Page 6 NATION&WORLD Tuesday, May 30, y, THE BATTALION Cohen faults Bush’s security proposa Lights, cai &M's visual sc fers balance ( WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary William Cohen offered George W. Bush access to the same Pentagon information Vice Presi dent A1 Gore is privy to, saying that would keep politics out of national security and pro duce a more informed debate in the presiden tial campaign. Cohen, a Republican like Bush, said Sun day he believes proposals the Texas governor made last week likely would lead to danger ous new arms races. Gore had similar criti cisms Saturday in a speech at the U.S. Military Academy. Cohen said President Clinton appointed a Republican as defense secretary "to take the politics out of national security debates." "I hope that national security will not be come politicized, because it's too important to have a Republican or Democratic label on it," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." To that end, Cohen said, "It would be ben eficial for (Bush and his advisers) to have this information today, before the election, so that there can be a real serious and solid debate on the issue." Bush campaign spokesperson Mindy Tuck er said Cohen's implication that the GOP can didate might be ill-informed on security ig nores the quality of his advisers. "Surely Secretary Cohen is not suggesting that Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Gen. Colin Powell, who led our (national) defenses, don't understand them," Tucker said. "We are confident that the Joint Chiefs of Staff would welcome Gov. Bush's proposal, because it al lows military planners to be involved in de termining the appropriate levels of security based on new guidance in a new security era." Bush proposed last week that the United States develop a national missile defense sys tem and sharply cut back the number of nu clear weapons in its arsenal even if Russia does not. Bush would renegotiate the 1972 Anti-Bal listic Missile Treaty to allow the national mis sile defense, which the treaty bans. The Clinton administration wants a more limited missile defense and would implement smaller, negotiated and bilateral reductions in nuclear stockpiles. Clinton heads to Moscow this week where he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin a framework agreement al ready in place to reduce the missile levels to 2,000 to 2,500, from current levels of 3,000 to 3,500 missiles, Cohen said. Cuts much larger than that could hamstring U.S. policy in "a tyranny of numbers," the secretary said. a I hope that national security will not be come politicized, be cause it's too impor tant to have a republican or Democ ratic label on it” — William Cohen U.S. defense secretary Also, lowering missile numbers forces de velopment of "a much more robust defense system," Cohen said. "That contradicts entirely the need for the Russians and others to lower the numbers, be cause any ... military commander will tell you it's far better to have more numbers against a defense than to have a higher defense," Cohen said. "And so what you do by going up high er in defense, you will force the Russians and others to raise their limits much higher." Cohen said he believes that would en courage Russia, China, Pakistan, India and other countries to develop more nuclear weapons. Such "internal inconsistency" in nuclear policy should be considered carefully, Cohen said, "and ... in order to make it fair, I think Governor Bush should have an opportunity to meet with the joint chiefs, meet with Admiral (Richard) Mies, who is commander of the Strategic Command,... so we can deal with the situation as it is and likely to be. "And then I think that he and Vice Presi dent Gore will be in a better position to debate this in a way that's responsible and, I think, in formed." Presidential candidates normally receive security briefings after they are nominated. The GOP convention is July 31-Aug. 3 in Philadelphia. In other matters, Cohen said: • There will be a "national momentofi membrance" at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day Americans to remember and "commemot, those who have died on our behalf." • His spokesperson, Kenneth "made a big mistake" when he released ini mation from Linda Tripp's personnel filet reporter in 1998. Tripp, who secretly record conversations with former White House inti Monica Lewinsky, worked for Bacon in Pentagon's public affairs office. "1 could have fired him, but I took into: count his total service to the public," saidC hen, who sent his aide a letter "to express disappointment" in his judgment. Cohen also dismissed talk of a conspirj coordinated with the White Houseorexec tive branch. "This was done spontaneous his part." • He intends to return to private lifeai December. Asked what he would doifG) asked him to be his running mate, Cohen "That is a product of irrational exuberance the part of some of my friends." He said b tends to return to private life after Decemkl The Census 20( (July 7, evaluatf Brazos Area. College Station Texas A&M U y helpful in the 5 on campus. H k of participatic I "The Universib Bn in dorms was e Hantavirus compared to the plague Deadly virus sweeps across North America, 250 cases reported News in Brief DENVER (AP) — As people begin trekking to the outdoors this season, scientists are warning that the mystery disease hantavirus is a threat through out North America. Once thought to mainly haunt the Four Corners area of the South west, doctors say it has proved deadly from Canada to Argentina. And late spring is the deadliest sea son as people begin cleaning barns and stables, and head to the hills to hike, bike and camp. "We get calls from people in Cal ifornia saying we're going to New Mexico and asking how to avoid hantavirus. We say there are cases in California, too. We need to change some thinking there," said Joni Young, hantavirus surveillance coor dinator for the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. CDC studies have found the virus, carried by deer mice, likely is as wide spread in the East as in the West. "Healthy, active people are more likely to become infected because their activities often put them in contact with the virus," a CDC advisory said. We get calls from people in California saying we're going to New Mexico and asking how to avoid hantavirus. We need to change some thinking there” — Joni Young hantavirus surveillance coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control The National Park Service over the weekend said it has warned visi tors of parks of the disease. "Essen tially, we assume all parks have han tavirus," said Joseph Winkelmaier, a public health consultant for the Pa cific West region of the park service. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome begins much like a flu, with muscle aches and a fever, followed by short ness of breath and coughing. It typically progresses rapidly, re quiring ventilation and hospitaliza tion within 24 hours. Last month Vermont became the 31st state to confirm a case. As of May 8, 250 cases had been reported in the United States since it was first identified in 1993. Of those, 101 victims died. This year California, Kansas and Colorado have each reported one death. Canadian authorities reported the death Friday of a 68-year-old south western Manitoba woman of the dis ease, bringing their death toll to 13. Also on Friday, California officials reported the second case this spring in Yolo County in the north. The vic tim is recovering. Dr. Harvey Artsob of the Canadi an Science Center for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg, Manito ba, said all confirmed cases of the virus in Canada have been in the western provinces. "But we find the virus coast-to-coast in deer mice and the potential for the disease exists across the country." Since it is spread through rodent urine, feces or saliva, people typically contract the disease in rqral areas by inhaling the virus particles while cleaning out a rodent-infested space, such as a barn, cabin or stable. Young, Artsob and Colorado state epidemiologist John Pape say there is no doubt many cases go undetected because doctors are not familiar with the disease. "It becomes a surveillance phe nomenon, like the plague. Physi cians here think about it because they have cases nearly every year. Doctors back East usually wouldn't think of it," Pape said. Suharto placed un der house arrest the move on Monday saying itn unnecessary and illegal. JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — In donesian prosecutors placed for mer President Suharto under house arrest Monday after promis ing that the former strongman will stand trial within the next two months for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars. A spokesperson for the attor ney general’s office, Yushar Yahya, said the move was needed to ensure questioning of Suharto could proceed smoothly to enable his trial to start before August 10. Suharto’s confinement, first suggested a week ago by Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, was prompted by escalating public pressure, including violent protests by students demanding swift action against the former strongman. Suharto, 79, has been ques tioned several times despite his attorneys’ assertions that he is mentally unfit after suffering a stroke last year. Several of his chil dren have also been interrogated in connection with the case. Suharto’s lawyer Juan Felix Tam- pubolon immediately denounced Iraq violates nod) zone agreement ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - U.S jets patrolling a no-fly zone off northern Iraq today bombed Studen Joseph P The Bat I A recent onlin [at 63 percent o |ge students bcli tary sites after being fired upon: able to retire you Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery, theU:parents. "I am g< military said. Baking what ny The sites were near Bashiqal’h pw /' said Jennif 250 miles north of Baghdad,ttc nior accounting n Germany-based U.S. European Watson's opin Command said. many college stud 1 their career. Renee Edmistc The jets safely returned to cirlik air force base in soutter, Turkey after the bombing, the U:P nrnenta * dcsigi military said. makes sense that The United States has beene iel ^ ear,ierthan ; forcing the northern no-fly zone! mcemorep over Iraq since the end ofthePen 0 co e ^ e ' t u ie ' V Sian Gulf War in 1991. and be at U.S. warplanes have bombe(! :r ' L mis on s ‘' sites in the northern no-fly zone 36 times since January. Allied forces also impose a similar no-fly zone over the soil of Iraq. Iraq considers the zones vie lations of its territorial sovei eignty. It has been challengingtlie patrols since December 1998, Michael Larsx d college stude nscious of mo: w they affect owledgeof invi | accessible thar Larson said y w exposed to ings know ho LOOKING FOR A GREAT OPPORTUNITY THIS SEMESTER? 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