Page Four THE MICHIGAN DAILY Saturday, June 5, 1976
Board claims federal loans Lebanese officer supports
won't help New York City intrusion by Syrian troops
NEW YORK (AP) - Six
months after a federal loan pro-
gram set in motion an aid plan
for New York City, the board
monitoring its progress says
the plan won't work as it is now
designed.
Under the plan, the city was
to be restored to a sound fiscal
basis by mid-1978.
BUT A REPORT issued yes-
terday by the Emergency Fi-
nancial Control Board's execu-
tive director, Stephen Berger,
blamed faulty decision-making
and management systems for
mistaken revenue estimates and
budget cut proposals, most of
71-,
which were called unfeasible.
The report urged a complete
re-evaluation of the city's fiscal
progress with more attention
paid to long-term goals.
At the end of November, when
President Ford announced his
support for a program of fed-
eral loans to the city, it was
mandated that New York must
implement a fiscal reform pro-
gram in three years.
STATE AID PLANS were also
designed around that three-year
schedule.
11 uthere have been a series
of signals this week that the
program is in deep trouble.
!!,
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Potters Guild
Spring Sale
SUNDAY, June 6
9:00-3:00 p.m.
201 Hill Street
Waldstein Sonata
Featuring - Members of Contemporary Dunce Systems
of New York City
Featuring -- Philippe Vito of Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire
of Montreal
The University Dancers
June 10, 11, 12 8:00 P.M.
P .r C 1r or te Prrr g A
VIII
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1 -777-'
Sidney Schwarz, Gov. Hugh
Carey's watchdog over city
spending, said it was uncertain
that Mayor Abraham Beame
would 'be able to implement
$238.7 million of a proposed
$313.4-million cut in 1977 spend-
ing.
THE MUNICIPAL Assistance
Corp. (MAC) also cast doubt
on the mayor's plan - especi-
ally plans for a $1100 million
saving in welfare and Medicaid
costs and a hoped-for state take-
over of court and correctional
costs.
Welfare payments are set by
law, and the city can not cut
persons who qualify for welfare.
MAC, set up to convert the
city's short-term obligations in-
to its own long-term bonds, had
already seen them downgraded
by Moody's Investors' Service
fro "A" to 141."
AS A FIRST measure, the
control Board now wants to
order the city to identify $150
million in cuts it could actually
implement in fiscal 1977 and
spell out $75 million of them by
July 1 when that fiscal year
begins.
The Control Board also charg-
ed that the semiautonomous
Boards of Education and Higher
Education and the Health and
Hospital Corp. had gotten out
of city control and dir tedtthem
to submit financial ptan to the
Control Board.
Gov. Carey approved the re-
port's recommendations, while
the mayor called the criticisms
"unfounded, arbitrary, conclu-
sionary without facts."
RYAK, Lebanon (AP) - The
commander of Lebanon's main
air base declared support for
Syria's military intervention as
Syrian troops girded for a show-
down with leftist and Palestin-
ian forces.
Lt. Col. Fahim Haj, who con-
trols a dozen Hawker Hunter jet
fighters at this base in the
Bekaa Valley 35 miles east of
Beirut, said he and his 500 sold-
iers backed the Syrians because
"there is no other way to stop
the Lebanese from killing them-
selves."
SYRIAN SOLDIERS broke a
three-month siege of the Ryak
base by leftist Moslems and
Palestinian fighters in the Leb-
anese civil war. Haj had held
his men and planes out of the
conflict.
"We have kept out of this for
14 months," he said in an in-
terview.
"If things get really bad and
if it becomes absolutely neces-
sary, we will use the planes.,"
Syrian troops who moved into
eastern and northern Lebanon
last Tuesday also secured Leb-
anon's other major base, at Kle-
iaat in the far north. This brings
the air force's 36 planes, includ-
ing 10 unserviceable Mirages,
under Syrian control.
EXCEPT for one isolated at-
tack against Palestinians in Jan-
uary, the jets have not been
brought into the civiltwar. Sy-
rian control over the bases
means they will not be used
against the Syrians, and could
be used to support them.
Syrian tanks were seen yes-
terday at intersections along the
main highway between Beirut
and the Syrian capital of Da
mascus and on the sideroad t
Zahle, a nearby Christian town
of 50,000 also under siege anti
the Syrian takeover.
The forward Syrian r itio
lies 20 miles east of Beirut
low the key Dahr al Baidar pass
1,000 yards from the neare
leftist Lebanon machine gu
nest on the eastern side of t
pass.
BUT NOT A SHOT has bee
fired," said a Syrian army of
cer carrying a snake-skin-cr
ered swagger stick at the as
Syrian barrier.
Lebanese secuonly officia,
said other Syrian yaits ov
south to poise their tanks arosn
Palestinian guerrilla stronghal
near Nabatiyah, Sidon and Ha
baya. This was to put them
place for a quick strike if
confrontation with leftists a.
Palestinians becomes an allI
battle, the officials said.
But there were signs the Le
anese and their Palestinian
lies were looking for a va
out. Most Lebanese and ash
observersrbelieve the Syrian
mored forces would crusht
Leftist-Moslem-Palestinian co
ition in any showdown.
LT. AHMED EL-KHATIB, I
this past Thursday pledged
fight to the last drop of b
with his rebel soldiers ,n
Lebanese Arab Army, called f
negotiations with the Syrians
the ypresencerof Algerian .
Libyynofficers,
Palestinian leaders a
huddled to redefine their rn
tion, previously restricted
vows to defend the Paleotini
cause and the revolution "
all means."
Palestinian spokesmen in ei
at insisted their forces on
overlooking Zahle were :til
tying a Syrian warning ,os
out. Bit the Syrian ultiws:
was twice extended and negot
tions for a peaceful
tion were under way.
The Syrians apparetly
under orders to avoid
the Lebanese leftists and t'
Palestinian allies at all
and hopefully to restore seot'r
in Lebanon by a conbinatin
threat of force and subtle
gitiations.
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