U.S., Iraq negotiate
Commanders agree on release of prisoners of war
SAFWAN, Iraq (AP) — Allied and
aqi military commanders cleared
lie way Sunday for a permanent
nice in the Per-
iian Gulf War,
caching
ijreement on the
telease of prison-
trs and taking
iieps to avoid fur-
[ker skirmishes.
1 am very
py to tell you
we agreed on
ill matters,” the
Desert Storm Schwarzkopf
(ommander,
Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, said
after a two-hour meeting in a heavily
guarded tent at Safwan air base in
southern Iraq.
Schwarzkopf said Iraqi military
officers “came to discuss and cooper
ate with a positive attitude.” If such
dealings continue, the commander
told reporters, “We are well on our
way to a lasting peace.”
The Iraqi commanders also
turned over information on the loca
tion of hundreds of thousands of
mines Iraq planted in Kuwait and
Persian Gulf waters.
For their part, the allies promised
to withdraw their forces from the
Iraqi territory they hold once a for
mal cease-fire is signed.
Schwarzkopf refused to predict
when that may happen, and he said
a second meeting with the Iraqi com
manders was possible.
The general did not mention
other demands the allies have made
— demands that could conceivably
delay a permanent cease-fire and the
long-awaited day when the United
States begins withdrawing its
530,000 soldiers.
The United Nations spelled out
those requirements Saturday night.
Before a formal cease-fire can be
adopted, the world body’s Security
Council said in a new resolution,
Iraq must also rescind its annexation
of Kuwait and accept liability for war
damages in the emirate.
In addition, the Security Council
reaffirmed earlier anti-Baghdad
measures, including one that im
posed worldwide trade sanctions on
Iraq.
The latest resolution backs Presi
dent Bush’s position that allied
troops remain in Iraq until the cease
fire he declared Thursday becomes
permanent.
As the complicated endgame to
the war continued, there were new
reports of civil unrest in Iraq.
Washington repeatedly has urged
Iraqis to overthrow Saddam Hus-
See Truce/Page 9
Leader: ground rules
for media preserve
element of surprise
By Mike Luman
The Battalion
Coalition leaders did not ma
nipulate the media or plant infor
mation to mislead Iraqi troops
during the ground war, the U.S.
Army’s chief of public affairs said
Friday at Texas A&M.
Brig. Gen. Charles William Mc
Clain Jr., Class of ’62, said coali
tion leaders never attempted to
raise false expectations of future
allied troop movements.
A CNN report Thursday
claimed allied leaders led CNN
reporters to believe an amphib
ious assault on Kuwait was immi
nent.
Iraqi troops gathered on Ku
waiti beaches, waiting for an at
tack that never came, CNN re
ported.
McClain said military leaders
already had planned to station
U.S. Marines off the Kuwaiti
shore, and CNN’s reports were
not going to change that.
“As far as saying, ‘Let’s plant
information and see what hap-
See Media/Page 9
(above)About 250 people were on hand to con
nect the ends of the 31-mile ribbon around
Biyan-College Station Saturday. (right)College
Station Mayor Larry Ringer (left), Sen. Jim Turner
FREDRICK D. JOEThe Battalion
(center) and Cindy Tate (left), wife of Bryan
Mayor Marvin Tate, celebrate at the point where
the ends of the ribbon meet. It also was con
nected to a seven-mile ribbon around campus.
A&M, B-CS set world record
with 38 miles of yellow ribbon
By Karen Praslicka port about another town wrapped in
The Battalion ribbon.
Ansbach said he saw no reason
More than 60 Texas A&M stu- not to connect the campus and city
dents tied seven miles of yellow rib- ribbons.
bon around campus Saturday to The yellow ribbon was not a politi-
support American troops, but not cal statement but a way to support
much remains of the students’ ef- the men and women who risked
fort. their lives in the Persian Gulf and
The ribbon around campus con- welcome them home, he said,
netted at the intersection of George A&M student Jim Harlan agreed.
Bush Drive and FM 2818 with 31 “Even though the war is over, they
miles of ribbon around Bryan-Col- need to know we still support them,”
lege Station, put in place by mem- Harlan said.
bers of the Bryan-College Station Ansbach said the students partici-
area. Dating in the project made it success-
Most of the ribbon around A&M lul.
was removed Sunday, while the rib- “It felt like every single person out
bon around the twin cities didn’t last there was strong and sincere in their
through Saturday. But the 38 miles support.” he said,
of ribbon established a new world re- While st udents tied ribbon to
cord. signs and trees around campus, peo-
The ribbon tied around B-CS will pie driving by honked car horns and
be listed in the next edition of the gave the Aggie “thumbs up” sign.
Guiness Book of World Records. A&M student Matt Wade said the
John Ansbach, chairman of Stu- ribbon was not a “trivialization of,
dent Government’s External Affairs war.”
Committee, said he got the idea a He said troops might never see
month ago when he saw a news re- yellow ribbons tied to telephone
poles or car antennas, but this event
is something troops probably will
hear about.
Andy Keetch, another student
participating in the event, said it is
important for troops to know they
have this kind of support.
Local radio station KORA or
dered the ribbon with Texas seals
from a Texas surveying company. It
was funded bv the Student Senate
and local merchants.
Disk jockey Roger W.W.W. Gar
rett said the ribbon was intended to
make a statement of support for the
troops and what they have done.
Ansbach said individuals and
campus organizations were involved
in the project.
“The students were willing to go
out and do something,” Ansbach
said. “Whether you’re involved or
not, this kind of issue just crosses all
boundaries.”
Ansbach said the event would not
have been possible without the stu
dents and the committee.
“It’s something I won’t forget for
a long time,” Ansbach said.
Medical loan
program aids
rural counties
By Mack Harrison
The Battalion
Texas A&M medical students
could benefit from a little-known
new loan program designed to
revive statewide rural health care.
The Outstanding Rural Scholar
Recognition and Forgiveness Loan
Program is intended to provide ru
ral counties with health care
workers.
The program matches funds from
an agency in the rural community
with state aid.
Ty Newton, coordinator for stu
dent affairs for A&M’s College of
Medicine, says no one from the Uni
versity has applied for the program
and few qualified people even know
about it.
“The state didn’t send the infor
mation to the medical schools, but to
the communities,” Newton says.
“They mailed the information to the
communities that would qualify, so
they would put the word out.”
Students in the program must
find a community-based sponsor to
pay half of their educational ex
penses.
In return, students agree to re
turn to the community to practice af
ter completing their education, says
Mack Adams, assistant commis-
See Rural/Page 5
Inside
3 student' 4 Car,oonS
of year
7 Lehmann fk World
column and
Nation
Focus
Almost but not quite
A&M men's,
women's
basketball
bitten by
Cougars.
page 7
Bonfire committee initiates tree-planting program
By Katherine Coffey
The Battalion
Bonfire crews started a new tradition Saturday by planting 365 trees
on land where they have cut since 1983.
Bonfire redpot Johan Osth, a Texas A&M junior building construction
major, said students who work on bonfire plan to make the tree-planting
program an annual event, and possibly bi-annual.
The idea was initiated by the Bonfire Committee and coordinated with
the Texas Environmental Action Coalition (TEAC), A&M Forestry Club
and Texas Municipal Power Agency (TMPA).
“The idea came from the Bonfire Committee because of environmen
tal reasons,” Osth said. “We feel it is something that had to be done.”
Headstack redpot Jim McTasney, a junior electrical engineering
major, also thinks the issue is important.
“We’re not eco-terrorists,” McTasney said. “We are concerned with the
environmental issue.”
About 80 bonfire workers, members of TEAC, the Forestry Club and
TMPA showed up at the mining site in Carlos, about 30 miles out of Col
lege Station.
TMPA Land Department Manager Hubert Nelson said trees used for
bonfires would have been bulldozed anyway because of mining processes.
Nelson, Class of ’62, said TMPA allows students to cut trees just before
the mining process and then clears the land, pushing other trees into a
mining pit.
Nelson said TMPA has about 40,000 acres of land, but only about
12,500 acres have been disturbed by mining.
“Aggies don’t clear hardly any of the area, but they cut in little clearing
groups, which is better for the ecosystem,” he said.
See Bonfire/Page 4
RICHARD S. JAMES/The Battalion
Jim Nance (left) and Jason Loveless (right) plant a tree near the
bonfire cut site Saturday morning. Groups participating in Satur
day’s planting included the TEAC, TMPA and Forestry Club.
Forester says tree cutting
helps growth, wildlife
By Katherine Coffey
The Battalion
Though tree planting at the bonfire cut site will not stir much opposi
tion, one Texas A&M forest management graduate student believes tree
cutting also provides some benefits.
“The way the bonfire crew cuts trees is good for the ecosystem because
they create small areas for open space, which allow more tree species to
grow,” Darren Gabriel says. “It also helps the same species grow more
healthy.”
Gabriel, who helped plant trees Saturday in Carlos, spent a year col
lecting facts about the different perspectives on bonfire.
Bonfire has been one of the main targets of environmental groups at
A&M in recent years, and Gabriel decided he should look into the issue.
“As a forester, I decided I needed to look into what bonfire was doing,”
he says. “I thought this needed to be researched.”
Cutting trees is beneficial for the land until it is mined, says Gabriel,
who does tree planting and research for the forestry department.
After each area is cut, it takes months before the land is mined, he says.
During this time, trees and animals benefit from the cut areas, says Ga-
See Trees/Page 5