppose any compromise. But a new poll of Israelis out today says
half the country still believes in giving up occupied land if it
will bring peace. That attitude may yet give Secretary Baker
something to build on.
CBS's Tom Fenton reports a Palestinian protest strike brought all
activity to a halt in the old City of Jerusalem. Many of the
Palestinians are turning their backs on Secretary Baker and the
American peace initiative. But not all of them. Opinions are
divided in the Palestinian community. Some thought it worthwhile
to meet Baker.
(ABC-2, CBS-3)
NBC's Tom Brokaw: The United States and allied forces took 100
hours to defeat Saddam Hussein. It will take much longer, however,
to find a permanent peace, especially since Operation Desert Storm
wasn't the only war in the region. Arabs and Israelis were warring
over the weekend and again today as Secretary Baker arrived.
NBC's John Dancy reports on the Baker visit. One of the women
stabbed by the Palestinian Sunday was a newly-arrived Soviet
emigrant. A grim Defense Minister Arens said the attack should be
an abject lesson to Secretary Baker about life in Israel.
(TV Coverage: Arens and other Israelis looking at dead body.)
(Arens: "As you can see, there is a cease-fire in Iraq; there's
no cease-fire here.")
Baker will find Israeli leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu as hard-
nosed as ever about talking to Palestinians.
(Deputy Foreign Minister Netanyahu: "We don't ask them to cede
their claims for the territories in advance of negotiations. I
don't think it's wise for them to ask us. That's not a way to
begin negotiations, that's the way to torpedo negotiations.")
Baker had dinner tonight with Foreign Minister Levy to stress that
the U.S. is looking for a sign from Israel that it wants to restart
the peace process.
(Baker: "There will not be peace in the region unless the parties
themselves conclude that they want peace and are willing to do the
hard, nitty-gritty work that's involved in getting there.")
Israeli officials had Baker visit the Holocaust Museum. Baker's
wife sobbed as she looked at the memorial. And Baker called it a
chilling reminder of a tragedy that must never be repeated.
(TV Coverage: Baker laying wreath at memorial.)
(NBC-Lead)
CBS's Bill Plante reports Secretary Baker says he brings no
specific blueprint for peace on his first trip to Israel.
(Baker: "We come with some ideas, we hope we hear some ideas. I
think we've heard some ideas in the first couple of days. I
believe we've heard some ideas here this evening.")
Just before Baker arrived, escalating Israeli-Arab violence caused
him to cancel a walking tour of the old City of East Jerusalem.
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-3
Plante's report continues:
(Baker: "What has happened, in my view, is an effort to kill
peace. And it makes us even more determined to work just as hard
as we can.")
A U.S. official says all Baker is trying to do is to get Israelis
and Palestinians to break the old taboos and just start talking.
(CBS-2)
U.S. POWs
CBS's Connie Chung: The 21 American prisoners of war freed by Iraq
are now telling their stories. Some were indeed beaten by their
captors. But CBS's David Martin learned surprising information
about one POW whose battered face we all remember.
Martin reports that Navy Lt. Jeffrey Zaun has told military
officers that some of the wounds to his face were self-inflicted
in an attempt to discourage his Iraqi captors from displaying him
on television. The attempt failed, and the picture of Zaun's face
gave rise to fears that U.S. POWs were being mistreated. Pentagon
officials now confirm that some of the prisoners, especially those
captured early in the war, were beaten.
(Brig. Gen. Robert Poel, USAF doctor: "They parachuted into a very
hostile environment; they remained captives by people that were
threatened by their presence; and they treated them in a very
severe fashion.")
Most POWs have told their debriefers that the cold was the worst
part of life in what they called the "Baghdad Biltmore." They were
given only a pad and a thin blanket for the winter nights. They
were given only one meal a day of pita bread and tomato soup.
(Poel:
" Usually, the soup would be served off the top of the
pot to the prisoners, and if there was anything of substance on the
bottom, the guards would usually get that.")
Some prisoners lost as much as 30 pounds.
Chung reports Iraq says the remains of 14 allied troops killed in
the Gulf War will be returned tomorrow. It's not known if any of
the 14 was an American. The U.S. says 24 Americans are missing in
action.
(CBS-Lead)
Jennings reports the 21 former prisoners of war who came home this
weekend were greeted at their homes. At Ft. Gordon, GA, pretty
much of a typical reception.
(TV Coverage: Cheering, flag-waving crowds.)
Confirmation that everything they'd heard and read about support
on the home-front was true.
(ABC-12)
IRAQI POWs
Brokaw reports that efforts to repatriate Iraqi POWs hit a snag
today. A Saudi official said that some 500 prisoners were taken
to the border to be handed over, but Iraq refused to accept them,
citing logistical problems.
(NBC-3)
TROOP RETURNS
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that politicians on the Hill are
competing to see who can offer the most benefits to returning
troops. Families of reservists were perhaps the least-prepared.
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-4
Mitchell's report continues:
(Sen. Bumpers: "So left maybe a wife or husband back home to cope
under terribly adverse circumstances.")
The White House and Congress agree on raising combat pay, providing
benefits for POWs, extending unemployment insurance, increasing
life insurance benefits. But along the way, members of Congress
started piling on hundreds of extras -- full back pay for
reservists who work for the federal government; new education
benefits for the entire military; special relief for business in
towns near military bases. If it all passed, it would mean $1.2
billion over five years in extra benefits for a volunteer army.
(Sen. Glenn: "They took their pay in peacetime, and that's fine.
But they also knew what their commitments were.")
(TV Coverage: OMB Director Darman walking with Andrea Mitchell.)
The budget director warns that money spent on veterans will have
to be cut from other programs, unless paid by foreign countries.
(Darman: "What we don't want to do is just have a long laundry
list of things that should and shouldn't be in that adds up to
billions of dollars that can't be funded.")
The President certainly doesn't want to veto benefits for the
troops, so Darman is trying to work out a compromise. And for
Congress, passing some of these extras may not be as important as
simply announcing that they've proposed them.
(NBC-5)
NBC's Jim Cummins reports on the troop return and the effect on
local economies. When thousands of troops shipped out on short
notice, it had a devastating effect on the economies small
hometowns. Now that they're returning, business is expected to
boom. Airlines and car dealerships, among others, are offering
huge discounts.
(NBC-4)
WOMEN IN COMBAT
Brokaw reports on the burial of Army Maj. Marie Rossi, who became
familiar to millions through here television interviews. She and
three of her crew died in a crash one day after the cease-fire.
(TV Coverage: Arlington National Cemetery funeral.)
CBS's Jim Stewart reports on Rossi's burial and the aftermath of
female troop performance in the Gulf, where women carried weapons -
- unlike some times in Vietnam -- and used them. It remains to be
seen whether this will be a watershed experience for females in
uniform, or a high-water mark.
(Rep. Beverly Byron: "I'm not ready to say today that we will open
all combat areas to women.'
The public and non-forces seem to agree. But to the surprise of
many, most Americans don't seem upset that women are allowed to
work close to the frontlines and pay with their lives.
(NBC-7, CBS-12)
'HIGHWAY OF DEATH'
ABC's Sheilah MacVicar reports on a largely-ignored second highway
out of Kuwait where Iraqis had been bombed while trying to flee.
(TV Coverage: Bombed-out vehicles, burnt bodies.)
Allied military officials in Kuwait City say they aren't even sure
when the convoy was attacked. The only allied soldiers here today
were scavenging for souvenirs.
(TV Coverage: Soldiers picking amid debris.)
(ABC-3)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-5
ABC's Bob Zelnick reports on the Pentagon's policy of bombing
fleeing Iraqi troops during the war. Pictures of the aftermath
have raised questions about whether it was necessary to rain such
destruction on an army whose retreat had become a rout, and whether
the military was slow to acknowledge what was going on. Even after
Radio Baghdad announced that Iraqi forces had been instructed to
retreat from Kuwait, military briefers continued to insist that the
allies were confronting a fighting retreat. Most military analysts
agree that if the Iraqis had wanted to be safe, they should have
made it clear they were surrendering.
(Gen. Bernard Trainor (ret.) "These were tactically capable
military forces with their arms and armaments, and therefore they
were legitimate targets of war.")
(ABC-4)
IRAQI UNREST
Jennings reports the State Department says there was less fighting
today between Saddam's troops and the forces trying to overthrow
him in the south of Iraq, and more in the north. One State
Department official tells ABC that at least some Iraqi army
regulars are fighting alongside the government's opponents.
ABC's Charles Glass reports on Saddam's enemies. More than 300
Iraqi dissidents from more than 20 groups came to Beirut today to
try to form the first united Iraqi opposition to Saddam. In the
north, Kurdish leaders claim their guerrillas have seized most of
the towns and have been joined by thousands of army deserters. In
the south, Shi'ites also claim Saddam is losing town after town.
In the rest of Iraq, opposition sources say Muslims and Christians,
Arabs and Kurds, are all fighting against the regime. All the
opposition groups, from the Islamic fundamentalists to the
communists, say they want to give Iraq democracy. (ABC-5, CBS-5)
KUWAIT
CBS's Martha Teichner reports from Kuwait on videotaped footage of
Iraqi soldiers accused of looting being executed in Kuwait by Iraqi
officers. The tape is dated last Nov. 29.
(TV Coverage: Blindfolded soldiers tied to soccer goalposts being
shot while people look on.)
(CBS-6)
Brokaw reports that pro-democracy activists in Kuwait today
demanded the emir set a date for parliamentary elections.
NBC's Mike Jensen reports on the costs of Kuwaiti reconstruction.
Most of Kuwait's basic structures are intact, and for every house
that's been seriously damaged, there is an entire neighborhood that
was not destroyed. There is very little structural damage to
highways or bridges. And oil refinery damage has been limited;
they won't have to be rebuilt from the ground up. The experts had
been predicting that reconstruction could cost $50 to $100 billion.
Now they say it will be only a fraction of that.
(NBC-2)
TRAVEL ADVISORY
Brokaw reports the State Department has lifted its wartime travel
advisory for Americans worldwide, but did urge travelers to
exercise caution.
(NBC-9)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-6
BEIRUT HOSTAGES
Chung reports that sources in Beirut say the Western hostages have
been moved to new hideouts in the Bekaa Valley. This comes as the
U.S. and Britain reportedly are making a new push to win their
release. of the six American hostages, the longest-held is Terry
Anderson, kidnapped six years ago this week.
(CBS-4)
CRIME BILL
NBC's John Cochran: The President figures he's in pretty good
shape when it comes to veterans; after all, he is the commander-
in chief, the U.S. casualties in the war were low, and on top of
that, he will talk about veterans every chance he gets.
(TV Coverage: President Bush at dais in East Room.)
George Bush, war leader, turned to domestic matters today. The war
was in the background. But veterans were in the foreground.
(President Bush: "And our veterans deserve to come home to an
America of improved schools, better jobs, stronger laws against
discrimination, increased home ownership, and families that are
healthy and together.")
You would never know it, but Bush was talking to a group which had
come to hear him plug his crime package.
(TV Coverage: Police officers and others in audience.)
Even so, Bush found a way to connect veterans with his war on
crime.
(President Bush: "Our veterans deserve to come home to an America
where it is safe to walk the streets.")
With the war over, the President had time to visit an elementary
school.
(TV Coverage: President walking into school room.)
But there was a military connection here, too: Bush chose a school
where Marine volunteers tutor the kids.
(TV Coverage: Marines tutoring kids.)
One of the kids wasn't so sure Bush really was the commander-in-
chief.
(Kid, at table with President: "Are you really the President?"
President: "Yeah! Yeah. Didn't you know that? What'd you think,
I was a pretending guy? Did ya? Did you really think that? Well,
heck, how can I prove it to you? I don't have any ID. Let's see.
[produces wallet] Let's see if I got an ID. Let's see, I don't
think I do. How do I prove it, possibly? This is very difficult.
Here's my driver's license. See what that says?")
The kid must have been a Democrat. He wasn't satisfied with the
driver's license, so he made the President show him a credit card,
too.
Brokaw: On the other hand, he may have been a reporter, John
Cochran. You know, check it out.
(NBC-6)
Jennings: President Bush sent his crime bill back to Congress
today with the same message he gave the Congress five days ago.
The troops who fought in the Persian Gulf, he said, deserve to come
home to an America where it is safe to walk the streets. It all
sounds familiar to congressional critics, who say they have seen
this package before.
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-7
ABC's Ann Compton:
(TV Coverage: President Bush at dais in East Room.)
The major points in the President's anti-crime bill are the same
ones he sent to Capitol Hill two years ago. But this time he's
adding his new argument that America's streets have become more
dangerous than a war zone.
(President Bush: "Today, two years later, another 294 policemen
and -women are dead. Two-hundred-and-ninety-four. Almost three
times the number of precious American lives lost during this entire
Gulf War.")
He is going after loopholes that frustrate police, starting with
the so-called exclusionary rule. The President would make it more
difficult for judges to exclude important evidence so long as
police gathered it in good faith. He would reform Habeas Corpus
rules so defendants cannot file endless, what he called frivolous
appeals. The President would add five extra years in prison for
those who commit a crime carrying a semi-automatic weapon, and five
years for felons found carrying any guns after they get out of
prison. And he wants the death penalty for some serious federal
crimes, including major drug dealing. Congressional Democrats say
they could approve much of this crime agenda if President Bush will
accept a ban on assault weapons.
(Sen. Biden: "We could do this in 15 minutes. It's a shame that
those very soldiers who avoided getting killed by the equivalent
of an Uzi sub-machine gun out there in the desert are likely to be
killed by one back there on the streets.")
To succeed with a crime bill this year, both sides are now using
the argument that security at home is even more important than
security in the Gulf.
(ABC-6)
CRIME
Brokaw reports that in East Los Angeles alone, there have been
seven gang-related murders since Jan. 1, well ahead of last year's
record pace. An influx of immigrants from Central and South
America has given gangs hundreds of new recruits. This winter has
been the deadliest season among the Hispanic gangs.
(TV Coverage: Graphic footage of gang warfare, deaths.)
The mounting death toll does not discourage gang membership.
(NBC-8)
ROEMER SWITCH
Jennings: In other political news, the Democrats have lost one of
their governors to the Republican Party. Louisiana's Buddy Roemer
became the first governor to change parties while in office
Chung: Louisiana went today from having a Democratic governor to
having a Republican -- and they didn't even have to change the name
on the door. Governor Buddy Roemer officially announced he is
splitting from the Democrats and joining the GOP. (ABC-7, CBS-8)
YELTSIN/GORBACHEV
Jennings reports that Boris Yeltsin's conservative critics in the
Soviet parliament debated whether to censure him for his increasing
attacks on the central government. The critics decided against the
move, fearing it would make him even more popular on the streets.
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, March 12, 1991 -- B-8
ABC's Jim Laurie reports on the increasingly bitter struggle for
power between Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.
(Yeltsin: "In his promises of radical reform, Gorbachev has
deceived us. Let us now declare war on the nation's leadership,
which has led us into a quagmire.")
(Gorbachev: "You so-called democrats are thirsting for power.
They have failed by legal means, so now they fight on the streets,
with demonstrations and strikes.")
Yeltsin has recently lost support in the Russian Federation
Parliament. His radical demands that Gorbachev resign and the
Soviet bureaucracy be dismantled did not sit well with the
politicians and bureaucrats there. Next weekend both men will seek
to boost their power through referenda. Gorbachev wants nationwide
approval of the continued preservation of the Soviet Union, with
limited autonomy to republics. Yeltsin is urging Russians to vote
no on the proposal, which he says puts too much power in
Gorbachev's hands. He also wants Russians to approve a plan to
elect the Russian president by popular vote.
(ABC-9)
YUGOSLAV UNREST
Jennings reports that for the third day in a row, thousands of
Yugoslavs turned out for a demonstration against the communist
government of Serbia. There was an equally large counter-
demonstration organized by the government.
(ABC-10)
SALVADOR ELECTIONS
Jennings reports the ruling right-wing Arena Party has won the most
votes in Sunday's congressional elections. But a coalition of
leftist parties made their strongest showing since the civil war
began 11 years ago, getting nearly one-fifth of the vote. (ABC-11)
CHOLERA EPIDEMIC
NBC's Robert Bazell reports on the Peruvian cholera epidemic. The
disease has struck more than 60,000 people, claiming about 1,000
new victims every day. So far, 300 have died. Health officials
say the death rate has been relatively low because of a massive
international effort to send medical supplies to Peru. Experts
believe the cholera will remain confined to poor areas of Peru and
neighboring countries, and that immigrants and visitors won't
contaminate the U.S.
(NBC-12)
VALDEZ SPILL SETTLEMENT
Chung reports a federal judge cleared the way today for what could
be a billion-dollar settlement over the Exxon Valdez spill in
Alaska. The judge said Alaskan villagers seeking damages should
not be left out in the cold.
(CBS-7)
GAS PRICES
Brokaw reports gasoline prices are now their lowest since before
the Gulf War, averaging $1.17 a gallon.
(NBC-10)
-End of B-Section-
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
ARABS-ISRAEL
"Bush's Words Must Be Taken Seriously"
"The most important part of President Bush's speech to
Congress, and the most surprising for us, were his remarks about
the Palestinian problem and the Arab-Israeli conflict
But if
Bush may excuse us, in order for the U.S. to regain credibility
among the Palestinians and in the Arab world his words must first
be translated into action
Whatever differences we had with
President Bush on the Gulf crisis and his war with Iraq, he proved
to be a man of his words, staunch on position and convictions.
When this man's attention is turned to the Arab-Israeli conflict,
his words must be taken seriously."
(an-Nahar, West Bank)
"A Speech To Absorb Arab Rage"
"The American President's speech was meant to absorb Arab rage
against a most ferocious and brutal war waged by the U.S. against
Iraq. The speech came a few days before Baker goes to the Middle
East, carrying proposals mistaken as new, which continue to ignore
the PLO, the sole representative of the Palestinian people."
(ash-Shaab, West Bank)
"Baker's Joy Ride"
"Baker is going to take the sting out of an old Israeli
argument that he cannot properly appreciate the territorial problem
so long as he has not flown over Israel's 'narrow waist' or climbed
the Golan Heights
It can be assumed that he will not change
his views even when he realizes that the Green Line encompasses an
area which is not much bigger than a family farm in Texas. Baker
is coming to Israel to check if there is a chance for a deal -- one
of his favorite words. Not only does he not have a plan; he hasn't
even the faintest idea of how to do what."
(Hadashot, Israel)
"A Letter To Secretary Baker"
"Like the Iraqis before the war, the Israelis don't take the
Americans seriously enough
In order to succeed, you must not
make do with half-measures
Israeli society is pragmatic, but
its government is made up of ideologues."
(Maariv, Israel)
"Bush's 'Sop' To Palestinians"
"Bush's address to the Congress is liable to turn Secretary
Baker's Middle East tour into a failure
By returning the
Palestinian issue to the top of the international agenda, (Bush's
statements) will strengthen Arafat." (Moshe Zak, Maariv, Israel)
"Americans Cannot Have Their Cake And Eat It"
"If the huge Saudi-U.S. arms deal is carried out
(it) will
be a death blow to the idea of Middle East arms control. No
explanation can justify this arms deal."
(Zeev Schiff, Haaretz, Israel)
-End of News Summary-
News Summary
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1991
6:00 A.M. EST EDITION
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Kurdish Rebels Say Iraqis Bombing Kirkuk oil Wells -- A Kurdish
guerrilla leader said Iraqi government helicopters bombed rebel-
held oil wells near the northern city of Kirkuk Wednesday.
(Reuter)
Iran Organizing Hussein's Foes, Arab And Foreign Diplomats Say -
Iran has been organizing and arming many of the Iraqi rebels who
have spearheaded the revolt against Saddam Hussein in southern
Iraq, senior Kuwaiti officials and Arab and foreign diplomats in
Kuwait City say.
(New York Times)
Kuwaiti Cabinet Resigns -- Kuwait's cabinet resigned Tuesday in a
move intended to bring in new officials as the nation rebuilds from
nearly seven months of Iraqi occupation, the emirate's U.N.
ambassador said.
(Reuter)
NATIONAL NEWS
Foley Says No Compromise On Civil Rights Bill In Sight -- Rep.
Foley says no compromise is in sight with the White House on civil
rights legislation and he expects a House vote on a Democratic-
sponsored version this spring.
(AP, UPI)
NETWORK NEWS (Tuesday evening)
ECONOMY -- There are more and
more signs that the recession
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A-1
is bottoming out.
NATIONAL NEWS
A-11
STOCK MARKET -- Inflation
figures, coupled with an
NETWORK NEWS
B-1
announcement by IBM of lower-
than-expected profits, drove
EDITORIALS
C-1
the Dow down 62 points.
GULF PAYMENTS -- The Senate voted
to ban arms sales to countries
which don't pay their war debts
to the U.S. in full.
This Summary is prepared Monday through Friday by the White House News Summary Staff.
For complete stories or information, please call 456-2950.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PLANES TARGETED IF IRAQ STALLS ON PEACE, U.S. SAYS
U.S. military officials have devised plans for resuming
hostilities against Iraq, initially by targeting aircraft on the
ground, if Saddam Hussein's government continues to resist allied
conditions for a formal cease-fire, Bush administration officials
said Tuesday.
Allied military officials have warned Saddam's government that
its warplanes will be shot down if they take off inside Iraq.
Despite the threat, U.S. officials said Tuesday, there is direct
evidence that Iraq is still using combat helicopters to suppress
domestic uprisings.
Under orders from Gen. Schwarzkopf, allied military officials
in Saudi Arabia have made preparations to resume attacks on Iraqi
aircraft on the ground if the helicopter missions continue and if
President Bush decides to give the order, U.S. officials said.
Even if the Iraqi flights cease, the President could order the
military to launch a renewed air campaign if Saddam's regime drags
its heels in agreeing to pay war reparations or resists new allied
demands such as the destruction of chemical weapons, the officials
said.
(Melissa Nealy, Los Angeles Times, A1)
KURDISH REBELS SAY IRAQIS BOMBING KIRKUK OIL WELLS
DAMASCUS -- A Kurdish guerrilla leader said Iraqi government
helicopters bombed rebel-held oil wells near the northern city of
Kirkuk Wednesday.
Jalal Talabani, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said in
a statement issued in Damascus that the bombing was a violation of
Iraq's cease-fire agreement with U.S. allied forces last month.
"Iraqi helicopters began at 0730 GMT (2:30 EST) Wednesday
March 20 bombing oil wells in the Kirkuk area, setting many of them
ablaze," Talabani said.
"We urge the international community to intervene to put an
end to the dictator's actions," he said, referring to Saddam.
(Reuter)
FIGHTING STILL HEAVY IN IRAQ
Heavy fighting continued inside Iraq Tuesday, with Kurdish
rebels claiming progress in battles in the northern city of Kirkuk
and government forces appearing to consolidate their authority over
cities in the south, according to U.S. officials and reports from
the region.
U.S. officials described the situation in Iraq as confused.
They said that while Kurdish rebels in northern areas appeared to
have gained the upper hand over forces loyal to Saddam Hussein,
there were conflicting reports about whether the rebels had taken
control of the oil city of Kirkuk. The officials said reports
from fleeing refugees of heavy casualties and executions in the
southern city of Basra appeared to be accurate.
In
Washington one senior [administration] official predicted
that [a cease-fire] resolution could be approved by early next
week, but others said that timetable might be too optimistic, given
the size and complexity of the resolution.
(Dan Balz & John Goshko, Washington Post, A1)
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-2
IRAN ORGANIZING HUSSEIN'S FOES, ARAB AND FOREIGN DIPLOMATS SAY
KUWAIT CITY -- Iran has been organizing and arming many of the
Iraqi rebels who have spearheaded the revolt against Saddam Hussein
in southern Iraq, senior Kuwaiti officials and Arab and foreign
diplomats here say.
The officials, who base their statements on intelligence
reports, say Iran has embarked on a methodical campaign to unseat
Saddam and replace him with a friendly Shiite Moslem government
Kuwaiti officials said the Iraqi rebels in the south were
organized into two groups. One is made up of Shiite soldiers from
the Iraqi Army who were captured during the Iran-Iraq war and who
remained in Iran. The other is recruited from Iraqi families of
Iranian origin who were rounded up by Iraq near the start of the
Iran-Iraq war and deported to Iran.
An administration official said Tuesday that the Iraqi rebels
were "getting both humanitarian and military aid from Iran, adding:
"There are longstanding ties between the Iranian government and
Iraqi dissidents. They don't have to recruit these guys. They
volunteer."
(Youssef Ibrahim, New York Times, A1)
IRAQI SPEAKER ACCUSES IRAN OF SENDING SABOTEURS TO IRAQ
BAGHDAD -- Iraq Wednesday accused its former foe Iran of
sending saboteurs across the border who it said caused widespread
destruction in Iraqi cities torn with unrest in the three weeks
since the end of the Gulf war.
Parliament speaker Saadi Mahdi Saleh, opening an extraordinary
session of the national assembly, said: "Iraq is facing the last
phase of the imperialist, Zionist conspiracy to destroy Iraq's
remaining unharmed infrastructure."
"It has been established that Iran itself has prepared large
groups for quite some time for this action and for this occasion,"
he added
Saleh suggested that the U.S.-led coalition and Iran had
coordinated a plan to destroy Iraq.
"It seems that they have agreed on these roles
The
Americans
managed to destroy the basic projects and major
installations. What has remained was left for those hooligans,"
Saleh said.
(Maamoun Youssef, Reuter)
NEWSPAPER PREDICTS RELEASES;
HOSTAGE-HOLDERS AND ISRAEL SIGNAL PROGRESS
BEIRUT -- A newspaper said Wednesday that Western hostages in
Lebanon will be freed this week, including all six Americans
believed held by pro-Iranian factions. It said the Americans would
be in Syria on Saturday.
The front-page report in the conservative Ad-Diyar newspaper
comes amid intensified cooperation by the U.S., Iranian and Syrian
officials aimed at securing the hostages' release
The report came just a few hours after the pro-Iranian Shiite
Muslim group holding two American hostages reiterated its
preconditions for their release and Israel cited new efforts to
secure the hostages' release
Ad-Diyar, which is based in Christian East Beirut, does not
have a record of accurate reporting on the 13 Westerners missing
in Lebanon.
(Farouk Nassar, AP)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-3
BUSH EXPECTED TO FORGIVE SHARE OF POLISH DEBT
Polish President Walesa arrived here Tuesday for a week-long
state U.S. visit, and when he goes to the White House today,
President Bush is expected to announce that the U.S. will forgive
a major share of Poland's debt to help its transition from
communism to a free-market economy
Tuesday, a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition he not
be named, said the U.S. is likely to "go beyond the 50 percent" [in
debt forgiveness given the Poles by the Paris Club] for the $2.9
billion Poland owes the U.S. He would not specify what the Bush
administration is prepared to do.
However, Robert Barry, and aide to Deputy Secretary of State
Eagleburger, told the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe
and the Middle East last Thursday that the U.S. had been prepared
to write off 100 percent of what Poland owes the U.S. government.
(Washington Post, A26)
JAPAN ENVOY BLAMES GULF CRISIS ON U.S.
A Japanese diplomat, angered by American criticism of Japan's
refusal to play a larger role in the multinational coalition in the
Gulf, lashed back Tuesday and blamed the U.S. for spawning the
crisis by refusing to learn how to conserve energy.
"It [the crisis] is your [America's] fault," Masamichi
Hanabusa, Japanese consul general in New York and Japan's second-
highest ranking diplomat in the U.S., told reporters. "You caused
the problem.
Japan, Hanabusa said, sharply reduced its oil consumption in
the 1980s, a period when the U.S. largely relaxed its conservation
efforts. As a result, he said, Japan does not deserve the
reputation of being more dependent on Middle Eastern oil than the
U.S. is.
Actually, U.S. Department of Energy statistics show that
Japan
does rely more of Gulf oil producers than does the U.S.
(James Risen, Los Angeles Times, A4)
SENATE DUNS GULF ALLIES IN ARMS VOTE
The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban arms sales to
allies that have not fulfilled their pledges to help pay for the
Gulf, a reflection of Congress' impatience with the pace of
payments.
The provision, strongly opposed by the Bush administration,
is part of a supplemental spending measure that would provide as
much as $15 billion to pay the military costs of the war until more
of the foreign pledges -- now in excess of $50 billion -- are paid.
Senators approved the legislation on a 98 to 1 vote. Sen.
Hatfield, a strong opponent of war, cast the lone dissenting vote;
Sen. Bradley did not vote
The administration said it preferred language the House
approved last week that said, "Congress may consider appropriate
action" if payments are not made by April 15.
The administration also objects to language added by the
Senate that would bar President Bush from selling or giving any
military equipment now in the Middle East to any nation in the
region without congressional approval as "an unnecessary burden on
[its] ability to conduct foreign affairs."
(John Yang, Washington Post, A1)
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-4
WHITE HOUSE DENIES WAR-PROFIT CHARGE
The White House flatly denied Tuesday German political charges
that the U.S. is reaping a cash profit on the Gulf war and calmed
the outrage of Sen. Warner that critics ignore 329 U.S. deaths in
the effort.
"We're not going to make a profit on the war. It won't
happen, White House press secretary Fitzwater said at a briefing
after the question was raised with President Bush during a meeting
with congressional leaders
The issue of money seemed to dominate the interest of
lawmakers at the session with Bush even as Senate Democrats charged
that Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were paying too slowly.
Rep. Foley said there had been "apparently false reports that
the Germans were attempting to renegotiate their commitment. "
"Let me pick up from the German question," Sen. Warner said
as he left the White House. "I raised that just in the last few
minutes. I said, 'Mr. President, I express indignation that anyone
would say we are trying to profit out of this war, when the United
States lost over 300 lives, many wounded, and incalculable personal
sacrifice back here at home among families.
(Frank Murray, Washington Times, A10)
PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY COLD TO CONCESSIONS
AIPAC Silent In Supporters' Requests
To Soften Stance In Wake of War
More and more, elected officials who have strong pro-
Israel voting records are asking Israel and the Americans who back
it to make concessions in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict and
to soften the stances that give them a controversial reputation.
But AIPAC is greeting such proposals with silence. At the
conclusion of its annual conference Tuesday, the influential lobby
reiterated firm stances on a range of key issues in the Arab-
Israeli relationship. It vowed to fight arms sales the Bush
administration has proposed making to the Arab countries of the
Gulf, in spite of the high-profile participation by those countries
in the .S.-led war against Iraq to liberate Kuwait
An indication of the support for Israel in Congress was the
attendance of 48 senators and nearly 100 House members at the AIPAC
dinner Monday night
"There is by all means more and more diversity in views toward
Israel among congressmen," one congressional aide said. "There is
a tendency to question whether Israel should get all that it wants.
But it hasn't gotten to the point where congressmen are willing to
condition aid to Israel on Israel making compromises, though.'
(Gary Lee, Washington Post, A1)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-5
ISRAEL SAYS U.S. SHOULD PROD ARABS TO MAKE PEACE
JERUSALEM -- Foreign Minister Levy told a group of U.S.
congressmen that they should do more to prod Israel's Arab
neighbors into making peace, chastising the U.S. for trying to be
the "barometer of the Middle East."
The 28-member congressional delegation, meanwhile, chatted
Tuesday with some of the same Palestinian leaders from the occupied
West Bank and Gaza Strip whom Secretary Baker met
"The United States cannot just settle for being the barometer
of the Middle East because then it will have no influence on the
weather," Levy said during a 25-minute breakfast speech to the
visiting Americans.
Levy
also dampened the optimism felt by several in the
delegation that Israel might be more willing than before the Gulf
war to trade parts of the Golan Heights to Syria in return for
assurances of peace.
"Why do we have to deal with what they will demand, and who
will demand what, and what will be the Israeli response when they
are not even sitting with us yet?" Levy asked. "All of this debate
seems to me to be totally irrelevant. I would define it as an
unsuccessful sport.'
(Jonathan Ferziger, UPI)
RETIRING ISRAELI GENERAL WOULD TRADE LAND FOR PEACE
Suggestion Criticized By Hard-Liners
JERUSALEM -- Israel's outgoing military chief of staff was
quoted Tuesday as saying the Palestinian uprising could not be
quelled with force and that a peace settlement was "worth much more
than territory."
Lt. Gen. Dan Shamron's suggested support for a U.S. -backed
formula under which Israel would trade occupied land for peace with
the Palestinians drew immediate criticism from hard-line government
politicians
Israel's hawkish housing minister, Ariel Sharon
accused
Shamron of "donning the underwear of politicians before taking off
his stripes."
(Washington Post, A23)
PLO AIDE QUITS AFTER REMARKS ON PALESTINE
NICOSIA -- A top adviser to PLO Chairman Arafat resigned after
he was quoted as saying Palestinians would settle for a state that
does not include the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip, officials
said Tuesday.
The officials said by telephone from Tunis that Bassam Abu
Sharif resigned in a letter to Arafat last week but that it was not
clear if Arafat would accept it. "The chairman has tried to get
hold of him, but he cannot locate him," one official said.
(Washington Post, A23)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-6
SECOND LIBYAN PLANT SET GEARING UP
FOR CHEMICAL ARMS PRODUCTION
Libya is building a new plant to produce chemical weapons and
also has been making large amounts of poison gas at another
facility once thought to have been destroyed by fire, U.S.
officials say.
The new facility is near the existing poison gas factory at
Rabta, a town about 60 miles southwest of Tripoli, one official
said. "Large scale" production of poison gas has been under way
at Rabta since last summer, he added.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined
to say how far the Libyans have come with the second plant.
"There is convincing evidence that Libya is continuing its
chemical weapon program and may have begun construction of a second
chemical warfare agent production plant in addition to the one
operating at Rabta," said Rear Adm. Thomas Brooks, director of
naval intelligence.
(Ruth Sinai, AP)
KUWAITI CABINET RESIGNS
U.N. -- Kuwait's cabinet resigned Tuesday in a move intended
to bring in new officials as the nation rebuilds from nearly seven
months of Iraqi occupation, the emirate's U.N. ambassador said
Ambassador Abulhassan said the prime minister submitted the
resignations, which were immediately accepted by the emir.
Abulhassan said the new cabinet should be named in about a
week. "This is the first step in putting the new house in order,"
said Abulhassan.
He declined to speculate if the cabinet reshuffling was in
response to demands by some Kuwaitis for greater democracy and more
popular say in choosing the 22-seat cabinet.
(Reuter)
KUWAITI BANKS TO REOPEN; NEW CURRENCY PLANNED
Official Says Iraqis Removed $950 Million In Gold Bullion
KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait Tuesday announced plans to reopen the
country's banks Sunday, indemnify citizens who stayed during Iraq's
military occupation and issue new currency to replace more than $2
billion reported stolen by the Iraqis.
The announcement by Salem Abdulaziz Sabah, the governor of
Kuwait's Central Bank, appeared designed to breathe life into an
economy virtually snuffed out by the seven-month Iraqi occupation
and to head off growing public discontent over the slow pace of
restoration efforts.
(William Branigin, Washington Post, A21)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-7
SPECIAL FORCES BUSY IN KUWAIT
KUWAIT CITY -- U.S. Special Forces teams have been directly
involved in "taking down" suspected Palestinian terrorist safe
houses here, according to a Special Forces team leader.
The soldier said the U.S. teams were interested mainly in
finding documentation about terrorist cells affiliated with the
notorious Abu Nidal, which were thought to have been left behind
by retreating Iraqi forces.
He and two other Special Forces members, interviewed
separately, said the U.S. Embassy here was "fragged" shortly after
Kuwait was liberated.
A diplomatic source confirmed there was a hand grenade attack
several days after the embassy was reoccupied, but he downplayed
the significance of the event. (Tom Diaz, Washington Times, A1)
EXILES TO NOWHERE JAM BORDER VILLAGE IN IRAQ
Refugees In U.S.-Held Zone Plead For Food
SAFWAN -- This U.S.-held Iraqi border town, which in peaceful
times flourished on trade with travelers between Kuwait City and
Basra, has now become a wasteland for its residents and thousands
of refugees stranded with little food and nowhere to go.
As of Tuesday -- when relief officials announced a tentative
agreement for the U.S. military to provide food and water -- 5,000
Iraqis fleeing their government's bloody repression of a Shiite
Moslem uprising had crowded in Safwan, fully overwhelming the once-
sufficient farming town.
(Nora Boustany, Washington Post, A1)
30,000 FLEEING WAR, GET SHELTER IN IRAN, U.N. OFFICIALS SAY
More than 30,000 Iraqi refugees, fleeing from the civil war
in southern Iraq, have taken shelter in refugee camps in
southwestern Iran, according to U.N. health officials who visited
the camps last weekend.
Most of the refugees are women, children and elderly people,
according to Hiroshi Nakajima, the director-general of the World
Health Organization, who visited Iran last weekend
Nakajima said refugees described heavy fighting in southern
Iraq and reported that in some cases, women and children were being
used by the combatants as "human shields." Refugees told U.N.
officials that many Iraqi families had been killed in the fighting
or by mine explosions while trying to cross the border.
(Susan Okie, Washington Post, A22)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-8
IMF CHIEF WANTS TO LIMIT ARMS SALES
TORONTO -- Arms exporting countries should consider banning
export credits for weapons sales to the Middle East, the managing
director of the IMF, Michel Camdessus, said Tuesday.
"I am truly mindful of the difficulties in the way of such an
arrangement," he told a conference on development. "But the
objective is important enough to warrant the effort."
Camdessus said he had suggested his idea to several world
leaders and they are considering the proposal. He told reporters
that the export credit ban could prove quite unpopular in his
native France, a major arms exporter.
But the IMF chief said in order for Middle Eastern countries
to recover from the economic damage inflicted by the Gulf war, they
must stop their excessive spending on arms.
(Reuter)
REPORT: DECLINING U.S. COMPETITIVENESS
THREATENS ECONOMY, SECURITY
The U.S. is losing badly to foreign competition in numerous
high-tech fields considered crucial to the country's economic
future and national security, said a study released Wednesday.
The Council on Competitiveness found that in areas from
silicon production to robotics, U.S. industry is not expected to
be a factor over the next five years.
"America's once-commanding lead in the critical technologies
driving economic growth and national security is being seriously
challenged by foreign competitors," the council, an organization
composed of industry, labor and education leaders, concluded in its
two-year study
In a sobering assessment, it found that in 15 of the 94
critical technologies, the U.S. is so far behind that it is not
likely to have a presence in the world market through the mid-
1990s
Among the report's recommendations:
President Bush should act immediately to make technological
leadership a national priority by directing the Office of Science
and Technology to work with American industry in setting research
goals and then supporting the research with increased federal
spending.
(Martin Crutsinger, AP)
CHENEY ADAMANT ON CUTTING TROOPS
Secretary Cheney has rejected calls from military service
heads and some senators to use Operation Desert Storm and the
growing power of Soviet hard-liners as an excuse to derail a
planned 24 percent cut in forces, according to senior
administration officials.
Cheney's surprise decision, which President Bush has endorsed,
cooled a heated debate within the administration over the future
of the military
Cheney's decision brought a sigh of relief at the OMB, which
feared a bloody fight with congressional Democrats if last year's
budget deal was reopened
"We have our first opportunity to craft a military force to
meet the new national security demands," a senior administration
official said. "We have the opportunity to do it right."
(Paul Bedard, Washington Times, A1)
LOTOM-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-9
SOVIETS OFFER 'HALF A LOAF' ON EUROPE ARMS PACT
Although Secretary Baker indicated that no progress was made
on arms issues in Moscow last week, the Soviets did offer "half a
loaf" toward ending the deadlock over Moscow's attempt to exempt
several major military units from the CFE Treaty, U.S. sources said
Tuesday.
The Soviet position was rejected, U.S. officials said, because
the U.S. and its NATO allies are insisting that the Soviets
renounce their effort to reinterpret the agreement after it was
signed.
Still, the Soviet proposal -- to count half the approximately
5,000 tanks and other weapons in dispute against the treaty limits
-- is viewed as heartening to some degree. "It's not there yet,'
said one official, "but they do seem to want to find a solution
rather than stonewalling." (Robert Toth, Los Angeles Times, A9)
EUROPEANS VIEW SHIFT BY SOVIETS WITH CONCERN
West Caught Short By Flouting of Conventional Forces Treaty
PARIS -- Moscow's continuing refusal to abide by the terms of
an agreement restricting conventional forces in Europe is causing
second thoughts among allied governments about the nature of new
East-West security arrangements.
The euphoria that surrounded the signing of the CFE treaty
here last November has dissipated as Western governments start
to measure the impact of the recent rise in influence on President
Gorbachev of military hard-liners
Now, talk about early progress toward an independent European
security organization is diminishing as sentiment is swinging
toward maintaining a strong military role for NATO, according to
officials in several allied capitals.
East European governments that once belonged to the defunct,
Soviet-led Warsaw Pact also are telling the West that their
difficult transition to market-based democracies, coupled with the
risk of civil disorder among their Balkan and Soviet neighbors,
requires NATO to play the leading role in preserving military
security in Europe.
(William Drozdiak, Washington Post, A21)
YUGOSLAV ARMY TAKES EQUIVOCAL STAND
ZAGREB -- The Yugoslav army, after four ominous days of
"considering emergency measures," promised Tuesday to stay out of
politics but claimed a right to intervene in ethnic or political
disputes anywhere in the country
Part of the army's ambiguous declaration was a categorical
promise not to "interfere in political agreements about the future
of the country," but it also warned it would not permit "civil war"
or "interethnic, interrepublic and interparty bickering" --
apparently leaving the door open for intervention in political
protests if the army judges them to be violent.
(Blaine Harden, Washington Post, A25)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-10
REBEL GROUPS CLAIM VICTORY
NAIROBI -- The Tigrean rebels in Ethiopia claimed Tuesday they
captured a large governmental arsenal and killed nearly 1,000
troops in their push toward the capital, Addis Ababa.
Another guerrilla group, the Eritrean separatists, reported
launching an offensive on the Red Sea coast and said they were
moving toward Assab, the only port under Ethiopian government
control and site of the nation's only fuel refinery.
(AP)
EDITOR'S NOTES: "Gorbachev Forges Odd Coalition With Russian
Nationalists, Church," by David Remnick, appears in the Washington
Post, A27.
"Kahane's Son Rips Bush's Israel Policy," by Carleton Bryant,
appears in the Washington Times, A4.
###
NATIONAL NEWS
FOLEY SAYS NO COMPROMISE ON CIVIL RIGHTS BILL IN SIGHT
Rep. Foley says no compromise is in sight with the White House
on civil rights legislation and he expects a House vote on a
Democratic-sponsored version this spring.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 24-10 Tuesday to approve
the Democratic bill, similar to the one President Bush vetoed last
year. It rejected the White House's more modest alternative on a
voice vote.
"We think it ought to be enacted in the early months of this
session," Foley said later. He said he expected a vote in April
or May.
Foley expressed a willingness to reach a compromise that would
avert another veto.
"If the administration showed an interest in moving in the
direction of the bill that was vetoed last year, I think that we
would be open to a discussion about that. But so far I know of no
specific compromise in the works," he said. (William Welch, AP)
House Panel Passes Democrats' Civil Rights Bill
The panel's vote on the measure followed three hours of
largely partisan sniping over whether the Democratic version is,
as Republicans claim, "a quota bill."
"In its continuing resistance to making the workplace
completely free from discrimination treatment, the administration
has conjured up the inflammatory word 'quota,' the committee
chairman, Rep. Brooks, said. " That's hogwash or worse. They
know it and you know it. It gets good press. It gets peoples'
hackles up. But it doesn't honestly state the issue.
But Rep. Hyde said the measure would result in "A color
conscious society" by creating the presumption of guilt "based only
on crude race or gender statistical imbalances in the
workplace."
(will Dunham, UPI)
SENATE PANEL APPROVES HIGHER MILEAGE RULES;
WHITE HOUSE PROMISES VETO
A Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday that would require
automakers to build cars that have much higher gas mileage than
today's models, but Bush administration officials said the
President would veto the measure.
"I don't think there's any question that if (the legislation)
passes, we're going to have a veto fight, " Secretary Skinner said
in an interview. "This bill is unacceptable."
The measure, which the Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee approved 14-5 with bipartisan support,
would require carmakers to produce vehicles that are 40 percent
more fuel efficient in model year 2001 than they were on average
in 1988
Sen. Bryan, who cosponsored the bill with Sen. Gorton, said
he hoped the proposal would help reduce the nation's dependence on
imported oil and thus "spare us the necessity of having to send
forces back to the Middle East.' (Michael Arndt, Chicago Tribune)
-erom-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-12
OFFICIAL TELLS OF U.S. PLAN TO DISCOURAGE ABORTIONS
A top federal official told a House panel Tuesday that the
Bush administration was preparing to take steps to steer pregnant
women away from clinics and hospitals where abortion was
"pervasive."
In his first appearance before Congress, Dr. William Archer,
the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs at HHS,
said the government was preparing to draw up a list of family
planning clinics and hospitals with "acceptable" anti-abortion
approaches
Archer told the panel that under the administration's rule,
if a woman asked about an abortion, clinics supported by his agency
would only be allowed to tell her that the clinic did not offer
information about abortion services
If a woman in danger of death asked the clinic doctor whether
a particular hospital provided abortion, or for any other
information about abortion, the doctor may not tell her, Archer
confirmed. But he said the question was too hypothetical to be
realistic.
(Philip Hilts, New York Times, A22)
BUSH PITCHES 'POINTS OF LIGHT' AGAIN
President Bush said Tuesday that "points of light" -- people
who volunteer their time to help others -- are "a critical answer
to America's social problems."
"This approach isn't a dodge for responsibility of any level
of government," Bush told 150 media executives at a White House
briefing
"Every social problem is being solved somewhere
" said Bush.
"Everyone can be a point of light."
"I am even more convinced today than I have ever been that
points of light are a critical answer to America's social
problems," he said.
(AP)
PRESIDENT GRABS LOCUTION FOR WIFE
President Bush put a new twist on Saddam Hussein's wartime
catch phrase Tuesday night and hailed his wife, Barbara, as the
"Mother of all Bushes."
Speaking at the Radio and Television Correspondents'
Association dinner, Bush praised U.S. press coverage of the Gulf
war even as he tweaked reporters.
Bush said he was urged to take the Desert Storm coalition all
the way to Baghdad to "take out the man who caused me so much grief
and anger. And I said no, let CNN take Peter Arnett out. "
He also noted that some Iraqi soldiers had surrendered to
members of the press and exclaimed: "I can't imagine surrendering
to the press. To Mary McGrory, I say, 'Never! Come and get me.
I'll never surrender!
On a more serious note, Bush said the war had "reminded us of
the value of a free press" in defending democracy and offered a
toast "to the men and women who are the eyes and the ears of
democracy."
(AP)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-13
WANTED IN DOMESTIC AGENDA: UNITY THAT U.S. HAD IN WAR
Sen. Daschle has this dream: Now that the war is over, the
government and news media begin to focus on domestic problems with
the same intensity they gave the Persian Gulf
Daschle laughs at the fantasy. But he said, "Without unity
of purpose with a clear objective, without George Bush on
television late at night calling attention to the American people,
without a full-scale debate in Congress and without the full
attention of the media, the changes that are needed will not be
made.
=
Almost all the two dozen administration officials, lawmakers,
economists, and political strategists interviewed in the last week
agree with Daschle's assessment. But they also agreed that such
unity was not in the offing, certainly not this year.
"The rest of this year will be an anti-climax," said Sen.
Rudman
The fundamental problems, those interviewed agreed
[are]:
..
an education system inadequate for the 21st century, 20 percent of
all children in poverty, homelessness and serious crime in nearly
every community, soaring medical costs, and savings and
productivity rates so low that they threaten Americans' standards
of living.
(David Rosenbaum, New York Times, A1)
DOMESTIC POLICY'S DISADVANTAGES
Presidents Find More Flexibility, Clear Successes On World Stage
George Bush isn't the first president to learn that foreign
policy is easier and more rewarding than domestic policy.
Stuart Eizenstat, Jimmy Carter's domestic policy adviser,
suggests a simple question to prove the point: Which do you
remember more fondly, the Camp David accords or Carter's energy
program, the product of an exhausting and costly slog through
Congress? If you said the energy plan, Eizenstat would be
gratified but probably wouldn't believe you.
For domestic policy mavens such as Eizenstat, a president's
difficulty in making a mark through what he does at home is one of
the major shortcomings of the modern presidency. But it is deeply
imbedded in our system of government
Robert Greenstein, director of the liberal Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities, said that even with better perks, domestic
policy would still lack the presidential appeal of foreign affairs.
"The difficulty [in domestic affairs] is moving the system to get
something major accomplished in the first place," he said. "That's
more difficult than the lack of 21-gun salutes."
(E. J. Dionne, Washington Post, A17)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- A-14
LEGAL GROUP OPPOSES COLLEGE GRANT POLICY
The conservative Washington Legal Foundation said Tuesday it
will challenge Secretary Alexander's refusal to enforce his
department's ban on race-exclusive scholarships.
The foundation, which filed the initial complaint last May
that led to the ban, said it will file suit tomorrow seeking a
federal court order to enforce the ban against more than 700
colleges using race-exclusive scholarships
An attorney at the Washington Legal Foundation, John Scully,
said the foundation fears Alexander's review may be a "political
sham."
"The issue is so clear-cut that he should stand up and stand
tall and announce a policy against race-exclusive scholarships,"
he said.
(Ronald Taylor, Washington Times, A3)
NOMINEE DEFENDS CIVIL RIGHTS RECORD
Bush Choice For Appeals Court
Faces Tough Questions In Senate
Kenneth Ryskamp, on the first day of Senate Judiciary
Committee hearings on his nomination to a federal appeals bench,
Tuesday defended his membership in a country club accused of
excluding blacks and Jews while committee Democrats questioned his
sensitivity to racial issues.
Ryskamp
said he was deeply committed to civil rights and
believed his club's reputation for discrimination was undeserved.
Ryskamp also said his remarks from the bench in police
brutality and discrimination cases had been "misconstrued" by civil
rights groups who oppose his nomination
At the start of the hearing, Sen. Biden
told Ryskamp, "You
have become a controversial nominee." During a lunch break, Biden
said the judge "has not helped himself" in answering committee
members' questions.
(Sharon LaFraniere, Washington Post, A17)
EDITOR'S NOTES: "Death In Detroit: A Soldier's Tragic Return,"
by Don Phillips, appears in the Washington Post, A1.
-End of A-Section-
NETWORK NEWS
(Tuesday evening, March 19)
ECONOMY
ABC's Ted Koppel: On the face of it, today's economic news was
pretty good -- consumer prices were up last month, an inflationary
signal, but they rose only two-tenths of one percent. New home
construction, an indicator of a reviving economy, was way up last
month. Nevertheless, as ABC's Stephen Aug reports, those signs
could be misleading.
Aug reports that aside from food and energy, which tend to
fluctuate widely, the prices of everything else rose a sharp seven-
tenths of one percent. Much was due to large increases in postage
rates, clothing prices and alcoholic beverages. Price forecasters
are worried that this kind of inflation could make it more
difficult for the economy to pull out of the recession.
(Donald Rataczjak, economic analyst: "The big problem is that
inflation could outstrip wage gains after gasoline prices
stabilize, and that should lead to reduced consumer purchasing
power, and that would slow down the economic recovery.")
New home construction rose 16.4 percent last month. But some
analysts are cautious.
(Warren Lasko, executive vice president, Home Mortgage Association:
"I think we bottomed out in the housing market in January, and in
February we're seeing the first signs of a comeback. You know, we
were down so far there's almost no place to go but up.")
There are still large numbers of unsold homes on the market, and
without a strong recovery in the housing industry, hardly anybody
sees a strong recovery in the economy anytime soon.
(ABC-Lead)
NBC's Tom Brokaw: The Administration has been saying here that
the recession will be shallow and brief. And tonight there are
signs that it could be coming to an end. Nationwide, housing
starts are up more than 16 percent. That's the sharpest gain in
more than a year, and consumer prices are up only slightly.
NBC's Mike Jensen reports that there are more and more signs that
this recession is bottoming out. Not only are housing starts up,
so are applications for building permits.
(David Seiders, National Association of Homebuilders: "We're
betting the housing sector now is on an upswing, and that it'll
help pull the overall economy out by about mid-year.")
Housing starts still are one-third lower than they were a year ago.
But the University of Michigan says consumer confidence took a huge
leap in early March. Manufacturing still is in the doldrums, but
there are hopeful signs here and there. Even the travel business
is picking up, partly because airlines have slashed prices. The
recovery will not be quick; economists call it "L-shaped," which
means coming quickly and leaving slowly.
(NBC-Lead)
CBS's Ed Bradley: The long national housing slump may finally be
coming to an end. The government says new home construction went
through the roof last month, up more than 16 percent -- the best
showing in a year.
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-2
CBS's Ray Brady reports on the jump in construction.
(Barbara Allen, housing analyst: "What is happening is just an
extraordinary turnaround, the likes of which I have not seen since
I've been covering the home-building industry.")
In 1981, monthly payments on a house soaked up around 36 percent
of your income, more than many people could afford. Today those
monthly payments are taking only 22 percent of your income, and
that's a big difference. That difference is bringing out first-
time homebuyers. Traditionally it's the housing industry that
lifts the economy out of a recession. Optimists say that like the
start of spring, this could, at the very least, be a sign of better
times to come.
(CBS-Lead)
DOW JONES
Koppel reports that the inflation figures, coupled with an
announcement from IBM that first-quarter earnings would be much
lower than expected, drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average down
more than 62 points to close at 2867 in heavy trading.
(ABC-3, NBC-2, CBS-3)
UNEMPLOYMENT
ABC's Ken Kashiwahara reports on the "underemployed," people in
low-paying jobs because their old jobs have vanished, the number
of which is growing. Many of them, especially middle-managers and
professionals, may not have jobs to go back to. Since the last
recession in the early '80s, corporate America has slashed payrolls
to become more competitive in the world market. An estimated four
million jobs in Fortune 500 companies have disappeared. While
underemployment may have been a temporary feature of previous
recessions, this time it could become permanent.
(ABC-2)
MIDEAST PEACE
Koppel reports that at the White House this morning, Secretary
Baker and the President briefed congressional leaders on the search
for peace in the Middle East. Baker said again that he had had a
good response from Israel and the Arab states in moving the process
forward. In Israel, however, the government appeared to be having
second thoughts.
ABC's Dean Reynolds reports on the prospects for peace. it was
only a week ago that Baker and Prime Minister Shamir were seemingly
the best of friends.
(TV Coverage: Secretary Baker shaking hands with Prime Minister
Shamir indoorsand outdoors.)
Shamir pledged allegiance to the peace process, and the first
gesture appeared to come on Sunday when an Israeli cabinet minister
said the Golan Heights could be part of peace talks with Syria. But
then Shamir heard about the speech.
(Shamir, today: "The Golan Heights is not the subject of
territorial negotiations."
Reinforcing Shamir's point, Housing Minister Sharon immediately
announced plans to triple the Jewish population in the Golan to
make sure it remains "an inseparable part of Israel." As for the
Palestinians, Baker met last week with 10 Palestinians whom the
U.S. believes could be part of peace talks with Israel.
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-3
Reynolds continues: Today, Shamir's office said all 10
Palestinians are unacceptable because they support the PLO. "I
don't know who is more dangerous," Shamir was quoted as saying,
"Yasser Arafat or Faisal Husseini."
(TV Coverage: Secretary Baker with Palestinians.)
That's Husseini on the left, next to Baker. Yesterday Israel's
army chief of staff, Gen. Dan Shimron, said Israel might not need
to keep the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip if it can reach a
peace settlement with its neighbors. That squares with U.S.
Mideast policy. But today, Shimron was denounced by members of
Shamir's party and other right-wing factions.
(ABC-4)
GULF DONATIONS/SENATE
Koppel reports the Senate voted to ban arms sales to any country
which doesn't pay its war debt to the U.S. in full. The White
House opposes the ban, but the Senate Appropriations Committee says
that out of $54 billion promised by the allies, less than half has
actually been paid.
(ABC-6, CBS-10)
NBC's John Cochran: The President met today with congressional
leaders who wanted answers to two questions: Are the coalition
allies reneging on promises to help pay for the war? And when will
American boys and girls be coming home, especially those in Iraq?
(TV Coverage: President Bush and congressmen in Cabinet Room.)
Some congressional leaders told the President they were worried
that the internal unrest in Iraq will delay the departure of
American troops.
(Sen. Warner, outside West Wing: "And so all of this says to the
average trooper in the field: 'Hey, wait a minute. Am I not going
to be on my redeployment schedule because of these facts? And the
President said, 'I'll take that into consideration; I'm going to
clarify.
(TV Coverage: President Bush walking up steps.)
Although the President clarified nothing today, other
Administration officials tell NBC News that U.S. ground troops
could be out of the Gulf by September. As for U.S. forces in
southern Iraq, a senior Administration official said they could
leave by the end of this month if the U.N. agrees quickly on
permanent cease-fire conditions and if Iraq accepts those
conditions. The big question: will Iraq really pay full war
reparations, especially to Kuwait? But U.S. lawmakers had another
question: Will American allies really fulfill their pledges to
help pay for the war? In Germany, some left-wing politicians said
Chancellor Kohl should not pay the full $5.5 billion he promised
to Bush. After meeting with the President, the mayor of Berlin
said Germany will not renege.
(Mayor Eberhard Diegpen, outside West wing: "Germany will stand
to the agreements we have had, with the supporting of the United
States of America."
But the Senate voted 98 to 1 to halt arms sales to allies that are
slow in meeting their pledges to pay war costs.
(Sen. Byrd, on Senate floor: "But the pace at which we are
receiving contributions from our allies is a real concern to me and
the members of the committee, particularly with regard to the cash-
rich Gulf states.
White House aides dismissed the vote as totally unnecessary and an
attempt by Congress to look tough now that the war's over. (NBC-3)
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-4
GULF WITHDRAWAL
CBS's Jim Stewart reports on U.S. Gulf troop withdrawal plans. The
timing of the U.S. withdrawal could be threatened by the bitter
civil war there.
(Pete Williams, Defense Dept.: "It hasn't had any impact on it
yet, and the withdrawal scheduled of forces from that area is
contingent upon leaving enough forces there to not only patrol the
area but also safeguard those who are there.")
So far, 80,000 U.S. troops have come home, leaving about 460,000
still in the region. Some ships loaded for war were stopped before
they left the U.S., and because the military planned for a much
longer war, government contracts are still spewing forth thousands
of desert boots and uniforms, plus warehouse loads of spare parts.
Stopping the flow will be easy, one general said, but getting
everything back will take some time. He warned that if the cease-
fire should break down, the whole process can be reversed with the
snap of a finger.
(CBS-9)
IRAQI UNREST
Brokaw reports that while the Kurds seem to have the upper hand in
the northern part of Iraq, Saddam is now winning in the south. But
there is a steady stream of refugees pouring out of southern Iraq
and headed for Kuwait.
NBC's Bill Lagattuta reports on the refugees trying to escape the
civil war, all of whom have horror stories to tell. Today, Iraqi
television broadcast pictures of a damaged hospital in the southern
town of Basra, which it said was the work of the rebels. One man
who drove down from Basra said the opposition was winning but that
now the army is using very heavy artillery fire. Many of the
refugees are sick or wounded, and there is no health care left in
southern Iraq. The population of one Red Cross refugee camp has
doubled in one week's time.
(NBC-4)
Bradley reports Kurdish rebels are claiming control of the key oil
center in Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Resistance is dying in the
southern city of Basra, according to Iraqi soldiers on the run.
CBS's Bert Quint reports on Iraqi soldiers continuing to surrender
to U.S. troops. They pleaded with the troops to take them prisoner
or let them leave Iraq. But the Americans turned them around with
some sympathetic advice.
(U.S. soldier: "We cannot take you as prisoners of war because
there is no war. This is just advice: Until the treaty is signed,
you need to hide out, okay?")
(CBS-7)
KUWAIT
Brokaw reports the Kuwaiti government took a step toward putting
its financial help in order. It announced that banks will reopen
on Sunday. It also took delivery of its new currency, to replace
the billions looted by Iraq. The government will restore all
Kuwaiti bank accounts to their pre-invasion levels, and for every
citizen who stayed in Kuwait during the occupation, they'll provide
a bonus worth about $1,600.
(NBC-5)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-5
Bradley reports the Kuwaiti prime minister reportedly quit today,
but the emir is said to have asked him to form a new government.
Kuwait took a hard line today on hundreds of Palestinian, Iraqi and
other prisoners charged with war crimes, and said prosecutors will
seek to hang most of them.
(CBS-8)
Koppel reports oil officials in Kuwait today were predicting that
the emirate could begin shipping oil again within a year. Earlier,
officials had said putting out the fires and getting oil flowing
could take two years or longer. But some observers watching the
slow pace of restoring basic services in Kuwait are not optimistic.
ABC's Jim Bitterman reports on the reconstruction effort. More
equipment arrived today to fight the oil fires. But sources say
that because the Kuwaitis haggle over less than one million dollars
in contract details, the firefighting effort has been delayed by
at least two weeks. In addition, water ships couldn't be unloaded
because no one had the right hose connection. Saturday the water
was flowing from one water station -- today the station is out of
operation. There signs of progress here and there. But red tape
sometimes stalls needed equipment for days. A U.S. official
involved in the reconstruction said it's very difficult to impart
any sense of urgency about getting anything done here.
(ABC-5)
HOSTAGES IN LEBANON
Bradley reports terrorists holding Americans Jesse Turner and Alan
Steen in Lebanon say they will not be freed until Israel releases
hundreds of Arab prisoners. The statement today from the pro-
Iranian Islamic Jihad came with a photo of Turner.
(TV Coverage: Photo of Turner.)
(CBS-6)
BAKER/WALESA
Brokaw: Lech Walesa arrived in Washington on his first big foreign
trip as president of Poland. Walesa was greeted by Secretary
Baker. He'll meet with President Bush tomorrow.
(TV Coverage: Walesa walking with Baker.)
(NBC-13)
DEBTS/COMMENTARY
NBC's John Chancellor:
A group of Western countries has agreed
to forgive $16 billion in Polish debt
The U.S. share will be
something like $1.5 billion. Then there's the $7 billion in
Egyptian debt, forgiven last fall when Egypt joined the coalition
against Iraq. And President Bush announced plans to forgive part
of the $12 billion owed by Latin American and Caribbean nations
Who's going to forgive us our debt when this year's deficit comes
in at $325 billion? It's another example of the Administration's
priorities, which seem these days to be more concerned with foreign
enterprises than with domestic problems.
(NBC-14)
NORIEGA TRIAL
Brokaw: Two co-defendants of Manuel Noriega were found guilty in
Miami of cocaine charges. One was a Miami real estate salesman,
the other a Colombian importer. They were convicted of helping
Noriega trade guns for cocaine.
(NBC-7, CBS-11)
-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-6
SOVIET PRICE INCREASES
Koppel reports President Gorbachev announced price increases on a
wide range of basic items including food and clothing. The average
increase is 60 percent, with some items like meat and bread
expected to triple in price. Soviet citizens are supposed to be
paid compensation for some, but not all, of the increases. (ABC-7)
RADIATION/ENERGY DEPT.
NBC's Robert Bazell reports on the results of a study published in
the Journal of the American Medical Association, which suggests
that even low levels of radiation may be more dangerous than
federal officials had originally thought. The study found a
slightly increased incidence of leukemia deaths among Oak Ridge
Laboratory, Tenn., workers, even though their exposures were within
the occupational limits set by the government. Some scientists
say that as a result of today's study, the permissible level should
be lowered for workers at nuclear-power generating plants and
people who live near weapons plants.
(Dr. Ernest Sternglass, University of Pittsburgh: "It is clear
that we have underestimated the risk of low levels of radiation by
at least ten times, and eventually, I believe, probably by closer
to 100 times.")
But federal officials are not planning any action at this time.
(Dr. Paul Ziemer, Energy Dept.: "This study in itself would not
give us an indication that standards should be changed."
The study at Oak Ridge is relatively small. But researchers are
looking at workers in many other nuclear facilities. If the
apparent association between low-dose radiation and leukemia
persists, the government will have to lower the permitted doses.
CBS's Erin Hayes reports on the findings.
(H. Jack Geiger, Physicians for Social Responsibility: "It
suggests that long exposure to low doses of radiation is
significantly more dangerous than the government has believed and
that many scientists have believed.")
Most of those who died were exposed for a very long time; the
cancers didn't show up for decades. This has researchers thinking
twice about whether any level of radiation is safe. The Department
of Energy downplayed the results of today's study.
(Dr. Paul Ziemer, DOE: "In layman's terms, we're saying that the
risk is minimal, if you keep your dose relatively low and well
below the standard.")
ABC's George Strait reports today's study seems at odds with three
previous reviews of the medical records of the workers, which found
no evidence of increased cancer deaths. But researchers say this
study followed the workers seven years longer than previous ones.
The Energy Department, which paid for the study, says there is no
reason for immediate concern. Still, acknowledging the potential
danger of low-level radiation, the department has instituted
procedures in the hopes of finally eliminating all human exposure
to radiation in the nuclear industry.
(NBC-10, CBS-4, ABC-11)
ABC's Barry Serafin reports on the Hanford, Wash., nuclear plant,
where workers and people who live in the area were for years
exposed to large amounts of information and were misled by the
government.
-erom-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-7
Serafin continues: From the 1940s to the 1960s, despite warnings
from a top health official at the plant, large amounts of radiation
were released, some deliberately. That was all kept secret.
(John Keating, Energy Dept.: "The people here in the plant were
concerned about radiation releases." Serafin: "But they weren't
telling anyone." Keating: "Well, there was a -- the world was
different at that time.")
(Dr. John Gofman, nuclear physicist: "To do it without notifying
the people that are the victims of such a release, namely having
received the radiation, is unconscionable -- I would say in the
realm of criminality.")
Last July the government finally admitted that thousands of people
in eastern Washington and Oregon were secretly exposed to enough
radiation to cause illness. In fact, Hanford released 30,000 times
as much radioactive iodine as the Three Mile Island accident in
1979. Many who no longer live in the area are just now finding out
about it. Those who lived around Hanford want not just financial
compensation, they want medical help. But under federal law, the
government is immune to such lawsuits. The chairman of the House
subcommittee which oversees nuclear weapons plants says if studies
link health problems to Hanford radiation, he would support a
federally-funded medical program.
(Rep. Synar: "We have a moral responsibility as a nation to take
care of this, and we better damn well do it pretty quick.")
(ABC-12)
BLACKS/SENATE
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the problems of blacks and the
Senate's search for solutions. If you're black, young and male,
you're more likely to die from a gunshot wound than any other
cause, and more likely to be out of school or work.
(Rod Simmons, young black male: "They figure when they look at a
young black man, a young black man does only one thing: rob
people, steal money, use drugs.")
Older black men aren't doing much better in the job hunt. For a
majority of black men, the American dream has become a nightmare.
(VA Gov. Wilder: "Approximately one in every four young black
American males between the ages of 20 and 29 is behind bars, on
probation or on parole.
It is a crisis for which politicians have no solutions. The Senate
Banking Committee called people together today to at least talk
about the threat to millions of young black men.
(Dr. Billy Jones, New York City Mental Health Commissioner, to
committee: "I think we have a generation of young black men now
who have difficulty, in the sense of being able to express their
own aggression and need for self-assertion.")
Black male soldiers had a better chance of surviving the war in the
Gulf than the war on the streets. Army Specialist Anthony Riggs
had only just arrived home in Detroit when car thieves killed him
outside his mother-in-law's house. With no answers and no money,
Congress is talking about trying to save the youngest black youths,
which probably means giving up on the rest.
(NBC-9)
L.A. POLICE BEATING
Koppel reports that Rodney King, the man beaten by LAPD officers
earlier this month, has filed a $56 million lawsuit against the
city -- one million dollars for each time he was hit or kicked.
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- B-8
ABC's Judy Muller reports on the increased public outrage over the
beating, as a result of yesterday's release of police audio and
computer messages from the night of the beating.
(Willie Brown, Calif. state assembly speaker: "I believe that
those officers were carrying out a pattern of conduct that has been
tolerated in that police system for a very long time.")
A union representing 700,000 workers in the L.A. area voted for
Police Chief Daryl Gates's resignation.
(William Robertson, AFL-CIO: "He's got to set aside his monumental
ego and do a service to this community which he claims he loves.")
Mayor Tom Bradley has consistently dodged the question of whether
Gates should resign. But after the latest developments, he issued
a statement saying that he was sickened by the police
communications that night, adding, "It is no longer possible for
any objective person to regard the King beating as an
aberration."
(ABC-8)
NBC's Don Oliver reports that Rodney King said in a public
statement that he did not think his beating was racially motivated.
King's lawyer said he had told him he was scared to say yes and
start a riot, that there were more good people than bad people out
there. But transcripts of computer messages among the policemen
that night involved joking about the incident.
(Cmdr. Rick Dinse, L.A.P.D. Internal Affairs: "One could deduce
from the terminology and knowing what occurred here that some of
these comments could be racial, yes.")
Release of the transcripts has renewed speculation that the beating
was racially motivated.
(Melanie Lomax, Police Commission Head: "Any time you have 15
white police officers, not a Hispanic or a black among them,
engaging in this kind of animalistic behavior against a black man,
the question of race has to come up.")
(NBC-6)
CBS's Jerry Bowen reports on the incident. Over the police radio,
there was laughter as the officers called for an ambulance.
(Melanie Lomax: "The tapes confirm a sadistic, a racially biased
attitude by some officers and the officers involved in this
pursuit.")
(CBS-5)
TROOP HOMECOMING/BANGOR, ME.
NBC's Fred Briggs reports on the small city in Maine which has
given the returning troops a huge welcome home. Bangor is just a
stopover for refueling for the returning troops, but hundreds and
then thousands of citizens have held unorganized celebrations at
the airport for every planeload of Desert Storm veterans.
(TV Coverage: Crowds greeting and hugging troops, waving flags.)
The troops couldn't believe it, at first.
(Soldier: "I think this is one hell of a welcome. It beats the
[bleep] out of Vietnam.")
CBS's Bob McKeown reports on the homecomings. Many who come to the
airport are veterans themselves, wanting to ensure the heroes of
Desert Storm get a warmer welcome than those who served in Vietnam.
(Gulf soldier: "I've never been here before. This is great. And
we're home! And America supported us the whole time. They did.
It makes me feel good. It really does.")
(NBC-15, CBS-14)
-End of B-Section-
EDITORIALS/COLUMNISTS
MIDEAST PEACE
No Mideast Miracle From Baker -- " Secretary Baker's visit to
Israel and neighboring countries can't be written off as a waste
of time. After all, Baker said in advance he had no specific
formula to offer
But Baker managed to expand the American role
as a potential intermediary between Israel and its Arab
adversaries, as well as consolidate gains from the allied victory
over Iraq
Skeptics must hope that the U.S., in courting
President Assad of Syria, is more prescient than it was in its pre-
war dealings with Saddam. Surely, however, Israelis can be
confident the Administration will not press them to pursue a course
that would leave the Jewish state vulnerable to attack from Syria -
- or any other Arab source."
(Cleveland Plain Dealer, 3/17)
Mr. Baker's Quest -- "Secretary Baker is quickly learning that,
especially when it comes to the Mideast, the more things change,
the more they remain the same. Top among these is the Israeli-
Palestinian dispute
Fortunately, Baker seems smart enough not
to expect too much too soon. He is a Texas lawyer with a proven
talent for bargaining. Thus, he has suggested confidence-building
steps that the Arab states can take to nudge Israel away from its
feeling of isolation. Now he must urge the Palestinians to curtail
the intifada and violence while convincing Israelis that a possible
trade of land in the occupied territories for peace would be in
their long run best interest."
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3/17)
Land For Peace? Get Real -- " Israeli concessions must be
preceded by Arab concessions. otherwise, there won't be any
Israeli concessions. That isn't intransigent. It's realistic.
It is, after all the Arabs who have something to prove
People
who blather mindlessly about 'land for peace'
would do well to
take a closer look at the hard realities of the situation
Anyone who seriously expects the Israelis to shut their eyes,
forget the past and trade strategically important land for mere
Arab promises is naive at best." "
(New York Daily News, 3/14)
Baker's Diplomatic Linkage -- " Americans should not be
surprised, or disappointed, that Secretary Baker's initial postwar
explorations
yielded no startling breakthroughs
Baker is not
merely playing the role of a canny dealmaker when he tells Israelis
and Arabs that he senses a readiness for new thinking among his
interlocutors
The strategic situation of Israel is much less
perilous than it has been
If peace can be forged in the
Mideast, it will begin in a linkage between Saddam's defeat and a
negotiated settlement of the conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians."
(Boston Globe, 3/14)
Why Is [Baker] Smiling? --
=
Secretary Baker left his last stop
on the Mideast swing, Damascus, feeling upbeat. One can reasonably
wonder why. Neither the Arab nor Israeli leaders with whom he
conferred appeared to budge a centimeter from previous positions
that divide them.
(Atlanta Constitution, 3/15)
-more-
White House News Summary
Wednesday, March 20, 1991 -- C-2
The Postwar Order -- "
It appears that the Bush Administration's
anti-Israel tilt is to continue in regard to the so-called
Palestinian question
The obligation to compromise ought to lie
with the Arab states whose fat has just been pulled from the fire
by U.S. troops
Before Israel starts giving up territory that
provides its survival buffer against enemy neighbors, regional
peace ought to have lasted for more than a few days. None of this
is to say Israel should not or need not be party to negotiations,
only that the outcome not be predetermined by outlandish
conditions."
(Richmond Times-Dispatch, 3/13)
Peace And Security: Lesson 1 --
"
'Territory for peace' may
sound like an easy equation to those unacquainted with the violent,
fanatical nature of Israel's neighborhood; the vulnerability of
Israel's pre-1967 borders; the insane Jew-hatred that pulses in the
Arab world; the memory, never far from Israelis' consciousness,
that only a generation ago, European Jewry was destroyed in gas
chambers and death camps by the followers of a dictator who
preached 'Death to the Jews.' The prerequisite to peace-brokering
is education. With his lessons this week, Baker took a big step
forward."
(Boston Herald, 3/13)
New Thinking -- Or Old? -- "On the first day of his junket to the
Mideast, Secretary Baker proclaimed that he had detected signs of
'new thinking' on the part of Arab states toward Israel
Unfortunately, on the same day, four Israeli women were knifed to
death in the streets and a well-armed band of Palestinians was
caught crossing the border from Jordan. That sounds pretty much
like old thinking to us
The Administration has made it clear
that it wants the Palestinian issue settled on the basis of 'land
for peace. That, too, sounds like old thinking
A Palestinian
state already exists in the Mideast: Jordan. Rather than beating
on Israel to render itself militarily indefensible, why not put the
heat on King Hussein
to deliver on a homeland?"
(Detroit News, 3/13)
Baker Finds 'New Thinking' As A Prelude To A Just Peace --
"
Secretary Baker, in the course of his visits to Middle Eastern
capitals, says he has discovered 'new thinking' about the Mideast
among Arab leaders. It would be extraordinary if he had not
There is an era of good feeling in the Middle east -- an era in
which it could be possible to do what might have been unthinkable
a mere six months ago. New thinking among the Arabs calls for new
thinking among the Israelis as well. If there is none, if the
Israelis cling to the slogans that have guided their policy-making
since 1948, the good feeling will evaporate, and fresh
confrontations will follow."
(Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/15)
Middle East Priorities --
"
The first task after the Gulf war is
to set that region aright before tackling
the Israeli-Arab
conflict. President Bush and Secretary Baker seem to have set
their priorities in this order, and it is the right one
Premier Shamir was unyielding in refusing to accept, specifically
and publicly, what Bush had called 'the principle of territory for
peace
This was predictable. What caused surprise was Baker's
wise reluctance to put real pressure on either side, preferring to
settle for assertions that the Gulf War had opened new
opportunities. "
(Baltimore Sun, 3/17)
-End of News Summary-
*5
TV, WAR AND BANK RUNS
The reporting of the Iraq crisis and the seizure of the Bank
of New England seem certain to raise questions about the
responsibilities of TV journalism as it effects policy and
events. It is more than the impact on policy-makers of the news-
politics talk shows (Alan Hirsch: "The influence of these shows
transcends their agenda setting function." Martin Schram: "The
politicians either watch of have their aides watch them. They
want to find out what the public is being told" (WASH. POST,
1/6). Given the size of audience, the impact of nightly news and
interview programming on the networks may be far greater.
"COUNTDOWN TO CONFRONTATION -- 9 DAYS": That was last
night's version of the CBS Evening News intro to its crisis watch
on Iraq. It was followed by Dan Rather's "exclusive interview"
of Iraq Foreign Minister Aziz and Rather's closing commentary
from Baghdad: "As war-drums beat along the Potomac and the
Tigris
misunderstandings and confusion litter the path that
diplomats are walking tonight. Both sides. have their war
machines in place. Both sides say that they are ready for war.
Both sides will tell you that they have been flexible. But now,
nine days before the deadline runs out on a war that could engulf
the world, both sides will tell you that there is absolutely no
common ground. Both sides will tell you, that in many ways, they
have simply stopped feeling" (CBS, 1/7).
BANK RUN? On "McLaughlin Group, " US NEWS' Mort Zuckerman
predicted that one of the big 4 NYC banks (not Citibank) would
fail (1/5). But the nightly network news/interviews on the
failure of the Bank of New England may have sent just as
depressing signals. FDIC's Seidman appeared on PBS' MacNeil/
Lehrer, CNN's Crossfire and ABC's Nightline: "I hope it's a
special case, but I can't guarantee anybody it is. Whether or
not this is going to be a spreading problem depends on what is
going to happen to our economy over the next year. Are we going
to have a shallow, short recession or a deep and longer
recession?
If we have a deep and longer recession, then,
unfortunately, we will probably see additional failures of this
nature" (MacNeil/Lehrer 1/7). MONEY MAGAZINE's Jordan Goodman:
"It's a real crisis of confidence in the banking system. You
had, last week, the [RI] situation, now you have the Bank of New
England. It makes people very shaky, nationwide, about the
banking system" ("Nightline," ABC, 1/7). NEWSWEEK's Jane Bryant
Quinn: "Mr. Seidman doesn't know how big the problem is any more
than anybody else out there.
I'm sure that we are going to
have another taxpayer bailout
You have got to be nuts to
keep your money in any institution, credit union, S&L or bank
that has private deposit insurance.
When you talk about what
could happen to the FDIC fund, one thing they have not built in
is the possibility of runs, because people lose confidence"
("Nightlin," 1/7). Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY): "Given the fact
that this is the first recession that this newly deregulated
industry is in, I think the odds are that more will fail"
("MacNeil/Lehrer," PBS, 1/7).
--- Thursday --- October 11, 1990 ---
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--- THE DAILY BRIEFING ON AMERICAN POLITICS
---
Updated Each Morning At 11:30
(c) The American Political Network, Inc.
282 North Washington Street, Falls Church, VA (703) 237-5130
FL GOV: "DRAMATIC REVERSAL"?
SPOTLIGHT
Chiles picks up endorsement
of pro-choicers and drops
MORNING HEADLINES (#14)
support for parental consent
legislation. But he says it's
"Bush's shifts
"
not a contradiction of his
BUSH SHIFTS STAND
"
earlier pledge to avoid
"Bush shifts again
"
abortion issue. (#2)
"President waffles
"
"President's hedging "
TX GOV: A NEW DRUG ISSUE
"Bush tax retreat
II
Richards questions Williams'
"Bush's flip flop
"
relationship with target of
"Bush flip a flop
"
drug-money probe. Today's
"Uncertainty
"
DALLAS MORNING NEWS quotes
"Bush Baffles Congress
"
witness contradicting Williams'
"Confusion clouds work
"
claim the two never met. (#7)
"Confusion grips budget
"
"Confusion reigns
"
PULSE: RADIO TALK-SHOW HOSTS
"Bush to Congress:
From S.F., Detroit, Dallas to
You figure it out."
Boston, they report spectrum
"Flip flop has pols
from apathy to ANGER. (#15)
chuckling"
"Wanted: A leader
"
OR SEN: "HATFIELD SHAKEN"
"McClellan in Charge"
After poll shows tight race,
he returns home with several
TV was neither kinder nor
staffers including Packwood's
gentler: "White House aides
Chief of Staff. New ad mentions
...
said Bush's position
Lonsdale by name. (#12)
was somewhere between flip
and flop" (John Cochran,
OR 05: KOPETSKI BY 10?
NBC, 10/10)
TV station pol has him over
incumbent Smith 47-37%. (#17)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Frankly, considering the type of campaign these candidates have
run, you start to wonder what exactly it is that they are on."
-- Bexar County Sheriff Copeland in an open letter to both
Richards and Williams to make public their medical records.
THE McLAUGHLIN GROUP
Moderator: John McLaughlin. Panel: Fred Barnes, Pat Buchanan,
Jack Germond, Morton Kondracke.
Buchanan:
The key thing is not simply this deficit that these
guys are focusing on. They're doing plastic surgery on an economy
that's having a heart attack and they had best focus on getting
that economy out of the recession into which it's headed.
Barnes:
Ronald Reagan had something that Bush doesn't have and
needs now, and that is an ideological rudder to steer you through
a time like this. Instead we have Bush who is following this
George McClellan strategy, where he has all these forces and
resources but he won't fight. To have a President say that he
would love to have a 31 percent top rate and a 15 percent capital
gains rate but -- oh, gee, I can't fight for that, it won't happen
is ridiculous. He ought to go out and fight for it. The worst
thing he did all week was that "read my hips." That was terrible;
that mocked a pledge that people took very seriously and they're
going to have a hard time taking him seriously again.
Germond:
Bush doesn't stand for anything, he never has
Bush has lost
15 or 20 points in his popularity. What that tells
you
is that he spends popularity without getting anything for it.
If he was going to spend 15 to 20 points of his popularity he
should have gotten a bill.
Kondracke:
I think what he showed this week is petulance
He throws up his hands and says, let Congress do it. And what is
going to happen now is Congress is going to
do it. They're going
to come up with a proposal that is probably a Democratic-style
proposal and they're going to force him to decide whether to veto
or not, and I'll bet you that he can't veto it because he's afraid
of shutting down the government. He's not leading anymore.
McLaughlin: Do you take some comfort, however, that 54 percent of
Americans still blame the Congress and not George Bush?
Barnes: Yeah, but Bush is going to take the hit on this. They
blame Congress in general, they blame Bush specifically
This
idea of being in favor of the rich -- why has he lost on that
argument? Because he won't fight. He hasn't gone out and
campaigned in favor of the capital gains cut as an economic growth
measure; he's said practically nothing about it.
Germond:
Bush has put himself and his party -- on the wrong
side of [the fairness and progressivity issue], which was just the
opposite of what Reagan appeared to be.
Buchanan:
President Bush had an impregnable political position
in no new taxes, and in Gramm-Rudman he could have controlled the
affair. He comes out of this fortress down on the field, tries to
deal in this ad-hockery, it comes apart, he's given away his
party's position and his own pragmatism has failed. What you've
got is a President who's floundering.
-970m-
White House News Summary
Monday, October 15, 1990 -- C-16
McLaughlin:
In view of Bush's sinking polls and the abandonment
his no new taxes pledge and his state of war with Republicans on
the Hill and general confusion inside the White House, what's the
Democrats' best strategy between now and the election?
Kondracke: Why do they need a strategy? Bush needs a strategy
Buchanan:
When you see somebody who's in a real foul-up, get
out of the way
Kondracke: [The Democrats] are going to come up with a package
that has fairness written all over it. They're going to use this
identification of the Republican party as the party of the rich.
They're going to ring Bush's neck with it. The Democrats are going
to have a capital gains proposal targeted at the middle class.
Buchanan: I think the Democrats are going to keep this whole
little mess going because it is hurting the President.
Germond: They don't have to keep it going. The fact is, the
pressure now is on congressional Republicans in both Houses to buy
something, and the reason is
they need to change the subject
before the election.
McLaughlin: What is the best thing George Bush can do now?
He's got to get control of the situation, that's a given
Barnes: Times come along every now and then when you can go in and
get some serious spending cuts, and he can do that. What he's got
to do is say, I want to cut capital gains, I want to cut the Social
Security payroll tax, I want to cut defense, I want to cut
entitlements, I want to cut spending, and then if he needs to gain
some revenue he can raise the gas tax or something like that.
Buchanan: Fred is right on the mark. What he says is, look folks,
it's a new ballgame. The economy's gone down, the deficit is not
the key problem; the key problem is the economy. Give them that
Social Security tax, go for the 15 percent capital gains, go for
Gramm-Rudman cuts. Be bold and be a leader.
McLaughlin: A prescription for suicide
What's the best thing
George Bush should do?
Germond: Perhaps from the Democrats' standpoint he ought to hire
Pat Buchanan to be his advisor
He ought to get the Democratic
leaders and the Republican leaders, not that big a team, into the
White House, show some leadership and get the best deal he can to
get it over with
McLaughlin:
George Bush should declare a continuing resolution
next week until the 15th of November, telling the Congress that
everyone is fully aware that this Congress is playing games, no one
is going to advance a serious budget plan between now and the
election because they are filled with pusillanimity, and then he
attacks the Congress throughout the campaign as did Harry
Truman
Kill the negotiations now, bring them back for a lame-
duck Congress.
-970m-
White House News Summary
Thursday, July 5, 1990 -- B-1
NETWORK NEWS
Wednesday evening, July 4
GORBACHEV/COMMUNIST PARTY
ABC'S PETER JENNINGS: We are tonight in the middle of an important
week overseas, a time of redefinition. Here in London the leaders
of Western Europe, the U.S. and Canada are about to reexamine their
alliance, because standing up to the Soviets, as they've done
successfully more than 40 years, no longer seems as urgent. And
in the Soviet Union again tonight Mikhail Gorbachev struggles to
maintain his power while trying to keep the Communist Party from
breaking up. Today Mr. Gorbachev said he would meet a self-
imposed deadline for improvement or resign.
ABC'S JIM LAURIE reports that it was during a break in the session
that Gorbachev made his startling promise, underlining the
importance he attaches to perestroika. He told reporters that he
and his government will resign if there is no improvement in the
next two years. Later, Gorbachev's chief economic adviser, Leonid
Abalkin, issued a warning that if the Communist Party tries to stop
the move to a free market it'll be swept from power. "If you want
full shops and an end to the shame of long lines,' Abalkin said,
"a market economy is the only way to go, and the move requires
sacrifice." That idea was greeted by stony silence from delegates
who fear radical reform. The party also tackled today an even more
immediate economic crisis, the threat of a one-day strike next week
by the nation's 200,000 coal miners. So the congress voted to
approve a resolution asking miners to postpone their strike and
appealing to Gorbachev to open talks with them. Gorbachev told
reporters he was ready to work with the miners to improve their
difficult living conditions. In this often-divided congress, there
was one major point of agreement today. Speaker after speaker
reaffirmed the need to keep Mikhail Gorbachev head of the Communist
Party. The fact remains that however strong the disagreements on
party policy have been this week, few want to take it out on
Gorbachev personally. For no one believes this party could hold
together long without him.
JENNINGS: The official government newspaper Izvestia published a
poll today showing that only 28 percent of those surveyed thought
the party congress would make any real difference to their lives.
And nowhere is there more disenchantment with the party than among
the young. They simply no longer regard the party as necessary to
their future.
(ABC-Lead)
CBS'S DAN RATHER: Two-hundred fourteen years ago the Continental
Congress met in Philadelphia and threw down its historic challenge
to colonial rule. The Declaration of Independence -- All men are
endowed with rights, it said -- life, liberty, the pursuit of
happiness. And whenever any form of government becomes destructive
of those ends, in the words of the declaration, "it is the right
of the people to alter or abolish it."
-more-
White House News Summary
Thursday, July 5, 1990 -- B-2
RATHER continues: Today, here in Moscow, a Soviet Communist Party
congress is threatened with a historic challenge to communist rule.
The charge is that communism has become destructive at those ends -
- the life, liberty, and happiness of the Soviet people. The
question: Will Soviet communism be altered or abolished?
CBS'S BARRY PETERSEN reports that Mikhail Gorbachev was learning
the hard lesson of democracy today, that giving people freedom
means that they are free to turn against you. And he said he is
ready to accept the consequences if his programs fail. "I think
if there are not changes in two years, he told reporters, "that
this leadership should go of its own accord."
RATHER: As if to underscore how much is at stake in this power
struggle, the Soviet Communist Party for the first time this week
released an estimate of its property holdings -- more than $8
billion -- most of it in real estate. But that doesn't even
include the vacation homes, special stores and health facilities
reserved for the party elite. Gorbachev has repeatedly vowed to
get rid of his party perks, but the system is still deeply
entrenched and deeply resented.
RATHER talks with Princeton University director of Soviet studies
STEVE COHEN:
RATHER:
Why doesn't Gorbachev take over as president, forget
about trying to run the party, take the property the party owns and
use it to operate the country?
COHEN: Terrific question. Only today a mile from here behind the
Kremlin on the river 4,000 radicals gathered and said to Gorbachev
at the top of their lungs, walk away from that horrible party.
Lead the country to reform at the present. But he can't do it.
Maybe he wants to do it. He can't, and for a simple reason:
There's a little democracy here, there's a little democracy there,
in Leningrad, but in the provinces the party is supreme. It has
everything in its hands -- the local police, the local militia, the
schools, the health care -- and until that party apparatus is
broken in the provinces, it might take five years, Gorbachev
couldn't rule the country in the provinces
(CBS-Lead)
NBC'S TOM BROKAW: Good evening from Moscow. While Americans
celebrate 214 years of freedom, this country is in the middle of
its second revolution of this century. The first one replaced one
form of tyranny with another, and now the Soviet people are
demanding liberation. The Soviet Communist Party continues to meet
here, trying to figure out how to deliver that without giving up
too much power.
---
BROKAW talks with U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union JACK MATLOCK
about differences between U.S. and Soviet political experience:
MATLOCK: The fact that our forefathers came specifically to come
to the United States to start a new life and because they could
find freedom there and build it, made it really easier -- with all
the difficulties we've had -- made it easier than to change a
culture in place which has not known freedom, and where you've
really got to break old habits as well as create new ones.
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