2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 22, 2005 NATION/WORLD Council won't hear about Iran yet NEWS IN BRIEF VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Wash- ington and its European allies will forgo pushing for Iran's referral to the U.N. Security Council later this week, giving Russia more time in persuad- ing Tehran to give up technology that could make nuclear arms, diplomats and officials told The Associated Press yesterday. For the Americans and the Euro- pean Union, the plan holds the prom- ise of success even if Iran continues to reject the proposal that would move its uranium enrichment program to Russia. The acceptance of that plan, in the- ory, would deprive the Iranians of the chance to enrich uranium to weapons grade, suitable for use in the core of nuclear warheads. But if the Russians fail to win over the Iranians, Washington and the Europeans hope Moscow and other key board members of the Interna- tional Atomic Energy Agency now opposed to Security Council referral will moderate their opposition. The comments by the diplomats and U.S. and European government offi- cials came three days before the IAEA board meets to ponder options on Iran that at least formally still included a decision on Security Council action. But the diplomats and officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the strategy on Iran is confi- dential, said referral was now off the table at the meeting. Instead, they said Washington as well as Britain, France and Germany - representing the European Union - would probably settle for a state- ment critical of recent IAEA findings showing the Iranians in possession of what appeared to be drawings of the core of an atomic warhead and of other worrying nuclear activities. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack also suggested the focus had shifted from an all-out push for referral, saying: "We're encouraging Iran to get back to the negotiating table with the EU-3 at this point." Iran says it only wants to enrich to lower levels to generate energy. Still, it has resisted the plan to move enrich- ment to Russia since it was floated several weeks ago, insisting it has the right to all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. Iran in August resumed uranium reprocessing, which is one step before uranium enrichment. European Union foreign minis- ters urged Iran yesterday to live up to "clear obligations" to allow U.N. inspectors to see its nuclear facilities. On Sunday, Iran's parliament voted to require the government to block any in-depth U.N. inspections of its nucle- ar facilities if Iran is referred to the Security Council. EU foreign policy chief Javier Sola- na said he hoped to avoid a showdown with Tehran. "We still have time to continue work." The EU ministers were working on a common position before Thursday's meeting at the IAEA headquarters. Russia, Iran's key partner in build- ing Tehran's first nuclear power plant, has considerable clout with Tehran, but the officials and diplomats said other considerations also went into the decision to postpone a showdown on "We're encouraging Iran to get back to the negotiating table with the EU-3 at this point." - Sean McCormack State Department spokesman referral at the board meeting opening Thursday. Belarus, Cuba and Syria joined Venezuela on the IAEA board in Sep- tember. With those anti-U.S. nations on board, any vote on referral would be more strongly opposed than the resolution passed at the last board meeting two months ago that cleared the path for hauling Iran before the council by declaring its past activi- ties in violation of the Nuclear Non- proliferation Treaty. A vote with less nations in support of referral than in September "would look like a step backward," the U.S. official said. With President Bush under grow- ing criticism from the war in Iraq, his administration was ready to wait and build international consensus over what to do about Iran rather than settle for the negative implica- tion of a narrow board vote on refer- ral, he suggested. A European diplomat in Brussels also suggested the U.S.-European coalition was willing to wait to see the Russian plan succeed - or if it failed, to hope for extra support for referral from key board nations such as Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa and others that now oppose such a move. "They're trying to build a wider coalition," she said of the waiting game. Moscow's support is particu- larly important. It and China wield vetoes on the Security Council, and as such could cripple any attempt to pressure Iran to compromise on its nuclear activities through sanctions or political pressure. Before the board meeting, the Americans have begun to draft a res- olution setting a timetable for Iran to accept the plan involving enrich- ment on Russian soil and related issues - and threatening with Secu- rity Council referral unless those conditions were met, the diplomats and officials said. Still, that document was unlikely to see the light of day, they said, with the meeting likely agreeing on a statement criticizing Iran on a broad range of suspect nuclear issues. JERUSALEM Sharon quits Likud to pursue peace Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he gambled and broke away from his hardline Likud Party because he did not want to squander peacemaking opportu- nities created by Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip or waste time with political wrangling. Sharon, whose split from Likud electrified Israeli politics and set the stage for likely March elections, ruled out unilateral withdrawals from the West Bank, how- ever. He also said he remains committed to the internationally backed "road map" plan, which calls for a negotiated peace deal culminating in a Palestinian state. "There is no additional disengagement plan," he told a televised news confer- ence, referring to the summer's Gaza withdrawal. "There is the road map." Sharon's decision to form a new party he described as "liberal" cemented his transformation from the hawkish patron of Israel's settler movement to a moderate peacemaker reconciled to the inevitability of a Palestinian state. Weekend polls indicated Sharon, Israel's most popular politician, could marshal enough support to return to the prime minister's office for a third term at the head of a moderate coalition. Palestinians said the developments created new prospects for peacemaking, which ground to a halt during five years of violence. "I believe this is an eruption of an Israeli political volcano, and I hope that.when the dust settles, we will have a partner in Israel to go toward .. a final arrangement," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. BAGHDAD U.S. soldiers mistakenly kill civilians U.S. forces mistakenly fired on a civilian vehicle outside an American base in a city north of Baghdad yesterday, killing three people, including a child, the military said. Iraq's foreign minister was quoted as saying that tests were under way to determine whether the leader of al-Qaida's wing in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a weekend raid in Mosul. The U.S. ambassador, however, said it appeared al-Zarqawi was not among the dead. In the largely Shiite southern city of Basra, insurgents killed a Sunni cleric, Khalil Ibrahim, outside his home, police Capt. Mushtaq Talib said. Ibrahim was a member of the Association of Muslim Scholars, a group of influential Sunni clerics that has been sharply critical of the Shiite-led government. In the shooting of the three civilians, a U.S. soldier thought the vehicle was moving erratically outside the base in Baqouba and fired warning shots, said Maj.;Steven War- ren, a U.S. spokesman. LONDON U.N.: HIV prevention investments paying off Chene C e e slams war critics WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney accused critics yesterday of "corrupt and shameless" revisionism in suggesting the White House misled the nation in a rush to war, the latest salvo in an increasingly acrimonious debate over prewar intel- ligence. Cheney also denounced proposals for a quick U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as "a dangerous illusion" and shrugged off the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. "We never had the burden of proof," he said, adding that it had been up to Iraqi President Sad- dam Hussein to prove to the world that he'didn't have such weapons. Following President Bush's lead, Cheney praised the character of Rep. John Murtha even as he voiced strong disagreement with the Pennsylvania Democrat's proposal last week to pull out all U.S. troops. "He's a good man, a Marine, a patriot - and he's taking a clear stand in an entirely legitimate discus- sion," Cheney told the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. Cheney, who represented Wyoming in the House of Representatives in the 1980s, called Murtha "my friend and former colleague." A key Democrat on military issues with close ties to the Pentagon, Murtha set off a firestorm last week when he proposed all of the some 160,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq be pulled out over the next six months. Congressional Republicans denounced him and White House spokesman Scott McClellan, traveling with the president in Asia, branded him as an ultra- liberal comparable to activist filmmaker Michael Moore. Later, Bush and other administration officials toned down their criticism, fearful of a backlash in support of Murtha. Bush on Sunday called Murtha "a fine man" and longtime supporter of the military. Murtha was "taking a clear stand in an entirely legitimate discussion," Cheney said. However, Cheney said, "It is a dangerous illusion to suppose that another retreat by the civilized world would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone." "Those who advocate a sudden withdrawal from Iraq should answer a few simple questions," Cheney said, such as whether the United States would be "better off or worse off" with terror leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Osama bin Laden or Ayman al- Zawahiri in control of Iraq. Murtha told CNN, "I'm trying to prevent another Vietnam" and predicted Cheney would eventually see it that way, too. "This war cannot be won militar- ily, ... cannot be won on the ground," Murtha said. Earlier Monday, in his hometown of Johnstown, Pa., Murtha defended his call for a pullout, suggest- ing he was only following shifting American senti- HIV infection rates are starting to decrease consistently in some countries for the first time, indicating that prevention programs set up over the last five years are finally yielding results, the United Nations said. However, the AIDS virus continues to expand its reach, with the estimated num- ber of people living with the virus now passing 40 million, according to this year's AIDS epidemic update report, published yesterday by the United Nations: That's an increase of some 900,000 cases over the estimate for the previous year. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in history. An estimated 3.1 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses last year, and 4.9 million more people became infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS An article in Monday's edition of the Daily ('Project' Succeeds amid con- troversy) stated that the students from the University's Department of Musical Theater staged "The Laramie Project." It should have stated that these students were from the University's Department of Theatre and Drama. The Friday Focus last week (Angels in America) incorrectly stated "The Laramie Project" cast member James Wolk is a sophomore. The story should have said James Wolk is a junior. Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. A bAup 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com JASON Z. PESICK JONATHAN DOBBERSTEIN Editor in Chief Business Manager pesick@michigandaily.com business@michigandaily.com 647-3336 764-0558 Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. Mon-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. 0 AP PHOTO Vice President Dick Cheney speaks at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington yesterday. Cheney charged that some Senate Democrats were "dishonest and reprehensible" for suggesting that President Bush lied to the nation about going to war in Iraq. CONTACT INFORMATION News Tips Corrections Letters to the Editor Photography Department Arts Section Editorial Page Sports Section Display Sales Classified Sales Online Sales Finance Newsroom: 763-2459 Office hours:Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m news@michigandaily.com corrections@michigandaily.com tothedaily@michigandaily.com photo@michigandaily.com 764-0563 artspage@michigandaily.com 763-0379 opinion@michigandaily.com 763-0379 sports@michigandaily.com 764-8585 display@michigandaily.com 764-0554 classified@michigandaily.com 764-0557 onineads@michigandaily.com 615-0135 finance@michigandaily.com 763-3246 ment as reflected in polls and phone calls and e-mails to his office. "The public turned against this war before I said it," Murtha told reporters after a speech at a civic center. Murtha, 73, is a decorated Vietnam veteran, has served in Congress for three decades and is the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada called Cheney's speech "yet another missed oppor- tunity by the vice president to come clean with the American people and lay out a strategy for success in Iraq." Meanwhile, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Commit- tee, said he wouldn't go as far as Murtha but would like to see a gradual transition out of Iraq over the next two years. "That will require the administration not to stay the course, but to change course," Biden told the private, nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told reporters in Bos- ton that Bush and Cheney have "misled America and they're still misleading America." Kenya referendum apears to be failing EDITORIAL STAFF Alison Go Managing Editor go@michigandaily.com Farayha Arrine Managing News Editor arrine@michigandaily.com NEWS EDITORS Donn M. Fresard, Anne Doling, Michael Kan, Jameel Naqvi Suhael Momin Editorial Page Editor momin@michigandaily.com Sam Singer Editorial Page Editor singer@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS: Emily Beam, Christopher Zbrozek Ian Herbert Managing Sports Editor herbert@michigandaily.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITORS: Megan Kolodgy, Sharad Mattu, Matt Singer, Matt Venegoni, Stephanie Wright SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS: Scott Bell, H. Jose Bosch, Gabe Edelson, Jack Herman, Katie Niemeyer, Kevin Wright Adam Rottenberg Managing Arts Editor rottenberg@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ARTS EDITORS: Alexandra M. Jones, Melissa Runstrom ARTS SUB EDITORS:Jeffrey Bkxner,Victoria Edwaids.Pnit Matoo,Evan McGarvey, Bernie Ngueyn Ryan Weiner Managing Photo Editor weiner@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITORS: Forest Casey, Jason Cooper ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS: Trevor Campbell, Ali Olsen, David Tuman Ashley Dinges Assistant Managing Editor, Design dinges@michigandaily.com Eston Bond Managing Online Editor eston@michigandaily.com ASSOCIATE ONLINE EDITOR: Angela Cesere, Phil Dokas Doug Wernert Magazine Editor wernert@michigandaily.com BUSINESS STAFF NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kenyans voted yesterday whether to approve a new constitution in a referendum offi- cials said went relatively smoothly, despite minor clashes in Nairobi's largest slum and allegations of vote buying. The draft charter bitterly divided the nation and caused pre-election violence action was taken. Police spokesman Jaspher Ombati said in a statement late yesterday that 20 people had been arrested in connec- tion with different election offenses and police were continuing investigations. In a country where a third of the citi- zens can't read, voters marked a banana for a "yes" vote and an orange for "no" tial powers because it rejects proposals to share the executive authority between the head of state, vice president, prime minister, the Cabinet and regional gov- ernments. Some are also opposed to a provision that gives women the right to inherit family land, which critics say goes against the practices of some tribes. supporters of the constitution reportedly paid people to vote for the charter, said Koki Muli, spokeswoman for local elec- tion observers. A reporter for the inde- pendent Kenya Television Network also witnessed the vote-buying. There were other reports of voting irregularities. In Nairobi, hundreds were turned I