2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 26, 2002 NATION/WORLD i 0 Bush pushes Mideast cease-fire NEWS IN BRIEF ..,, WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush urged Arab nations yesterday to approve a Saudi peace offer to Israel and asked Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to let Yasser Arafat join an Arab League summit where the U.S.-backed initiative may be considered. "The president believes it is time for Arab nations in the region to seize the moment, to create a better environment for peace to take root," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said of the meeting that opens tomorrow in Beirut, Lebanon. Bush welcomes the proposal by Crown Prince Abdullah, and "he thinks it would be very helpful in the search for peace in the Middle East," Fleischer said. The Saudi offer to Israel of "full normalization" of relations with Arab governments depends on Israel giving up the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights and accepting a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem. Leaning on Israel to drop its confinement of Arafat to his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, Fleischer said, "The president believes that Prime Minister Sharon and the Israel government should give serious consideration to allowing Yasser Arafat to attend." Secretary of State Colin Powell pressed the point in telephone conversations with Sharon Saturday and Sun- day, saying also that Arafat should be permitted to go back to the West Bank after the Arab League meeting. Some Israelis believe that if Arafat were to be allowed to go, he should not be allowed to return to the Palestinian areas. Yesterday, Arafat said that would1 be unacceptable. "Is there any law to prevent me ... to come back to my homeland? This is my right," Arafat said in an interview on ABC's "World News Tonight." Arafat also said he is trying to stop the violence. "I am making a 100 percent effort ... but no one can get 100 percent results except God," he said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has called Israel's hold on the West Bank and Gaza illegal, also urged Sharon to let Arafat attend the Arab summit. Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said at the United Nations that Annan would meet Arafat if the Palestinian leader were to be allowed to go to Beirut. In Jerusalem, however, Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Sharon, said Israel would not lift its travel ban until the Palestinian leader took decisive steps against militants. Israel will make its decision by today, the day before the summit, Gissin said. Sharon proposed his own peace plan yesterday, in three stages that would begin with an Israeli-Palestin- ian cease-fire, move on to a "long-range interim peri- od" with a partial peace arrangement and then to negotiations for permanent peace. Powell also had a lengthy telephone conversa- tion yesterday with Arafat, in which Powell again urged Arafat to give "clear and unambiguous orders to Palestinian security forces to prevent further terror attacks," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. Powell called on Arafat to dismantle Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran and Syria that has fought a low-level cross-border war with Israel from WASHINGTONyr FBI agrees to play Sept. 11 recording Hoping to recognize the voices of their loved ones who died Sept. 11 on United Flight 93, family members have persuaded the government to let them hear the cockpit tape of the hijacked plane's last moments when passengers struggled to seize control of the aircraft. The FBI has agreed to play the half-hour recording in a private session tentatively scheduled for April 18, ending months of reluctance to accommodate the families' requests. Cockpit tapes are closely held and usually are played only for investiga- tors, although it is common for authorities to later release an edited transcript. Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers apparently tried to take back control of the Boeing 757 to thwart a second attack on Washington. "There are sounds of a struggle," said an FBI official. "It's fairly graphic." A widow whose late husband is believed to have been a leader of the revolt began the campaign for a listening session for the families. Deena Burnett's husband, Cali- fornia businessman Tom Burnett, was among 40 passengers and crew who were killed on the Newark-to-San Francisco flight. Four hijackers also died. "Anyone who has heard one of these tragic recordings doesn't want to hear another one - they are unimaginably tragic," said aviation consultant Peter Goelz, former director of the National Transportation Safety Board. KABUL, Afghanistan Al-Qaida, Taliban planned for car bombings Six cars were rigged with booby-traps to be detonated near peacekeeper security patrols, according to Flight Lt. Tony Marshall, a spokesman for the security force. The vehicles were placed under surveillance, but no arrests have been made, he said. However, the international security force chose to make the plot public after a French captain revealed details of it to French journalists, officials said. "We were aware of these vehicles ... where these vehicles were being kept and what the intentions were of these groups," Marshall said. "If there had been any move to actually use these vehicles in any way, in the matter that I've just described, peacekeepers would have acted," he added. Although Kabul has been relatively quiet for months, Western and Afghan authori- ties have been concerned over the possibility that al-Qaida and Taliban holdouts would try to infiltrate the city and stage attacks against the 4,500-member peacekeep- ing force. Concern over peacekeeper safety is running high in countries such as Britain and Germany that provide the bulk of the 18-nation force. The International Security Assistance Force operates only in Kabul and is separate from the U.S.-led force fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban elsewhere in Afghanistan. 0 Arab League chief Amr Moussa, right, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, left, prepare for a summit of heads-of state tomorrow. its sanctuary in Lebanon. The State Department has listed Hezbollah as a terror group. Two men beaten and kidnapped f~~ a "t,) 1 e for stealing PITTSBURGH (AP) -Three men, including a Duquesne University foot- ball player, were arrested and charged with kidnapping two friends and beat- ing them while interrogating them about a stolen safe. One of the alleged victims, 19-year- old Andrew Jones, was still missing yesterday. Police said they had received tips that he was in hiding, but feared he might be dead. Craig Elias, 22, a former defensive tackle at Duquesne; Jared Lischner, 20, a sophomore defensive end; and Jared Henkel, 20, were charged with kidnap- ping, aggravated assault and robbery. Police said Jones and Anthony Brownlee, 20, were lured Friday to an empty apartment in the city's Mount Washington section after being told that Henkel had been robbed. The two were held hostage, beaten and questioned for several hours about a safe full of money that had been taken, police said. Brownlee told police Elias struck him in the face and neck and also hit him in the knee with a claw hammer. Brownlee escaped Friday after promising $5,000 to the men. He then contacted Jones' family, who called police. Police are concerned Jones might have been harmed because a vehicle he borrowed and drove to the apartment was found burned in a Pittsburgh sub- urb over the weekend. The suspects were jailed. It could not be immediately determined if any of them had an attorney. 6 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina Argentina's currency continues to decline Argentina's economic crisis took a new, potentially calamitous torn yes- terday as the value of the national currency plummeted despite desper- ate measures by the government over the weekend to prevent its slide. The rapid devaluation comes as Pres- ident Eduardo Duhalde faces new ques- tions at home and abroad about his government's ability to lead the country out of its economic and social crisis. Valued at one to the dollar last December and at 2.4 just a week ago, the peso closed yesterday at an average rate of 3.8 to the dollar. Lines hundreds of yards long formed outside Buenos Aires banks and exchange houses. After a sharp drop in the value of* the peso on Friday, the government' announced a series of emergency measures over the weekend to defend the currency, including a fixed rate on the value of dollars sold by the nation's central bank. WASHINGTON States file suit against cigarette companies Class-action lawsuits seeking billions of dollars from tobacco companies have been filed in 11 states, contending ciga- rette makers use terms like "light" to mislead smokers into believing those brands are safer. The same argument helped survivors of a 53-year-old Oregon woman who died from lung cancer win a jury award of $150 million from Philip Morris Cos. Inc. last week. The class-action lawsuits name the- nation's three largest tobacco compa- nies - Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Brown & Williamson Corp. - and allege violations of con- sumer protection laws. "It's a scam because they get people to believe that they reduce health risks when that is a false statement," said Stephen Sheller, a Philadelphia attorney who began preparing the cases four years ago. UNDISCLOSED LOCATION Secret government 0 operates in hills At undisclosed locations far enough from the capital to survive a nuclear blast, a hidden federal government is at work, scores of officials swallowed up by the hills. They toil in rocky warrens, micro- Washingtons stuffed into tunnels, with communication links, emergency food 0 rations and stale air. The government won't say where they are. The problem is, lots of other people are sure they know. The government kept a tight lid on the locations of its bombproof emer- gency centers outside the capital until the Cold War ended and every- one relaxed. Now facing terrorist threats, Washington is trying to take these secrets back. But these installations have neigh- bors over the barbed-wire fence. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. I NMI 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 Jetters@michigandaily.com. World Wide Web: www.michigandaily.com. EDITORIAL I NEWS Lisa Kolvu, Managing Editor EDITORS: Rachel Green, Usa Hoffman, Elizabeth Kassab, Jacquelyn Nixon STAFF: Jeremy Berkowitz, Kay Bhagat, Tyler Boersen, Ted Borden, Nick Bunkley, Soojung Chang, Mica Doctoroff, David Enders, Margaret Ergoren, Michael Gazdecki, Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, Annie Gleason, Rob Goodspeed, Shoshana Hurand, Christopher Johnson, C. Price Jones, Shabina S. Khatri, Kylene Kiang, Daniel 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 RaJIi STAFF: Howard Chung, Rachel Fisher, Michael Grass, John Honkala, Adam Konner, David Livshiz, Garrett Lee, Kevin McNeil, Christopher Miller, Paul Neuman, Ari Paul, Zachary Peskowitz, Laura Platt, Rachel Roth, Lauren Strayer CARTOONISTS: Sam Butler, Chip Cullen, Thomas Kuljurgis 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 Brown, 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, JaneKrull SUB-EDITORS: Ryan Blay, Keith Dusenberry, Caitlin Nish, Neal Pais, Jim Schiff, Andy Taylor-Fabe STAFF: Charity Atchison, Marie Bernard, Matthew C. Bonjshko, Rob Brode, Autumn Brown, Japiya Buns, Katie Cloud, LauraDeneau, Kiran Diwvela, Will BNath, Jennfer Fogel, Ben Gdtin, Ncholas Harp, Jenry Jeltes, Camen Johns, Christine Lasek, Rachel LewisLate LoGerfo, Elz thManasse, Beatrice Marovich, Maureen McKirnney, Gina Pen serm, Rebecca Ramsey, Darren Rirgel, Dustin Set, Christan Smth, 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, DebbieMizel, John Pratt, David Rochkind, Jonathon Triest, Leslie Ward, Jessica Yurasek ONLINE Paul Wong, Managing'Editor STAFF: Marc Allen, Soojung Chang, Chuck Goddeeris, Melanie Kebler, Tinmothy Najmolhoda " t I [-4 - - .-I =U 9 No one told you the hardest part of being an engineer would be finding your ,first job. Of course, it's still possible to get the high-tech work you want by joining the U.S. Air Force. You can leverage your degree immediately and get hands-on experience with some of the most sophisticated technology on earth.To find out how to get your career off the ground, call 1-800-423-USAF or visit our Web site at airforce.com. lr ovanmmaa aimrr %ovu(Nlcy nwlalcay ouaIIIcaa 11101105=9 A DISPLAY MALES Micah Winter, Manager ASSOCIATE MANAGER: Carrie Wozniak STAFF: Ayalla Barkai, Brad Davies, BelindaChung, 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 CLASSIFIED SALES Est ASSISTANT MANAGER Jeffrey Valuck ether Choi, Manager gal