2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 6, 1999 NATION/WORLD Lan i1nk to jo1n GazaWs Bank JERUSALEM (AP) - Ayman September under which Israel must Lubedeh hasn't been home to the Gaza hand over I I percent of the West Bank Strip to see his parents and siblings in to Palestinian rule and release 350 secu- six years. rity prisoners, in exchange for Lubedeh, 29, lives with his wife and Palestinian security measures. son in the West Bank, where he works Israel's Prisons Authority said at a hospital in Ramallah. Israel has Tuesday it was set to release the second refused to let him cross its territory to group of prisoners -- a total of 151 get to Gaza, citing security concerns, inmates - by Thursday, a day ahead of and Lubedeh has had to make do with schedule. frequent phone calls home. His family The safe passage gives the even missed his wedding two years Palestinians, especially the I million ago. residents of fenced-in Gaza, greater That will soon change after Israel and freedom of movement. the Palestinians agreed yesterday to Until now, permits to travel through establish a land link between the West Israel were difficult to obtain and were Bank and Gaza. usually valid for only a few days. The 28-mile route through Israel will Large groups of people were ineligi- enable Palestinians for the first time to ble, including young single men and travel relatively freely between the two those once held on suspicion of anti- areas they control, boosting prospects Israeli activity. for eventual statehood. Under the new arrangement, every- Israeli and Palestinian negotiators one is eligible in principle, though signed an agreement yesterday on how Israel reserves the right to turn down to operate the so-called safe passage applicants. that is to open next week. Despite last- Former Palestinian security minute disputes and delays - the detainees, who in the past would have route was to have opened last week - been unable to make the trip, can now both sides said the agreement helped travel twice a week in special buses, improve relations after three years of under Israeli police escort. deadlock. - Palestinians will also be allowed to "Viewed from the experience of use their own cars for the first time. these talks, I see that we can rapidly get The route, extending from the West back to business, and resume the spirit Bank village of Tarkoumiya to Gaza's of mutual trust," Israeli negotiator Erez Crossing, will be open every day Shlomo Ben-Ami said. '"This is exact- from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Palestinians will ly what Chairman Arafat told me yes- apply for permits to the Palestinian terday." Authority, which will present the names The land route is part of the latest to Israel for final approval. The permits interim peace accord reached in are valid for a year, a Palestinian offi- OND THE NATION Clinton approves pay hike for military WASHINGTON - President Clinton signed a $289 billion defense bill yesterday that includes a pay raise and other incentives the Pentagon hopes will attract more recruits and keep today's troops in uniform longer. "We owe you the tools you need to do the job and the quality of life you and your families deserve," Clinton told a couple hundred service membei at a brief ceremony on the steps of the Pentagon overlooking the Potorw River. He said the pay package, including a 4.8 percent across-the-board raise effective Jan. I and a change in pay scales effective next July, represents the biggest increase in compensation in a generation. "The excellence of our military is the direct product of the excellence of our men and women in uniform," he said. "This bill invests in that excel- lence." Clinton was joined in the ceremony by Defense Secretary William Cohen and the uniformed service chiefs and civilian service secretaries. "This bill says that the dedication and sacrifices of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, frequently deployed far from home and family defense of our security interests around the world, are understood and app ciated," said Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. AP PHOTO Israeli Minister of Internal Security Shlomo Ben-Ami (left) and Palestinian Authority Minister of Civil Affairs Jamil Tarifi shake hands after signing an agreement yesterday that will create a land link between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. cial said. During the talks on the safe passage agreement, the Palestinians raised con- cerns that Israel would seize wanted Palestinians along the route. Israel assured the Palestinians that while it would not compromise on its sovereignty, it would not try to trap Palestinians, said Palestinian negotiator Jamil Tarifi. But Lubedeh, who works as a hospi- tal nurse in the West Bank town of Ramallah, said he wanted to see how others fared before he applied for a travel permit. Lubedeh last visited his parents and six brothers and sisters in Gaza in 1993 and then had difficulties getting a return permit to the West Bank. Since then, Israel has denied him travel permits, apparently because he was detained several times during 1987-1993 uprising against Israeli occupation. Lubedeh said he fears he could get held up in Gaza again. LIKE TO WRITE? JOIN THE DAILY. CALL 76-DAILY TO FIND OUT HOW. High Court looks at campaign finance WASHINGTON - The future of campaign finance reform appeared to be in some doubt yesterday, as the Supreme Court's five conservative jus- tices questioned whether government- mandated contribution limits violate the First Amendment rights of candi- dates and their supporters. For an hour yesterday, the justices heard competing lawyers argue about whether Missouri can set a $1,075 per year limit on how much candidates receive from individual contributors. But the dispute quickly turned into a larger debate over the role of money in politics. Does democracy demand that all citizens have a roughly equal voice and that the wealthy do not have undue influence ? Or instead, does the Constitution's guarantee of freedom of speech demand that the government step aside and leave individuals free to support candidates as generously as they choose'? All nine justices joined in the debate and, judging from their comments, they seemed closely split. The four liberal-leaning justices took up the side of contribution limits. "A big megaphone can drown out the smaller ones," Justice Stephen Bre said. Short-term rates remain unchanged WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve officials, focusing more on the nation's very low inflation than on its continuing strong economic growth, decided yes- terday to leave short-term interest rates unchanged. But the central bank's policymak4 group, the Federal Open Market Committee, signaled its concern about the possible inflationary consequences of strong growth with a statement that the FOMC is leaning toward a possible rate increase in the future. But, in the statement, the FOMC also "emphasized that such a (stance) did not signify a commitment to near- term action." Teach English in junior and senior high schools in Japan Learn about Japanese culture and people Gain international experience / Ye Ap~ouID TH WORL { 0I * Have an excellent command of the English language " Obtain a bachelor's degree by July 16, 2000 " Be a U.S. citizen * Be willing to relocate to Japan for one year The Easiest Exam You'll Ever Have *no books *no notes .no prerequisites call Dr. Juan F. Johnson at 213-0700 for a free dental exam and consultation thru 10/28/99 '9 a** 22 exposed to radiation in S. Korea SEOUL, South Korea - Radioactive water leaked inside a South Korean nuclear power plant dur- ing repair work, exposing 22 workers to small amounts of radiation, the govern- ment said yesterday. About 12 gallons of so-called "heavy water" was leaked during the accident Monday evening at a nuclear plant in Wolsung, 190 miles. southeast of the capital Seoul, the Science and Technology Ministry said in a statement. It said the radioactive water was con- tained inside the plant and did not escape into the environment. The mishap followed neighboring Japan's worst nuclear accident, in which at least 49 people were exposed to radiation last week. The town of Tokaimura was temporarily closed down amid heightened fears about the safety of Japan's nuclear plants. Those exposed to radiation in the Wolsung accident were employees of the state Korea Electric Power Corp., which runs three nuclear reactors in Wolsung. The Canadian-designed reactors use heavy water to generate electricity. Heavy water behaves like ordip water, but it contains a heavier verse of hydrogen. It is not naturally radioac- tive, but as it circulates in pipes it can pick up traces of radioactive metals, Faster U.N. control sought in E. Timor UNITED NATIONS - Secretary General Kofi Annan asked the U.N. Security Council to accelerate the ha* over of authority in East Timor from an Australian-led force to a U.N. peacekeep- ing mission, which could result in hun- dreds of millions of dollars in added costs for the United States. The cost of the about 8,000 troops now patrolling East Timor is being paid by the countries that contributed them, with Australia bearing the largest burden and the United States a relatively small one. - Compiled from Daily wire repo* The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $100. Winter term (January through April) is $105, yearlong (September through April) is $180, On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and the Associated Collegiate Press. 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