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
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