6PORmTS
N Women's basketball recelves
first NCAA bid
M Hockey awaits word on bir
*A took at Rumneal Robinson
O I a .
ARTS
is Thec coid wvr rams
I
tv
Ninety-nine years of editorial freedom
A
W Vol. C, No. 106
Ann Arbor, Michigan - Monday, March 12, 1990
Copyght?1990
The Michigan Daily
pIAAAIIpIIIIIIUIIIINIIUNIWIIIpAW 111flIIIlUAAAtlIMIMflpIAflXflIIIAIIg11Wflfl bAAYA kXNlgll
Lithuania
declares
itself
indepedent
Parliament votes to end Soviet control
VILNIUS, U.S.S.R. (AP) -
The Lithuanian parliament voted
yesterday to break away from the
Soviet Union and regain the inde-
pendence the Baltic republic lost
when it was forcibly annexed by the
Kremlin 50 years ago.
Legislators joined hands, raised
them over their heads, and chanted
"Lithuania!" after the vote. It was
124-0.
Outside, a small crowd broke into
wild cheers. Earlier, the crowd ripped
down a metal Soviet crest from the
outside door of the legislative build-
ing and carted it away. Some
stomped on it.
"That's the end of the Soviet
regime," said a jubilant deputy look-
ing on.
"Expressing the will of the peo-
ple, the Supreme Council of the Re-
public of Lithuania decrees and
solemnly declares the restoration of
the exercise of the Sovereign powers
of the Lithuanian state, which were
annulled by foreign force in 1940,"
said the legislative decree.
"And from this moment, Lithua-
nia again become a sovereign state,"
it said.
The move was not immediately
recognized or sanctioned by
Moscow, and legislators acknowl-
edged that full independence would
only by won after long, difficult ne-
gotiations with the Kremlin leader-
ship.
In Washington, White House
press secretary Marlin Fitzwater said
the United States will urge the So-
viet government to "respect the will
of the citizens of Lithuania."
Earlier, the Lithuanian lawmakers
elected the first non-Communist
president of a Soviet republic. The
Lithuania Supreme Soviet also
changed the republic's name from
the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Re-
public to the Republic of Lithuania
as a precursor to declaring indepen-
dence.
The outgoing president of the
Lithuanian parliament predicted a
vote for secession could have a
"contagious effect" on other re-
publics.
The parliament, Lithuania's first
freely elected elected, hurriedly con-
vened Saturday night, even before
runoff elections to decide all 141
seats had been concluded. The par-
liament chose to convene with a
minimal quorum it could vote on in-
dependence before a crucial meeting
today of the Soviet Congress of
People's Deputies.
At the meeting, national legisla-
tors are expected to widely expand
the powers of the president to allow
him to suspend republic parliaments
and take over administration of a re-
public.
Catching up
This life-like statue in Detroit's Grand Circus Park Station is one of several works of art adorning the different
"People-mover" stations. The "People-mover" is an above ground transportation system linking several
different areas of Detroit.
Peres threatens to end Israel's coalition gov't
Jerusalem (AP) - Israel's Cabi-
net again failed to decide on a re-
sponse to U.S. peace proposals yes-
terday, and Prime Minister Yitzhak
Shamir blamed the United States for
upsetting peace efforts with recent
comments about the status of
Jerusalem.
An angry Vice Premier Shimon
Peres left the nearly three-hour ses-
sion of the 12-member Inner Cabinet
after Shamir refused to call a vos :
and announced that a few more dal,
of debate were needed.
Peres, head of the Labor Party,
said he would seek a free hand from
his party to break up the coalition
government. Shamir, leader of the
Likud bloc, indicated he was open to
compromise and vowed to do all he
could to save the government.
After nearly six months of dis-
cussing U.S. proposals, the Labor
leader said he viewed the lack of a
decision as a rejection.
"What happened in the Cabinet
today, no doubt, put an end to the
possibility of conducting the peace
process... and put an end to the rea-
son behind the National Unity Gov-
ernment," Peres said after the ses-
sion.
His actions made it almost im-
possible for the 15-month-old coali-
tion government to continue without
deciding soon whether to accept
U.S.-sponsored peace talks with
Palestine.
Prominent Palestinians also ex-
pressed exasperation at Israeli leaders
who, for the second week in a row,
failed to come to a decision on
whether to start a peace dialogue.
Faisal Husseini, a prominent
Palestinian who has been mentioned
as a possible negotiator, said: "When
they decide, yes or no, we would
have something to talk about. But a
government that cannot decide any-
thing is just blocking the way."
After caucusing with Labor Cab-
inet ministers, Peres announced he
would ask the party's 1,300-member
central committee today to empower
the 39 Labor members of Parliament
to "take the necessary steps."
The wording indicated Peres was
seeking a flexible mandate that
would give him room to coordinate a
joint policy with Likud or vote in
favor of a no-confidence motion that
would bring down the government.
Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin,
a Labor leader who has favored keep-
ing the coalition together, said the
burden was now on Likud to come
up with an acceptable solution.
He noted he had proposed a com-
promise, which involved giving
Washington a positive answer and
then hammering out an agreed La-
bor-Likud position on outstanding
issues.
"Now it is (Likud's) turn," he
said. "The way I see it is the peace
process is stuck."
Speaking on Israeli Television,
Shamir chastised Peres for seeking a
"hasty" decision.
"What's the hurry? To break up
the unity government which we have
built with such efforts? So what if
the discussion takes another day or
week, will the world take over?"
Secretary of State James Baker's
proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian
meeting are meant to further Israel's
proposal for Palestinian elections as
a step toward peace. The Israeli plan
was accepted in May.
Sporadic violence
follows resignation
of Haitian ruler
New Chilean
leader installed
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)
- Soldiers firing from a speeding
truck killed five people yesterday in
sporadic violence that followed the
resignation of Haiti's military ruler,
Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril, radio reports
said.
Early yesterday, soldiers in a
speeding pickup truck opened fire on
pedestrians in downtown Port-au-
Prince, killing five people, and then
removed the bodies, independent Ra-
dio Metropole said.
Radio reports Saturday said sol-
diers killed eight youths who at-
tacked the home of special police
agent Marc Antoine in the Carrefour
suburb after Avril resigned.
Maj. Gen. Herard Abraham, the
army chief of staff, assumed control
after Avril stepped down Saturday.
He promised to hand power within
72 hours to a panel led by a civilian
president, which would organize
* elections.
Thousands of people streamed
into the streets Saturday to celebrate
Avril's downfall, and scattered vio-
lence soon broke out. Roving gangs
of youths put up flaming tire barri-
cades and reportedly ransacked the
homes of at least three prominent
sympathizers of the Avril and Duva-
lier regimes.
A hospital spokesperson said his
facility received 11 bodies and treated
100 people, mostly for gunshot
wounds, since Saturday. Reports of
other deaths came from radio reports.
Meanwhile, opposition politi-
cians sought guarantees from the
caretaker administration that there
would be a transition to democratic
rule, with early elections for a civil-
ian government.
It would be the first civilian gov-
ernment since Haiti achieved inde-
pendence from France in 1804.
Avril was said to be secluded at
his suburban Port-au-Prince home.
Diplomatic sources speaking on
condition of anonymity said Avril
might leave the country in a matter
of days.
VALPARAISO, Chile (AP) -
Gen. Augusto Pinochet surrendered
rule to elected President Patricio
Aylwin yesterday, ending 16-and
one-half years of military rule and
completing South America's trans-
ition to civilian government.
To thunderous applause and
cheers, Aylwin put on the red, white
and blue presidential sash in a cere-
mony in this seaport city, 70 miles
northeast of Santiago.
To begin his presidency, Aylwin
pardoned all political prisoners under
the Pinochet regime.
Pinochet shook the new presi-
dent's hand at yesterday's inaugura-
tion and then quickly left the hall,
where his entrance sparked compet-
ing chants of "Pinochet! Pinochet!"
and "Murderer! Murderer!" from the
galleries.
Upon his arrival for the cere-
mony, a group of protesters tossed
tomatoes, stones and other objects at
Pinochet's open-too limousine and
shouted insults.
The car, surrounded by military
bodyguards, momentarily sped up.
The car bumped into a soldier on
horseback, but no injuries were re-
ported.
A military band saluted Pinochet
as he left the ceremony. The army
general stays on as chief of the
60,000-member army, despite a re-
quest from Aylwin that he give up
that powerful post.
The inaugural ceremony took
place in a half-finished congressional
palace being built to house an
elected senate and house of deputies,
which also assumed power yesterday.
Under Pinochet, a military junta had
acted as the legislature.
Aylwin won elections in Decem-
ber, a Christian Democrat, he is
backed by a coalition of 17 centrist
and leftist parties.
He has vowed to restore respect
for human rights and civil liberties
and put more emphasis on social
services for the poor. But he plans
no major changes in Pinochet's
largely successful free-market eco-
nomic program.
Pinochet was obliged to call the
election when voters, in a 1988 ref-
erendum, rejected an extension of his
rule to 1997.
Pinochet seized power in a
bloody 1973 coup, ending a long
democratic tradition in Chile.
The final game
Rumeal Robinson drives to the basket in the first half of Michigan's final
home game vs. Iowa. Michigan won 127-96.
I
'U' professional schools place
near top of magazine survey
US News professional school rankings
Business
1. Stanford
2. Harvard
3. Pennsylvania
Engineering
1. MIT
2. Stanford
3. Illinois-Urbana
Law
1. Yale
2. U of Chicago
3. Stanford
Medical
1. Harvard
2. Johns Hopkins
3. Duke
by Josephine Ballenger
tently ranked in the top group of profes-
of the other top universities.
I
i
::
I