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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2002)
ONDAYAPRIL 8, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 125 TWT7 l*ATTATTf\XT IrlJi oAl 1ALHJJM TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY [ghting continues in Iccupied Territories 'lBLUS, West Bank (AP) — Israeli troops fought fierce bat- vith Palestinians in the West Bank on Sunday, encountering I resistance in the crowded Jenin refugee camp and in the |ing alleyways of Nablus’ Old City. least 14 Palestinians were killed in Nablus, where dead bs were sprawled along narrow, rubble-filled streets on the pa) of Israel’s offensive to weed out militants staging dead- ror attacks on its civilians. he renewed fighting came as Secretary of State Colin Powell, the region this week to try to resolve the crisis, said that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has “taken very much to I” President Bush’s call Saturday for an immediate with- [al from Palestinian areas. Im Powell noted that the Israeli leader has yet to set a )able for a pullback and Bush has not demanded one. he president doesn’t give orders to a sovereign prime minis- panother country,” Powell said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” In another front, there were exchanges of fire between nese guerrillas and the Israeli military Sunday. Six Israeli |iers were wounded, the military said. a phone conversation late Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister non Peres asked Powell to intervene with Lebanon and Syria him the border. They also discussed possibilities for a cease- |between Israel and the Palestinians, according to a statement i Peres’ office. \\ the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday, Iron defended the offensive, calling it “a war for our homes.” ‘We have no interest in dragging it out. but we have to do the "Sharon told Israel TV. i)efense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said the military uld operate as long as possible to “clean out terrorism” in the st Bank, but acknowledged that in light of Bush’s demand, |irhourglass is running out.” See Israel on page 6 v; event [not hurt by rain |y Cristina Hoffman THE BATTALION spite the heavy rain and erstorms that moved Snook and College Son Saturday creating mud water puddles two inches Pin some places, Chilifest ^ continued, bringing in e than 30,000 country >c fans. Chilifest was excellent the given situation,” said kGarcia, Chilifest Inc. co- hperson and a senior oh communication major. e rain is a problem no one could atine. We han 't with our best es.” ‘day night joght hundreds of |hfest chili-cook- teanis along with 5 and barbecues. e bands played % night before tain came. Anthony Gola, a ,0r agronomy went to J'fest with his team a V and said he had teat time cooking and listening to the ids, Friday was Gola said, torday would e been even better had not rained.” aturday morning J ts began as l nne d, but Cross J ad >an Ragweed forced to finish its tor mance early en hard rain blew onto the stage. Rumors emerged that no more bands would play because of rain and lightening, and many fans left. “When Cross Canadian Ragweed was cut off, we decided to leave,” said Brandon Welch, a junior eco nomics major. “We were really cold and wet. We are so upset about the rain.” Welch said other fans made comments about the rain not stopping. Many attendees said they would have stayed if the See Chilifest on page 2 JOr. fat,' STUART VILLANUEVA •THE BATTALION Cross Canadian Ragweed fans scream during the band’s performance at Chilifest Saturday. More than 30,000 people turned out to the event despite rains that drenched the area. Prime Minister visits A&M f ''' T (Left) British Prime Minister Tony Blair fields questions from the audi ence during a speech at the George Bush Presidential Library Sunday. (Below) Former President George Bush and Blair tour the Bush Library. Photos by Stuart Villanueva m / Blair addresses terrorism By Rolando Garcia THE BATTALION Despite growing opposition at home to his steadfast support of America’s war on terrorism, British Prime Minister Tony Blair moved closer to endorsing President George W. Bush’s plan to remove Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein while speaking at Texas A&M Sunday. “We must be prepared to act when terrorism and weapons of mass destruction threaten us, and if necessary, that will involve military action and regime change,” Blair said. “To let Iraq develop weapons of mass destruc tion is to ignore the lessons of Sept. 1 1, and we won’t allow it.” Blair visited the George Bush Presidential Library Complex after spending the weekend at Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he and the president dis cussed Iraq, the crisis in the Middle East and other pressing international issues. In an interview with The' Battalion, Blair stopped short of seconding the Bush administra- tion’s commitment to remove Hussein through military action, but said Britain is seriously considering the option. “Iraq would be a much better place without Saddam Hussein,” Blair said. Blair has encountered strong opposition from within his own Labor Party to military action in Iraq, and many observers say Blair’s plummeting poll numbers are the result of growing dissat isfaction with Blair’s unwavering support of America’s war on ter rorism. However, Blair dismissed anti-American sentiment in To let Iraq develop weapons of mass destruction is to ignore the lessons of Sept. 11, and we won't allow it. —Tony Blair British Prime Minister Britain as a small but vocal minority, and said Britain did not lack the resolve to topple Hussein. “We’ll take whatever action is necessary, and most people just want to know if that action is measured and reasoned,” Blair said. In his speech, Blair racketed up the rhetoric against Hussein, describ ing the Iraqi regime as “detestable” and “bru tal.” Blair said some times it is necessary to forcefully remove a rogue regime, citing Serbia and Afghanistan as recent examples. Blair also addressed the situation in the Middle East, where a wave of suicide bombings prompted Israeli forces to move into parts of the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to root out terrorist groups. He called on the Israelis to withdraw from the occupied territories and for both sides to observe a cease-fire and resume negotiations. However, many critics say Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat’s continued support for terrorism disqualify him as a peace partner. Blair said he welcomed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah’s peace initiative, which calls for Israel to withdraw to its 1967 borders in return for Arab nation’s recognizing Israel’s See Blair on page 2 Organizations face new recognition requirements By Sarah Darr V THE BATTALION To be officially recognized by the University for the 2002-2003 school year, student organi zations will now be required to undergo safety and risk management training in addition to sessions on finance and organization. The yearly recognition process facilitates a transition for new officers to ensure their com petence in leading an organization, said Sharra Durham, Program Coordinator for Student Involvement and Administrative Services. “The interaction during the seminars allows us to get to know the leaders while sharing our resources and informing them of the rules and expectations,” Durham said. Safety and risk management sessions have been added this year as a way to keep up with the times, Durham said. She said she feels the safety and risk management part of the seminar is important to every organization on campus. “It’s a healthy part of the development of life skills and something that I think students will take with them,” Durham said. The number of organizations who want to be recognized has declined because more work and time has been added to the process with the new training sessions, she said. Randy Symank, president of the Aggie See Recognition on page 6 Nuclear power may be solution to energy problems B Y Melissa McKeon THE BATTALION h ,,J rou P of Texas A&M scientists, oudin tional 'Hg one who is now a part of a ie r § r °up examining the country’s i y Problem, say nuclear power is F answer. ierfw ^ ear ’ President Bush said that I y Production, including the build ing of power plants, has not kept up with the country’s growing population and dependence on electricity. His administration announced a new nation al energy policy which called for nuclear "power to play a key role in meeting the nation’s energy needs. Nuclear power already supplies one- fifth of the country’s electricity. Dr. Alan Waltar, professor and head of the nuclear engineering department, said that though there is definitely a need for them, no new nuclear energy plants will be built for years. “It is essential that we move on with the nuclear era,” Waltar said. “Nuclear power plants deliver the cheapest source of energy besides hydroelectric power. Nuclear technology must be brought back to center stage.” Nuclear engineering is making a big comeback at many universities, includ ing A&M, because of the growing demand for energy sources. Texas A&M has the largest nuclear engineer ing undergraduate department in the nation. A&M is also the only university in the country to house two nuclear reactors, one of which is used to research the possibilities of nuclear energy as a possible source of power See Nuclear on page 2 Sports Pg. 7 Offense rules at spring game QB Farris leads Maroon to 34-27 victory over White WliATNt TODAY 50 0 HIGH 82° F LOW 58° F TUESDAY HIGH 82° F LOW 58° F FORECASTS COURTESY OF www.collegeweather.com
