Page 2- The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, September 19, 1990 MANDELA Continued from page 1 President F.W. de Kierk and Mandela met twice last week and both say they want black-white talks on ending apartheid to move forward as quickly as possible. But the township battles, combined with the charges against Mrs. Mandela, make setbacks appear more likely than breakthroughs. Klaus von Lieres und Wilkau, at- torney general for the Johannesburg Supreme Court, had said he would await completion of the Richardson case before deciding whether to charge Mrs. Mandela. "After careful consideration of all the relevant facts, including possible implications beyond the normal le- gal ones, I have decided to prosecute Mrs. Mandela," he said in a state- ment. Thnere was no immediate comn- Tment from Mrs. Mandela or her hus- band. They have accused the govern- inent of using the case as a propa- ganda campaign against them and the ANC, the largest black opposition group. They have said they would welcome a chance for Mrs. Mandela to defend herself. She has denied any wrongdoing but has never given a full account of the episodes. An ANC statement refrained from criticizing the government and urged the news media to let the courts de- cide the case. Retail prices rise as" oil costs increase WASHINGTON (AP) - Sky- rocketing oil costs pushed retail prices up a sharp 0.8 percent last month as the Persian Gulf crisis be- gan hitting American's wallets, the government said yesterday. The seasonally adjusted increase in the Labor Department's Con- sumer Price Index was double the 0.4 percent rise in July and the largest since January, when a severe cold snap pushed prices up 1.1 per- cent. In a separate report signalling slackening economic growth, the Commerce Department reported the sharpest increase in the trade deficit since August 1982. Americans im- ported $9.33 billion more than they exported in July, up 75 percent from June. Analysts said the trade deteriora- tion was particularly worrisome be- cause it was recorded before Iraq's August 2 invasion of Kuwait sent oil prices, and thus the value of U.S. imports, spiraling. "We're looking at the worst of all possible worlds for the economy: worsening inflation and slower growth," said economist David Jones of Aubrey J. Lanston & Co., a gov- ernment securities dealer in New York. Financial markets turned down in response to the double dose of bad news. For the first eight months oF 1990, prices rose at a seasonally ad- justed annual rate of 6.2 percent, up sharply from the 4.6 percent rise dur- ing 1989. "Inflation is now at the worst pace in eight years," said economist Bruce Steinberg of Merril Lynch. "It is the worst since 1982, when the economy was coming out of double. digit inflation." The department attributed nearly half of the August increase to energy costs, up 4.3 percent. Gasoline prices rose 7.6 percent, while fuel oil prices jumped 15.4 percent after six consecutive declines. It was the steepest increase in both categories since January. Food inflation moderated. Prices held back by a decline in fruit and vegetable costs, rose 0.3 percent, the smallest since May. Fresh fruit prices tumbled 4 percent, but dairy costs rose 1.3 percent. Prices in other food categories also increased. Excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, prices rose a season- ally adjusted 0.5 percent after a 0.6 percent increase in July. That trans lates into an annual core inflation. rate of more than 6 percent, a persis- tently high rate to accompany an economic slowdown, analysts said. AP Photo Refugee family A Kuwaiti family moves about outside a tent at a makeshift refugee processing center at the Saudi- Kuwaiti border. Kuwaitis, who are used to a wealthy lifestyle, are finding themselves living in tents because of a lack of permanent shelter for them in Saudi Arabia. { e m m - -- ------ ., TiT.T ID-EINCI Europeans call for air embargo on Iraq /2 Price I Student Membership I Men's and Womo Now Farr 214 S. Main. " Ann Arbor (4 Blocks from Campus) I ___MMMMMMMM :, w,. 1 I U I I I U I I I U I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I by the Associated Press European nations, their anger at Saddam Hussein fueled by raids on their diplomatic compounds in Kuwait, demanded yesterday that the U.N. trade embargo on Iraq be ex- tended to the air as well as the sea. The decision reflected the grow- ing resolve among European leaders to punish Baghdad. It came a day after the European Community voted to expel Iraqi diplomats and restrict the movements of others. At the United Nations, officials said the five permanent members of the Security Council had worked out an agreement on terms of an air em- bargo and were hoping to get it passed by the full 15 member-coun- cil before Monday. Under the embargo, officials said, planes on their way to Iraq would not be forced down but could be challenged. The five permanent members are the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Britain, and France. In other developments yesterday, the U.S. government economic fig- ures for the month of August gave an idea of how the gulf crisis is tak- ing its toll at home: soaring energy prices. The flow of Kuwaiti refugees across the newly opened Saudi border thinned abruptly as news spread that Iraqi troops were seizing young hus- bands and sons from families as they tried to leave. Refugees said the erratic manner in which the Iraqis were treating them appeared part of a harsh cam- paign to break down their will to re- sist. Syria and Iran announced that President Hafez Assad would visit Tehran next week. Assad was ex- pected to try to persuade his Iranian allies to join the West and other Arab nations against Saddam. Moscow and Washington have been trying to sway Iran from a possible alliance with Iraq. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, em- phasized that its renewal of ties with Moscow, another former ally of Baghdad, should send a clear sign to Saddam. "When these two countries stand together for the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait... and identify their position in a common way, this, I believe, should give a mes- sage to Iraq that their position is un- tenable," the Saudi foreign minister said. Saudi Arabia has been the staging ground from some 150,000 U.S. troops that have been deployed since the August 2 Iraqi takeover of Kuwait. Jordan has tended to side with Iraq, its most important trading part- ner, and yesterday it received some harsh criticism from the State De- partment for acting as host to a radi- cal Palestinian guerrilla conference, where delegates have called for at- tacks on U.S. forces. en's Classes ming! 994-0333 *First 50 enrollments include uniform! o o o o oo o The Giorgio Armani Show he Giorgio Armani Fashion Consultant will be in our officE with the complete Armani line of frames and sunglasses Date: Thursday, September 20th Time:1-5 pm Location: Ann Arbor ContactLens Clinic 545 Church Street (on campus) Phone: 769-1222 Balfour College Rings One Hundred Reasons to Buy Your College Ring Assad to seek release of Western hostages JOSTENS GOLD RING SALE IS COMING! NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Syr- ian President Hafez Assad's visit to Tehran next week comes amid sig- nals from several quarters that some of the Western hostages held by pro- Iranian Shiite Moslem militants in Lebanon could be released soon. Diplomats in Damascus, the Syr- ian capital, said yesterday the plight of the hostages is one of the main topics Assad will discuss with Presi- dent Hashemi Rafsnajani and other Iranian leaders. In Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Iranian Ambassador Javad Mansoori told a news conference yesterday that an unspecified number of the 13 Westerners held in Lebanon might be freed "perhaps in the next few days." Pakistan, a Moslem state like Iran, has been used as an intermedi- ary with Iran by the United States. Mansoori gave no details but said that Tehran has received "promises" from Shiite zealots holding the cap- tives that some will be released. He did not name the groups. Most of the hostages - six American, four Britons, two West Germans and an Italian - are held by Shiite factions linked to the fundamentalist Hezbollah, or Party of God. It is Tehran's main ally in Lebanon. Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon and Iran's main Arab ally; has played a role in earlier hostage releases. Assad's visit to Tehran fol- lows talks in Damascus last weekO with Secretary of State James Baker III during which they discussed the hostage issue. Assad, long a maverick in the. Arab world, has sided with the United States in the Persian Gulf, crisis against his longtime Arab rt- val, Iraq. It is the first time Syria~a enai nd wt ahntni any Middle East conflict and Assadi, cast adrift from his longtime Soviet. mentor because of detente, is eager to establish new links with thp- West.}. Hopes that some hostages will be' freed have brightened since the Per- sian Gulf crisis set off by Iraq's Au- gust 2 invasion of Kuwait. atE £idlgTn ailg EDITORAL STAFF: Edtor in Chief Managing Editor News Editors Opinion Page Editor Asociate Edtors Weekend Editors Photo Editor Noah Finkel Krisns Lalonde Diane CookIan Hofman Josh Milick, Noee Vance David Schwatz Stphien Henderson, L MaMhw idler Ronan Lynch KeAn Woodson Jose Juarez Sports Editor Associate Sports Edtors Arts Editors Books, Rilm Music iet'"' ike GI Andy Gottesman, Davd Hyman, Eric Leman; Ryan Schreiber, Jeff Sheran Ksin Palm, Annee Ptirusso Cardyn Palar Jon Bilk Brent Edwards Forrest Green AlI Mary Beds Barber News: Ger Aumi, JosepineBalenger, Joanna Broder, Heaher Fee, Jule Foster, Chrisline Iloosta, Dan Poux, GI Renberg, Elsabeth Weistein, Donna Woodwel. Opinion: Tom Abowd, Mark Buchan, Lse Helbrunn, David Levn, Manuel lave, Chris Nordstom, Dawn Pauiinsdd, Aaron Robinson, Tony Siber. Sports: Andy Brown, Steve Cohen, Theodore Cox, Mat Dodge, Jeni Durst, Scott Erskine, Phi Gres, Albert Lin, Rod Lowenhal, John Nyo, Sarah Osbum, Mat Rennie, David Schecter, Ryan Schreiber, Jeff Sheran, Dan Zoch. Arts: Greg Baise, Brian Jarvinen, Mke Kuniavsky, Elzabeth Lenhard, David Lubliner, Mike Moltor, Kim Yaged, Photo: Andhony M. Cro, Amy Feldman, Krissy Goodman, Samanha Sanders, Kenneth Smnler, Weekend: PHiI Cohen, Mguel Cruz, Donna ladipalo, Jesse Waer, Fred Zinn. BUSNESS STAFF. Bushess Manager DioeWebs,, ClassifiedManager S,ve Taormina Display Sa ..s Mger Usa Greenberg Asiant Classified.Manager IimSb Assistant Sales Managr Cyrxh Peters Finance Manager Dan LiWalai 0. Order your college ring NOW. Stop by and see a Jostens representative, Monday, Sept. 17 thru Friday, Sept. 21, 11.flflrn m *toA.flflvm Save $100 on 18K, $60 on 14K and $40 cn 10K Pod1Arinc in crrf3t A-ci,c nhirn