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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2002)
8 Monday, June 24, 2002 Sound of music JOSHUA HOBSON • THE BATTALION Mike Sullivan, rug designer and salesman, entertains engineering major, and his girlfriend Heather Woods customers Jeremy Corbell, a sophomore mechanical of Texarkana with his accordion. Congress, Palestinian leaders urge president to step up peace efforts WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of Congress and Palestinian leaders on Sunday questioned President Bush's plan for an interim Palestinian state and urged stepped-up U.S. peace making efforts as Bush prepared to announce his Mideast blueprint. Bush and his advisers talked over NEWS IN BRIEF the weekend about the details and timing of a long-awaited speech out lining his ideas. White House officials said they tentatively planned the address for Monday afternoon, but said they were waiting for Bush to make a final decision, and they cau tioned that events on the ground could force a change again. A senior White House official reaf firmed Sunday that Bush will outline a step-by-step proposal for establish ment of a Palestinian state contingent on democratic reforms. It would cre ate a Palestinian state within provi sional borders late this year or early next year, provided that enough measurable progress has been made in reforming the Palestinian Authority and stemming terrorism. The thorniest issues — such as final borders, the control of Jerusalem and the return of refugees — would be left to negotiations between Israel and the provisional state. Bush delayed an announcement last week after two suicide bombings in Jerusalem that killed 26 Israelis. THE BATTaiJ Summit to launcl plan for African aii WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush and other leaders of the world's most powerful countries are detennined to use this year's Group of Eight summit to launch what some are calling a Marshall Plan for Africa: billions of dol lars in new aid to the poorest continent. African assistance is expected to be the pri- mary achievement of the 28th annual economic summit, which gets under way Wednesday at a remote resort in the Canadian Rockies. Bush and the leaders of the other G-8 coun tries — Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada — also will spend con siderable time at their first summit meeting since Sept. 1 1 reviewing the tight against interna tional terror. U.S. allies are com- ing with plenty of ques tions about what Bush might have in mind in terms of expanding the war to Iraq and other countries. The president, in a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy on June 1. said the United States will strike pre-emptively against suspected terrorists or the states that support them if necessary to deter attacks on Americans. The remarks raised new misgivings about what many U.S. allies see as a troubling U.S. tendency toward unilat eral action. “In the context of terrorism, the allies will make an effort to get the president to commit to greater consulta tion. The West Point speech heightened their anxiety,” said James Steinberg, deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he was not expecting Bush to apply any pressure to get back ing from the other leaders for an immi nent expansion of the campaign. “Demands are not on the agem Canada.” Schroeder said in a summit interview. Even before Sept. 11 elevatedi to the top of the summit’s agenda lent street protests at last year's sr In the context of terrorism, the allies will make an effort to get the president to commit to greater consultation. — James Steinberg deputy national security advisor in the Clinton administration in Genoa, Italy, had com; Canadian Prime Mr Jean Chretien thatai tic overhaul in theat meetings was neede t He switched the lion from a bustling easily accessible to. globalization protest the tiniest site eve serve as host for a summit — Kanaiu Alberta, a remote vi accessible by a singlei lane road. The official dei; lions have been sh. reduced to fit the S available low-rise ho Chretien has pared ^ the discussions fi three days to hours, starting Wednesday and e: | w ith the reading of a brief chairrl statement Thursday afternoon. Chretien declared a year ago r j wanted the formal agenda to focit-H Africa. That idea gained new mo r | turn after Sept. II attacks as wen countries saw the benefit ofconM poverty as a way to eliminate bree® grounds for terrorist groups. The G-8 leaders will be joine; their discussions by U.N. Secre:.f General Kofi Annan and the leader five African countries, includingS:| African President Thabo Mbeki. He is seeking support for his V Partnership for African Developn® which some see as the modem-daw.! alent of the Marshall Plan, the US* gram that rebuilt Europe from the f tation of World War II. The G-8 pi would provide billions ofdollarsi African countries that pledge toe 1 government corruption and pur. market economic reforms. Voli i i i i STOP DELAYING THE INEVITABLE ASK ANYONE WHOSE TRIED US WE'RE THAT GOOD... PROMISE a O D Now Accepting Aggie Bucks Open till 2:00 a.m. Friday 8 Saturday niyhts! 301-A COLLEGE MAIN BETWEEN CAMPUS AND NORTHGATE PARKING GARAGE 979-846-8593 1