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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1990)
j Page 12 The Battalion Tuesday, May i, Bush names Panamanian to manage canal WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush announced his nomination of the first-ever Panamanian to man age the Panama Canal as he told that nation’s new president on Monday that the United States “will stand with you in peace.” Bush, in his first meeting with President Guillermo Endara since the U.S. invasion of Panama last De cember, also voiced support for En- dara’s proposal to speed up a study on the feasibility of widening the 86- year-old waterway. But saying “the struggle is not over in Panama,” Bush chastised Congress for not moving quicker on his $800 million aid package for Panama and Nicaragua. The mea sure is snagged in the Senate in side disputes, including one on federal funding for abortions. “I’ve asked and asked again that our aid package to the newly liber ated people of Panama be passed and passed swiftly. And still it waits, and with it the future of the fledg ling democracy,” said Bush, Endara at his side, after the two leaders met for 2 1 /z hours. Endara was installed as president Dec. 20,1989 by U.S. invasion forces who toppled the government of Panama, a nation newly reborn in liberty, can count on the support of the United States of America. We were with you in times of conflict, and we will stand with you in peace.” — President Bush strongman Manuel Antonio No riega. Endara, speaking in Spanish, said his people had suffered “under 21 long years” but that “tyrannies of any kind, of any sort, must be rele gated to the past.” Then, addressing Bush directly in English, Endara thanked him for filling “our spirits with enthusiasm and optimism.” He invited Bush to visit Panama as soon as possible. “Be careful, I might just show up,” Bush said. In a departure ceremony. Bush praised Endara as “a consensus builder” who “won the confidence of Panamanians and all Americans.” The president used the occasion to announce he was sending to the Senate, under terms of the 1978 Panama Canal Treaties, the nomi nation of Gilberto Guardia Fabrega to be Panama Canal Commission ad ministrator. The treaties called for a Panama nian — selected by Panama, nomi nated by the U.S. president and con firmed by the U.S. Senate — to be put in charge of the canal in the final decade of U.S. jurisdiction. The canal will be turned over to Panama in the year 2000. Guardia, 60, is the president of an architectural and engineering com- g any in Panama City. Educated at anta Clara University in California, Guardia was a civil engineer with the tt I’ve asked and asked again that our aid package to the newly liberated people of Panama be passed and passed swiftly.” — President Bush Panama Canal Company in the 1950s. Endara praised Bush’s endorse ment of Guardia as canal adminis trator as “an act of justice.” Bush and Endara also signed four agreements: three on drug-war co operation and the other to allow Peace Corps volunteers back into the isthmus nation. “Panama, a nation newly reborn in liberty, can count on the support of the United States of America,” Bush said. “We were with you in times of conflict, and we will stand with you in peace.” Both in his comments with En dara, and in remarks earlier Monday to the annual convention of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Bush ac cused Congress of dragging its feet on his Central American aid pack age. Bush complained that his package of aid to Panama and Nicaragua had become weighed down by adding another $800 million in unrelated spending in the House and with “a contentious abortion provision” in the Senate. Bush asked Congress last March 13 for the $800 million package — $500 million for Panama and $300 for Nicaragua. Judgment should aid consumers Supreme Court decision allows states to use antitrust laws to control corporate mergers WASHINGTON (AP) —The Supreme Court gave state governments and consumers a potential pocketbook victory Monday, saying they may use federal antitrust law to try to break up corporate mergers. The unanimous decision empowers California of ficials to challenge a $2.5 billion merger of the Lucky and Alpha Beta supermarket chains. If the state wins its lawsuit and splits up the busi ness deal, officials said California consumers could save $440 million a year in grocery bills. Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the court, said any opponent of a merger — not just the federal government — has the right to sue to force divesti ture of merged businesses. The ruling, however, does not give states and in dividuals the same sweeping power enjoyed by the federal government. Stevens said federal officials can force divestiture merely by proving an antitrust violation but said, “A private litigant ... must prove threatened loss or damage to his own interests in order to obtain re lief.” The decision sends the supermarket’s merger case back to lower courts where the state will try to prove the merger is illegal. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, in a separate con curring opinion, said the California attorney gener al’s office still faces some hurdles at trial. The state knew of the impending supermarket merger in early 1988 but waited months before it sued, he said. Kennedy noted that the Federal Trade Commis sion permitted the merger and that the break-up will “upset labor agreements and other matters.” “These considerations should bear upon the ulti mate disposition of the case,” he said. It was widely assumed before Monday’s decision that states and private citizens could prevent anti competitive business combinations but could not in terfere once such deals were completed. But Stevens said the Clayton Act, passed in 1914 when Congress was preoccupied with trust-busting on a national scale, can be a weapon even against a completed merger. Lucky, California’s largest supermarket chain, and Alpha Beta, the fourth largest, operate some 600 stores in the state. Alpha Beta’s parent company, American Stores, acquired Lucky in June 1988 to merge the two chains “ A private litigant... must prove threatened loss or damage to his own interests in order to obtain relief.” — John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court Justice under the Lucky name. American has 1,500 stores in 40 states, while Lucky’s operations are in seven West ern and Midwestern states. American Stores said California customers would save more than $40 million a year because of in creased efficiency. But state officials said the merger would drive other competitors out of business and would lead to $440 million in higher grocery prices each year. U.S. District Judge David Kenyon in Los Angeles temporarily blocked the merger in 1988, and or dered separate operation of the two chains pending further litigation. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over turned the judge’s ruling and lifted the break-up or der. Bush greets former hostage, expresses hope for others WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi dent Bush, saying “things seem to be moving,” hailed the release Monday of a second American hostage in Lebanon but said there could be no rest “until all hostages are free.” “I hope this is a forerunner to the release of the other American hos tages and the others from other countries held against their will,” Bush said. Bush spoke as he welcomed for mer hostage Robert Polhill to the White House. The meeting came just hours after another hostage, Frank Reed, was turned over in Bei rut to Syrian officials after 43 months of captivity. The president pointedly thanked Iran and Syria for their efforts in winning the hostages’ release. But he added that no one can expect a re turn to normal relations “or expect vast improvement until all Ameri cans are free.” “I hope there’s a realization that holding people against their will is not the way to affect political change,” Bush said. Asked if Israel ought to release a Shiite cleric. Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid, and others as demanded by a Tehran newspaper as a next step, Bush said he would have “no objec tions” to such an action. “That is a matter for others to de termine,” he added. Polhill, accompanied by his wife Ferial, clasped Bush with both hands in a warm handshake. Speaking in a raspy whisper, Pol hill said he could not provide any clues about the other six Americans still held hostage. “You may be surprised, but I really don’t know very much about what was going on around me,” Pol hill said. “The only thing I can sug gest is that the American people con tinue to show, as hostages continue to be released on a regular basis, how much we are wanted back.” Asked whether he was carrying a message to Bush from the kidnap pers, he said, “They said I was.” He flashed a thumbs-up sign as Bush turned to lead him into the White House. Bush said the meeting with Polhill came “at a very special moment” be cause Reed had just been freed. The president said he expected to talk soon with Reed by telephone in Damascus, Syria, where he was taken. “I do want to take this opportu nity to thank Syria for its role in not only bringing Mr. Polhill home but its role in the Reed release, and simi larly to Iran for its role,” Bush said. Expressing hopes for release soon of the other hostages — six Ameri cans and 10 other Westerners — Bush said, “Things seem to be mov ing on this. “I can’t explain the rationale but I can express a certain gratitude that things seem to be moving. And what I feel in my heart about the return of now these two Americans is, in a sense, overwhelming. “But I don’t think any American can totally rejoice until the rest are free, and indeed we can’t limit our concern and our feelings to just the Americans, in my view,” he said. Latvians demand freedom Vol.8 MOSCOW (AP) — A Latvian®.; zen’s group claiming to represe:: hundreds of thousands of Latv, ans demanded Monday that tV” republic follow Lithuania’s fe; and declare independence fro: . hO 1 the Soviet Union, a spokeswoman,,, , u said, jjj.,,, , The Latvian spokeswoma: t hi voicing sentiments identical . t j, e | those neard in I jthuania, said ••it “This is an occupied country, llta, ,, i are under Soviet power here, ur mJes a der an occupying army.” jjoust The Latvian Citizens' CWjL )U s gress, elected mainly from amor,;!;, sl erT ethnic Latvians, convened Mot 7 \ 7 'V J; ot V/X day and called for restoration o Bar Latvian independence, spokeswt the L man Iveeta Buicke said. i‘)86, Latvia, Lithuania and Estoniijtonti were independent countries be tween World War I and Wor^ War II but were forcibly annexe: by the Soviet Union in 1940. Ethnic Latvians make up jus over half of Latvia’s populationo: 2.7 million, and a poll publisher Monday by the Soviet govern| ment newspaper Izvestiasaidtha; 92 percent of those polled fawtjyjUl secession. Non-Latvian residem^The make up 46 percent of the repub lie, and 45 percent were for inde dc pendence. a , )S (. <> The congress met three davigrhe 1 before the official Latvian Su-jorh ii preme Soviet parliament was{Jk S or i consider whether to emulatt Or. Lithuania’s March 11 declaratio: ur er i of independence. Hence The Estonian parliament ak* 0] de has made clear it intends tofolbjecn st Lithuania in seceding from dxl 'Det Soviet Union, bur more au4 e stil: tiously. v 0r ld,’ The Latvian congress dak' I fhe the right to replace the republkiituck ii Supreme Soviet during the Iran n he sition to independence. Its men ji ion bers were elected in March b -c, nor registered ethnic Latvian voteriJlyat It says it represents abouty an 700,000 Latvians. iclm v* Latvian politicians are predki.fjiciei ing a heated parliamentary battkl' Cm on the independence issue latcioniic this week voikii “May 3 and 4 are going to Suiting very hot days.” said Andifo >me Anspoka of he pro-indepeuonditi dence Latvian People’s Frowf) u \ which won a majority in the Si in \ c preme Soviet in elections held fifmot March. ttn.w Soviet President Mikhail SBler.’ Gorbachev recently warned LailLast vian delegates that he wouldoffeftssat the republic special status inart jgn () configured Soviet federation k’hina. he would not accept outright 5? |"Si cession. I BIG BILL? 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