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TKeBattalion
Here’s what you said...
Students and faculty share
their reactions to the recent
surge of environmental
awareness.
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fol.89 No.170 USPS 045360 6 Pages
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, July 11,1990
World leaders give strong support
to U.S.S.R.’s ‘perestroika’ efforts
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
HOUSTON — In language unused since
World War II, the leaders of the world’s most
powerful nations expressed strong support
Tuesday for the Soviet Union and pledged to co
operate with the former Cold War rival as its
president carries through with “perestroika.”
The political communique was released Tues
day shortly before U.S. Secretary of State James
A. Baker III spoke to media gathered in Hous
ton for the 16th annual Economic Summit of In
dustrialized Nations.
President Bush, joined by the leaders of Japan,
Canada, Britain, Italy, West Germany and
France, hammered out the political declaration
during Tuesday morning’s sessions at Rice Uni
versity. The economic summit will conclude with
a speech from Bush today at 1 p.m.
The communique, while vague about what co
operation Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
can expect from the West, is the most cooperative
wording since World War II.
“We welcome the intention of the Soviet
Union to move toward a democratic political sys
tem,” the declaration from the world leaders
read, “as well as Soviet attempts to reform its
economy along market principles.”
“We commit ourselves to working with the So
viet Union to assist its efforts to create an open
society, a pluralistic democracy, and a market-
oriented economy,” it continued.
How to assist the Soviet Union, however, had
been a point of contention for the Western lead
ers since the summit began Monday, but the dec
laration seemed to be a compromise.
West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, along
with French President Francois Mitterrand and
Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, sup
ported a $15 billion immediate aid package from
the West to help resurrect the Soviet economy.
Baker, however, reiterated Tuesday the U.S.
position of not granting direct financial aid to the
Soviet Union until it meets several conditions.
Among the conditions are to move its economy to
a more open, freer economy, cease its $5 billion
aid to Cuba and reduce the amount of money
spent on the military.
Bush prefers providing technical assistance to
the Soviets, which he also maintains is a better
way to strengthen the shaky Soviet economy.
“Technical assistance is very, very important
and could be every bit as important, if not more
important, than a specific dollar amount of fi
nancial assistance,” Baker said.
During today’s communique from Bush, it is
expected the leaders will announce plans to study
the Soviet economy to assess its needs and allow
each nation to help Gorbachev any way it wants
to — a compromise between Bush and Kohl.
The political declaration also allowed for pos
sible easing of economic sanctions against China,
just one year after hundreds of Chinese students
were murdered in Tienanmen Square.
The statement said the leaders will explore the
possibility of extending World Bank loans to
China to help in its economic reform.
Under the sanctions imposed during last year’s
economic summit in Paris, loans cannot be ex
tended to China except for humanitarian pur
poses. But the leaders said Tuesday the sanctions
will be reviewed with adjustments “to respond to
further positive developments in China.”
When questioned about whether the United
States is treating China more favorably than the
Soviet Union, Baker said “that idea doesn’t
wash.”
“We should not lose sight of the fact that, in
addition, there are no nuclear missiles targeted
on the United States by China, as far as we
know,” Baker said. “So there is a different situa
tion, and I reject the idea that somehow we are
using a different standard to judge China and to
judge the Soviet Union.”
Bush and the rest of the leaders also addressed
in the communique some transnational issues,
such as terrorism, hostage-taking and the move
to decrease and even ban nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons.
The leaders called for the immediate, uncon
ditional release of the 16 hostages in the Middle
East and, an accounting of those who may have
died in captivity, and issued a strong warning
about terrorists and hostage-takers.
“We are determined not to allow terrorists to
remain unpunished, but to see them brought to
justice in accordance with international law and
national legislation,” the communique stated.
Heated negotiations arise
Officials debate farm subsidies
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Of The Battalion Staff
(Top) Great Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher and President George Bush enjoy a
formal dinner for the leaders of the delegations
| and their representitives at Houston’s Museum of
fine Arts Tuesday night. (Above) President Bush
Jill
thanks celebrity entertainers who preformed fol
lowing the dinner. From left fhey are: comedian
Michael Davis, country music singer Ricky
Skaggs, opera star Frederica Von Stade, actress
Cicely Tyson and singer-actress Marilyn McCoo.
HOUSTON — Heated negotiations between the
leaders of the Western democracies continued Tuesday
as the heads of state haggled over a proposal to drasti
cally cut world farm subsidies and reform international
trade.
The proposal made by President Bush is at odds with
the European Community and has turned into one of
the most divisive points of the 16th annual Economic
Summit of Industrialized Nations held in Houston at
Rice University.
The United States and other countries that effi
ciently produce and export agricultural products want
the European Community to stop subsidizing small, in
efficient farmers and promote freer competition
among world farmers.
Many of Europe’s leaders don’t support Bush be
cause they believe his proposal could put many Euro
pean farmers out of business.
Reuters News Service reported Tuesday that a com
promise had been worked out, but U.S. Secretary of the
Treasury Nicholas Brady denied the story and said
“conclusive language” hasn’t been decided upon.
West German Economics Minister Helmut Haus-
smann said each of the seven participating nations ,
agreed to reduce farm subsidies, according to the Reut
ers story.
Brady said though “substantial progress” was made,
the two sides must continue talks to work out a compro
mise.
“There is general agreement on the need to reduce
expensive and inefficient barriers to trade and agricul
ture,” Brady said, “although vigorous discussion contin
ues on the specific elements of a multilateral solution.”
The issue, if left unresolved, could threaten trade ne
gotiations this December in Uruguay and throw a kink
into other areas of trade negotiations between the
United States and Europe.
Brady said that despite differences over agricultural
subsidies, there was agreement in areas such as provid
ing financial assistance to Eastern Europe and Latin
America and eliminating trade barriers to promote
worldwide growth.
The leaders of Britain, France, West Germany, Italy,
Canada, Japan and a representative from the European
Community dropped serious negotiations for several
hours Tuesday night as they dined and were enter
tained at the Fine Arts Museum of Houston.
In addition to the world leaders, the guest list in
cluded Vice President Dan Quayle, Secretary of State
James A. Baker III, Texas Gov. Bill Clements, White
House Chief of Staff John Sununu, Rice President
See Summit/Page 6
Gorbachev retains hold
as Communist leader
Soviet delegates approve plans
A&M instructor chosen for seminar
By MIKE LUMAN
Of The Battalion Staff
MOSCOW (AP) - Mikhail S. Gor
bachev handily won re-election
Buesday as the Soviet Communist
warty leader from a congress that as-
■ailed him for eight days, but con-
'dueled the party could not survive
without him.
r0 ^|: Although opposition appeared to
f\ melt away as the delegates consid-
cait ^red electing a new general secre-
ittiHfj tary, a sizable anti-Gorbachev senti-
ie r( 1 meat was evident in the balloting.
mo' 1 ; Delegates at the 28th congress of
Bte Soviet Communist Party voted
3,411 to 1,116 to keep Gorbachev as
;on®eneral secretary. His opponent,
I V^weimuraz Avaliani, a Siberian party
leader, received 501 votes in his fa-
^ vor to 4,026 against.
■ Under congress’ rules, delegates
! are required to take a separate vote
on each candidate. It was the first
mme a general secretary was elected
~°r by a congress and not a plenary
WBieeting of the Central Committee.
JnrH Gorbachev nodded silently at the
results, but did not smile as the dele-
ffiates responded to his victory with
s ‘! loud applause.
5) H In a brief acceptance speech, the
„. j§9-year-old president and party
leader expressed “gratitude for
Bnormous support and trust” the
^congress had placed in him. “I thank
Bou for this,” he said.
I He said he would take into ac-
Jbunt the criticism leveled against
riuBim and would take “the most se-
set 'ifp 0us > far-reaching conclusions”
saqfrom it.
S He then adopted a serious tone of
■nffloice and said, “You elected me after
-otffflearing my positions. I take my elec-
” D'ition as support for my positions.”
J| Many had expected the congress
je ^Could pose a challenge to Gorba-
:ioi' i |chev. But delegates approved Gor
bachev’s proposal to reorganize and
expand the party Politburo, trans
ferring greater power to the govern
ment that Gorbachev heads.
The top party job carries no fixed
term of office. But the meeting
changed party rules to require that
the general secretary be elected by a
congress, which traditionally meets
every four or five years, rather than
by the Central Committee, which
meets several times a year. The
change will make it harder for oppo
nents to oust Gorbachev as party
leader, a post he has held since 1985.
In March, Gorbachev was elected
to a five-year term as president with
authority newly strengthened at his
initiative.
Gorbachev was nominated as gen
eral secretary in a secret vote at the
Grand Kremlin Palace, a short walk
from the hall where the congress is
being held.
He received warm applause as he
stepped up to the congress podium
to accept the nomination.
“I carry the most responsibility for
what has been done,” he told the del
egates, accepting the nomination.
“You have the possibility, you have a
lot of information, it’s right that you
should decide.”
Gorbachev and seven others were
nominated for the top Communist
Party post.
Among those nominated from the
floor of the congress for the party
leader’s post were Interior Minister
Vadim A. Bakatin, Foreign Minister
Eduard A. Shevardnadze and Gor
bachev adviser Alexander N. Yakov
lev. All withdrew their names except
for Gorbachev and Avaliani, party
leader in the Siberian city of Kise-
lyovsk.
A Texas A&M instructor has been
selected to attend the C-SPAN Sum
mer 1990 Seminar for Professors in
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Kurt W. Ritter, an associate
professor of the Department of
Speech Communication and
Theatre Arts, will participate in the
conference Aug. 6-7.
C-SPAN is a non-profit cable tele
vision network that provides live
coverage of proceedings in the U.S.
House of Representatives and other
public events in the nation’s capital.
Ritter was one of 35 college and
university instructors chosen
through a national competitive ap
plication process open to the 2,100
members of “C-SPAN in the Class
room,” the network’s organization
for educators.
Ritter said the seminar will help
the development of an A&M speech
communications honors course, “A-
merican Oratory in a Media Age,”
that he plans to teach next spring.
The seminar will focus on ways to
use C-SPAN in the classroom, and
the A&M Honors Program has pro
vided a grant to pay for the trip.
He said speech students can be as
signed, for example, to select and
See C-SPAN/Page 6
Bryan firemen remove Louis Ayala Jr., 38, of
Bryan from his vehicle after a collision at the in-
Photo by Mike C. Mulvey
tersection of Villa Maria and FM 2818 yesterday
afternoon. He was taken to St. Joseph Hospital.
Latin leaders
call for help
to end strikes
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) —
Central American presidents called
for foreign support of President Vi-
oleta Barrios de Chamorro on Tues
day as a Sandinista-led strike turned
Managua into a chaos of gunfire and
roadblocks.
The wave of strikes that began last
week has put the heaviest pressure
yet on the 10-week-old, U.S.-backed
administration.
Chamorro called out the army late
Monday to restore order. Both the
army and police are controlled by
the leftist Sandinistas, who ruled un
til April 25 and remain the largest
single political force in Nicaragua.
The Sandinista party opposition
blamed the Contras for fighting that
has killed three people and injured
at least 100 since violence broke out
Friday.
The presidents of Guatemala, El
Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras
issued a joint communique Tuesday
“calling on the international commu
nity to lend its valuable assistance to
the Nicaraguan government in its
search for a solution to the crisis it is
undergoing.”
Honduran government spokes
man Martin Baide gave the Asso
ciated Press a copy of the declara
tion, which he said was being
simultaneously released in the other
Central American countries.
Sandinista radio stations Radio
Sandino and Radio Ya charged
Tuesday that Contra leaders were
directing armed groups of urban
commandos. Reporters identified
leaders of the Contras — the rebels
supported by the United States while
the Sandinistas were in power —
among the armed groups.
Police and army troops pulled
down roadblocks and cleaned up af
ter street bonfires Tuesday.
ip-