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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 1990)
,ber 7,199l 'he Battalion WORLD & NATION Journey to freedom Former hostages welcomed home NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Twenty- four Americans held hostage in the Persian Gulf arrived in the United States Wednesday, weary from a 20- hour flight hut thrilled to be back. “I’m happy to be home,” said Ta- leb Subh, 15, of Davenport, Iowa, who had been visiting aunts and un cles in Kuwait when Iraq invaded the country Aug. 2. He said he went to the U.S. Em bassy, where officials “snuck” him to Baghdad. “They took care of me,” said Ta- leb, who was among five men, nine women and 10 children who flew home aboard a Virgin Atlantic Air ways Boeing 747. The group was among 29 Ameri cans who began the journey to free dom in Jordan on Tuesday, Lori Le vin, an airline spokeswoman, said. She said she did not know why five of the Americans decided to stop in London rather than make the flight to the Newark. The Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 landed about 3:20 p.m. at Newark International Airport, and passen gers were expected to spend at least an hour passing through U.S. Cus toms before they could leave the air port or catch connecting flights. “We welcome these people home,” Lucinda Florio, wife of Gov. Jim Florio, said in presenting yellow roses to Nithal George, who was traveling from Iraq with her three children, ages 11,7 and 2, en route to San Jose, Calif. Representatives of the American Red Cross met the former hostage: at the airport to smooth their return “We’ll make flight arrangements, said Jane Frotton, director of emer gency services for the Red Cross’ F sex County chapter. The Americans, who were among 11,000 Westerners believed to I stranded in Kuwait and Iraq, tra\ eled through Amman, Jordan, am 1 to London before arriving in New ark. The plane, loaded with medical supplies and food, had flown to Jor dan on Monday and had clearance to land in Baghdad, but was unable to do so because such supplies would have violated the trade embargo against Iraq, Levin said. The hostages, freed by Iraq, math their way to Jordan for the flight home. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has said women and children can leave, but foreign men are being kept behind as human shields against any attack on strategic sites. ayors y tion U.S. diplomat U.S. and Mex- irsday that the an’s attention, ter mayors are t'oice. i the Mexican unite, wematj : of the prob- dayor Gilbert inbined effort. :tter and work ■ united.” rs conference o Mayor Suzie sponsored to- arez, Mexico. Luitatives from th sides of the he conference s and potential ile border be- lecord links former CIA agent to Iran-Contra affair border, in the ens, that I see hip in its most e form,” U.S. o John D. Ne- ^-to-day issues ed in the Bor- s on the he > unite, e to the irt Galvan, San Benito g,” Mayor Su- :n we will have , so it will take hose issues to agenda.” unified force, fference,” she o Mayor Jesus s mayor’s con- rnity to learn ties and try to is communit)’ i Presidio, dexican towns s only one for- need more t increased at- iships between m the border said. “So we com the cities : can do it on layor Charles ' already has pams, includ es across the ut blazes and vice. opes the con- ^et the federal alacktoppinga nbus and El keep putting Hudson said os for our chil- anyjobs.” BALTIMORE (AP) — Richard V. Secord testi- n Wednesday that a former CIA agent shared Iran-Contra arms sale profits, but that records |the weapons deals “were cooked” after the Indal became public. Ifhe retired Air Force major general was the ad-off witness in the government’s tax case pinst Thomas G. Clines, the retired CIA agent jo is accused of under-reporting some of his tnis sale earnings on his 1985 and 1986 tax re- ns. The trial in U.S. District Court focuses on )fits during the Iran-Contra af fair, which in- ved the sale of arms to Iran and efforts to sup ply weapons to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua at a time when Congress banned such assistance. Clines, 62, of Middleburg, Va., also is charged with failing to tell the Internal Revenue Service about overseas financial accounts. If convicted, he faces up to 16 years in prison and fines of up to $ 1 million. Secord pleaded guilty last year to a felony count of making false statements to the Iran- Contra congressional committees. He was sen tenced in January to two years probation. Secord said he asked Clines in early 1985 to help obtain weapons for the rebels fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Secord said Clines agreed. “He managed the procurement,” he said. “He used his contacts in the Communist East Bloc of Europe and western part of Europe to procure the infantry weapons that were needed.” Clines often worked out of a “closet office” in Lisbon, Portugal, he said. Clines initially received 20 percent of the prof its, and began receiving 30 percent in 1986, Se cord said. The remaining shares went to Secord, Iranian-born businessman Albert Hakim and va rious companies, the general testified. Prosecutors claim Clines received about $882,000 in commissions in the arms deals. Anderson exceeds 2,000 days in Beirut BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — American journalist Ferry An derson marked another grim milestone Wednesday in Ins 5- and-a-half years in captivity: his 2,000th day as a hostage. Anderson, 42, chief Middle East correspondent of the Asso ciated Press, is the longest-held of the six Americans, four Britons, two West Germans and one Ital ian who are captives in Lebanon. Most are held by pro-Iranian Shiite Moslem militants. Anderson, of Lorain, Ohio, was kidnapped in Moslem west Beirut on March 16, 1985, by Is lamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy War. The last information on An derson came from former Irish hostage Brian Keenan, who said after his release Aug. 24 that he had seen Anderson during his four years in captivity. “I saw Terry Anderson some lime ago. He’s in good form,” Keenan said after he was freed by a group calling itself the Organi zation of Islamic Dawn. The Irishman said he spent part of his time in captivity with Anderson, noting they were in chains and blindfolded much of the time. Keenan said Anderson “appre ciates the letters that he received from his family. He has a picture of his daughter, Sulome, which is some great companionship for him.” Sulome, Anderson’s younger daughter, has never met her fa ther. She was born nearly three months after he was kidnapped. Lebanese newspapers have published several pictures and letters from Anderson’s family. In Dublin, the papal nuncio to Ireland pleaded with Iran’s out going ambassador on Wednesday to undertake all possible efforts to obtain the release of the re maining Western hostages in Lebanon. % % ilte, % % % % % % % % m m m m' m Class ’91 Pictures This Month ONLY Monday-Friday 9-12;l-5pm AR Photography 707 Texas Ave. Suite 120B m ^ m m m m* m m m m m Grand Opening New Music Entertainment KTV Club KTV Club LASER VIDLQ SiNQ ALQHfiJ _ Hunan Restaurant and Bar 50in. T.v. •/H 707 Texas Ave.—Upstairs College Station 764-8200 50in. 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