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The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 5, 2001- 7

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Blair: 'Absolutely no doubt'
bin Laden was responsible

The Washington Post
LONDON - Prime Minister Tony
Blair laid out the case for the prosecu-
tion against Osama bin Laden yesterday,
arguing that statements from bin Laden
and one of his close lieutenants, plus the
modus operandi of the crime, leave
"absolutely no doubt" that bin Laden
"planned and carried out the atrocities
on 11 September."
Addressing a strongly supportive
British Parliament, Blair said "over-
whelning" evidence compiled by West-
ern intelligence agencies shows that "at
least three of these hijackers have
already been positively identified as
known associates of bin Laden, with a
track record in his camps and organiza-
tion.... Of the three, one has also been
identified as playing key roles in both

the East African embassy attacks and
the USS Cole attack."
Blair said the evidence makes a com-
pelling case as well that bin Laden and
his al-Qaida organization "were able to
commit these atrocities because of their
close alliance with the Taliban regime in
Afghanistan."
The prime minister said Britain will
join the United States on the battle line if
military force is used against bin Laden
and the Taliban. He said British military
leaders have discussed "a range of mili-
tary capabilities" to respond to the
attacks on New York and Washington.
Opinion polls show that the British
people overall clearly back military
action, but there have been some voices
here - including liberal members of
Blair's own Labor Party - opposing the
use of force and questioning bin Laden's

guilt. Blair called yesterday's one-day
Parliamentary debate in part to respond
to the dissenters in his own party.
The prime minister opened the argu-
ment with a detailed statement of evi-
dence that makes it clear, he said, that
bin Laden was responsible.
Laying out intelligence acquired after
the attacks, Blair summarized the case
for Parliament: "Before 11 September,
bin Laden told associates that he had a
major operation against America under
preparation; a range of people were
warned to return to Afghanistan because
of action on or around 11 September;
and most importantly, one of bin
Laden's closest lieutenants has said
clearly that he helped with the planning
of the 11 September attacks and has
admitted the involvement of the al-
Qaida organization."

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TERROR
Continued from Page 1
Afghanistan," she said, taking questions from members of
the U.S.-Russia Business Council. "We will work hard with
the U.N. and our partners on the reconstruction of
Afghanistan when there is a government in Afghanistan that
can give the Afghan people better than they currently get."
For the moment, however, attention is focused on the
immediate need for food, shelter and medical care. The aid
program Bush announced Thursday, and an additional $20
million announced last week, would nearly double the more
than $170 million in U.S. humanitarian assistance granted
to Afghanistan during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Although the U.S. Agency for International Development
did not immediately provide a breakdown, the new money
would pay for food, medicine and other assistance distrib-
uted inside Afghanistan, and td help prepare new camps in
Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan for the expected
surge in refugees.
The first priority is to reduce Afghan death rates, USAID
Administrator Andrew S. Natsios said in a State Depart-
ment briefing on the program. "In some villages in
Afghanistan, six to eight people are dying a day per 10,000

people," he said, a rate at which 30 percent of the popula-
tion of 27 million would die within a year.
Food donated by the United States and other countries is
distributed inside Afghanistan by local Afghan employees
of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and a
network of international relief groups. All food distribution
was stopped, and foreign staff pulled out of the country,
after last month's terrorist attacks. The WFP resumed ship-
ments with a truck convoy from Pakistan last Sunday, and
an additional three convoys are headed into northern
Afghanistan, where hundreds of thousands of people are
expected to run out of food by the end of the week.
Afghans working for the WFP have been banned by the
Taliban from using outside communications equipment, and
transportation is increasingly difficult. In addition to trucks
and donkey caravans, both the U.S. military and the WFP
have drawn up plans for air drops of food, if it becomes nec-
essary. A Pentagon spokesman said Thursday that U.S. mili-
tary cargo planes would be protected by fighter escorts.
In addition to the direct food aid, the United States plans
to set up food distribution depots in neighboring countries
where merchants purchase commodities to sell inside
Afghanistan in hopes of flooding the market and driving
down prices in large Afghan cities and towns.

CRASH
Continued from Page 1
straight line, following the trajectory
of the wreckage into the depths.
Shortly after the crash, Putin told a
delegation of European justice minis-
ters that "it is possible that it is the
result of a terrorist act." Other Russian
officials said terrorism was the main
focus of the investigation.
"Against the background of the fight
against international terrorism, naturally
this version must be considered," said
Alexander Zdanovich, the spokesman
for the Federal Security Service, refer-
ring to the Sept. 11 terror attacks against
U.S. targets and Russia's involvement in
the anti-terrorist campaign.

Putin said he believed Ukraine when
it said a missile from its military exer-
cises did not bring down the flight.
"The weapons that were being used
during this exercise could not reach
the area where our Tu-154 was flying,"
he said. "What I told you as of this
moment is based on what our Ukrain-
ian partners have told us and we don't
have any reason not to trust them."
However, a U.S. Defense Depart-
ment official in Washington, speaking
on condition of anonymity, said a
long-range anti-aircraft missile,
believed to be an S-200, appeared to
have hit the plane after being launched
from the Crimean region of Ukraine.
The surface-to-air missile, can fly
faster than three times the speed of

sound, has a range of up to 185 miles
and can hit targets above 100,000 feet,
according to military publications.
The exercises were conducted on
Cape Onuk, in Crimea, about 160
miles from the site of the crash - ter-
ritory controlled by the Russian Black
Sea Fleet. Ukrainian anti-aircraft,
navy, rocket forces, aviation and
artillery took part as well as shore-
based forces and a guard ship. Ukrain-
ian officials said Russian forces were
taking part in the exercise, but Putin
denied it.
Part of the exercise involved firing
on an unmanned aircraft. Ukrainian
officials said it was impossible that a
missile fired during the exercises
brought down the passenger plane.

SEARCH
Continued from Page 1
really without missing a beat," he said.
Harrison shared Lehman's optimistic outlook.
"I don't think that things slowed down," he said. But, he
added, "you don't see bold new initiatives."
University Deputy General Counsel Liz Barry said
Bollinger's departure will not affect the course of the law-
suits challenging the University's admissions policies. A
hearing on both the Law School and LSA cases is sched-
uled to be heard Oct. 23 by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
in Cincinnati.
"President Bollinger set us on a great course in terms of
defining the affirmative action litigation and that course is
now set, so I don't think it will change," Barry said. "Leader-
ship at every level - the regents, the executive officers and
the deans - has a commitment to diversity on this campus."

COLD WAR
Continued from Page 1
playing our game and improving this week."
Berenson anticipates a close game this weekend between
two of the nation's top programs and most bitter rivals.
"The difference is going to be a great shot here, a good
bounce there," Berenson said. "The little things will decide
the game. I really don't think there is a big difference
between the two teams."
Michigan should get a boost tomorrow when its alternate
captain and leading scorer, Mike Cammalleri, returns from
a hip flexor injury.
"I feel good. It hasn't bothered me since last week," Cam-
malleri said after he competed in a full practice Wednesday.
"I'm ready to play."
Junior forward Mark Mink, however, is still listed as
doubtful with a broken hand, Berenson said.

CHEMICALS
Continued from Page 1
compound could be best delivered
is very important so that one has
more than just the concept of using
gas masks to protect against such
compounds," said Ward, who is
seeking funding to continue the pro-
ject.
"We haven't heard yet from the fed-
eral government," he added.
Ward and fellow researchers can be
hopeful that they will see an increase
in federal support, said Toby Smith,
the University's director of federal
relations in the office of the vice presi-
dent for research.

"Certainly, anything that has to do
with anti-terrorism, like biochemical
warfare and encryption, may seen an
increase in their funding," Smith said.
According to a report by the U.S.
General Accounting Office, the federal
government proposes a $15.6 million
increase in funding for research inves-
tigating defense against biological
weapons this year, which would raise
spending to $156.8 million.
Allergy and immunology depart-
ment chair James Baker said he also
hopes to see an increase in federal
funding for his product, NanoProtect,
a vegetable oil-based spray that could
help people develop an immunity
against biological bacteria, spores,

fungi and viruses, including small pox
and anthrax.
"We've been contacted by the feder-
al government and are hopeful they
will increase funding," Baker said.
He and his team have been working
on NanoProtect for about four years
and hope that it will be available in
local drug stores within six months.
"I'm very convinced that commer-
cial application will be successful," he
said.
Along with new budget appropria-
tions, new anti-terrorism laws have
been proposed by Congress that would
require all labs or things dealing with
biochemical warfare agents to be reg-
istered

At thet
MichiganTe ate r
Thursday, October 18
7:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:30)
Clive Barker will participate in a special screening of
Gods and Monsters,
the Academy Award-winning film he produced,
followed by a Q/A session with the audience
- all via satellite.
Signed copies of his new novel -
Coldheart Canyon : A Hollywood Ghost Story
will be available at the theater for purchase.
"To call Clive Barker a 'horror novelist' would be like calling
the Beatles a 'garage band'. Always creating and pushing into the
farthest reaches of the human mind, he is an artist in every sense of the
word.
He knows not only our greatest fears, but also what delights
us, what turns us on, and what is truly holy in the world. Haunting,
bizarre, beautiful. These are the words we can use to describe Clive
Barker only until we invent new, more fitting adjectives."
-Quentin Tarantino
Free tickets for the event are available now - while supplies last -
at both Borders locations in Ann Arbor or at the theater box office

the michigan daily

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LIFE OF BUDDHA Study Group: Includes
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14, and 21. 11:30 am -2:00pm '$10 inc.
lunch. Zen Buddhist Temple 1214 Packard
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trips. 1/2 gas. Chris 734-546-2156

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