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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2002)
IEWS HE BATTALION 7A Monday, January 14, 2002 olombia peace talks not ufficient, could lead to war LOS POZOS, Colombia (AP) President Andres Pastrana end- kl the peace process Saturday, say- jng'ihe 1 Ith-hour proposal from [lie Revolutionary Armed Forces bf Colombia “is not sufficient.” “The proposal only refers to lilready agreed to issues,” Pas- Irana said in a nationally broad- last address. Pastrana gave the rebel army, ^nown as the FARC, 4X hours, eginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, i vacate the vast rebel safe haven fe granted them three years ago ;acondition for the peace talks. Many feared the end of the sace talks could lead to an esca- ition in Colombia’s 38-year civ- war. Roughly 3,500 people die [very year in the violence, most If them civilians. Pastrana appeared to give the fARC another chance to save the kace process, saying the countiy [nly will accept peace talks it lere is a cease in hostilities, in- [ludiny kidnappings. “Only a public manifesta- ton in that sense can stop the jlock." he said. The president had given U.N. Invoy James LeMoyne until Sat- Irday night to restart peace talks. I A few minutes after the dead line expired, FARC leaders re leased their proposal, in which they appeared to drop demands that the military immediately end overflights of the zone and controls on its borders. The FARC walked away from peace talks in October after the mili tary controls were initiated. In the draft agreement, they proposed that complaints of “threats” along its borders be ex amined by a special commission. In this crucial moment of the history of our country, we need tolerance — Mauricio veteran rebel The government has refused to discontinue the overflights and increased patrols, claiming the FARC was misusing the zone to hide hostages and run a drug business. Earlier Saturday, a car bomb exploded near the wall of a mil itary base a few miles north of the rebel haven, injuring 15 civilians, the army news agency said. Troops had been arriving at the base in the town of Granada ahead of the deadline. No one immediately claimed responsi bility for the blast. Before the decision was an nounced, prayers for peace were held in the Roman Catholic church in the zone’s main town, San Vicente del Caguan. The church was packed with local politicians, firefighters, busi nessmen. ranchers, housewives and children carrying small white paper signs saying, “Peace.” “In this crucial moment of the history of our country, we need tolerance,” said the Rev. Miguel Angel Sema, who called for dia logue rather than fighting. He lashed out at military lead ers of both sides for waging war. “Good people — humble campesinos, humble rebel fight ers and humble soldiers — have died in combat, but not the big leaders,” Serna said. “It is the good who fall.” At the closest military base to the zone, an army commander said reinforcements had poured in over the past few days. Army Maj. Geraldo Cano, chief of operations for the Hunter Battalion based in the town of Florencia, said the soldiers were ready to move into the zone at a moment's notice. NEWS IN BRIEF President chokes on pretzel WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush fainted briefly in the White House residence Sunday after choking on a pretzel while watching a National Football League playoff game on television, White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb said. The doctor, an Air Force colonel, said Bush quickly recovered and is doing well. Tubbs said Bush suffered an abrasion on his left cheek the size of a half dollar and a bruise on his lower lip, apparently from falling onto the floor from a couch. The fainting spell occurred at approximately 5:35 p.m. EST and Bush contacted a nurse on duty at the White House five minutes later. Tubbs was paged eight minutes later and rushed to the White House to examine the president. Tubbs said Bush, under his own power, took an elevator from the second floor of the residence to the first floor doctor's office where he under went a through examination that included use of a heart monitor. He said Bush had complained Saturday and Sunday of "being a little off nis game," feeling that he was coming down with a head cold. White House spokesman Ari Fleisher said Bush intended to keep his regular schedule Monday, which includes an early morning trip to the Midwest. Introducing the Tradition at Northgate. jeSSBBS! College life. 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