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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1993)
* The Battalion V (jiOOl' Vol. 93 No. 11 (8 pages) 1893 — A Century of Service to Texas A&M — 1993 Monday, September 13,1993 w eekend rap-up Aristide supporter murdered in Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A prominent supporter of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was dragged from a Mass — in front of human rights observers - and assassinated outside the church Saturday. A Roman Catholic priest said the assassins of businessman An toine Izmery were plainclothes police. A pickup truck driven by a uniformed policeman and carry ing 10 plainclothesmen circled the Sacre Coeur church minutes be fore the Mass. Three hours later, two as sailants fatally shot a retired army colonel at a gas station in subur ban Petionville. It was not known if the killing of Antoine Jocelyn, a former army doctor who was among officers retired by Aris tide, was related to the Izmery assassination. CNN employees killed in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia — In some of the worst clan fighting in months, five Somalis working for Cable News Network were killed and four wounded in a three-hour battle that ended with gunfire from a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter. The fighting came amid wors ening violence in Mogadishu. Earlier Friday, U.N. officials said 27 mortar shells or rocket- propelled grenades were fired at U.N. positions and that Pakistani troops were fired on again while clearing roadblocks. There were no U.N. casualties. The day before, U.S. heli copter gunships blazed away with machine guns and rockets at Somalis who ambushed Pak istani troops and American engi neers clearing a road. ifRichards kicks off I re-election attempt AUSTIN - Gov. Ann Richards' re-election campaign is off and running. .Proof of that came Friday night when the Democrat was entertained to the tune of $2 mil lion during a fund-raising birth day bash that featured Texas' top musicians. Willie Nelson started the event singing "Waltz Across Texas,” and Richards ended it with a 20-minute speech in which she touted her record, hoped for a second term, and promised to fight for it. ''We did it before. We can do it again,” she told the crowd at the city coliseum. More than 2,700 people paid tickets ranging from $25 to $10,000 for the fund-raiser. Bentsen supports ATF/ FBI merger DALLAS — Treasury Secre tary Lloyd Bentsen says he sup ports a recent proposal to move the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms from the Treasury Department and merge it with the FBI, according to a published report. In a videotaped statement to the ATF earlier this week, Bentsen said, "l support this and other changes being suggested throughout the federal treasury and throughout our federal gov ernment,” The Dallas Morning News reported in Saturday edi tions. The position is a reversal from previous comments by Bentsen and other Treasury officials, who said publicly earlier this summer that they wanted the ATF to re main in the department. -The Associated Press Arafat, Rabin prepare for peace Mideast leaders to sign agreement during ceremony in D.C. today The Associated Press WASHINGTON - Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin, wary partners in peace after decades of enmity, stood ready to re shape the Mid dle East with the ceremonial signing of an agreement that will set the stateless Pales tinian people on the road to in dependence. "I ... am hopeful that this will lead to peace," a beaming Arafat declared Sun day after stepping off a plane at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. It marked the PLO leader's first trip to the United States in 19 years. And Rabin, as he left Israel for Washington, said of the ac cord, "I am behind it full- hearted ly, knowing the chances, the prospects, at the same time the difficulties and the dangers in which we em bark.” For Rabin — the general who 26 years ago captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Arafat — the guerrilla leader who now hopes to free them from Israeli rule, Mon day's signing of an Israel-PLO accord on self-rule for Pales tinians marks a moment of hope and trepidation. Along with President Clin ton, the two men will share a stage on the South Lawn of the White House, facing 3,000 guests — former Presidents Carter and Bush, dozens of foreign ministers*, and legions of Americans, Arabs and Jews who have tried to make peace in the Middle East — and mil lions of TV viewers around the world who will watch the ceremony live. The prospect of the en counter between Rabin and Arafat, sworn enemies until three days ago when they signed a mutual recognition pact between Israel and the PLO, generated intense specu lation and disbelief Sunday amid the frenzied prepara tions for the signing. "An awful lot of taboos are being broken in the last few days," said Secretary of State Warren Christopher. The document will likely be signed by Israeli Foreign Min ister Shimon Peres and Arafat's top aide, Mahmoud Abbas. White House workers were dusting off the desk used to ink the 1979 peace agree ment between Israel and Egypt — the only Arab-Israeli peace ever signed. On everyone's minds was whether Rabin and Arafat would shake hands. Rabin's response, when asked in a CNN interview, was a grudging "if it will be needed." And Arafat? "Why not,” he told The Associated Press in an interview aboard the plane taking him to Wash ington. "With who are we go ing to make peace? With our enemies.” Even before Rabin and Arafat set foot here, there was trouble. Three Israeli soldiers were killed by Muslim mili tants opposed to the accord, and the thorny dispute over the future of Jerusalem surfaced. The future of the holy city is one of the issues which Is raeli and PLO negotiators left to be decided at a later date. ' t' limp * - ' - - •••. / -•« L ' A ' <' ' f * "I... am hopeful is that this will lead ' C r to peace." -Yasser Arafat, Ljt . PLO leader Arafat "I am behind it full-hearted- ly, knowing the chances, the prospects, at the same time the difficulties and the dan gers in which we embark." -Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli general Rabin Aspin: 50,000 peacekeepers necessary for peace in Bosnia The Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium - U.S. mili tary planners believe that roughly 50,000 peacekeepers would be need ed to implement a possible Bosnia peace accord, and about half the troops would be American, Defense Secretary Les Aspin said Sunday. In remarks at a defense conference in Brussels, Aspin said that no final decisions had been made and he pre dicted it would be hard to get Con gress to approve U.S. participation if the allies didn't contribute at least half the force. Aspin's comments were the most specific to date on the size and make up of a U.N.-sanctioned multination al force that might be asked to en force an accord in Bosnia. Aspin at first said it was "too sen sitive” to discuss in public when asked about planning for implement ing a possible peace agreement that would divide Bosnia among the Croats, Serbs and Muslims. Then he referred to recent news accounts of the likely size of a peace keeping force. "The numbers that you see (in newspapers) are roughly what it's looking like/' Aspin said. Gus Morgan/THE Battalion A gas pipeline explosion near Wellborn caused the evacuation of six families. No injuries were reported, but there was extensive property damage. Gas explosion rocks Wellborn community Latest Brazos Valley pipeline rupture evokes concerns about future incidents By Jacqueline Mason The Battalion Friday's rupture of a natural gas pipeline on the outskirts of College Station, the latest in a rash of Brazos Valley explosions in recent years, is causing many area families to worry for their safety. "I was sitting on my couch and 1 heard an explosion and I hit the floor," said John Cook, a resident of Wellborn, the community located south Of College Station that was evacuated after Friday's blast. "I ran outside, and I saw a flame over the trees." The gas pipeline explosion occurred just after 5 p.m. in a pasture be tween Schehin Road and Creek Lane, about 1.5 miles south of Wellborn. It caused a fire that could be seen as far as five miles away. Authorities evacuated six families from the area for fear of a second explosion. No one was injured in the blast, however damage to nearby property was extensive. Investigator Kenny Elliott of the Brazos County Sheriff's Department said most of the damage was structural. Houses were left with no doors, broken windows and falling roofs, he said. "The neighbors who live right next to the well," Cook said, "it [the explosion] blew them right off the porch." The greatest consequence of Friday's explosion, however, may be the threat of something such as this happening again — possibly, with worse results. "I will never be comfortable out here," Cook said. Last spring, a similar incident occurred in La Grange. Gas pressure at an oil well caused a "preventer device" to be blown out, sending pieces of a gas pipeline flying through the air and endan gering workers at the well. Fayette County Sheriff Rick Vandel said there was no danger to near by residents, but flames from the fire caused by the explosion reached heights of 350 feet. Residents of Wesley, near Brenham, were not so lucky when liquid petroleum gas leaked from a pipeline and caused a fatal explosion on April 7, 1992. Three people died in the blast, including a 5-year-old boy who was killed when the mobile home he and his mother were in was blown to pieces. Incidents like these prompted Rep. Robert Earley, D-Portland, to or der the Texas Railroad Commission to regulate the storage of oil and gas in underground salt domes. Earley sponsored two bills last spring to establish guidelines on the storage of hazardous substances such as petroleum gas and natural gas. The Railroad Commission is investigating Friday's pipeline explosion outside College Station. Expansion boosts B-CS economy Area sees increase in housing, business construction By Jennifer Smith The Battalion The Bryan-College Station economy got a shot in the arm this summer as several busi nesses opened or expanded. Sam Harwell, director of the Small Business Development Center, said Bryan-College Station has been overlooked in the past. "But now it looks like people are finally starting to realize that the Bryan-College Station area is a good area," Harwell said. "This is a good market, and most businesses that come here do really well." Harwell said many national companies opened or began con struction during the summer, in cluding Toys R' Us, Outback Steakhouse, The Limited and The Gap. A Wal-Mart super store and a 16-screen Cinemark theater are set to open this fall. Harwell said more than 150,000 people from all around the county pump money into the Bryan-College Station economy. "We also get people from Caldwell, Hearne and other neighboring cities coming here," Harwell said. "They don't go to Waco, Houston or Dallas. They come to Bryan- College Station." Dr. Jared Hazleton, director of the Center for Business and Economic Analysis, said the economic upswing in the Bryan-College Station area can be attributed mostly to region al trends. "We are becoming more of a regional trade center," Hazleton said. "This growth has mainly been in the service area." Harwell said people nation wide are moving to smaller cities, and Bryan-College Sta tion has grown as a result. "We're finally beginning to See Economy/Page 8 — — Inside Campus •'Bullet train' to ease travel for A&M students, faculty Page 2 Sports •OU Sooners destroy Aggies in 44-14 blowout Page 5 Opinion •Editorial: NAFTA treaty economically beneficial Page 7 Weather • Monday: mostly cloudy with scattered showers • Forecast for Tuesday: same stuff - clouds, rain Texas Lotto ►Saturday's winning Texas Lotto numbers: 6, 22, 24, 33, 40, 47