I MM V Texas ^ V#
I The Battalion
Vol. 82 Mo. 40 GSPS 045360 12 pages College Station, Texas Friday, October 24, 1986
U.S. seeks end to fight
over diplomats, spies
Official says larger issues should be resolved
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
United States, without retaliating for
the latest expulsion of five U.S. dip
lomats from Moscow, urged the So
viet Union Thursday to close a rag
ing dispute over diplomats and
spies. ,
Declaring a cease-fire, Chares E.
Redman, the State Department
spokesman, said, “We need now to
get on with resolution of the larger
issues affecting U.S.-Soviet relations
and build on the progress made in
discussions at Reykjavik.”
But Redman also said that any re
strictions placed on temporary
American workers in Moscow would
be matched by limits on Russian la
borers here.
On Wednesday, the Soviets or
dered the five U.S. diplomats to
leave in retaliation for the expulsion
on Tuesday of 55 Soviet diplomats
amid accusations by U.S. officials
that they were engaged in espio
nage. Also, 260 Russians who work
as cooks and clerks at the U.S. em
bassy and the U.S. consulate in Le
ningrad were withdrawn.
Last weekend, the Soviets kicked
out five Americans in response to
the expulsion of 25 Soviets em
ployed at the U.N. mission in New
York.
Redman condemned the latest So
viet expulsion order as an unjusti
fied act, but said “we hope this set of
issues can now be put behind us.”
The expulsion of the 55 Soviets
will bring the size of the Soviet em
bassy here and the consulate in San
Francisco down to equal levels with
the American diplomatic comple
ment in the Soviet Union.
Redman said the two govern
ments should move on to other is
sues, such as arms control, taken up
by President Reagan and Mikhail S.
Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, at the
Iceland summit two weeks ago.
The Reagan administration ac
cused the Soviets of using diplomatic
facilities for espionage purposes,
while saying the United States in
tended to set equal ceilings of 225
posts at the embassies and 26 at the
consulates.
Lawyer enters innocent piea
for American in Nicaragua
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) —
The lawyer for Eugene Hasenfus
declared to a revolutionary tribunal
Thursday that his American client
was innocent of terrorism and violat
ing Nicaraguan security.
The attorney, Enrique Sotelo Ber
gen, also said the People’s Tribunal,
which is hearing the case, does not
have the authority to judge Hasen
fus because it “lacks impartiality”
and was not appointed by the Su
preme Court. Hasenfus, reportedly
being held in a prison outside Mana
gua, did not attend the hearing.
Sotelo Borgen said in a written
statement delivered to court officials
20 minutes before the 5:30 p.m.
(7:30 p.m. EDT) deadline for enter
ing a plea, “I come before the au
thorities to deny, reject, and contra
dict all of the concepts of the
accusations formulated against my
defendant by the minister of jus
tice.”
The defense now has eight days,
beginning Friday, to present its evi
dence to the tribunal in a written
form, according to Foreign Minstry
spokeswoman Angela Sadallos. The
lawyer can request a four-day exten
sion.
Former U.S. Attorney General
Griffin Bell arrived Thursday night
at Sandino International Airport
and said it was “an absolute fact” that
Hasenfus was on board a plane that
contained weapons destined for the
U.S.-backed rebels.
But, Bell added, “I have great rea
son to doubt that he is a terrorist or
committed crimes that happened
110 years ago.”
Bell, an Atlanta-based attorney
who is assisting Sotelo Borgen in Ha
senfus’ defense, said, “Some of the
(government’s 12 pages of) charges
are about the bad relations between
our country and Nicaragua through
out history. He couldn’t possibly be
guilty about some of those things.”
Bell also characterized the trial as
political.
Sotelo Borgen had refused to say
in advance what plea he would enter
for his client. He and Hasenfus met
Wednesday for two hours at the tri
bunal offices located about a half-
mile from the U.S. Embassy in Ma
nagua.
It was only the second time he was
allowed to meet with his client, the
first American taken prisoner in the
Sandinista government’s 4 1 /2-year
war against U.S.-supported Contra
rebels.
Bell, who served as attorney gen
eral under President Jimmy Carter,
volunteered last week to defend Ha
senfus, but the law requires the chief
defense lawyer be Nicaraguan.
Sotelo Borgen, meanwhile, said
he and Bell would “analyze the case
deeply and establish a defensive
strategy.”
Hasenfus, 45, of Marinette, Wis.,
was captured Oct. 5 when the C-123
cargo plane on which he was a crew
member was shot down in southern
Nicaragua. It carried arms and sup-
DALLAS (AP) — University trust
ees, business leaders and former
state officials have formed a political
action committee to fight cuts in
funding for Texas colleges and uni
versities.
The Higher Education Political
Action Committee will begin solicit
ing money in about a week, said Jess
Hay, leader of the committee. Hay is
also chairman of the University of
Texas System board of regents and
chairman and chief executive officer
of Lomas 8c Nettleton Financial
Corp. of Dallas.
Hay said the committee will con
tribute on a non-partisan basis to
legislators who “clearly and unequi
vocally” support Texas higher edu
cation.
A political action commitee is a
special-interest group registered
with the secretary of state’s office for
the purpose of making financial con
tributions to political candidates.
The Legislature last summer cut
funding for state colleges and uni
versities by 10.5 percent. It was the
largest cut in the state budget during
plies for the Contras, and the Sandi-
nistas claim the operation was run by
the U.S. government.
Three other men aboard the C-
123 were killed — two Americans
and one who has not been identified.
The People’s Tribunal, made up
of a lawyer, a truck driver and a la
borer, refused Wednesday to grant
more time for preparing the case.
If convicted, Hasenfus faces up to
30 years in prison. The tribunals
were set up in 1983 to try people ac
cused of counterrevolutionary activ
ity. Reports from human rights
groups indicate most cases brought
before them end in conviction.
a round of budget cuts prompted by
drops in oil prices and state reve
nues.
Legislators trimmed funding for
senior colleges by $95.9 million;
medical schools and related instuti-
tions, $63 million; community col
leges, $40.1 million.
Hay said the cuts reflect legis
lators’ lack of commitment to higher
education.
“There is a very direct linkage be
tween the economic and social well
being of the state and the quality of
higher education,” he said. “Educa
tion has got to rank near the top of
the list of services the state must pro
vide.”
He said the committee will also
launch a public relations campaign
to encourage the public to support
Texas colleges and universities, Hay
said.
“This is a long-term effort de
voted to all the state’s higher educa
tion institutions, not just UT,” Hay
said. “We won’t enter into the up
coming November election, but we
will be active in future elections.”
Texans form RAC
to fight reductions
in college budgets
idols soy earnings paid for construction
GSU: No actual earnings made in ’86
s Day!"
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niture
n.-6p,if
BEAUMONT (AP) — One day after its
prating was bumped down a notch, Gulf
es Utilities Go. announced Wednesday it
no actual cash earnings for the first nine
lonths of the year.
company reported earnings of $1.96
grsjinre of common stock, but officials said
^({percent of that income went to pay for
Ind Jised for construction, company spokes
man HenryJoyner said.
^His means that none of our common
^warnings is real dollars,” Joyner said,
't’sthe same as having play money but being
quijed to pay your bills with real money.”
Cofiege Station city manager William Cole
J|th( announcement will have no effect on
pgoilg negotiations between GSU and the
itv.
ffhc city has known about it throughout
legotiations of the contract,” Gole said.
College Station buys electricity wholesale
roniLSU. On Aug. 25, GSU proposed a 40
wrcei-t rate increase for its wholesale custom-
rs. he said.
Cole said GSU requested the increase be
cause its stockholders aren’t receiving an ad
equate return on their investment.
“Their (GSU) concern is about the stock
holders," Gole said. “Our concern is about the
rate payers.”
North Bardell, Lone Star Municipal Power
Agency executive director, said the city has
known about GSU’s economic situation since
the begining of negotiations.
“The announcement won’t have any effect
at all,” Bardell said. “This is a long-term situa
tion that thev have known about all along.”
After GSU’s wholesale customers com
plained about the proposed 40 percent in
crease, GSU proposed a 24 percent rate in
crease Sept. 8, Bardell said. Following a
special session Sept. 1 1 the city council pro
posed a 7 percent increase, he said.
Gole said the city expects GSU’s response to
the proposed contract Monday.
For the third quarter ending Sept. 30, the
Beaumont-based company reported a net in
come of $90 million, compared to $97.4 mil
lion for the same period of 1985.
The earnings per share amounted to 69
cents, while earnings were 83 cents per share
during the same quarter last year. Total oper
ating revenue for the quarter was $406 mil-
“This means that none of our
common stock earnings is real
dollars. ”
— Henry Joyner, the spokesman
for Gulf States Utility.
lion versus $538 million from last year.
For the year, the utility company reported
a net income of $269 million, up from the
S273 million of 1985. Earnings per share in
1985 were $2.24.
Tuesday, the New York-based bond-rating
agency Standard 8c Poors downgraded the
ratings of Gulf States securities, making the
company’s first mortgage bond ratings one of
the lowest for utility companies in the coun
try.
The company said the allowance used' dur
ing construction is a non-cash procedure used
bv regulators only for the utility industry. It
represents the utility’s carrying costs on both
debt and equity capital invested in construc
tion projects.
Regulatory commissions allow utilities to
use the allowance as income on the premise
that it may be recovered in the future through
rate increases, the company said.
Joyner also said G8U's earnings do not re
flect anv depreciation, operating or mainte
nance expense for its River Bend Nuclear
Unit in Louisiana, which has been generating
electricity since December 1985.
Neither the Public Utility Commission nor
the Louisiana Public Service Commission has
ruled the unit to be in commercial operation.
Without the commissions’ ruling, the com
pany has treated River Bend as if it is still un
der construction and has capitalized $55 mil
lion of plant operating costs and accrued $77
million of the River Bend allowance.
The action was to increase reported net in
come by $132 million for the first nine
months of 1986.
Texas college
enrollment
higher in '86
AUSTIN (AP) — Texas college
and university enrollments in
creased slightly this year, accord
ing to preliminary figures of the
state Coordinating Board.
Preliminary headcount reports
for Fall 1986 show a total of
767,558 students in all public and
private institutions, about 17,120
more than last year, the board
said.
Eighteen public senior colleges
and universities reported an in
crease of 3,910 students while 19
reported decreases of 5,640 for a
net decrease of 1,730 or .48 per
cent.
All but two of the 49 public ju
nior colleges reported enrollment
increases. The net increase of
17,774 compared to a net de
crease of 11,119 for Fall 1985, a
6.1 percent increase.
ilversal,W