A
2A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 14, 2002
NATION/WORLD
Cheney focuses on violence in Israel NEWS IN BRIEF4
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - Vice Presi-
dent Dick Cheney said yesterday that Israel and the
Palestinians share the burden of ending Middle East
bloodshed. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met
with Cheney and promised to apply pressure, too.
At a news conference with Cheney at this Red Sea
resort, Mubarak also addressed another difficult
Mideast issue, saying he believes Iraq's Saddam Hus-
sein is close to agreeing to allow the return of U.N.
weapons inspectors.
One of Cheney's missions on his trip to the region
- to make a case for widening the war on terrorism
to include Iraq - has been overshadowed by the spi-
raling loss of life in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The United States will do all it can to end the
tragic violence between Palestinians and Israelis
and to resume a serious negotiating process,"
Cheney said.
The Bush administration, which has demanded that
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat do more to end the
violence, has lately been more openly -critical of
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Asked if he believed the burden for restoring peace
had shifted to Sharon given this week's Israeli offen-
sive in the West Bank and Gaza, Cheney said: "I think
the burden is on both parties to bring an end to the
violence."
"It's not going to be possible to make progress until
both parties can agree to a cease-fire," he added.
Mubarak cited "great concern" over what he called
"the current deteriorating situation in the Middle
East."
He said he and Cheney agreed to make "extensive
efforts" to try to put into place an initiative by CIA
Director George Tenet and former U.S. Senate Major-
ity Leader George Mitchell.
INS under
fre after
0 0.q
0 /'1TT1'
RAMALLAH, West Bank.
Violence persists despite tentative truce
Enforcing a curfew, dozens of Israeli tanks patrolled the deserted streets of this
West Bank town yesterday and waged sporadic firefights with bands of Palestin-
ian gunmen. A senior Palestinian security officer, an Israeli soldier and an Italian
photographer were killed.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian after he opened
fire on an Israeli vehicle in the Gaza Strip. Late yesterday, two Palestiniats
entered Nahliel, a Jewish settlement northwest of Ramallah, and stabbed a settler,
seriously wounding him, settlers and the military said.
The Israeli action in Ramallah was a continuation of its two-week-old military
offensive; army chief Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz told a parliamentary committee about
20,000 Israeli soldiers are now stationed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
International diplomatic efforts have mounted as the Mideast endures its blood-
iest stretch since fighting erupted nearly 18 months ago. But there is widespread
skepticism that they can quickly reverse the momentum of recent fighting, which
has included multiple Palestinian suicide bombings and a half-dozen Israeli incur-
sions into Palestinian towns and refugee camps.
More than 160 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and almost 60
have been killed on the Israeli side in March.
I
ri
YOU'RE ALWAYS
WELCOME
AT OUR TABLE
Step up to the U.S. Army Recruiting table at North Hall to
see over 200 ways you can become AN ARMY OF ONE. Talk to
an Army Recruiter about guaranteed skill training plus how
you qualify for college money and more Army benefits.
> LOCATION: University of
Michigan
> DATE: FRI, MAR 15
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
> CONTACT: SFC Jerry McKown
734-434-6772
goarmy.com 02001. Paid for by the U.S. Army. All rights reserved. AN ARMY OF ONE"
visas 1K1 d USA.orE- orT, Afghanistan
U.S. forces corner al-Qaida, Taliban fighters
WASHINGTON (AP) - President
Bush said yesterday he was "plenty hot"
to learn that student visas for two Sept.
11 hijackers were delivered months after
they flew planes into the World Trade
Center.
He ordered his attorney general to
investigate and urged reform of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Bush described the matter as "a wake-
up call for those who run the INS," but
said the agency has antiquated informa-
tion systems and needs an upgrade.
"They got the message and hopefully,
they'll reform as quickly as possible,"
Bush said.
The president said he was "stunned,
and not happy" when he learned that no
one intercepted the visas for Mohamed
Atta and Marwan A-Shehhi before they
arrived at a Florida flight school on
Monday.
"Let me put it another way: I was
plenty hot," Bush told reporters at a news
conference in the White House briefing
room.
Before Bush spoke, Attorney General
John Ashcroft directed Justice Depart-
ment Inspector General Glenn Fine to
find out why immigration officials failed
to pull the notification letters and why
there was such a long delay in processing
them.
The president ordered Ashcroft, whose
department includes the INS, and Home-
land Security Director Tom Ridge to
investigate and report back to him.
Bush said he was unhappy that the
visas remained in the immigration"
pipeline even though the names on the
forms were widely known. He said INS
Commissioner James Ziglar was respon-
sible for'this embarrassing disclosure,"
but should be given a chance to rectify
the problem.
"His responsibility is to reform the
INS, let's give him time to do so. He has-
n't been there that long," Bush said.
Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) chair-
man of the Senate Intelligence Com-
mittee, said he would propose
changes in the way the IN issues
and monitors student visas. Specifi-
cally, Graham called for cross-check-
ing records between police
departments, intelligence agencies
and Interpol, the global law enforce-
ment arm, "to provide a more com-
plete profile of prospective
immigrants."
On Monday, exactly six months after
the attacks, Huffman Aviation in Venice,
Fla., received student visa approval
forms for Ata, 33, and Al-Shehhi, 23..
The men were aboard separate hijacked
planes that struck the World Trade Center
towers, killing thousands.
The pair trained at Huffman in 2000
and early 2001 and sought student visas
so they could attend technical schools.
The visa for Atta, of Egypt, was
approved in July 2001 and a visa for Al-
Shehhi, of United Arab Emirates, was
approved the following month, said Russ
Bergeron, an immigration agency
spokesman.
Bergeron described the paperwork the
flight school received as a backstop on
notification the INS gave the men and
the school last summer. He said the INS
had no information "regarding these peo-
ple and their link to terrorism" when the
visas were granted.
INS officials assured a Kentucky con-
gressman yesterday that a federal pro-
cessing center in London, Ky. was not
responsible for the delayed paperwork.
The agency said Affiliated Computer
Services Inc. processed and returned the
documents to the INS within the time
period stipulated by its contract, said Dan
DuBray, spokesman for Rep. Harold
Rogers (R-Ky.)
"We were very concerned about the
impression that this contractor was
given the blame for the agency's
process," DuBray said. "The contractor
performed the contract the way it was
supposed to."
Affiliated Computer Services has a
five-year, $75 million contract with the
U.S. Marine helicopter gunships blasted cave entrances yesterday in the rugged
mountains, seeking to stop al-Qaida and Taliban fighters from escaping after U.S.
and Afghan troops seized control of this valley.
Afghan commanders said many al-Qaida and Taliban fighters - including their
commander, Saif Rahman Mansour - got away before Afghan troops overran
three villages and a commanding ridgeline early yesterday.
U.S. officials said they were holding about 20 prisoners who were being interrogated.
Pentagon officials had repeatedly said the only choice facing the enemy troops
was to "surrender or die," although Afghan commanders had been prepared to
allow them to leave.
A U.S. officer estimated that 500 al-Qaida fighters were killed in the 12-day
offensive in eastern Afghanistan. But Afghan troops said they found only 25 bod-
ies in the initial sweep of the area. Others may be buried in caves that collapsed
during the bombing.
Leading the final assault were Afghan commanders Zia Lodin and Gul Haider,
who had floated the idea of a negotiated exit.
WASH INGTON
Fuel efficiency plan
rejected in Senate
The Senate gave automakers a
reprieve yesterday by rejecting a plan to
require that they produce cars, trucks
and sport utility vehicles that run 50
percent farther on a gallon of gas.
The industry and its unions lobbied
hard against requiring a 36 mile per
gallon average by 2015. Supporters of
the higher standard said it would save
millions of barrels of oil 'and could be
reached through current and emerging
technologies.
Instead, the Senate by a 62-38 vote
told the Transportation Department to
develop new fuel economy rules over
the next two years, but did not require
specific mileage increases.
Separately, senators voted 56-44 to
exempt pickup trucks from future
mileage increases.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), sponsor of
the. 36 mpg proposal, said that proposal
was "an artful dodge, a great escape"
from doing anything about fuel economy.
HARAR E, Zimbabwe
Winner declared in
contested election
President Robert Mugabe was
declared the winner yesterday of Zim-
babwe's bitterly contested presidential
election - a victory opponents and inde-
pendent observers said was tainted by
intimidation and fraud but backers saw as
a mandate for seizing white-owned land.
The government said Mugabe was
re-elected to a six-year term with about
56 percent of the vote. Morgan Tsvan-
girai, who waged the first serious chal-
lenge to Mugabe since independence
from Britain, had 42 percent of the 3.1
million votes cast.
Tsvangirai denounced the results as
"the biggest election fraud" he's seen.
The former labor leader also charged
that the election was "illegitimate in the
eyes of the people."
The United States and several Euro-
pean nations said Mugabe's victory was
marred by violence and intimidation.
WASHINGTON
House Republicans
close in on budget
Despite improvements in the economy
and pressure from conservatives to bal-
ance the federal budget, House Republi-
cans were expected late yesterday to
endorse a $2.1 trillion spending blueprint
that would produce a $46 billion deficit
in 2003.
The budget, which would fully fund
large spending increases sought by Presi-
dent Bush for defense and homeland
security, demonstrates how hard it will be
for Congress to avoid deficits during a
time of war - and in an election year.
The House Budget Committee was
expected to approve the GOP-backed
budget resolution late yesterday on a
party-line vote, sending it to the full
House for a vote next week. That marks
the beginning of a congressional budget
debate that is littered with political land
mines for members of both parties.
- Compiled from Daily wire reports.
4
tap
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
$105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University
affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip-
tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Colle-
giate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327.
PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 734): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 647-3336; Opinion 764-0552;
Circulation 764-0558; Classified advertising 764-0557; Display advertising 764-0554; Billing 764-0550.
E-mail letters to the editor to letters@michigandaily.com. World Wide Web: www.michigandaily.com.
, 1B. AFJo SharzEitorin h
NEWS Lisa Koivu, Managing Editor
EDITORS: Rachel Green, Lisa Hoffman, Elizabeth Kassab, Jacquelyn Nixon
STAFF: Jeremy Berkowitz, Kay Bhagat, Tyler Boersen, Ted Borden, Nick Bunkley, Anna Clark, David Enders, Margaret Engoren, Michael Gazdecki,
Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, Annie Gleason, Rob Goodspeed, Shoshana Hurand, Christopher Johnson, C. Price Jones, Shabina S. Khatri, Kylene Kiang,
EDniel Kim, Tomislav Ladika, Louie Meizlish, Jennifer Misthal, Shannon Pettypiece, Karen Schwartz, Jordan Schrader, Maria Sprow, Kara Wenzel
CALENDAR: Shabina S. Khatri
EDITORIAL Johanna Hanink, Editor
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Aubrey Henretty, Jess Piskor, Manish Raiji
STAFF: Howard Chung, Rachel Fisher, Michael Grass, John Honkala, Adam Konner, David Livshiz, Garrett Lee, Kevin McNeil, Christopher
Miller, Pal Neuman, An Paul, Zachary Peskowitz, Laura Platt, Rachel Roth, Lauren Strayer
CARTOONISTS: Sam Butler, Chip Cullen, Thomas Kuiurgis -
COLUMNISTS: Babawole Akin-Aina, Peter Cunniffe, Geoffrey Gagnon, David Horn, Yael Kohen, Jeremy W. Peters, Dustin J. Seibert, Nick
Woomer, Amer G. Zahr
SPORTS Steve Jackson, Managing Editor
SENIOR EDITORS: Arun Gopal, David Horn, Jeff Phillips, Joe Smith
NIGHT EDITORS: Chris Burke, Seth Klempner, Courtney Lewis, J. Brady McCollough, Kyle O'Neill, Naweed Sikora
STAFF: Rohit Bhave, Dan Bremmer, Evan grown, Eric Chan, Kareem Copeland, Raphael Goodstein, Josh Holman, Bob Hunt, Melanie Kebler, Shawn
Kemp, Matt Kramer, David Oxfeld, Charles Paradis, Swapnil Patel, Dan Rosen, Mike Rosen, Brian Schick, Brian Steere, Jim Weber
ARTS Lyle Henretty, ,Luke Smith, Managing Editors
EDITOR: Jeff Dickerson
WEEKEND EDITORS: Matt Grandstaff, Jane Krul
SUB-EITORS: Ryan Bley, Keith Dusenberry, Caitlin Nsh, Neal Pais, Jim Schiff, Andy Taylor-Fabe
STAFF: Charity Atchison, Marie Bernard, Matthew C. Borushko, Rob Brode, Autumn Brown, Japiya Burns, Laura Deneau, Kiran Divvela, Will El-Naohef,
Jennifer Fogel, Ben Goldstein, Melissa Gollob, Nicholas Harp, Jenny Jeltes, Carmen Johnson, Christine Lasek, Rachel Lewis, Laura LoGerfo, Elizabeth
Manasse, Beatrice Marovich, Taryn O'Leary, Gina Pensiero, Rebecca Ramsey, Darren Ringel, Dustin Seibert, Christian Smith, Todd Weiser Janet Yang
PHOTO David Katz, Editor
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Danny Moloshok, Brett Mountain, Brendan O'Donnell, Alyssa Wood
STAFF: Lauren Braun, Laurie Brescoll, Tom Feldcamp, Emma Fosdick, Patrick Jones, Ryan Leventhal, Kelly Lin, Debbie Mizel, John Pratt, David
Rochkind, Jonathon Triest, Leslie Ward, Jessica Yurasek
ONLINE Paul Wong, Managing Editor
STAFF: Marc Allen, Soojung Chang, Chuck Goddeeris, Melanie Kebler, Timothy Najmolhoda
DISPLAY SALES Micah Winter, Manager
ASSOCIATE MANAGER: Carrie Wozniak
STAFFC Ayalla Barkai Bradr vies, Belinda Chung, Joanna Eisen, Laura Frank, Ellen Gagnet, Rebecca Goodman, Jennifer Kaczmarek, Zipo
Lat, Julie Lee, Leslie Olinek, Anne Sause, Tarah Saxon, Debbie Shapiro, Nicole Siegel, David Soberman, Ryan Zuckerman
6
W
i