The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 11, 2000 - 9A 'Palestinian leaders delay plans to declare statehood The Wshington Post GAZA CITY - Under concerted Israeli and international pressure, the Palestinian leadership yesterday abandoned plans to declare the establishment of an independent tate on Wednesday. Members of the Palestine Liberation Orga- nization 's 129-member Central Council stressed that their decision, which was expected, was not an indefinite postpone- ment of Palestinian statehood but was intended to give the troubled Middle East peace talks a few more weeks to bear fruit. Still, the council's move was the second such postponement in the past 16 months and it underlined a sense amoug Palestinians that they are powerless to achieve their national aspirations without Israel's express consent in a negotiated settlement. I.acking such an agreement. Israel had threat- ened to retaliate for any Palestinian declaration of statehood by annexing land it controls in the West Bank and bottling up workers and com- merce inside Palestinian-controlled areas. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, speak- ing to ABC News in New York before Sun- day's council decision, applauded a delay as "a positive sign." He added: "But we still have to have no illusions. We still have a lot of work to do." Negotiations between the two sides, which reached an impasse at Camp David in July despite intense U.S. mediation, have contin- ued in fits and starts and are expected to resume in the Middle East this week. There is broad agreement that with the Clinton administration in its 1I1th hour and Barak in deep political trouble, time might be run- ning out to conclude a sweeping peace deal. The United States said yesterday it would continue to try to help Israel and the Pales- tinians to reach an agreement on statehood. "We still recognize that there is a difficult road ahead but they have indicated that there may be follow-up discussion ... as early as this week," said National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley. "So we will contin- ue to look for ways to be supportive." Among Israelis and Palestinians, however, there are nearly universally pessimistic assess- ments of the chances for a breakthrough, and thoughtful people on both sides are saying flatly that it might be impossible to paper over con- flicting claims to sovereignty over Jersualem, the rights of refugees and other questions. In a statement issued at the conclusion of a two-day meeting yesterday evening, the Palestinian council set no new fixed date for a declaration of independence. However, it did call for progress reports on steps toward statehood -- including prepara- tions for new presidential and parliamentary elections and an application for full U.N. membership by Nov. 15. Palestinians had been vowing to declare a state by Sept. 13 since last fall, when the lat- est interim deal with Israel set that as the lat- est deadline for a sweeping peace deal to end a half-century's conflict. RUN Continued from Page 1A *un gave a chance for Bollinger to interact with and share his passion for exercise with the University Conmmun i- ty, said Jim Kosteva, director of commur- nity relations. Bollinger is often spotted jogging at campus facilities throughout the year. The run began as part of Bollinger's presidential inaugural events in 1997. Along the course, a small group of 9Michigan Marching Band members layed inspirational songs such as "Hail to the Victors" to encourage the runners. Kristine Komives, a financial and physical resources CPU, said she joined the other 139 participants because she likes the sense of commu- nity the run creates. "I do it because I like to be connected to the University. It's given me so much and it's nice to be able to participate in something like this," Komives said. When students asked Bollinger whether the three-mile run was as exhausting as teaching his course of the first amendment, Bollinger said the run didn't even compare. "This is only a half an hour," Bollinger said. "My class is 13 weeks:" Along with a wonderful afternoon of running, LSA junior Ross Smith participated in the race for the free T- shirt and free food. * Although the run was not officially a race, LSA sophomore Ryan Rettman, crossed the finish line first with a time of 17:09. When asked how he felt about finishing first, Rettman breathlessly responded, "It felt good. I liked the course." CANTOR Continued from Page 1A ,d out of the window after she was seen drinking at a fraternity party. ie also is suing the maker of the loft. Tests could not determine whether Courtney Cantor was legally drunk at the time of her death. There is also con- jecture of whether she had ingested the date-rape drug GHB. Trace amounts of the drug were found in her system, but because GHB is a naturally occurring ubstance in the body, levels could not proven to be abnormal. But it was a debate over the classifi- cation and worth of the documents, not the details surrounding Cantor's death that comprised Morris' ruling. "The court does not agree that inci- dent reports regarding other students, even if frequent or numerous, are rele- vant to whether the Regents provided education and counseling to Courtney Morris wrote. "That other students abused drugs or *ohol is not evidence that the Univer- sity did not educate them as to the dan- gers of drugs and alcohol: and even if it were some indication of the adequacy of the other student's education, it is not evidence as to what education or infor- mation Courtney received" Peters contended the information is classified as law enforcement records, and can be released as a result of Uni States v. Miami of Ohio, a case hich took place earlier this year. The judge in that case ruled that law enforcement records of students are not educational records. Morris ruled that the incident reports "clearly fall within the defini- tion of 'education records.' Each such report contains information directly related to a student or students ... and each report was prepared by a Resi- dent Advisor of Mary Markley Hall, * ing for the University." Cantor declined to comment yester- day and his attorney was unavailable. Paul Edwards; the University's lead counsel in the case, declined to com- ment on Morris' decision because it is part of ongoing court proceedings. Nuclear scientist to plead guilty in Los Alamos case AP PHOTO Senatorial candidate Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) waves to supporters as she makes her entrance at the Michigan Democratic Party State Convention on Saturday at Cobo Hall in Detroit. SENATE Continued from Page 1A plan through Medicare that would provide seniors with 50 percent coverage for prescription drugs - up to S2,000 per year - for a fee of S25 per month. Abraham's plan relies less on Medicare and allows pri- vate drug companies to compete with Medicare. Its benie- fits adjust depending on the recipient's level of income. All Medicare recipients with an income below S16,700 per year would have 100 percent of their prescription drugs paid for once they had spent SI,200 in one year. Those earning between S 16.701 and S33,400 per year would have to pay a S35 monthly fee for 100 percent drug coverage once they had spent S2,500 out of pocket. Those with higher incomes would pay up to S5.000 of their own money per year. The Abraham-Stabenow debate over tax cuts is also reflective of the presidential campaign. "This isn't about me. It isn't about Spencer Abraham:' Stabenow told delegates at the Michigan Democratic Convention on Saturday. "It's about ... whether we pro- tect Social Security and Medicare or use it to give tax breaks to the wealthy." She favors a tax cut for middle-class Americans, which includes reducing the so-called "marriage penalty," a child-care tax credit, a 53,000 tax break for those who provide long-term care to the elderly or disabled and a small-business pension fund tax credit. Her proposals aimed at the working class are reminiscent of Gore's eco- nomic plans for "the people, not the powerful." Abraham supports larger, George W. Bush-style tax cuts not limited to certain income brackets. Abraham has said he would eliminate the marriage penalty, lower the tax bracket for the working class by 7 percent and 2.8 percent for the highest income bracket. "We're actually looking and talking about issues the voter's care about," said Abraham campaign manager Joe McMongile. "Tax cuts are big." The Abraham-Stabenow race even has its own debate over debates. Stabenow wants Abraham to participate in three town hall-format debates. Abraham's campaign said Stabenow should agree to participate in a debate at the Detroit IEconomic Club. If Stabenow accepted, Abraham's campaign said it would consider further debates. Bush and Gore are currently embroiled in a battle over when, where and how many times they will debate. Bush's campaign had proposed individual network television debates as an alternative to the more formal debates sponsored by the Presidential Commission on Debates - an independent agency that has sponsored presidential debates since 1988. Gore's campaign said Bush's proposal was inadequate and insisted on debates held by the Commission. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AlP) -- Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was fired and jailed on charges of mishandling nuclear weapons secrets, has agreed to plead guilty to one charge and will cooperate with federal investigators, Justice Department sources said yesterday. Lee is expected to be released today after a plea hearing befoie U.S. Dis- trict Judge James Parker and be sen- tenced to time already'served, ending a 3-year-old case that has been marked by allegations of espionage and racial profiling. The accusations began as an offshoot of a Chinese espionage case with dire accusations that Lee had downloaded the "crown jewels" of American sci- ence, might be poised to hand them over to a foreign power and might even be spirited away by spies in helicopters. The government ultimately backed down from nearly all those charges. "Dr. Lee and his family are thrilled at the prospect that he may be released unconditionally tomorrow," defense attorney Mark Holscher said yesterday, adding that he cannot elaborate on terms of the settlement because they have not yet been filed. "Dr. Lee very much wants to go home to his family," he said. The government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a key turning point in the two months of plea discussions was Lee's willingness now to explain what happened to seven computer tapes he was accused of downloading sensitive information onto. Lee has said the tapes were destroyed, now he will better explain how, the officials said. "The location and fate of the tapes were always of paramount concern," one of the officials said. The sources said Lee will plead guilty to one of the 59 counts against him of unlawful gathering of national defense information. Lee also will agree to hold himself completely available for federal inves- tigators and cooperate with them over the next six months, the sources said, and it was expected that Lee would drop his allegations that prosecutors went after him because he is Chinese- American. "This is a favorable resolution," one of the sources said yesterday, adding that it was a good outcome for both sides. Lee was accused of downloading restricted material about nuclear weapons to unsecured conputers and tapes while working at Los Alamos National Laboratory. His trial had been set for Nov. 6, and he could have faced life in prison if convicted of all 59 counts. Lee has been jailed since his arrest Dec. 10. Prosecutors have said releasing Lee would be a risk because he could pass on the tapes or communicate their con- tents to foreign governments. Many scientific groups have protest- ed the conditions of the Taiwan-born Lee's arrest, saying he has been the target of ethnic and racial profiling by the government. "It's an astonishing development and an amazing retreat by the government. said Steve Aftergood, who directs the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C. "They had evidently decided he was not working in the interest of a foreign power or to the detriment of the United States." WANT TO WRITE FOR THE DAILY? COME TO A MASS MEETING AT 7 P.M. TOMORROW, THURSDAY OR NEXT MONDAY AT THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BUILDING. Lost caNEsh. One travel adventure you can live without. w U Institute for Social Research announces a Public Lecture Presented by Norman M. Bradburn Assistant Director National Science Fou.idation Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research Co-sponsored by the President's Information Revolution Commission , e'.ak 4} ::TII1 A3 ffi7 V t"( arA P,* ',"w c #',.T. f.u '.S". wa H blfChR~f J. 0&Y.t '3Jf J£ ._U (f Tb p it !/ _ ,. r,) rl. k c, ~ c ., z ,.kA 3.rrt .,s. Z A Boooc300 7^' ~~PL~S~ RAO i ~CTONS k';Y Friday, September 15, 2000 3:00-5:00pm Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, MI League Lecture followed by panel, commentary and open discussion Reception Immediately Following FULBRIGHT PROGRAM FOR STUDY & RESEARCH ABROAD The IE Fulbright programs support study abroad in over 100 countries, providing grants for research, study and travel for selected countries, and various other opportunities such as teaching assistantships. Travel smart. Carry American Express* Travelers Cheques. They're safer than cash. Whether you're surfing Baja, backpacking Europe, or just getting away for the weekend, American Express Travelers Cheques are the way to go. They're accepted