Page 6-Tuesday, January 22, 1980-The Michigan Daily Deserting troops force Soviets to increase Afghanistan forces (Continued from Page 3) THE AIRLIFT coincides with reports from Afghan rebel sources and Asian and Western diplomats in Islamabad that Afghan army troops are deserting by the thousands. "It's reliable information," said -a Western diplomat in Pakistan. Two Afghan insurgent groups with spokesmen in Pakistan claimed late last week that 4,000 Afghan -soldiers from an army division based at Nahrin, in Baghlan province 120 miles north of Kabul, defected to the rebel side with their arms. Diplomatic sources say there have been numerous similar reports. "WHAT'S HAPPENING is that the Afghan army is suffering such rapid desertions that the Soviets are reaching the point where there will be no in= digenous forces to rely on," said one Western diplomat. The desertion reports cannot be in- dependently verified, although it was clear even before the Soviet interven- tion that many soldiers were aban- doning the government army. State Department spokesman Hod- ding Carter said the latest intelligence indicated severe winter weather and rebel attacks had kept the Soviets from reaching isolated garrisons of the Afghan army in northeastern Afghanistan, where the heaviest rebel resistance is reported. ELSEWHERE, THE Saudi gover- MINORITY GRDUATE SCHOOL S CAREER CONFERENCE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1980 10a.m.-5 p.m. MICHIGAN LEAGUE- Come and meet representatives from 100 business, industry and government organizations,. 10 public school districts and 30 graduate schools. nment said it considered the alleged reinforcement of Soviet and Cuban military presence in its neighbor South Yemen "as grave a threat as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan," according to the sources. Saudi leaders believe the Kremlin now is bent on consolidating its grip on South Yemen as part of a plan to encir- cle the Persian Gulf oil resources and vital shipping lanes, the sources added. The Saudis view the moves so alar- ming that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil-exporting nation, might soon put its entire 44,500-strong armed for- ces on alert, the sources said. THE DIPLOMATIC sources said the Saudi government of King Khaled relayed its warning to both Washington and London. The United States and Britain were told the Russian and Cuban reinfor- cements were flown to South Yemeni capital of Aden from Ethiopia, the Kremlin's major ally in the Horn of Africa, the sources said. South Yemen, on the Indian Ocean, and Ethiopia, in easternmost Africa, jointly control the strait that forms the entrance to the Red Sea. This is the shortest route for crude oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to the West. The gulf accounts for one-third of the world's oil supplies. The United States relies on Saudi Arabia's production of 9.5 million barrels a day to meet about 20 per cent of total American oil impor- ts. (Sponsored by Career Planning and Placement, Office of Student Services) ALUMNI ARE WELCOME ASK THEM WHYI AP Photo AFGHAN GUERRILLAS guard an Afghan government officer and a captured Soviet truck in Zabol, near the Iranian border. 0 President's State of the Union address: No '80 tax cut unless economy worsens From AP and UPI WASHINGTON-President Carter's State of the Union message to Congress released yesterday revealed he plans no tax cuts this year-although he may change his mind if the economy wor- sens-and will propose few new domestic programs for 1980. "My 1981 budget proposes no tax cuts. As long as double digit inflation continues and there is no sign of a recession, our top budgetary priority must be reduction of the deficit," Car- ter said. Carter also said he wants prompt ac- tion to deal with the crises in the Middle P v ' ? a. '} w k h I ^ . ' Ask VISTA volunteers why they work a year with residents of Chicago's Westside to set up cOmmllunlrity greenhouses. They'll probably say they're concerned for America's poor, they want to be involved in social change and hell) people learn to be advocates for resourses and services they need. Ask them: PLACEMENT OFFICE INTERVIEWS JANUARY 22-23, 1 980 INFORMLAT1N' JANDARY 22,23,24,a 19TA (313) 226-7928 IN DETROIT. Introductoy Discussions 0#7 the Rahe'/i faith Every Wed. and Thurs. thru January 31 SBs'i fCenter, 512 Packard St. 7:30 P.M. East, including enactment of a military and economic aid package for Pakistan which is threatened by the Soviet military action in Afghanistan. THE PRESIDENT- will deliver a shorter version of the constitutionally required annual message in a televised personal appearance to a joint session of Congress tomorrow night. In a 75-page written message, Carter pointed to Soviet intervention in Afghanistan as posing a threat "to the entire subcontinent of Asia," and declared: "We must pay whatever price is required to remain the strongest nation in the world." WHILE DECRYING the continued holding of U.S. hostages in Iran, Carter Your apaertment crmpd L m - -, - . 4, Taste the pride ofCanada. said his government would welcome "a new and mutually beneficial relation ship" with Iran once the prisoners were freed. "We have no basic quarrel with the nation, the revolution or the people of Iran," Carter said in what amounted to an oblique suggestion that the two countries make a fresh start in assessing their relations. He also reiterated his support for eventual ratifiction of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT IDwith the Soviets, calling it "the single most important bilateral accord of th4 decade." IN THE REALM of domestic policy, Carter promised a "responsible, restrained budget" and said he would "be limitin fn'iajor new proposals to a critical -few," iri part because Congress plans a foreshortened election year session. But the president suggested that ac- tion on his new initiatives, coupled with enactment of past proposals, "can help. to ensure stable prices and economicO growth, a return to energy security, an efficient, responsive government." Terming inflation "our most serious economic problem," the president said he saw "hope for a gradual reduction in the inflation rate" through public and private restraint and longer-term effor- ts to deal with the underlying causes. FOR THE MOST part, the message pushed for enactment of programs he proposed previously-such as the win- dfall oil profits tax and legislation protecting Alaska lands, which he called his "highest environmental priority" for 1980. Carter said his major new programs would be limited to: * A youth employment plan designed to put 500,000 more young people to work. *New general revenue-sharing legislation for cities and states: * A new program to help utilitie . convert from oil to coal. * Reorganization of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and nuclear safety proposals. * Approval of a standby gasoline rationing plan, authorized by legislation already passed by Congress. * Initiatives to respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Jill ) f ^ . A t ,{j' r , " Read the Daily Classifleds for the latest 'For Rent' info. SKIERS * Group Accommodaftions (20 or more) at Camp Sea-Gull in the w heart of Boyne Country * $28 per person/per weekend includes: -2 NIGHTS LODGING -2 BREAKFASTS. DINNER. 2 NIGHTLY SNACKS -LARGE SKIERS LODGE WITH T.V. LOUNGE -MINUTES TO BOYNE HIGHLANDS, BOYNE MT., NUBS NOB -MILES OF CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRAILS CALL 313-661-0060 U-M Department Theatre and Drama AUDITIONS January 25 - 27 FOR The Guest Artist Series production of e Re1apse by Sir John VanBrugh Directed by Dominic Cermele Opens April16 The Showcase Production of I' a' i