2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 12, 2003 NATION/ WORLD Russia, China criticize U.S. plan NEWS IN BRIEF } i LONDON (AP) - The United States' drive to disarm Iraq by force hit mounting global opposition yesterday, with Russia warning that military action without UN. consent would be a "grave error" and China backing calls to give U.N. weapons inspectors more time. With the world's other big powers lin- mg up against Washington, the NATO alliance was in disarray, failing for a sec- ond day to support a US.-backed pro- posal to begin military planning for a conflict with Iraq. The showdown comes just days before chief U.N. weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei report Friday to the U.N. Security Coun- cil, where the United States hopes to get HOLIDAY Continued from Page 1 past two years due to the increased national focus on Islam, he said. "The number (of Muslims) from America who actually went to Hajj decreased, stemming from their fear of excessive detainment and wrongful detainment on the basis of minor visa violations or heresy," Basha said. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told CNN the terror level was increased from an "elevated alert" to a "high alert" status Friday partly because intelligence signaled that attacks might occur around the time of Hajj. "President Bush raised the terror (threat) level to high because of Hajj, but Hajj is a very peaceful thing. The Hajj itself should never be a cause for concern," Khalil said. But Basha said Muslims still remained upbeat during the holiday. "In spite of these issues, Muslims have not lost track of the celebrato- ry nature of Eid, as it will still be a special one for Muslims all over the world" Raha said. approval for tough action against Bagh- dad. President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleeza Rice, met Blix yes- terday to discuss the inspection process in Iraq, a senior U.S. official said. Russia and China, which both have veto power on the Security Council, could eventually mute their opposition to military action against Iraq if they conclude war is inevitable. Neither Moscow nor Beijing is eager to risk a major breech with Washington, whose support and trade they both need. But the vocal opposition to U.S. plans reflects growing concern about unbri- dled American power in the 21st centu- ry, and the flurry of diplomatic activity in Paris and other capitals was as much an attempt to curb Washington's domi- nance as save Iraq. If the United Nations does not author- ize military action against Iraq, the Unit- ed States reserves the right to take action along with a handful of key allies such as Britain. But a U.S. decision to flout the will of other major powers could severely strain the post-Cold War struc- ture of global politics. "I am convinced that it would be a grave error to be drawn into unilateral action, outside of international law," Russian President Vladimir Putin told France's TF1 television yesterday. Putin said he saw no need at present for Russia to use its veto as a perma- nent member of the U.N. Security Council. But asked if Russia would support France if it uses its veto, Putin said: "If today a proposition was made that we felt would lead to an unrea- sonable use of force, we would act with France or alone." Chinese President Jiang Zemin told French President Jacques Chirac during a phone conversation that U.N. inspec- tions were working and it was vital to avoid war. "The inspection in Iraq is effective and should be continued and strength- ened," the Chinese government's news agency Xinhua quoted Jiang as saying. "Warfare is good for no one, and it is our responsibility to take various meas- ures to avoid war." FLYERING Continued from Page 1 including University Assistant General Counsel Jonathan Alger and Philosophy Prof. Carl Cohen, stating cases for and against affirmative action in admissions policies. "We felt that the University of Michigan is obviously in the spotlight on affirmative action right now, and regardless of the outcome of the cases, students' education is going to be affect- ed," said MSA Communications Committee Chair Pete Woi- wode. "We thought we should present a factual, educational opportunity for students to come and learn about the issue in depth, and then decide for themselves how they feel." In order to maintain a civil atmosphere at the forum, Woi- wode said the speakers will give individual addresses and will not engage in debate. "We are presenting an evenhanded case, because we want students to have the agency to make the deci- sion "he added. "There will be questions, but we will do our best to keep a fluid, unheated feel to the event, so that the questions and answers will be in an educational format." Citing the attention paid to human rights issues at universi- ties across the country, MSA agreed to vote next week on a resolution supporting the establishment of a Human Rights Center at the University. "It would lean more towards providing for scholarships and providing internship opportunities," MSA Treasurer Liz Mul- lane said. "(The resolution) is basically realizing that in a lot of countries and in the U.S., a lot of people's rights are ignored ... (That) doesn't seem to have such a big emphasis on the Uni- versity." The resolution also seeks to organize human rights events and to "develop the University's curriculum by allowing for more courses on human rights topics and assisting faculty to incorporate human rights into their present courses." I The Student Relations Advisory Committee and The Michigan Student Assembly Invite your comments and suggestions regarding proposed amendments to the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities (formerly known as the Code of Student Conduct) Thursday, February 13, 2003, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Kuenzel Room, the Michigan Union Amendment proposals may be found at: http://www.studentpolicies.dsa.umich.edu/review/ GREENSPAN Continued from Page 1 But while criticizing the Bush policy, Greenspan said he is more concerned with the government's spending than its income. "Re-establishing budget balance will require discipline on both revenue and spending actions, but restraint on spending may prove the more difficult," Greenspan said in his speech. Sloan said the proposed tax cut is aimed at luring con- sumers to spend with the extra money, and thus stimulating the sluggish economy, but he added the benefits to the economy would not be seen in the short run. "There's no quick fix ... things like the dividend tax cuts could have long term beneficial effects" he said, adding that the idea of pumping money into households will fix up the economy is "a little bit naive." "In terms of, would it stimulate the economy this year, any effect likely to happen will be modest," Business Prof. James Hines said. Hines, who once worked as an economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce, said although the tax cut pro- posal is intended to support the current level of consumer spending, the main consequence of the cut will emerge in the future. "It cuts the taxes today, simply what that means is the government has to raise them in the future or it has to cut its spending in the future," Hines said. He added that the government would be reduced in size if the latter happens. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down by 77 points to a four-month low yesterday when Greenspan' cau- tious comments were joined by Secretary of State Colin Powell's announcement of the recent statement made by Osama bin Laden, which made investors more worried about the situation in the Middle East. BIN LADEN Continued from Page 1 The speaker urged the Iraqis todrawthe Americans into urban combat, saying "the thing that the enemy fears the most is to fight a city war." U.S. military planners fear Saddam might ring Baghdad with his best troops of the elite Republican Guard and draw U.S. forces into bloody street fighting where they could not use their high-tech weapons for fear of causing massive civilian casualties. The speaker also told Iraqis not to worry about American smart bombs and laser-guided weapons because "they work on only the clear, obvious targets' He encouraged Iraqis to use deception techniques to neutralize American tech- nological superiority. Some Middle East experts have ques- tioned ties between bin Laden's Islamic extremists and Saddam's government, which nominally adheres to a Pan-Ara- bic socialistic doctrine called Baathism. In the tape, however, the speaker said it was acceptable for Muslims to fight on behalf of Iraqi "socialists" because "in these circumstances" their interests "intersect in fighting against the Cru- saders;' or Christians. Yasser Thabet, a broadcast editor at Al-Jazeera, said the station received the tape by the same chan- nels as previous bin Laden state- ments, but he did not give details. Bin Laden often used Al-Jazeera to broadcast statements during the Afghanistan war until the elusive ter- rorist leader vanished -after the battle at Tora Bora in December 2001. Al-Jazeera is not widely seen in Iraq because few Iraqis are permitted to have satellite dishes. However, many of them listen to foreign Arabic language broadcasts which relayed details of the broadcast. SPACE CENTER, Houston, Shuttle crash bigger than anticipated The head of the space shuttle inquiry said yesterday he has the best investigators in the country to figure out what caused the Colum- bia crash and is confident the mys- tery will be solved. But one of those experts cau- tioned the scope of the disaster is the biggest any of them has ever seen. "Looking at the complexity of this, it is huge. It is one of the biggest debris fields that I think any of us have ever seen," said Navy Rear Adm. Stephen Turcotte, who as commander of the Naval Safety Center is responsible for investigat- ing every aviation mishap in the Navy and Marine Corps. Thousands of pieces of debris have been found in a 500-mile area across Louisiana and Texas. The search is expected to take at. least several more weeks. WASH INGTON Democrats threaten to filibuster Estrada Senate Democrats said yesterday they will filibuster Miguel Estrada's nomination to the federal appeals bench until he reveals more of his judicial thinking. President Bush called the move "shameful politics." Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle accused Estrada of stonewalling Democrats last year when they questioned him about his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. "Every nominee who comes before the Senate has the obligation to be forthcoming with information about his position, with information about his record," said Daschle (D- S.D.). "Until he does, we don't believe that it is in the Senate's best interest to allow this confirmation to go for- ward." CHICAGO Study brings hope for premature babies Very small premature babies born with brain damage are not necessarily doomed to below-normal intelligence after all, according to a surprising new study that found that many youngsters' IQ scores improve over time. Children born extremely prematurely run the risk of a variety of neurological problems, ranging from cerebral palsy, retardation and vision trouble to more subtle learning and behavior difficulties. But the study found that many youngsters considered borderline retarded make up for lost ground and end up scoring in the nearly normal IQ range by age 8. The findings are surprising because previous research has found long-term consequences in very small preemies and because the conventional wisdom says that IQ does not change - at least in people born at normal weight. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. HEADLINES FROM AROU)ND THE WORLD WASH INGTON.. FBI knew Okla. bombing was possible Two federal law enforcement agencies had information before the 1995 Okla- homa City bombing suggesting that white supremacists living nearby were con- sidering an attack on government buildings, but the intelligence was never passed on to federal officials in the state, documents and interviews show. FBI headquarters officials in Washington were so concerned that white sepa- ratists at the Elohim City compound in Muldrow, Okla., might lash out on April 19, 1995 - the day Timothy McVeigh did choose - that a month earlier they questioned a reformed white supremacist familiar with an earlier plot to bomb the same Alfred P. Murrah federal building McVeigh selected. "I think their only real concern back then was Elohim City," said Kerry Noble, the witness questioned by the FBI on March 28, 1995 - just a few weeks before McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the building and killed more than 160 people. Noble told The Associated Press that his FBI questioners appeared particularly concerned about what Elohim City members might do on April 19 because one of their heroes, Wayne Snell, was being executed that day and another, James Elli- son, was returning to Oklahoma after ending parole in Florida. FBI officials confirmed Noble's account, including concerns.the group at Elo- him City might strike on April 19. SEOUL, South Korea South Korea seeks 'continued cooperation' President Kim Dae-jung is asking for cooperation from Europe to help resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, while China is rejecting a request from the United States to get more involved. Kim said yesterday he wants "continued cooperation" from the European Union. EU chief Javier Solana, in Seoul for talks, said the union can help faciliate U.S.-North Korean talks - but he said the two adversaries must negotiate directly. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Wash- ington and Pyongyang must resolve the dispute on their own. China is a longtime ally of North Korea. "Although it touches upon regional security and nuclear proliferation, the key to resolving this issue is the resumption of dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea," Zhang said in Beijing. Secretary of State Colin Powell has sought greater Chinese involvement because of the issues of regional security. He has said North Korea should not be allowed to dictate terms of talks, and negotiations should be in a "mul- tilateral setting." 0 0 Please join us in this important endeavor I The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745.967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. 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 Collegiate 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@michlgandaily.com. World Wide Web: www.michigandally.com. Al C11ITdnlA1 CTACC I r.-;w M-.*-SIC-16 Cd r CM Nt i V- FDITORIOI_ STAFF 1 nuip Mpi7lich_ Friitnr in I- CUI I vrawL a umrr joule McIznsn, CUIXOF In Lmer MCAT Continued from Page 1 surprised by the change. "I guess I'm going to have to change my study habits," said pre-med LSA sophomore Yu Kawai, who had planned to take the MCATs this spring. "The first time I was just going to see how much I knew and then concentrate on studying the areas I did poorly on - now I think I'm going to push back my test date." Kawai added many students are unaware of the change, which could have some unfortunate consequences for students who take the test for practice. But the change should not come as a surprise to students, Chen said, as the information was released over a year ago to pre-health advisors and other sources for information on the MCAT. "Today is the first time that I've heard about it, but it doesn't bother me too much," pre-med Kinesiology soph- omore Ryan Schinska said. "It just means I'm going to have to work hard- NEWS Shabina S. Khatri, Managing Editor EDITORS: C. Price Jones, Kylene Klang, Jennifer Misthal, Jordan Schrader STAFF: Elizabeth Anderson, Jeremy Berkowitz, Kyle Brouwer, Soojung Chang, Kara DeBoer, Ahdirep Dutt, Victoria Edwards, Margaret Engoren, Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, Michael Gurovitsch, Lauren Hodge, Lisa Hoffman, Carmen Johnson, Christopher Johnson, Andrew Kaplan, Emily Kraack, Elizabeth Kassab, Usa Koivu, Tomislav Ladika, Lydia K. Leung, Andrew McCormack, Whitney Meredith, layla J. Merritt, Jacquelyn Nixon, Shannon Pettypiece, Mona Rafeeq, Erin Saylor, Karen Schwartz, Maria Sprow, Dan Trudeau, Samantha Woll, Allison Yang, Min Kyung Yoon EDITORIAL Aubrey Henretty, Zac Peskowitz, Editors ASSOCIATE EDITORS: John Honkala, Jess Plskor STAFF: Dan Adams, Sravya Chirumamilla, Howard Chung, John Honkala, Aymar Jean, Bonnie Kellman, Garrett Lee, Joey Litman, Christopher Miller, An Paul, Jason Pesick, Laura Platt, Ben Royal, Lauren Strayer, Courtney Taymour CARTOONISTS: Sam Butler, Karl Kressbach COLUMNISTS: Peter Cunniffe, David Enders, Johanna Hanink, David Horn, Hussain Rahim, Jon Schwartz, Kashif Sheikh, Luke Smith SPORTS J. Brady McCollough, Managing Editor SENIOR EDITORS: Chris Burke, Courtney Lewis, Kyle O'Neill, Naweed Sikora NIGHT EDITORS: Daniel Bremmer, Gennaro Filice, Bob Hunt, Dan Rosen, Brian Schick, Jim Weber STAFF: Gina Adduci, Nazeema Alli, Jeremy Antar, Eric Ambinder, Chris Amos, Waldemar Centeno, Eric Chan, Mustafizur Choudhury, Josh Holman, David Horn, Steve Jackson, Brad Johnson, Melanie Kebler, Albert Kim, Seth Klempner, Megan Kolodgy, Matt Kramer, Kevin Maratea, Shared Mattu, Ellen McGarrity, Michael Nisson, Charles Paradis, Jeff Phillips, Jake Rosenwasser, Steven Shears, Joe Smith, Mike Wolking ARTS Todd Weiser, Managing Editor EDITORS: Jason Roberts, Scott Serlila WEEKEND MAGAZINE EDITORS: Charles Paradis, Rebecca Ramsey SUB-EDITORS: Katie Marie Gates, Johanna Hanink, Joel M. Hoard, Ryan Lewis, Sarah Peterson STAFF: Marie Bernard, Tara Billik, Ryan Blay, Jeff Dickerson, Kiran Divvela, Andrew M. Gaerig, Meredith Graupner, Lynn Hasselbarth, Stephanie Kapera, Graham Kelly, Jeremy Kressmann, Christine Lasek, John Laughlin, Joseph Litman, Laura LoGerfo, Zach Mabee, Elizabeth Manasse, Whitney Meredith, Ted McDermott, Maureen McKinney, Josh Neidus, Caitlin Nish, Archana Ravi, Adam Rottenberg, Melissa Runstrom, Mike Saltsman, Christian Smith, Luke Smith, Jaya Soni, Andy Taylor-Fabe, Douglas Wernert, Daniel Yowel PHOTO Tony Ding, Brett Mountain, Managing Editors ASSOCIATE EDITORS: David Katz, Brendan O'Donnell, Alyssa Wood STAFF: Elise Bergman, Jason Cooper, Tom Feldkamp, Seth Lower, Danny Moloshok, Lisa Oshinsky, Sarah Paup, Frank Payne, Rebecca Sahn, Nicole Terwilliger, Jonathon Triest, Ryan Weiner ONLINE Soojung Chang, Interim Editor 1:11L.' I ' I ~ 11 ~ ~7Y3V1 f7 ' ~ Tf TaIT 0 L ow*7mcaa aimrr Jul Iwwy raluuni ouaulc a Inanasul u DISPLAY SALES Anne Sause, Manag ASSOCIATE MANAGER: Jan Kaczmarek SPECIAL SECTIONS MANAGER: Jessica Cordero STAFF: Pamela Bags, Jeffrey Braun, Lashonda Butler, Rachelle Caoagas, Lynne Chaimowitz, Belinda Chung, Joanna Eisen, Laura Frank, Christine Hua, Kyungmin Kang, Elizabeth Kuller, Julie Lee, Lindsay Ott, Tarah Saxon, Julie Sills, Leah Trzcinski, Lindsay Ullman er m I