WORLD
Page 12
THE BATTALION
Friday. Jamil
1
Race is on to keep oil spill from Rio’s swamps Figure in
terror cat
-m
ay. Janu;
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A huge oil
spill spreading across Rio’s postcard-famous Gua-
nabara Bay has reached ecologically vital man
grove swamps and is threatening animal life, me
dia reports said Thursday.
The Globo TV network said the oil that gushed
from a broken refinery pipeline days ago has cov
ered 16 square miles, including the Guapimirim
mangrove swamps in the interior of the bay.
The 35,000-acre swamp area is environmen
tally protected and is home to endangered animal
species such as the yellow-throated alligator and
the blue egret.
Television footage showed egrets covered with
oily muck dying on the beaches.
Fishermen and petroleum workers raced to
contain what environmentalists say is the state’s
worst ecological disaster in a decade.
On Tuesday, a leaking pipeline at the Reduc oil
refinery belonging to federal petroleum giant
Petrobras dumped at least 130,000 gallons of
crude oil into the bay.
State environmental officials said the real
amount could be twice that much.
The oil could poison the mangrove tree roots,
mainly harming birds, fish and crustaceans, biol
ogist Mario Moscatelli of the state Environmen
tal Affairs Department, said.
Petrobras officials were not available yester
day, a municipal holiday in Rio. But they have
said it would take three years for the swamps to
return to normal if hit by the oil.
Petrobras was to announce the results Friday
of its investigation into the cause of the leak.
The nine-mile pipeline began operating in 1991.
A leak was detected in 1997, and the company said
the line was inspected just four months ago.
The state Foundation of Environmental Engi
neering, known as Feema, said the Reduc refiner)’
has been operating without a required license
since 1977.
“Reduc is functioning illegally,” Feema Pres
ident Alex Grael said.
Petrobras faces fines totaling $52,000 for the
spill. State Secretary of the Environment Andre
Correia said the amount was "ludicrous.” Ik-
called for harsher penalties.
The Environmental Committee of the Rio de
Janeiro state legislature on Wednesday filed
charges against Petrobras for crimes against the
environment.
Globo TV reported Thursday that the compa
ny could be fined $2,780 for each animal that dies
because of the spilled oil.
The Fishermen’s Colony, which represents
about 600 fishermen in the greater Rio de Janeiro
area, announced it also would sue Petrobras for
damages.
The oil has spoiled catches and damaged boats
and nets.
denied bt
Jmg,
Last military plane leaves Haiti
ending permanent mission
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) —
A U.S. Air Force C-141 carrying a lone
soldier and 15,000 pounds of equip
ment left Haiti yesterday, marking a
symbolic end to a mission that began
with the 1994 U.S.-led invasion and re
stored elected government in this
Caribbean nation.
“We’re concluding our permanent
mission here in Port-au-Prince,” Army
Lt. Col. Ray Duncan, said. Without cer
emony or fanfare, crews nearby loaded
a hydraulic lift, generator and other
equipment onto the plane.
The U.S. Support Group was the ex
tension of a contingent of 20,000 troops
President Clinton sent to Haiti in 1994 to
restore the elected government of Presi
dent Jean-Bertrand Aristide after a
bloody three-year military dictatorship.
Unlike the invasion force, the Sup
port Group’s mission was humanitari
an — building roads, bridges and
schools, drilling wells and giving
health care to the poorest of Haitians.
Few deny that the presence of uni
formed Americans had a calming effect
on Port-au-Prince, and some Haitians
fear the pullout will increase the risk of
unrest as Haiti prepares for legislative
elections on March 19.
A police training mission run by the
United Nations ends March 15, when
an unanned U.N. training mission takes
over.
But U.S. officials said Haiti has
largely policed itself since a local po
lice force was deployed under U.N. su
pervision in 1995.
Duncan, the Support Group com
mander, stressed that the U.S. military
was not abandoning Haiti, but rather re
locating. Washington is now sending
“We're concluding
our permanent mis
sion here in Port-
au-Prince."
— Army Lt. Col. Ray Duncan
units of between 150 and 200 non-com-
bat reserve troops — engineers and
medics — on temporary humanitarian
missions.
The first “New Horizons” mission
began Saturday near the northern city of
Cap-Haitien and runs until March 31.
A second, from May to October,
will operate near the south coast town
of Jacmel.
The temporary deployments will
save $20 million a year, Duncan said,
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who along with a three-member “rear
unit” will leave Haiti Jan. 31 on a civil
ian flight.
Critics in the U.S. Congress said the
Support Group mission did not pro
mote democracy in Haiti, where no
elections have been held since a fraud-
marred 1997 vote.
Many Haitian politicians demanded
the withdrawal of the troops, saying their
presence was an affront to sovereignty
— although Haiti did approve the “New
Horizons” missions last week.
Most of the Support Group troops
stationed at Camp Fairwinds, which at
one time was home to as many as 400
soldiers, departed Haiti earlier this week.
The last, who left on the plane yes
terday, was Sgt. Maj. Philip Sloniger of
Fort Bliss, Texas. “It’s a great feeling,"
said the beaming 42-year-old Green
Beret.
Sloniger, a political scientist, said he
was proud of the Support Group's hu
manitarian work, which included med
ical care for 138,000 Haitians.
He paused when asked about the
initial goal of promoting democracy in
Haiti.
“Maybe they're not ready for
democracy," he said. “Maybe what they
need is a benevolent dictator, if such a
thing can exist. The key is education.”
Foreign ministers meet
for first time in 37 years
Greece and Turkey talk
MONTRI AL (AP) —
ian man facing U.S. terrorisadj
uas denied bail in CanadaoiL^^
day alter police testified thakS
diluted plans to smuggle np® ol 1,1
nt«' the I niled States, allegtdl - e< -* ^
used in an attack. l l ^ ' ,m r I 1
Ihc ruling \sill keep wi 1 ,V; '’
I hi uri, w hose last name wi' v Jt- n a mu
.■usly goeii as Ilaouan.maiW ,, L' | '-' | i!
lion heanngMidH '■' s ^ ;mu
■ that hasbetfitl KT - u "I
atisiie me that he belongstini ying fo
nwist organization,"Quebecl^C I nglish
Ican-tityll consti
said. I nglish
Bodard said llaouri, *h«<iat v etong
torrelugec status was rcfusdbM ugh mol
dun authorities in 1994 and i*ha Englisl
-nl\ m ( an ula because oftKhis counn I
Foreign Ministers
The foreign ministers of Greece
and Turkey are meeting in Turkey
for four days It is the first official
visit by a Greek foreign minister
to Turkey in 37 years, crucial
because territonal disputes have
pushed the two nations close to
war three times in the last 25 years
uni on deportations to Algoa
i ic lus a history in ( ataduar
eating official documents iron
take i »i stolen credit cards.
Ehe Un
uage. 1
tstablisl
ige. The
George Papandreou (Greece)
and Ismail Cem (Turkey)
On the table are items designed
to build confidence, while avoiding
the most contentious issue - the
divided island of Cyprus Here’s
the list:
ms andc
iges, as t
ii in thei
Greece will push for Turkey's membership in the European Union
and will advise the country on the legal and administrative steps to win
membership.
Greece will look at Turkey's proposal to set up “military goodwill
measures," such as reducing the size and extent of military exercises
in the Aegean Sea.
^ The two countries are expected to sign agreements for cooperation
in fighting terrorism and organized crime as well as deals on tourism,
environment and protection of investments.
iQurca J^omoiladiiom APwira laoorts
AP
lb u.in’s lawyer, JosepfeUdSuites h
s.ud there was no danger offejBcial laiq
■ 1 urudu sHu maki.
“Why would he fleeffiBericans
asked. "Die best country forkftocketbook
is here." ’ s HThemm
The Montreal shopkeepr >»oa ed in re
: s’cd Jan l<» as partofansrjpiedemu
non ol Ahmed Ressam, tthufi
rested trying to cross Dorr#
( olumbia into Washington «di
was charged with carry mgq»|tfE conve
Niiothcr man. Abdel ChlBl-'ihaU'
skim, w a - arrested in New ’’ big hcadad
onlk\ 'Dalter policeconfttJl liou .ul
with Rcssain through a phot,-fltr citing p
raw led on a piece of pap.- nrultitiulc u
suggest the two had plarowfiban k i\
: haps timd toespta'-v u 111 h
with millennial celebrations. dor. not seJ
In testimony niursday.Rc .Deialihormi
d an Mounted Police inuM gi rati nn has]
lluineuiii: said Haoun has link e as ofditfei
men a: id had ordered Meskmu; \ol on I
u nd from Algeria, torsion, hut
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