2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 11, 2006 NATION/WORLD Iran defies UN with .I.t White House says Iran may soon face U.N. Security Council action and international sanctions TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran broke U.N. seals on its nuclear enrichment facility yesterday, pledging only to conduct research, but the international nuclear watch- dog said Tehran also planned small-scale enrichment of uranium - a process that can produce fuel for nuclear weapons. The move drew an immediate outcry from Europe and Japan as well as Washington as the reopening of the Natanz facility was seen as defiance of demands that Iran maintain a freeze on its nuclear program. The Bush administration said Iran was nearing the point where U.N. Security Council action and interna- tional sanctions were inevitable. "If the regime in Iran continues on the current course and fails to abide by its international obliga- tions there is no other choice but to refer the matter to the Security Council," said White House press secre- tary Scott McClellan. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors in electricity generation or for nuclear bombs, depending on the level of processing. In announcing it would reopen its Natanz enrich- ment center last week and as the seals were broken yes- terday, Tehran claimed enrichment was not planned. "What we resume is merely in the field of research, not more than that," the deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Saeedi, said at a press conference. "Production of nuclear fuel" - which would involve enrichment - "remains suspended," he said. Saeedi said the nature of the equipment unsealed was "a confidential issue between us and the IAEA." But the Vienna, Austria-based International Atom- ic Energy Agency said in a statement yesterday that uranium hexafluoride - a gaseous form of uranium - would "be fed into cascades" of centrifuges as part of Iran's activities. Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization in Iran, speaks with media during a press conference in Tehran, Iran yesterday. Uranium hexafluoride gas is spun in centrifuges to separate out fissile isotopes in the process of enrich- ment that can produce low-level nuclear fuel or weap- ons-grade material. Iran claims its contentious nuclear program is for electricity generation, but Washington accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier questioned whether European-led negotiations had any future and said Iran had "crossed lines which it knew would not remain without consequences." He said he had asked ElBaradei to quickly evaluate the dangers of Iran's move. Britain warned the international community was "running out of patience," and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Tehran had breached IAEA resolutions. "There was no good reason why Iran should have taken this step if its intentions are truly peaceful," Straw said. Japan said the decision was "a matter of deep regret" and the Foreign Ministry called on Iran "to immediately cease the resumption of the research and development activities." Iran's decision to freeze some nuclear activities in October 2003 was voluntary, so the IAEA said it had no option but to remove the seals at Iran's request. The move further erodes the suspension of nuclear activities that has been the centerpiece of Iran's nego- tiations with the West since the freeze was put in place as a confidence-building measure. In August, Iran removed seals at another nuclear plant outside the city of Isfahan and resumed uranium reprocessing - a step before enrichment in the nucle- ar fuel process. JERUSALEM Samn shows new signs of recovery Doctors reported progress by Ariel Sharon yesterday, saying the Israeli leader moved his left hand and appeared to respond to his sons' voices in new signs of recovery from a massive stroke. But while doctors said Sharon was no longer in immediate danger, they cautioned it would be days before they could determine the full extent of the damage he suffered from a brain hemorrhage and whether he has lost his ability to think and reason. "I think compared with recent days ... there are significant changes in the prime minister's condition. But we still have a long way to go, and we have to be patient" said Yoram Weiss, one of Sharon's anesthesiologists. Sharon suffered a massive stroke Jan. 4 and underwent three surgeries to stop hem- orrhaging on the right side of his brain. He has been kept in a medically induced coma to give him time to recover. Israelis were stunned at the illness of their 77-year-old leader and have intensely fol- lowed updates on his condition. Some made pilgrimages to Hadassah Hospital, gather- ing outside to pray, hanging up posters of support and offering letters of well wishes, many written by children. WASHINGTON Bush warns Dems to watch what they say President Bush warned Democratic critics of his Iraq policy yesterday to watch what they say or risk giving "comfort to our adversaries" and suffering at the ballot box in November. Democrats said Bush should take his own advice. There are still 10 months left before congressional elections in which the president's Republican Party could lose its dominance of Capitol Hill; a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll found Americans prefer Democratic control over a continued GOP majority by 49 percent to 36 percent. But Bush is wasting no time engaging the battle. In his first speech of 2006 on the road, last week in Chicago, he aggressively challenged Democrats on the economy. Yesterday's equally sharp message represented an attempt by the presi- dent to neutralize Democrats' ability to use Iraq - where violence is surging in the wake of December parliamentary elections and messy negotiations to form a new coalition government - as an election-year cudgel against Republicans. ANKARA, Turkey Turkey flies into action over flu outbreak Thrkey raced to contain an outbreak of bird flu yesterday, destroying 300,000 fowl and blaring warnings from mosque loudspeakers, after preliminary tests showed at least 15 people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 strain. As the country recorded the first human deaths outside eastern Asia, jit- tery European governments stepped up border checks and hosed down Turkish trucks with disinfectant. Fifteen cases in one week is a record for the current bird flu outbreak. Never before has such a high number of cases been seen in such a short time in Asia, where 76 people have died since 2003. European governments, scrambling to avoid the specter of a mutation that could trigger a pandemic capable of killing millions, sprayed trucks from Turkey with disin- fectant. In Italy, a consumer group urged the government to impose a ban on travel to Turkey, and in Greece, veterinary inspectors stepped up border checks. Underscoring the vulnerability neighboring countries feel, Bulgaria began issuing its citizens special instructions on how to deal with an outbreak. KISSIMMEE, Fla. Robbers flee bank with hostage, shoot at police Two armed robbers fled a bank near Walt Disney World with one hostage yesterday after sheriff's deputies tried to end an hours-long standoff by blasting through a rear door. Deputies were using cell phones to negotiate with the suspects, who were trapped in a car with the female hostage after they tried to escape in a bank employee's vehicle. They drove less than a mile from the bank but turned around after being surround- ed by barricaded streets. The robbers then shot at deputies but nobody was injured, authorities said. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTION Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com 0 Ahto answers key questions on 2nd day Nominee says he will face the abortion issue with an open mind WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said yes- terday he would deal with the issue of abortion with an open mind as a justice, though he defended his 1991 judicial vote saying women seeking abortions must notify their husbands. In the second day of Senate hearings, Alito also said no president or court is above the law - even in time of war - as he addressed questions on presidential powers. The issue has been at the fore- front since the revelation that President Bush had secretly ordered the National Security Agency to conduct wiretaps of Americans in the terror war. The federal judge also faced tough questions about his decisions during 15 years on an appeals court, his writ- ings on wiretaps and his membership in a college organization opposed to the admission of women and minorities. Alito's answers and his demeanor at the hearings could be critical to his prospects of winning Senate confirma- tion as the 110th Supreme Court justice. The White House expressed confidence that he would prevail in the Republican- controlled Senate. Asked why he wanted the lifetime job, Alito said, "This is a way for me to make a contribution to the country and society." Bush's choice for the high court said his Reagan-era writings oppos- ing abortion reflected an attorney representing a client's interests and, if confirmed and faced with an abortion case, "I would approach the question with an open mind." The conservative jurist gave no indi- cation how he would vote if faced with the question of whether to overturn the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a woman's right to an abortion. While citing the importance of precedent, Alito also said several times it was not an "inexorable com- mand" for justices. The judge defended his dissent in the 1991 case of Casey v. Planned Par- enthood, in which the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a Penn- sylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses. The Supreme Court also rejected the spousal notification, but Chief Justice William Rehnquist quoted from Alito's opinion in his own dis- sent. The high court, on a 5-4 vote, upheld a woman's right to the pro- cedure but was divided on other ele- ments of the case. Alito told the Senate Judiciary Com- mittee: "I did it because that's what I thought the law required." In a 1985 memo as an official of the Reagan administration,Alito described a legal strategy for chipping away at abortion rights. Questioned about the document, he told the committee, "That was a statement that I made at a prior period of time when I was per- forming a different role and, as I said yesterday, when someone becomes a judge you really have to put aside the things that you did as a lawyer at prior points in your legal career." Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told the Judi- ciary Committee that courts in general should follow their earlier decisions and avoid being moved by public opin- ion on controversial issues. "I think that the legitimacy of the court would be undermined in any case if the court made a decision based on its perception of public opin- ion," Alito said. al Big Easy begins making plans to rebuild New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast will split $29 billion in federal aid for reconstruction NEW ORLEANS (AP) - This city is dreaming big as it puts together a blueprint for its rebirth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, considering such audacious ideas as recreating a long-gone jazz district, building a network of bike paths and commuter rail.lines, and estab- lishing a top-flight school system. In the coming days, beginning today, a commission appointed by Mayor Ray Nagin will unveil a grab bag of ideas that could become part of the master plan for rebuilding this devastated city, a task unparalleled in American history. Committees and subcommittees of the Bring New Orleans Back Commis- sion were invited to think big, with little regard for the price tag. That will be dealt with later, when New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast divvy up the $29 billion in federal aid designated for hur- ricane recovery and reconstruction. "This isn't about us asking for $1 bil- lion to build three more Superdomes and five more airports" said Michael Arata, chairman of a subcommittee that looked at rebuilding the city's film and music industries. "These are projects by real New Orleanians that will have real ben- efit and affect the lives of the people of New Orleans." He added: "This process allowed people to kind of speak their dreams, give words to their greatest concepts and greatest hopes for this city." At the heart of the proposals is one critical, and controversial, rec- ommendation: All parts of the city - even the devastated Lower Ninth Ward and other neighborhoods that were submerged to their rooftops - should be given a chance to rebuild. The Urban Land Institute caused a stir late last year when it issued a report urging the city to put its resources into rebuilding areas that were not flooded. The institute warned that if New Orleans tried to rebuild everything, the city would be condemned to a slow, patch- work recovery. JASON Z. 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