The Micigan aly
Vol. XCI, No. 57-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday, August 7, 1981 Ten Cents Sixteen Pages
ontrollers,
Reagan stick
to their guns
From AP and UPI TRANSPORTATION Secretary Drew
WASHINGTON - Ignoring widening Lewis said a total of between 1,000 and
outcries from big labor, the Reagan 1,200 controllers have returned to work
administration continued to fire since the strike started Monday.
illegally striking air controllers yester-
day as their union declared the gover- In London, leaders of a 60-nation
nment could "put our people in association of air controllers' unions
shackles and put them in jail - we will asked its members to "consider
not go back to work." refusing air traffic control services to
With about three-quarters of the U.S.-registered aircraft."
nation's scheduled flights operating Ted Bradshaw, one of five board
normally in all but the 22 largest airpor- members of the International
< ts, White House spokesman David Federation of Air Traffic Controller
Gergen said officials were sending out Associations, said there was unanimous
notices of dismissal "as rapidly as they support for the U.S. strikers.
administratively can."
AS FAR AS President Reagan was IN THE FACE of the strike, the
concerned, said Gergen, "this is Day nation's airlines-working to bring
One of rebuilding the system" without their flight operations back to near
the strikers. The administration has normal-found themselves looking for
said that process could take as long as passengers to fill empty seats.
two years.
The biggest airports still were limited The Air Transport Association, which
to half their normal traffic. represents the airlines, said planes
Meanwhile, another 500 striking air were flying with 50 percent of their
traffic controllers made the "gut wren- seats filled, compared with a normal 65
Daily Photo by KIM HILL ching" decision to return to work percent at this time of year.
yesterday as the final deadline for
President Reagan's back-to-work order "Our initial reports are that more
Touche epied
expired. and more people are returning to air
Practicing for their certification in stage combat, Richard Smith (left) and That left at least 12,000 who refused to travel as they realize that there are
Lou Brockway thrust and parry until they get it right. A demonstration, break ranks and give up in the face of plenty of flights and plenty of seats
which will also serve as the basis for their certification, is being held today massive government pressure on the available," spokesman Dan Henkin
at 6:15 p.m. on the lawn next to Rackham Hall, on Fletcher- fourth day of the illegal strike. said.
IRAN CLAIMS RED TAPE HOLDING UP DEPAR TURE
French citizens can't leave Iran
From AP and UPI
PARIS - Iranian officials yesterday barred 62
French nationals, including 25 diplomats, from boar-
ding an Air France flight to Paris but said they would
be allowed to leave the country Monday.
The Paris government Wednesday had ordered
all French citizens to leave Iran because of fears they
would be taken hostage by Islamic militants.
AS IRANIAN red tape held up the departure,
negotiations were reported under way in both Tehran
and Paris to find a solution. Iran promised "full
security" for the French.
The test of wills between the two nations was the
latest in a growing dispute over France's decision to
grant asylum to Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, the fugitive
former president of Iran. The Islamic regime wants
Bani-Sadr returned to stand trial.
"We are not worried at the moment; we have no
reason to be," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
PRESIDENT FRANCOIS Mitterrand, however,
held a five-hour meeting on the Iranian situation and
canceled plans to leave Paris for the weekend.
Mitterand's office said the first group fo 62 French
citizens, who had obtained exit visas Wednesday,
were prevented from leaving Tehran airport on an
Air France flight yesterday morning under "various
pretexts."
The official Iranian news agency Pars quoted an
Iranian government spokesman as saying the delay
was for "investigation of legal and financial records"
of those involved.
A SECOND AIRCRAFT was standing by at Istan-
bul, Turkey, after being denied permission to land in
Tehran, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The Iranians indicated the French would be
allowed to leave only on regularly scheduled Iran Air
flights Monday and Wednesday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Reza Alavi
Tabatabaie, quoted by Pars, said Iran had not asked
the French to leave, saying they "are our guests and
can continue to stay in Iran in full security just as
they have done in the past."
IRAN'S FOREIGN Ministry, which issued exit
visas to the French citizens for the trip, said
"arrangements" had been made for them to leave
Monday on the "first Iran Air flight," the official
Pars news agency reported.
Officials in Paris, however, said a second Air
France jetliner would be sent to Tehran shortly to
evacuate the total of 140 French nationals believed to
be in Iran.
Pars quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Reza
Alavi Tabatabaie as saying the 62 French citizens,
including 25 diplomats, were barred from boarding
the plane because of "problems concerning in-
vestigations of legal and financial records of those
who intend to leave Iran."
FRENCH PRESIDENT Francois Mitterand on
Wednesday ordered the staff of the French Embassy
in Tehran reduced to four and instructed French
diplomats, technicians and their dependents to return
home in an apparent bid to avoid their seizure as
hostages.
France has stated clearly it will not extradite Bani-
Sadr because France - which also was Iranian
leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's place of exile
during the Shah's regime - is known as a haven for
political refugee.