6 2A - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, April 15, 2003 NATION/WORLD Bush administration criticizes Syria NEWS IN BRIEF;| r wI WASHINGTON (AP) - Tri- umphant in Iraq, the Bush adminis- tration looked across the border to Syria yesterday, accusing it of har- boring remnants of Saddam Hus- sein's government and supporting terrorism. Secretary of State Colin Powell raised the possibility of diplomatic and economic sanctions. Sharpening the Bush administration's rhetoric, Powell said, "They should review their actions and their behavior, not only with respect to who gets haven in Syria and weapons of mass destruc- tion, but especially the support of terror- ist activity." National Security Adviser Condoleez- za Rice, in a parallel thrust at Damascus, said Syria's support for terrorism and "harboring the remnants of the Iraqi regime" were unacceptable. But she indicated the administration was not contemplating military action. and ultimately, of Using the same formula the have to include fi administration has applied to North the outstanding i Korea and its aggressive nuclear well," Powell saida weapons program, Rice said at the news conference. Washington Institute for Near East Syria seeks to Po 1 i cy, "The presi- (Condoleeza Rice) indicated dent has made clear the administration was not every prob- lem in the contemplating military action. Middle East cannot be dealt with the same way." Department as a s And Powell signaled President Bashar ever since Richard Assad that the Bush administration still 30 years ago the would like to include Syria in the sought to interest Mideast peacemaking it intends to ing with Israel. accelerate between Israel and the Pales- I tam ar Rabin tinians. Israel's chief neg "As we go down the road to peace, we from 1992 to 199: want it to be a comprehensive peace, ed States has be f course, that would inding a way to settle ssues with Syria, as at a State Department recover the Golan - Heights, a strategic area it lost to Israel in the 1967 Mideast War. Although it long has been - listed by the State ponsor of terrorism, d Nixon's presidency United States has Syria in peacemak- novich, who was gotiator with Syria 95, said, "The Unit- en fascinated with the possibility of getting Syria to switch sides and become an ally of the United States." Under the late President Hafez Assad, Bashar Assad's father, Syria operated on two tracks - negotiating with the United States for peace with Israel while hosting the heads of mili- tantly anti-peace groups and support- ing Hezbollah, the guerrilla group that has fought a cross-border war with Israel, Rabinovich said. Now president of Tel Aviv Universi- ty, Rabinovich said, "The bottom line is that I don't think the United States plans to go to war with Syria." Assad met with British and Saudi envoys yesterday in Damascus as his government denied charges by U.S. officials that Syria has weapons of mass destruction and is sheltering Iraqi leaders. NEW ORLEANS Shooting spree kills one, wounds three A gunman with an AK-47 rifle opened fire in a high school gym yesterday, killing a 15-year-old boy and wounding three teenage girls in a spray of more than 30 bullets that sent students scrambling for cover. Four suspects, ranging in age from 15 to 19, were arrested in a sweep of the neighborhood near John McDonogh High School. Police Chief Eddie Compass said he did not know if the suspects attended the school. Students said the shooting was apparently gang related and may have been retaliation for a previous fight. "They started shooting and I started running," said ninth-grader Garick Jacob, who was in the gym when the shooting began. "I was really scared." The gunman managed to slip out of the gym and the suspects were arrested about three blocks away. Two were in a getaway vehicle and two others were in a nearby house in the Mid-City neighborhood, about a mile north of the French Quarter. It was not immediately clear how the gun got through metal detectors and guards at the school. Students and school security officers said there was a hole in the fence near the gym. School board member Elliot Willard said students told him that the boy was the target and the girls were accidental victims. KARACHI, Pakistan Four convicted in bombing of U.S. consulate An anti-terrorism court yesterday convicted four members of an outlawed Islamic militant group of orchestrating a truck bombing outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi last year that killed 12 Pakistanis. Two defendants were sentenced to death by hanging and two were sen- tenced to life in prison. All four remained defiant after the verdict, and one called his sentence "a blessing." The June 14 bombing, which also wounded 43 people, was one of several aimed at foreigners and Pakistan's small Christian minority. It was believed to be retaliation for the government's alliance with the United States in the war against the al-Qaida ter- rorist network and Afghanistan's hardline Taliban regime. The court sentenced Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Hanif to death by hanging. Mohammed Sharib and Mufti Zubair were sentenced to life in prison, while a fifth defendant, Mohammed Ashraf, was acquitted. The four convicted men also were fined about $9,000 each. Imran and Hanif made the V-for-victory sign with their hands and passed out sweets to their lawyers, who promised to appeal. Clash in Tikrit marks end of major combat. Forces suspected about 2,500 members of the Republican Guard and Fedayeen to be in the city TIKRI, Iraq (AP) - U.S. Marines overran loyalists staging a last stand yesterday at Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, ending the major combat phase of the Iraq war. Saddam's presidential palace was seized with- out a fight, the military said, and large numbers of U.S. troops were in central Tikrit by yesterday afternoon. "There was less resistance than we anticipated," said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, U.S. Central Command spokesman, noting that Tikrit defenders had been sub- jected to airstrikes for several days. He said Marines attacked Tikrit from the south, west and north, captur- ing a key Tigris River bridge in the center of town. Massive explosions, billowing smoke and flashes of light could be seen and heard from Tikrit late yesterday. "I think that's a city going down," said Capt. Christo- pher Aaby, 33, of Menominee, Mich. US. forces had suspected about 2,500 holdouts from the Republican Guard and the paramilitary Saddam's Fedayeen - and possibly officials from the Iraqi presi- dent's regime - were holed up in the city, 90 miles north of Baghdad. By late afternoon, however, people began to venture from homes and walk in the streets, with families and children enjoying a beautiful spring afternoon. Shops remained closed. There were no reports of looting. North of the city, Brig. Gen. John Kelly of the 1st Marine Division, commander of the Tikrit operation, said Tikrit was "the heartland of the beast," the beast being Saddam. "If you were a committed regime ... guy, I guess you'd come here,"he said. Describing a pattern in cities taken over by coalition troops, Kelly said Tikrit was no different. "It was a ghost town when we first arrived," he said. "Then they (residents) start sticking their noses out and approaching us and start pointing out where Baathists are, and the Fedayeen and the caches of weapons." Baathists are members of Saddam's Baath Party. Some Marines in the streets yesterday were wearing pink flowers on their uniforms, peace offerings from neighborhood residents. Unlike other major cities, however, many portraits, banners and statues of Saddam remained undamaged. Abdul al-Jabouri, part of a large group of men gath- ered at a gas station, said: "We like Saddam Hussein and he has educated our people and we will support him to the end." ~ANE - ; 'f 2002-2003 PEER MENTORS Erik Abraham Stacy Baker Krysta Bartnick Asif Bhimani Megan Bidgoli Jennifer Birch Joel Block Jessica Borow Jennifer Bostrom Arnaub Chatterjee Jennifer Chau Casey Cohen Andrea Campbell Kristin Cunningham Jessica DeBartolo Jennifer Denbow Stacy Dodd Nirav Doshi Anne Eisenberg Aaron Ensinger Omar Ezziddin Jackie Feldner Leigh Frinkle Larissa Galan Arianna Gavzy Heather Gillespie Priya Gopwani Amy Greenfield Dominica Groom Tara Ha beck Megan Harris-Linton Gretchen Hilburger Mary Beth Hojnowski Rachit Jain Melissa Kasoff Klint Kesto Andrew Kim Jeffrey Kominsky Lauren Konchel Monica Kwong Megan Maciasz Michael Maguire Nicolette Mastrangelo Kate Meyer Sean Meyers Rodney Nacier Gabrielle Rooney Monica Rose Shabeta Sahore Melissa Schmitt Nancy Short Maria Simon Debra Smouse Rachel Sorrick Matt Sporer Kristina Stasiewicz Kyle Stock Kenneth Su Paquenia Suggs Ruchi Talati Sara Teimorzadeh Felix The Elizabeth Thomas Robbie Tran Matthew Viaches Elizabeth Wakefield Emily Walkowiak David Weinberg Jacqueline Weiner Emily Wittbrodt Rodney Wittbrodt Stephanie Wooten Lisa Yang 2002-2003 FACULTY/STAFF MENTORS Enrique Alvarez Naomi Andre Juliet Ballard Nancy Bartlett David Baum Kevin Benham Vik Bhatia Xavier Corona Aline Cotel Mamadou Diouf Maria Dorantes Mary Dwyer Melissa Eljamal Jennie Evenson Niedja Fedrigo Kenneth Fischer Mari Frost Brenda Gunderson Katherine Guthrie Ray Guthrie Lawrence Hadley Nicholas Harp Jane Hassinger Caroline Helton Kurt Hill Susan Hollar Marina Hollins Dennis Hopkins Joshua Irizarry Andrezej Jakubowiak Edward Knotek Charmise Knox Robin Konkle-Mays Jackie LaNew Gavin LaRose Gene Laskowski Anita Liberman-Lampear David Lossing Ann Luke Paula Malone Ismat Mangla Melissa Marema Peggy McCracken Karen Mcilroy Stephen Meraw A.T. Miller Laura Miller-Purrenhage Kay Millett Dr. Lester Monts Kristen Moore Lew Morrissey Catherine Niekro Mbala Nkanga Kathleen Nolta Richard Ohye Laura Olsen David Ostreicher Paula Payton Bridget Pearce Mary Piontek Nick Rine Mabel Rodriguez Lisa Rudgers Christopher Ruf Kathy Stolaruk WAR Continued from Page 1A at a checkpoint south of Baghdad and a third soldier was killed and another wounded in an accidental shooting near Baghdad International Airport, Central Command said. With fighting on the wane, troops continued their search for remaining POWs as well as evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Maj. Trey Cate, a spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division, said tests were planned on 11 shipping contain- ers found buried near Karbala with lab equipment inside. A team of experts from the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency also has arrived in the Persian Gulf region to search for clues to the whereabouts of' Capt. Scott Speicher, a Navy pilot shot down during the 1991 Gulf War, offi- cials said. U.S. official said an Iraqi nuclear sci- entist, Jaffar al-Jaffer, had surrendered to authorities in an unidentified Middle Eastern country in recent days and was being interviewed by Americans. On Saturday, Saddam's top science adviser, Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi surren- dered to U.S. forces. In Washington, Powell became the latest senior administration official to accuse Syria of harboring former members of Iraq's regime and of main- taining a chemical weapons program. "Of course, we will examine possi- ble measures of a diplomatic, econom- ic or other nature as we move forward," Powell told reporters. Fayssal Mekdad, Syria's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, denied it. "There is no cooperation. We have no chemical weapons" he said. In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Syrian President Basher Assad had personally assured him that his government "would interdict any- body" crossing the border from Iraq. TROOPS Continued from Page 1A It was not immediately known whether the U.S. planes that enforced the southern "no-fly" zone would remain at bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The first ship to leave the war zone was the dock landing ship USS Port- land, part of an amphibious task force that carried 7,000 Marines to Kuwait in February. The Portland arrived at Little Creek, Va., on Friday. At least two attack submarines also have returned from the war. They and a number of destroyers and cruisers launched more than 800 Tomahawk cruise missiles into Iraq from the Red Sea, the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. No Tomahawks have been launched for several days. McChrystal said it is too soon to say the war is over. Allied troops on the ground still face dangers from renegade paramilitaries, remnants of the Republi- can Guard and terrorists, he said. Remaining missions include consoli- dating U.S. control of some cities and searching for illegal weapons. "I think we will move into a phase where it is smaller, albeit sharp, fights-" Mchrvsctal21ai SEOUL, South Korea War in Iraq may deter N. Korea from arms U.S. military success in Iraq appears to have shocked North Korea into try- ing to peacefully resolve the standoff over its nuclear activities, but some experts warn a resolution to the crisis is far from guaranteed. After months of insisting on one-on- one talks with Washington, North Korea signaled over the weekend that it would be willing to accept U.S. demands for multilateral discussions over the communist country's alleged nuclear weapons program. The change was welcomed by world leaders, including President Bush, who described it as "very good news for the people in the Far East." "This is the most positive statement since this crisis started," said Paik Hak-soon, a political analyst at the Seoul-based Sejong Institute research center. "Its timing shows North Korea is really shocked by what has hap- pened in Iraq." LAGOS, Nigeria Two dozen killed in post-election violence Nigeria's ruling party was leading yesterday in legislative elections seen as a key test of its young democracy, but violence accompanying voting in the oil-rich south left at least two dozen people dead. President Olusegun Obasanjo's party won 69 seats in the House of Representatives in returns from weekend voting counted as of yester- day. Two main opposition parties took 52. In the Senate, the ruling party won 22 seats compared to 10 for the opposition. In all, some 3,000 candidates cam- paigned for 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 109 in the Senate. The legislative race is a key gauge of civil tensions a week ahead of presi- dential elections that will pit Obasanjo - a former military ruler turned civil- ian leader - against 19 opposition candidates, including three former army generals. WASHINGTON Eye exam law leads to earlier diagnoses William Reynolds covered the 5- year-old's left eye while the boy read an eye chart. The boy's mother wondered aloud why an exam from an eye spe- cialist was now required to enter Ken- tucky schools - especially since her son seemed to see fine. Then Reynolds covered the boy's other eye, and the, youngster piped up, "Oh, that's the eye I don't see out of." Reynolds recalls the stunned mother almost falling out of her chair. Kentucky's new law, the first in the nation to require a comprehensive vision exam to enter school, meant the boy's problem was caught in time to cure. Now a study shows that nearly one in seven youngsters examined thanks to the law needed glasses, and an additional 5 per- cent had major undiagnosed problems. Lawmakers in other states and Con- gress are considering similar action to get more youngsters to eye doctors. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. -em I I The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by stu- dents 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. Subscriptions must be pre- paid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated collegiate Press. 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