Page 4-Friday, July 23, 1982-The Michigan Daily
France decides
to aid Soviets i
pipeline project
PARIS (AP)- France announced in 1984. About 20 European firms have
yesterday it was ignoring President contracts worth an estimated $11 billion
Reagan's sanctions on the Soviet gas to help develop the project, and
pipeline and ordered a French thousands of jobs on the economically
manufacturer to go ahead with depressed Continent depend on the
deliveries of pipeline rotors developed deal.
by the General Electric Co. The Reagan administration last mon-
It was another blow to Washington's th expanded sanctions on U.S. exports
battle plan for "economic war" against of oil and gas equipment to the Soviet
the Soviets and further evidence of the Union to include equipment produced
serious degradation in U.S.-European abroad under U.S. licenses, such as the
relations. sophisticated GE rotors, and American
equipment sold to Europe and intended
ALTHOUGH President Francois Mit- for re-export.
terrand's Socialists have ruled France Besides the economic interests at
since May 10, 1981, the issue has little to stake, the pipeline fight represents a
do with political ideology. Britain's fundamental split within the Atlantic
Conservatives, Germany's Social alliance over the nature of Soviet inten-
Democrats, and Italy's Christian tions.
Democrats all oppose the sanctions. The U.S. ambassador to France,
West Germany applauded the French. Evan Galbraith, has contended that the
announcement, Britain announced it pipeline is the key to the rejuvenation of
"sympathizes with the French action" the troubled Soviet economy, and a
and Italy stood by its position that the strong Soviet economy encourages
sanctions would damage Italian- Moscow in its "expansionist" and
American relations. "aggressive" policies.
In Washington, the White House said "We just don't want to bail out the
it was studying "a number of possible Soviet Union at this time," Galbraith
actions" the United States could take in said Wednesday, adding there is a
retaliation for the French decision. "fundamental difference between
THE PIPELINE is supposed to begin Europe and the United States on the
shipping natural gas to Western Europe possibility of Soviet domination."
IRA threatens more
attacks in England
In Brief
Compiled from Associated Press and
United Press International reports
House defeats Reagan's proposal
to fund nerve-gas weapons
WASHINGTON- The House dealt President Reagan a setback in his
defense program yesterday, voting 251-159 to ban money to produce a new
generation of nerve-gas weapons.
But the chamber went along with another key element of Reagan's
strategic modernization plan, the B-1 bomber. An amendment by Rep.
Ronald Dellums (D-Calif.) to delete the $4 billion for the plane was defeated
257-142.
Reagan sought $54 million for production of "binary" nerve-gas
weaponry, but the House, apparently heeding pleas that approval would
have serious diplomatic and propaganda effects, cut the money from the
$177.1 billion defense authorization bill.
The $54 million would have gone to produce binary weapons, composed of
two separate and sealed containers of chemicals that combine and become
lethal only after the artillery shell or bomb in which they are packed are
fired.
The chemical weapons now in the U.S. inventory, all made before 1969, are
of the so-called unitary type, meaning they have been mixed before firing.
Iran and Iraq trade war claims
Iran claimed yesterday that its forces punched 14 miles into southeastern
Iraq, smashing enemy defenses and killing more than 2,000 Iraqis. Iraq
claimed it repulsed the Iranian offensive and "annihilated" the invading
force.
Tehran's Islamic Republic News Agency said in a report from the front
that Iranian forces launched a two-pronged assault Wednesday night north
and south of the Iraqi border post of Zaid, six miles northeast of Iraq's oil
port of Basra.
A military communique carried by IRNA said Iranian forces destroyed
380 Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers, in what a senior officer
described as an "unprecedented operation."
An Iraqi communique conceded the Iranians advanced about three miles
into Iraqi territory, but said Iraqi forces pushed them back in an "im-
mediate counteroffensive."
The communique, carried by the official Iraqi news agency INA, said
Iraq's troops "totally crushed" the invading force, killing 2,235 Iranians,
capturing a "considerable number of the enemy" and destroying 27 tanks
and armored vehicles. It said the rest of the Iranian force "fled terrified
from the field."
Senate passes cigarette tax hike
WASHINGTON - The Senate agreed yesterday to a temporary doubling
of the federal tax on cigarettes and an even bigger boost of levies on
telephone service as it rushed toward passage of the biggest tax increase in
history.
Leaders hoped to complete action during the night on the package, which
would boost taxes by $99 billion and cut federal spending for Medicare,
Medicaid and aid to the needy by about $17.5 billion over the next three
years. Congress and the Reagan administration expect the bill to force down
interest rates and revitalize the economy.
The excise tax on telephone service would be raised from 1 percent to 2
percent next year, and then to 3 percent for two more years before returning
permanently to 2 percent. The cigarettes tax would go from 8 cents to 16 cen-
ts a pack until 1985, when it would return to 8 cents.
In addition to the dozens of tax increases, the Senate package would make
the largest cuts ever - more than $13 billion - in the Medicare program,
which provides health care for the elderly through the Social Security
system. The net result of the reductions willarequire a typical Medicare
recipient to pay about $4.20 more for health care in 1983.
Offshore drilli plan challenged
WASHINGTON - A clamor arose yesterday over the administration's
decision to open 1 billion offshore acres to oil and gas leasing, with California
preparing a court challenge and Interior Secretary James Watt accusing
critics of "political posturing."
California state officials arranged to file suit in U.S. District Court in
Washington seeking to challenge Watt's final decision Wednesday to open
vast areas of the outer continental shelf to leasing over the next five years.
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Edward Kennedy and Reps. Edward Markey, (D-
Mass) and Gerry Studds, (D-Mass.) introduced a resolution disapproving
the leasing plan.
Kennedy said, "Secretary Watt has decided to play Russian roulette with
a price-less and irreplaceable heritage - our coastlines and our vast marine
environment.
Watt said the plan was developed after consultaton with states, the
Congress and "all the interest groups, and I'm pleased to report it is not con-
troversial except as it is 'hyped' in the media."
LONDON (AP)- The outlawed Irish
Republican Army, saying bombs are
the only thing Britain will listen to, hin-
ted yesterday at new attacks in
England like the devastating double
bombing that killed nine soldiers in two
Londonparks.
In Parliament, Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher rejected a fresh
call to bring back hanging for
terrorism. Thatcher, a supporter of
capital punishment, noted that the
House of Commons refused to restore
the death penalty in May by a 357-195
vote.
Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad
staged a partial reconstruction of
Tuesday's IRA blast in Hyde Park,
where three mounted members of the
Household Cavalry were killed. A dark
blue car identical to the one packed
with a 10-pound nail bomb that ex-
ploded was parked in the same spot.
A SCOTLAND Yard spokesman said
police hope photographs of the parked
car, which will appear in the news
media tomorrow, will jog the memories
of witnesses. A spokesman said one
witness has described a man seen
parking the car a half-hour before the
blast.
Two weeks ago, posters went up in
London subways warning passengers to
beware of unattended parcels and bags.
After the bombings, Scotland Yard con-
firmed it had recently obtained infor-
mation that a new bombing campaign
was planned.
The Belfast weekly Republican
News, which supports the Irish
nationalist movement, yesterday
quoted an IRA spokesman as saying of
the bombings, "Such actions are the
only thing Britain will listen to."
The Republican News said one bomb
in London is worth 100 in Belfast. "It is
obvious that the IRA has overcome the
extremely difficult logistical problems
of carrying out operations in England,"
an editorial said.
Israelis attack Lebanon
(Continued from Page) C v
Syrians continue with this conduct, the Christian civil war, but increasingly
Israel Defense Force will act in the had attacked Israel's Lebanese
place, at the time and with the might Christian allies.
which it chooses," it said. U.S. PRESIDENTIAL envoy Philip
The bulk of the 30,000 Syrian troops in Habib, who worked out the cease-fire 12
Lebanon along with their guerrilla days ago and has been trying to find
allies have regrouped in the Bekaa Arab countries to accept the guerrillas,
Valley, 20 miles east of. Beirut, after flew to Damascus for further talks.
clashes with the Israelis who invaded As he arrived in the Syrian capital,
Lebanon on June 6 to crush the PLO. Israeli warplanes attacked Palestinian
The Syrians entered Lebanon six 130mm cannons in the area of Beirut's
years ago, ostensibly to police the ar- stadium, airport and Sabra quarter, an
mistice that ended the 1975-76 Moslem- Israeli military communique said.