WORLD I
Page 16 THE BATTALION Wednesday..^
Pumping iron
BRIAN SMITH/Thj Battaijon
Ryan Stimmel, a freshman horticulture major, takes time out of his busy
schedule to work out in the Student Recreation Center weight room Tuesday
News in Brief
British historian disputes Jewish Holocaust
LONDON (AP) — Historian David Irving,
the author of nearly 30 books, disputes
that the systematic slaughter of millions
of Jews in gas chambers at Nazi concen
tration camps ever took place.
Irving argues that killing 6 million Jews
during World War II would have been lo-
gistically impossible and claims more
people died in Allied bombing raids than
in concentration camps.
The 62-year-old Briton, who lost a libel
suit Tuesday, also argued that most fa
talities in concentration camps were due
to disease and starvation, not poison
gas, and that the British made up the ac
counts of the gas chambers as anti-Ger
man propaganda.
In public statements, Irving claimed
there were no gas chambers at
Auschwitz. But during a hearing on his
libel suit, which a British judge dis
missed Tuesday, Irving conceded that
gassing of Jews had taken place "on
some scale.”
Foreign ministers hold sumif
IIAVANA (AP) — Leaders of developing na
tions on Tuesday were drawing up a call for a new
world order meant to help them escape poverty,
while other heads of state held meetings aimed at
solving regional problems.
Foreign ministers at the Group of 77 summit
were proposing calls on rich countries to forgive
debts, increase aid and trade, share new tech
nologies and shift more decision-making to the
United Nations away from institutions such as the
World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
“We want to achieve a more democratic and eq
uitable arrangement,” said a draft of the proposed
plan of action for the 133-nation organization which
is holding the first summit in its 34-year history.
About 40 heads of state or government were
to take part in the top-level talks scheduled for
Wednesday and Thursday.
With many hours left open, some leaders also
were tackling local problems.
“To those already enjoying them, the bene
fits of globalization are clear,” U.N. Secretary-
General Kofi Annan said in a speech at the Uni
versity of Havana.
But he added, “Many millions experience
globalization not as an agent of progress but as a
disruptive force, capable of destroy ing jobs, tra
ditions and even a society’s cohesion, sometimes
w ith lightening speed.”
Annan told The Associated Press Tuesday that
he planned to meet Wednesday with Cambodian
Prime Minister 1 lun Sen to discuss ways to break
the deadlock in efforts to trv Khmer Rouge lead-
“To those already
enjoying them, the
benefits ofglobaliza
tion are clear/'
— Kofi Annan
U.N. Secretary General
ers for genocide. Annan said that earlier reports
that the pair met Monday were incorrect.
“We did some make some progress at the last
discussions, but the talks are ongoing and we have
not concluded them yet. I haven’t met Prime Min
ister 1 lun Sen yet. It w ill be tomorrow,” Annan said.
Annan on Tuesday issued a statement praising
the decision for a summit between leaders of
North and South Korea and offering
it) efforts aimed at reducing tensionsi|
ing mutual confidence in the region.
Among those attending the sum™
Korea’s ceremonial head of state, " J:
idem Kim Yong Nam. though it was
he would have a private sessionwitkiJ
In documents under discussion,tl(|
representatives urged richer
debts of poorer countries while inci
the level of 0.7 percent of grossdomesij
the amount promised in 1970.
Nigerian President OlesegunOI
nation chairs the Ci-77, told a news
Tuesday that such steps would
democracv and stability, citing thecasti
ria. w here his elected government
itarv dictatorship last year.
“We have just established a new
tion, a democratic situation where
do ev erv thing right,” he said.
Obasanjo said that il'he goestovil
tells them, “I wanted to give you water
to pa\ debts ... even though the
debts are dubious, and therefore I will
to gi\ e > ou w ater... they will say 'get
your new dispensation’” of democracy:
Ethiopian famine likely to contini
GODE, Ethiopia (AP) — Sako-
rey Faday and Adan Mohammed
are young women from two differ
ent African countries, but they
share experiences as similar as they
are tragic.
Adan spent 10 days walking 60
miles with her three children to a
feeding center in Code, 360 miles
southeast of the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa.
The trek proved too much for
her 4-year-old daughter and 1 -year-
old son. Both died along the way.
Faday walked to Baidoa in
neighboring Somalia in search of
help after drought ended her farm
work.
Faday’s husband died a year
ago; the twin to the tiny, malnour
ished baby wrapped in her arms
died at birth. Now, she says, she has
nothing.
These women’s odysseys took
place in February and March, as se
vere food shortages brought on by
drought began to threaten millions
of lives. Similar tales have been
told over and over again in Ethiopia
and Somalia.
”1 have not seen rain for 18
months,” said Adan. whose fami
ly’s herd of 200 cattle and sheep
died months ago. “I just have to
wait for something from God.”
The 33-year-old Adan, looking
sad yet dignified in her dusty tradi
tional veils, her remaining child
tucked under her arm, now lives in
a tiny hut of dried grass and bits of
cloth. Faday has no place of her own
and is forced to rely on charity.
But nature is not solely respon
sible for the desperate situations of
people like Adan and Faday. Poli
tics, war and centuries of nomadic
culture all have played roles.
The entire region has a history
of conflict and perennial food short
ages. Of the countries bordering
Ethiopia — Kenya. Sudan, Eritrea
and Somalia — only Kenya can
claim any meaningful stability.
In recent years Ethiopia has per
haps suffered the most from
drought, worsened by on-and-off
warfare since the mid-1970s.
In 1984, televised images of
skeletal, starving Ethiopians pulled
on the world’s conscience, and as
many as 1 million died. But famine
also came in 1972, 1974 and 1989.
Officials in Code, which is
home to ethnic Somalis and one of
the worst-affected areas, say the
drought comes in 10-year-cycles.
Now. 11 years after the last se
vere food shortage, the message is
being repeated. This time, aid
groups say 7.7 million are at risk.
“These people are really on
the edge,” said Ben Foot, country
PP :
Mm
director for the Brilishlj
the internationalcharitvS
Children.
The situation is exaca
cal officials say. by the!
lifesty le of the people v
the region. The nomads!
livestock for food
When the rains fail.
camels and sheep die-
people u ith nothing. Tkyi
grate to feeding centers, s
local resources and incre '
rKk of disease. Some lOpetw
the 3.5 million people in^ enn(
Somali region, are nomads;B n tlie!l Wt n
'^program win
ment ligures say.
Ibrahim Abdi.chairperyj
regional emergency taskfmfl
the key is to persuade noma:'
tie and diversify into
“The problem is
adapt so quickly because *1
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is \ erv laborious work,” At
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Two hours of instruction for $2i
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