NATION/WORLD The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 2, 1998 7 U.S., North Korea resume talks Los Angeles Tunes WASHINGTON --U.. and North Korean negotiators met in New York yesterday for the first time in 16 months, resuming high-stakes talks that a jittery West hopes will rein in the her- mit nation's growing missile develop- ment and export programs. The two-day session comes just more than a month a tier the Communist regime surprised and angered its neigh- bors, as well as Washington, by launch- ing a satellite that the United States ini- tially believed to be a ballistic missile. Although the solid-fueled third stage of the rocket failed and the small satellite payload was destroyed, the rocket flew in an arc over Japan, raising fears in Tokyo of unexpected military vulnerability. "The three-stage (rocket) means they are much further along than we had thought, much further along," in etlrts to build long-range missiles, a senior U.S. official warned. ie called the Pyongyang regime "the only government in the world that's truly dangerous" to world peace because of its known nuclear potential and immediate military threat to South Korea, where the United States main- tains 37,000 troops. The CIA has told (oniress it did not foresee Pyongyan's ability to build a three-si agec rocket and that it considers North Korea's missile- development program the most advanced of any hostile state, ahead of both Iran and Iraq. In addition, CIA officials warned that later this y ear North Korea may test a 'epo DI ong-2 intercontinental ballis- tic missile with a potential range of up to 3,0U miles able to reach Alaska and ! lawaii. Intelligence officials also say North Korea earns desperately needed hard currency by selling an est imated SI billion a year of bal- listic-missi Ie technology and equip- ment to such countries as Iran and Syria. Another past customer is Pakistan, which detonated several underground nuclear devices in May in response to similar tests by India. The Aug. 31 launch by North Korea weakened alrea dy lukewarm congres- siona support for a landmark 94 pact that essenially pays Pyongyang to stop producing plutonium, which can be used for nuclear weapons. "The three-sage (rocket) meas they are much further along.3." - An unnamed senior U.S. official Under the so-called framework agreement. the United States promised to provide North Korea with 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year. South Korea and Japan agreed to pay the bulk of the esti- mated S4.5 billion for construction of two light-water nuclear power plants to replace North Korea's plutonium-pro- ducingreactors. But, angered by the rocket launch as well as the recent discovery of a vast underground site in the North that I .S. intelligence officials believe is being used for nuclear weapons development, Congress has refused to appropriate any money for the pro- gram next year. The White hlouse insists that the 1994 pact is the only effective mecha- nism to restrain Pyongyang's nuclear program and warns that a failure to meet U .S. commitments could incite Kim Jong II's regime to resume produc- tion of plutonium. As a result, President Clinton used his executive authority Wednesday to shift l5 million from anti-terrorism, nonproli fration and other programs to a program to buy 150,001 tons of heax y fuel for North Korea. So far this year, North Korea has received 216,000 tons; a State Department spokesperson said the shortfall from the agreed-upon 500,000 tons was being met by ship- ments from other countries. A I .S. team is heading to North Korea in coming weeks in an effort to gain access to the underground site where nuclear weapons development is suspected, a senior administration otfi- cial said yesterday The missile talks in a mid- Manhattan oil ice building are the first since June 1996. and the U.S. delega- tion was led by Assistant Secretary of State Robert Einhorn. The Korean group was led by I lan Chang On, a U.S. expert in Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry. Before Jack became a lantern United Nations Security Council President reads a statement on Kosovo last night condemning the massacre of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. White House 'discusses airstries Tl'he Washington Post President Clinton's chief foreign policy advisers went to Capitol I lill yesterday to lay out the administra- tion's case for airstrikes against Yugoslavia for its military campaign in Kosovo province and came away with strong although not unanimous support from the Senate, according to lawmakers. After a two-hour, closed-door briefing, Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told reporters that NAto was ready to act to stop Serb attacks on the etlhnic Albanian majority in Kosovo it' a diplomatic solution was not reached soon. "'Ihe combined threat of the use of force and diplomacy is the best way of proceeding," Albright said. The United States has been "working to get NATO ready and NATO( is pre- pared to act," she added. Cohen outlined a number of steps that the Serbs must take to avoid a mil- itary strike, including pulling back their armed forces and police, allow- ing delivery of humanitarian aid, per- mitting return of displaced persons and negotiating a settlement of the hostilities. He said Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic should under- stand he faces a "credible military threat" if he fails to meet these terms. Asked about the deadline for com- pliance, Cohen said, "Soon." The session, which was also attend- ed by Clinton's national security advis- er, Samuel "Sandy" Berger, attracting most of the Senate in what participants described as a reflection of the high level of concern over Kosovo and the U.S. response to its plight. House members will be briefed on the subject today. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) said after the session that he was sur- prised by the high degree of support from both parties for tough NAIO action. While support was not unani- mous, he said, most of the criticism came from senators who "thought we were losing our credibility by six months of wavering" over what to do. Some others wanted to give diploma- cy more of a chance or worried over the financial cost, he said. "A clear majority of those who spoke were supportive ... I was quite encouraged," said Lieberman, an Armed Services Committee member who describes himself as a "hawk" when it comes to military action against Yugoslavia. Lieberman said Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, suggested that Congress might pass a resolution of support for airstrikes before it adjourns in a week or so. The administration entourage, in line with its view that congressional approval is not required for such military action, said it would welcome such a vote but was not officially requesting it. Lieberman said. NATHAN RUFFER/ Daily Surrounded by a festive fall scene and decorated scarecrow, seven-year old Christine Pate finds a pumpkin at Dixboro General Store to show her mother. Now that October has come, Pate is preparing for Halloween, Arguments begi in Mike Espytra The W ashington Post WASI INGTON Former agriculture secre- tary Mike Espy knew he wasn't supposed to accept plane rides, sporting tickets and other gift, from lobbyists, independent counsel Donald Smaltz said in opening arguments yesterday at Espy's trial. And yet he did so repeatedly, Smalt/ charged, disdaining ethics laws as "a bunch of junk." Smaltz's comments started a day of rhetorical jabs at the start of Espy's trial on 38 felony charges of corruption in U.S. District Court here. prompting a rebuttal by defense lawyer Ted Wells, who accused prosecutors of stretching the truth to build an unfair case. Although Espy made mis- takes, Wells said, he took gifts out of friendship and not to grant favors "Ile is not a crook,"Wells repeatedly declared. Fs:py, who was President Clinton's first secre- tary of agriculture, listened attentively at the defense table as Smallz and Wells spent much of the day giving jurors a preview of a trial expected to last eiuht weeks. So many witnesses will be called that U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina is taking the unusual step of putting their names and pictures in a special notebook so jurors can recall everyone- Yesterday, however, was a day for the lawyers to showcase their oratorical skills. "Mr. Espy wasn't really concerned about his ethical responsibilities.'said Smaltz, whose S17.4 million investigation into Espy's dealings has led to more than a dozen convictions of companies and individuals. To the contrary.Smaltz said, Espy openly derided them as junk in a conversation early in his tenure with a fellow high-level Clinton administration official. Smaltz did not name the official. however, oth- ers familiar with Smaltz's investigation identified the person as Carol Browner, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Smaltz plans to call her as a witness, possibly today. In his opening statement. Smaltz walked through a detailed account of Espy's gift-taking from his appointment as secretary in January 1993 until his forced resignation in December 1994. 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FDA approves new pill for gum disease IA WASHINGTON (AP) -- Millions of Americans with advanced gum disease are about to get the first pill to fight the leading cause of tooth loss. The government's approval of Periostat won't end the scraping away of hardened plaque that patients now endure, but the pill did significantly improve their gums in tests --and might make dental visits less painful. "This is a whole new concept" in treating gum disease, said Dr. Sebastian Ciancio. past president of the American Academy of Periodontology, who stud- ied Periostat at the State University of New York, Buftalo. "For the first time, we have a di-ug that helps the body begin to heal." IUntil now, periodontal treatments have focused just on attacking the bac- teria that cause g.um disease. But scientists at SfJNY's Stonybrook campus accidentally discovered that bacteria aren't the whole problem. The mouth reacts to the germs with inflam- mation that literally breaks down the gums and eventually the bones that hold teeth in place. Periostat suppresses the enzyme responsible for that breakdown, so the pill --together with scraping away hardened bacteria ----helps slow, or per- haps even halt, gum disease. Finding that enzyme's role "was the eureka discovery," recalled lead researcher Dr. Lorne Golub. Using Periostat daily, "it looks like we've arrested the disease in cases where patients were told by their dentists that they were probably going to lose their teeth." Manufacturer CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals announced the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Periostat yesterday, saying the pill - available by prescription only ----will be on pharmacy shelves within two months. FLORIDA SPRING BREAK Sandpiper-Beacon Beach Resort. Panama City Beach, FL. From $159 per person. 3 pools, 1 indoor pool/lazy river ride. Huge beachfront hot tub. 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Beneficial also to people BILL Continued from Page 1 tion ballot -- the first county wide pro- posal of its kind in the state of Michigan - would raise $3.5 million, with half going to purchase development rights on agricultural land. The rest of the funds would be allocated to urban revi- ballot proposals pass. Michigan will become a model for states across the nation. "This is a unique opportunity for city and country to work together," Laurie said. "People will not move to new areas being developed and will be forced to reinvest in our cities." Agriculture is the second largest sec- our big tractor. How do you explain urban sprawl to a 7-year-old?" Archer said strong cities ensure viable markets for Michigan's agricul- tural products. He said he hopes Clean Michigan and Proposal 1 will be the start of a long-term dialogue. "On the week of Oct. 12, each of (the 12 core cities' mayors) have made a Michigan Initiative because the state can afford to devote more funds to envi- ronmental causes in a time of strong economic growth. "I am bothered by the idea that some of these "brown" sites are left dir.ty, Engler said. "We can afford to borrow the money, we're putting in place a fund source for the next couple years while