The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
NEWS BRIEFS
PRISTINA, Kosovo
Kosovo declares
independence from
Serbia
Revelers fired guns, waved red-
and-black Albanian flags and set
off fireworks over Kosovo yester-
day after parliament proclaimed
independence in defiance of Serbia
and Russia, which condemned the
declaration of the world's newest-
nation.
A decade after a bloody separat-
ist war with Serbian forces that
claimed 10,000 lives, lawmak-
ers pronounced the territory the
Republic of Kosovo and pledged to
make it a "democratic, multiethnic
state." Its leaders looked for swift
recognition from the U.S. and
key European powers - but also
braced for a bitter showdown.
Serbia called the declarationille-
gal and its ally Russia denounced
it, saying it threatened to touch off
a new conflict in the Balkans.,
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
Bush to Congress:
Stop arguing and
renew AIDS program
President Bush rejected pro-
posed Democratic changes to his
prized AIDS relief program, issu
ing a challenge yesterday to Con-
gress to "stop the squabbling" and
renew it as is. Tanzanian leader
Jakaya Kikwete made an impas-
sioned appeal for the same thing,
saying thousands in his country
would orphan their children if U.S.
lawmakers do not act.
There is broad support in the
Democratic-controlled Congress
for the anti-AIDS spending that
has become the largest-ever inter-
national health initiative devoted
to one disease, so there is not much
danger of failing to continue it.
But with the program expiring
this year, a political and ideologi-
cal showdown is brewing in Wash-
ington over the initiative's terms
and size. Bush hopes that putting
real, grateful faces on the program
- moms and dads controlling the
disease and children who were
born HIV-free to infected moth-
ers, all because of U.S.-funded
treatment - would strengthen his
hand in the debate.
ELECTION
From Page 1A
But, after the combined six
rounds of voting, the election
hinged on the decision of Commu-
nist Party members, who had not
endorsed either candidate.
After the first election ended
in a stalemate, the 29 Communist
Party members in the parliament
said they would support Svejnar
in the next election if he met cer-
tain demands.
They wanted Svejnar - and the
parties backing him - to promise
that he would not back the United
States' efforts to build anti-missile
radar facilities in the country. Sve-
jnar had already made statements
in support of such action and was
not willing to change his position
- even if it meant losing the elec-
tion.
"I was just not going to yield to
their conditions," Svejnar said. "I
think that's another thing people
appreciated. I stated openly what
my position was and I stuck to my
guns."
While many Czechs were ini-
tially skeptical of Svejnar because
of his American citizenship, he
eventually became the public
favorite.
A poll conducted in Decem-
ber suggested only 28 percent of
Czech citizens would have voted
for Svejnar in a public election.
But, a poll from earlier this month
showed 55 percent of Czechs pre-
ferred Svejnar to the incumbent.
Svejnar's support is largely due
to the American-style campaign
he has led. -
Because the president is cho-
sen by the parliament and not in a
directpublic election, Czech presi-
dential hopefuls usually campaign
by speaking with legislators, but
Svejnar spent a great deal of time
speaking to citizens.
Svejnar's daughter, LSA senior
Laura Svejnar, said the, strategy
helped her father's campaign.
"It was a risky thing to bring
an American-style campaign,
because he didn't know how it
would be perceived, but it went
over really well," she said.
Laura Svejnar said her family
was excitedbyher father's success,
but was not expecting him to win.
Instead, she said the campaign
process was meant to introduce
Svejnar asa possible candidate for
future presidential elections. Sve-
jnar has served as an advisor to
government officials in the past,
but hasn't held public office.
Svejnar said he will consider
the possibility of running for
the presidency in the future, but
hasn't made a decision yet.
"A lot of people expect me to, but
depending onthe circumstances, I
may or may not run." Svejnar said.
"I wouldn't rule it out."
Although the past three months
have been exciting, Svejnar said
he looked forward to returning to
Ann Arbor.
"The good thing is that it has
had a major, positive effect on
democracy in Central and Eastern
Europe," Svejnar said. "And the
other positive effect is that I can
come back and be with the stu-
dents and faculty at Michigan."
POLICY
From Page 1A
I can receive from the Univer-
sity."
Hesp, a graduate student staff
assistant, said the policy will have
an effect on Rackham's ability to
hire graduate student instructors.
Previously, some GSIs lost their
insurance coverage whenthey gave
birth or took time off when their
spouse was giving birth.
"That seems like quite a penalty
for having a child," Hesp said.
Hesp said the leave will let her
focus her time on parenting with-
out worrying about losing her job,
Monday, February 18, 2008 - 3A
insurance or finding daycare.
"It is almost impossible to find
childcare for a newborn and the
cost per month would be almost my
whole salary," Hesp said.
Hesp's husband, fellow Rack-
ham student Michael Layne, also
qualifies for the leave time, but will
not be takingit in full.
Johnson said Rackham is doing
as much as possible to help student
parents adjust, including treating
a website with policy information
and resources for expectant par-
ents and hosting workshops for
student parents.
"It's a small piece of a policy,"
Hesp said, "but it's a huge step for-
ward from what it used to be."
TRIP
From Page 1A
the university's vice chancellor an
honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Krenz said Coleman plans to
sign contracts to formalize an
exchange program between the
College of Engineering and the
University of Johannesburg, and
sign looser agreements with two
Ghanaian universities - Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science
and Technology and the Univer-
sity of Cape Coast - to establish
exchange programs.
Coleman's planned trip holds
many similarities to her visit to
China in 2005, which resulted in
this year's academic China Theme
Year, as well as some notable
partnerships with Chinese insti-
tutions. After the 2005 trip, the
University's College of Engineer-
ing established a joint institution
with Shanghai Jiao Tong Univer-
sity. The institute now teaches
a combination of curricula from
both schools.
Krenz said the delegation is
interested in forming another joint
program through the South Africa
trip, but there are no formal plans.
Mark Tessler, director of the
University's International Insti-
tute, will make the trip to South
Africa. He said he hopes the out-
come of the trip will be similar to
the results of the China trip.
"A theme year would be very
nice," he said.
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UNITED NATIONS
U.N. employee dies
after 19-floor fall
A woman who worked for the
United Nations died Sunday after
falling from the 19th floor of the
U.N.'s Secretariat Building, au-
thorities said.
Police and U.N. security officers
at the scene, who spoke on condi-
tion of anonymity because they
were not authorized to talk to the
media, said the woman in her 40s
had jumped from a window after
showing up to work early in the
morning.
"A U.N. agency staff member
died after falling from the 19th
floor of the U.N. Secretariat Build-
ing," U.N. deputy spokeswoman
Marie Okabe said. "At this time
there is no suspicion of foul play."
LOS ANGELES
143M pounds of
frozenbeef recalled
from California
The U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture yesterday recalled 143 million
pounds of frozen beef from a Cali-
fornia slaughterhouse, the subject
of an animal-abuse investigation,
that provided meat to school lunch
programs.
officials said it was the largest
beef recall in the United States,
surpassing a 1999 ban of 35 million
pounds of ready-to-eat meats. No
illnesses have been linked to the
newly recalled meat, and officials
said the health threat was likely
small.
The recall will affect beef prod-
ucts dating to Feb. 1, 2006, that
came from Chino-based Westland/
Hallmark Meat Co., the federal
agency said.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
3,961
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. There were no deaths identi-
fied yesterday.
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