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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2000)
WORLD Page 10 THE BATTALION Tuesday, March?, Albright hit with eggs while visiting the Czech Republic ALBRIGHT BRNO, Czech Republic (AP) — Shouting “death to American imperial ism,” two men hurled eggs at Secretary of State Madeleine Al bright Monday after she told a university audience that defense of common values sometimes requires countries to pay a financial price. The incident marred an otherwise warm reception here on the second day of Albright’s four-day visit to the land of her birth. After finishing a speech to an enthu siastic audience at Tomas Masaryk Uni versity in this industrial city 125 miles southeast of Prague, Albright was milling about in the crowded entrance hall as bystanders cheered. Suddenly, two men shouted “death to American imperialism” and began hurl ing eggs. Albright was spattered slightly with bits of egg but most of them were intercepted by her bodyguards, said a U.S. official who asked that his name not be published. She was rushed upstairs quickly be fore leaving for another appearance. Po lice Capt. Zdenek Lubas said several people were detained for questioning but declined to give further details. Before the speech, Albright had met privately with about a dozen students from the Gypsy minority to discuss af firmative action and other ideas for im proving their conditions. She also re ceived a gold medal Monday from the university named after a Czech president who was bom near here 100 years ago. During her speech, Albright referred to a pledge by Czech President Vaclav Havel to cancel a $30 million sale of cooling duct parts by a Czech company to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. Although Iran insist the plant is for peaceful production of electricity, the Unit ed States fears the Iranians are hying to de velop a nuclear weapons program. Noting that this former Soviet Bloc state joined NATO last year, Albright said preventing the spread of nuclear weapons was a high priority of the West ern alliance. As with any goal worth achieving, it is not without cost,” Albright said, speak ing in English. “To keep the best tech nology from falling into the wrong hands, American firms are required to forgo many potentially profitable con tracts. But a similar responsibility rests upon the shoulders of all who pledged to defend the best interests of the Euro-At lantic community.” Albright said Washington has urged all its allies to “meet that responsibility so that our common security is protected and the future safer for our children and theirs.” “We consider the campaign around Bushehr conducted by the Czech gov ernment and the local media a gift to the American minister Madeleine Albright linked to her visit,” Sharif Khodai, the acting Iranian ambassador to Prague, told the newspaper Pravo. Albright laid a wreath of red roses and white irises at a statue of Masaryk, who led Czechoslovakia from 1918 un til 1935 and was a close friend of Presi dent Woodrow Wilson. Albright has urged Czechs to follow the example of Masaryk, a towering figure in Eastern European democratic history. “He stood up for truth when others were afraid to face the truth,” Albright said in Hodonin. On Sunday, she had said “ Masaryk’s dream was to have Eu rope whole and free.” U.S. officials said Albright has urged the Czechs to undertake judicial reform and encourage tolerance for the country’s Gypsy minority. She has also encouraged the Czech Republic to become more in volved in Western moves to bring democracy to Yugoslavia’s main repub lic, Serbia, and to help promote ethnic stability in Kosovo, a province of Serbia. Albright said Sunday that the people of Serbia “do not deserve” an autocratic leader like President Slobodan Milosevic. In an interview with Radio Free Eu- rope-Radio Liberty, she said the United States had been urging the Serbian op position movement to end its divisions and prove to Serbs that “they represent an alternate choice.” Albright also said democratically minded leaders from former Soviet Bloc countries could offer advice to opposition figures in Serbia on how to unite in the face of authoritarian rule. China increases military spending Play it again, Sam BEIJING (AP)—Amid renewed tensions with Taiwan, Chi na said today it will boost military spending by 12.7 percent this year. The spending hike for the People’s Liberation Army — or PLA—the world’s largest military, comes on top of an increase of the same percentage in last year’s budget. In announcing his 2000 budget to the national legislature. Fi nance Minister Xiang Huaicheng said $14.5 billion would be spent on defense. China was expected to have an economic growth rate of 7 percent this year. He said the new funds would mainly cover salary and al lowance increases for troops, as well as expenditures for main taining forces in Macau — the territory that Portugal handed back to China in December. Beijing lavished double-digit spending increases on the PLA for much of the 1990s, reflecting the militaiy’s political clout and efforts to modernize the 2.5 million strong force. China’s grow ing militaiy might has raised concerns among other Asian nations, some of which have territorial disputes with Beijing. Xiang did not give a break down of the military spend ing, but Western analysts believe China’s actual defense spending is three times higher than the published figure. Pur chases of sophisticated weapons at home and abroad are not included in the official figure. Xiang’s comments expanded on an anti-corruption theme of the annual 11-day session of the National People’s Congress. Overall, Xiang said, central government spending will increase by 12.3 percent to $ 111.1 billion; revenue will increase by 7.9 per cent to $83.3 billion. That will leave a record deficit of $27.7 billion, up from the $21.7 billion deficit Xiang said was recorded in 1999. k {Item profes r exas A&IV identity cr year at A& sbian wedding, es on African-/ nd 1999 Aggie I dto questions i ersity’s reputati onservative' or ■‘tolerant’ have lore and more ii hether the Unit ght or left wing rowing and bec< A significant p 'ggie Review, a h community. 77/ pective on local; oins the liberal pi ke views presentt indent body now ad content of the s desired — narr is easy for a m and become rare —these pub irofessional slant lonftised and be r AsA&M studi he publications c niss the mark, dii lently discussing The Touchston [note, “When a n, leral bell is alreac :ome viewpoint f iroviding opposir Instead, The I mt versions of rej RYLA SCUU/Thi BATTALION A street musician performs during Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans this weekend. Today is Fat Tuesday and Lent begins tomorrow. y Chri O np nf thp a ILLENNIUM Scholars Money shouldn’t determine who goes to college or graduate school. Intelligence, hard work and ambition should be enough. Now they are. The Gates Millennium Scholars initiative — created by the Bill &. Melinda Gates Foundation — offers scholarship opportunities that allow you to stop worrying about tuition and concentrate on your studies. Gates Millennium Scholars awards are available for qualified African American, Hispanic American, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian Pacific American students. For more information, nomination criteria and nomination materials, visit www.gmsp.org or call l-877'690-GMSP. Gates Millennium Scholars Leaders for America's Future Deadline March 15 arge, truly has a lach ofits42,00( ients. But somet Qoiden ‘K&y, Notional Honor Society Meeting Tuesday, March 7th 8:30 p.m. MSC 206 ne of the amazing about To is that a sc finding the right iifficult. 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