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
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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
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