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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 19, 1991)
Scattered T-storms. High in the low 80s. Page 7 The annual war of words over bonfire begins. Columnists Christina Maimarides and David Nash clash on the issue. Page 3 AGGIE COTTON A&M researchers develop maroon- colored cotton. Page 5 Two high school basketball players sign letters-of- intent to play for Texas A&M next season. The Battalion |Vol. 91 No. 57 College Station, Texas “Serving Texas A&M since 1893’ 8 Pages Tuesday, November 19, 1991 Soviet stability depends on army's loyalty A&M expert says By Greg Mt. Joy The Battalion A Soviet Army disgusted with the pre- ent anarchy and economic collapse in the oviet Union could support a dictatorial [strong man, possibly Russian president “oris Yeltsin, a Texas A&M foreign affairs xpert fears. Dr. Ronald Hatchett, deputy director 1 A&M's Mosher Institute for Defense tudies said he hopes his visit to Moscow ext week will shed some light on the ood of the Soviet military. "It should be a good opportunity to see the army's disposition," Hatchett said. "The army is the key to the future of the Soviet Union." Hatchett said Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's central government can only continue to exist as long as the army re mains loyal. "Gorbachev's government has just about ceased to exist," he said. "Over the weekend, the last central controls over the economy were removed." He said Yeltsin will now take over the exchange rate of Soviet currency and all enterprise, including military affairs. Ypltsin, however, is scarcely more se cure in his position, Hatchett said. A 177-to-4 vote by the Russian repub lic's parliament reversed a decree by Yeltsin that had placed troops in the Chechen-Ingush region of the republic. The troops were part of an attempt to' temper a flaring independence movement in the region. "This move by the legislature was a direct blow to Yeltsin," Hatchett said. "They are trying to let him know this de cree was an authoritarian measure that will not be tolerated." Hatchett said rule by decree, or "ukaz," was a favorite of the Russian czars historically. "The legislature is letting Yeltsin know he must coordinate his policy with them before taking any action," he said. Hatchett said, however, the legislature was not saying Yeltsin's policy was wrong. "They did not vote to show support for the autonomous regions of the repub lic being allowed to leave," he said. "That would leave huge holes in the republic, and deplete Russia's population and re sources." The Russian republic contains 27 sepa rate autonomous political entities includ ing Chechen-Ingush, he said. Ten of the regions consist of more than one million people each. "To allow the break-up to continue to this level would open a whole new Pan dora's box," Hatchett said. "If one gets independence, they all might, which will cause some severe problems." The trend toward fragmentation, de veloping now at the republic level, could easily get out of hand, Hatchett said. "The Tatar republic, and Khazakistan are autonomous regions with similar aspi rations," he said. "The Tatar region is larger than Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. If they can exist as independent nations, why can't the Tatar republic?" See Russian/Page 2 a Female cadet files criminal Cold! ! fOl ime anti! yitt ctefl arges County attorney to handle complaint By Karen Praslicka The Battalion A female ROTC student has iled charges against a male mem- er of Texas A&M's Corps of adets whom she claims kicked er in the back while she was ad- inistering a physical fitness test o him Thursday. Bob Wiatt, director of the Uni- ersity Police Department, said PD has investigated the incident nd turned its report over to the razos County Attorney's office. "We turned that investigation ver to the county attorney, and e will accept the complaint on be- alf of the female," he said. The same report was given to r. John Koldus, vice president for tudent services, who will use the report to determine if disciplinary 'action by the University is neces- |sary, Wiatt said. 'This action is separate from he criminal charge," he said. The county attorney's office as taken the case and will deter- nine what charges will be filed his week. Rod Anderson, an assistant district attorney, said the office is reviewing the UPD report. "Right now we're looking at |criminal assault charges," he said. "We'll have the paperwork ready Sjand charges will be filed later this fweek." Koldus said A&M will also pook into the incident. The investigation by A&M will make a conclusion about whether disciplinary action is necessary as it relates to the University, not to the courts, he said. "The University acts separately and apart from the county attor- ey," he said. 'We're not bound by the legal nd technical rules of the courts," oldus said. He added that the University's investigation will proceed regard- ess of what happens with the case n the courts. Spur of the moment HUY NGUYENrThe Battalion Freshmen members of G-2 outfit attach their week before the A&M-SMU football game, makeshift fish spurs Monday outside the MSC. Cadets must wear the spurs before they can The bottlecap spurs are worn to raise spirit the earn the privilege of wearing senior boots. Captors release hostages Sutherland, Waite gain freedom; six Westerners remain detained DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Shiite Muslim kidnappers freed British hostage Terry Waite and American Thomas Sutherland on Monday, and Waite said the re maining three Americans held hostage in Lebanon would be re leased by month's end. "Terry Waite and I are very happy to have received our first gulps of Lebanon and Syrian fresh air, but we have to wait to tomor row to meet the sunshine," said a joyous Sutherland on his arrival from Beirut. Their release by the group Is lamic Jihad, or Holy War, was a dramatic advance toward ending the hostage ordeal. The United Nations has been leading diplo matic efforts to gain freedom for Western hostages in Lebanon in exchange for the release of Arab detainees held by Israel. Sutherland and Waite's release raised speculation that the Israelis may have made a commitment to free Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid. Waite said at a news confer ence that his captors told him be fore they set him free that Ameri can hostages Joseph Ciccipio and Alann Steen would be released within the next five days, and Ter ry Anderson by the end of the month. He said he did not know when the three remaining hostages — two Germans and an Italian — would be released. U.N. Secretary- General Javier Perez de Cuellar said all should be freed by Christ mas. Waite and Sutherland indicat ed they had been chained to a wall day in and day out for most of Terry Waite, 52, was held captive for almost five years. He was taken hostage while on a mission to negotiate the release of Westerners held by the Islamic Jihad. their captivity, and that they de pended on each Other for comfort and company. Waite said one captor came to tell them Monday afternoon they would be released. "He also said to me, 'We apologize for having captured you.' They recognize that now this was the wrong this to do, that holding hostages achieves no useful, constructive purpose." Sutherland said he and the oth ers were "humbled" by learning over the past few months of the support the hostages had world wide. See Shiites/Page 6 ulticultural conference focuses Arab-Israeli forum bn ending discrimination, racism a&M students, faculty to debate conflicts By Melody Dunne TTze Battalion md erd a®' a ^rs A conference at Texas A&M ill put the University on the right tract toward a discrimina- Htion-free campus environment, j says an A&M official. The event, entitled "Drive-in For Diversity," will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday in Rudder Tower. "Drive" is sponsored by Student Services and the Department of Student Affairs. Materials, a luncheon and break refreshments are covered by a $10 registration fee which is due by Wednesday. Admission is free for A&M students and faculty who do not attend the luncheon. The one-day conference will focus on multicultural issues. Gloria Flores, coordinator of the Office of Student Development and Multicultural Programs, said the meeting is a great opportunity for A&M. She said she hopes the confer ence will motivate students to take on the multicultural challenge of conquering discrimination. The conference also is de signed to bring residence hall and other student leaders together with experienced staff members who have handled problems of racial discrimination . Most of the students attending the conference will be from Texas and Oklahoma schools, although students from Louisiana and Arkansas were also invited. Last year almost 150 student leaders attended the conference, and about 50 of the participants were from A&M. For more information on the conference, call the Office of Stu dent Development and Multicul tural Programs at 845-9804. By Alysia Woods The Battalion Texas A&M students and faculty will toy with possible answers to internal conflicts in the Middle East in an informal discussion at 7 tonight in 229 MSC. Sponsored by the International Students Associa tion (ISA), the event will feature an Arab, a U.S and an Israeli delegation. The forum is open to the pub lic. The three delegations will each be composed of four or five A&M students and faculty from the per spective regions. Edward Killerman, director of the ISA discussion series, says the event will be unique from most pan els because it will center on views held by average citizens, instead of experts, and will not be "lecture- style." "We wanted to get the views of people who have actually lived in these areas, rather than CNN's view," says Killerman, a senior physics major. Issues to be debated will focus on future options for peace in the Middle East, not past issues such as the Persian Gulf War. Killerman hopes the event will not turn into "finger-pointing" about past issues. "The delegates may take a completely different path," he says. "Who knows, we may have some radicals." Killerman says ISA-sponsored discussions in the past have been rather heated. "There hasn't ever been any physical blows be See Israeli/Page 2