The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 - 3

NEWS BRIEFS
VIENNA
Iran ignores
threats, sets up
centrifuges
Shrugging off the threat of
tougher U.N. sanctions, Iran has
set up more than 300 centrifuges in
two uranium enrichmentunits at its
underground Natanz complex, dip-
lomats and officials said yesterday.
The move potentially opens the
way for larger scale enrichment
that could be used to create nucle-
ar warheads. Iranian leaders have
repeatedly said the Natanz under-
ground hall would house first 3,000
centrifuges and ultimately 54,000
machines.
It also poses a direct challenge
to the Security Council, which late
last month imposed limited sanc-
tions targeting programs and indi-
viduals linked to Tehran's nuclear
and ballistic missile programs
- and warned of stricter penalties
within 60 days unless Iran freezes
enrichment.
WASHINGTON
Giuliani moves
closer to run for
presidency
Rudy Giuliani, the former New
York City mayor whose popular-
ity soared after his response to
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
moved closer yesterday to a full-
fledged campaign for the Republi-
can presidential nomination.
In a sign that he's serious about
running for the White House, the
two-term mayor filed a so-called
"statement of candidacy" with the
Federal Election Commission, indi-
catinghe would seekthe presidency
as a Republican should he decide to
go forward.
"Today we just took another step
toward runningfor president," Giu-
liani told reporters in Long Island
while campaigning with a state
Senate candidate. "It's a big step,
an important one. Quite honestly,
we're probably ahead of schedule."
"We still have to think about a
formal announcement and how to
do it but this is a pretty strong step,"
he added.
NEW YORK
Anti-immigrant
sentiments fuel
supremacist action
Huge street protests made mil-
lions of immigrants more visible
and powerful last year, but they
also seem to have revived a hateful
counter force: white supremacists.
Groups linked to the Ku Klux
Klan, skinheads and neo-Nazis
grew significantly more active,
holding more rallies, distributing
leaflets and increasing their pres-
ence on the Internet - much of it
focused on stirring anti-immigrant
sentiment, a new report released by
the Anti-Defamation League says.
"Extremist groups are good at
seizing on whatever the hot button
is of the day and twisting the mes-
sage to get new members," Debo-
rah M. Lauter, ADL Civil Rights
director, said Monday. "This one
seems to be taking hold with more
of mainstream America than we'd
like to see."
BOSTON
Alleging racism,

professor goes on
hunger strike
A black MIT professor began a
hunger strike yesterday to protest
the university's decision to deny
him tenure, which he claims was
based on race.
James Sherley, a stem cell sci-
entist, said he tried for two years
to persuade administrators at the
Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology to reverse the department
head's rejection of his tenure bid.
"I'm not actually doing this to get
tenured," Sherley said. "I'm doing
this for the reason that I wasn't
tenured - which is racism - and I
want this institution to admit that
that is the problem and make plans
to do something about it."
After a last meal - two bowls of
Chex cereal - Sherley stood out-
side provost L. Rafael Reif's office
in protest, accompanied by about
25 friends and supporters.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
9 7
Billions of pairs of shoes China
manufactures each year. The
number exceeds the world popu-
lation, though many people own
more than one pair of shoes. In
the first 11 months of 2006, Chi-
na's exports alone accounted for a
total of 6.97 billion pairs of shoes,
according to salon.com. The
6.97 billion total doesn't include
shoes produced for the use of the
domestic population.

In shift, Saudis push to counter
Iranian influence in Middle East

U.S. backs Saudi
efforts in power
struggle
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN and
HASSAN M. FATTAH
The New York Times
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia - With
the prospect of three civil wars
looming over the Middle East -
and Iran poised to gain from them
all - Saudi Arabia has abandoned
its behind-the-scenes checkbook
diplomacy and taken on a central,
aggressive role in reshaping the
region's conflicts.
Today, the kingdom is playing
host in Mecca to the leaders of
Hamas and Fatah, the two feuding
Palestinian factions, in what both
sides say could lead to a national
unity government and reduced
bloodshed. Last fall, senior Saudi
officials met secretly with Israeli
leaders about how to establish a
Palestinian state.
In recent months, Saudi Ara-
bia has also increased its public
involvement in Iraq and its sup-
port of the Sunni-led government
in Lebanon. The process is shaping
up as a counteroffensive to efforts
by Iran to establish itself as the
regional superpower, according to
diplomats, analysts and officials
here and throughout the region.
Some even say that the recent
Saudi commitment to temper the
price of oil is aimed at undermin-
ing Iran's economy, although offi-
cials here deny that.
"We realized that we have to
wake up," said a high-ranking
Saudi diplomat who spoke on the
condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to speak to
the news media. "Someone rang
the bell, 'Be careful, something is
moving."'
The shift is occurring with
encouragement from the Bush
administration. Its goal is to see
an American-backed alliance of
Sunni Arab states including Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon and
Egypt, along with a Fatah-led Pal-
estine and Israel, opposing Iran,
Syria and the radical groups they
support.
Yet Riyadh's goals may not
always be in alignment with those
of the White House, and could
complicate American interests.
The Saudi effort has been taken
in collaboration with its tradition-
al Persian Gulf allies and Egypt
and Jordan, but it also represents
another significant shift in a region
undergoing a profound reshuf-
fling. The changes are linked to the

toppling of Saddam Hussein and
the transfer of power from Sunni
Muslims to Shiites in Iraq, analysts
said. They also reach back many
years to the gradual decline in
influence of Cairo and the collapse
of a pan-Arab agenda, analysts and
diplomats said.
"The Saudis felt that the Ira-
nian role in the region has become
influential, especially in Iraq,
Palestine and Lebanon, and that
the Iranian role was undermin-
ing their role in the region," said
Muhammad al-Sakr, head of
the foreign affairs committee in
Kuwait's Parliament. "Usually the
Saudis prefer to maneuver behind
the scenes," he said. "Lately
they've been noticeably active."
Saudi Arabia has taken public
initiatives in the past, includ-
ing one in 2002, when at an Arab
League meeting it proposed a
regional peace agreement with
Israel in exchange for Israel's
withdrawing to its 1967 boundar-
ies. But it prefers to work quietly,
and has not recently taken such a
sustained public posture.
"This is not leadership by
choice, it is leadership by neces-
sity," said Gamal Abdel Gawad,
an expert at the Ahram Center for
Political and Strategic Studies in
Cairo. "There is a leadership vac-
uum in the region and they have
to step forward, or Iran will."
The United States, which is
pushing the Saudis to take on this
role, is alarmed at rising Iranian
influence in Iraq and Lebanon,
and with the Palestinian govern-
ment of Hamas.
But the two countries, though
sharing broad goals, have differ-
ent views of the players in each
conflict. For example, while the
Bush administration sees the con-
flict in Iraq as one between allies
and terrorists, the Saudis tend to
see it as Sunnis versus Shiites -
and they favor the Sunnis, while
the Americans back the Shiite-
led government. And while Saudi
Arabia wants to lure Hamas away
from Iran's influence and back
into the Arab fold, the United
States views Hamas as a terrorist
organization.
Nonetheless, both Washing-
ton and Riyadh believe that one
important way to block Iran and
calm the many fires in the region
is to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict - or at least appear to be
trying to.
On the surface, the effort by
Saudi Arabia to establish itself
as a counterpoint to Tehran is a
contest between the main sects
of Islam: Shiites, led by Iran, and
Sunnis, led by Riyadh. Iran, which
is Persian and not Arab, is the only

state that is led by Shiite religious
figures. Saudi Arabia is the birth-
place of Islam, and its king draws
legitimacy as the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques, in Mecca and
Medina.
The kingdom has been accused
of stoking sectarian tensions as
a way to drain popular support
from Iran and its proxies, like
Hezbollah - a charge officials
here deny but for which there is
some evidence.
In an interview on Jan. 27 that
appeared in the daily Saudi news-
paper Al Seyassa, King Abdul-
lah was asked about widespread
rumors that Shiites were trying to
convert Sunnis. Iranian officials
have dismissed such reports as a
disinformation campaign aimed at
inciting sectarian tensions.
"We are following up this mat-
ter and are aware of the Shiite
proselytism and what point it has
reached," the king was quoted as
saying. "This majority will not
abandon its beliefs. At the end of
the day it is the decision of the
majority of Muslims that counts.
Other creeds do not appear able
to infiltrate the Sunni majority or
undermine its historical author-
ity."
Sectarian overtones aside,
the battle is also about politi-
cal power, national interests and
preserving the status quo. Riyadh
and its allies see a threat to their
own power and security in the
rise of Iran and the Shiite revival.
They have expressed fear at Iran's
insistence on pursuing a nuclear
program, and anxiety over the
rise in popularity of Hezbollah,
the Shiite militia in Lebanon.
The Saudi shift, many here say,
dates from last summer, when
Israel failed to crush Hezbollah
during 34 days of bombing, shock-
ing officials here and through-
out the region at the strength of
Hezbollah, seen as Iran's regional
proxy army.
In the interview with Al Seyas-
sa, the king advised Iranian lead-
ers "to know their limits."
Saudi analysts said that another
key moment came after the mid-
term elections in the United States
when the Republicans lost control
of the House and Senate. That was
read here as a sign that the United
States might soon withdraw its
troops from Iraq, leaving an open
field to the Iranians.
"The outcome confirmed our
worst fears," said Awadh al-Badi,
director of the department of
research and studies at the King
Faisal Center for Research and
Islamic Studies in Riyadh. "It said
that we could no longer be sure of
the Americans."

Bush budget plan would
boost Pentagon funds
WASHINGTON (AP) - President the Senate Budget Committee. "The
Bush unveiled a $2.9 trillion budget White House is afraid of taxes and
yesterday that rewards the Pentagon the Democrats are afraid of control-
with a record $50 billion budget hike ling spending."
but pinches programs cherished by Democrats went on the attack.
Democrats, including health research "The president has simply offered
and heating subsidies for the poor. more of the same, proposing a budget
In control of Congress for the that cuts ... from Medicare and Med-
first time in a dozen years, Demo- icaid, while sending $240 billion
crats accused Bush of trimming more in American taxpayer dollars
domestic programs, using smoke to Iraq," said Rep. Rahm Emmanuel
and mirrors to predict a balanced (D-Ill) "This is not a tradeoff the
budget in five years and ignoring a American people want."
hidden tax threat to middle-class Bush touted his fiscal blueprint as
families. His $245 billion request "protecting the homeland and fight-
for Iraq and Afghanistan has given ing terrorism, keeping the economy
lawmakers sticker shock. strong with low taxes and keeping
Despite common agreement spending under control." He said
that something must be done soon after meeting with his Cabinet,
about the spiraling cost of benefit "Congress needs to listen to a bud-
programs such as Social Security get which says no tax increase, and
and Medicare, Bush recommended a budget, because of fiscal discipline,
mostly modest steps - while refus- that can be balanced in five years."
ing to consider tax hikes that could Bush said $245 billion is needed
draw Democrats into negotiations. for military and diplomatic opera-
"There's a lot of skittishness tions in Iraq and Afghanistan over
on both sides about coming to the the next year and a half, bringing
table," said Sen. Judd Gregg of New total Pentagon funding for the wars
Hampshire, the top Republican on to $662 billion.
for more information call 734/615-6449
The University of Michigan College of Literature,
Science, and the Arts Presents the
Twenty-Eighth Distinguished Senior Faculty Lecture

-.rotessor Ot IValhemaliCS, tCEcliCS ant
Public Policy
Director, Center for the Study of Complex Systems
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
LSA 4:10pm
-.S Rackham Amphitheater

-I.

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The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
REC Intramural Sports Program
SPORTS www.recsports.umich.edu
INTRAMURALS 734-763-3562

REC
SPORTS
INTRAMURALS


Entry Deadline:
Wed, 2/7
4:30 PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$9.00 - doubles team
$5.00 - individual
Tournament Date:
Sat, 2/10
Entries also Sports Coliseum
taken
online
Table Tennis S & D

To play: Complete the grid so that every row, column
and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

Entry Deadline:
Wed, 2/14
4:30 PM.
IM Building
Entry Fee:
L $35.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Thurs, 2/15
6:00 PM
IM Building
Tournament Dates:
Entries also Sat, 2/17-Sun, 2/18
taken IM Building
online
re- eason Volleyball
Entries taken:
Mon. 2/19 ONLY
11:00AM - 4:30PM
IM Building
Entry Fee:
$90.00 per team
Manager's Meeting:
MANDATORY
Wed, 2/21
6:00 PM
IM Building
Play begins:
Mon, 3/5
IM Building
Volleyball

Entries due:


Mon,'02/1
4:30 PM
IM Buildin
Entry Fee:
$30.00 per team
Entries als
taken Meet Date:
online Tues, 2/20
Indoor Track Bui

9
ig

5

1:,

1
7 4

ildin

921


5
i4 27

Relays Meet


3

19

5

7

Volleyball: February 13th All clinics are held at the
Broomball: February 19th Intramural Sports Building.
Mini Soccer: February 19th
Contact Nicole Green for more information:
nmgreen@umich.edu or 764-0515

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