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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2003)
THE BATTaJ aree /ORLD [HE BATTALION 1 1A Thursday, April 17, 2003 hina hosts talks to 10 -resolve nuke standoff By Sang-Hun Choe THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEOUL, South Korea — The United States ^nd North Korea will try to resolve their six- rionth standoff over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons program in talks arranged by ?hina, the communist North's closest ally, U.S. ^nd South Korean officials said Wednesday. The Beijing talks could happen as early as next veek, officials said. Japanese media, citing unnamed sources, said they would start April 23. In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the agree- u nent to hold talks was good news but added |hat an early break through was not in the offing. ‘We believe this is khe beginning of a long, [intense process of dis cussion,” Powell said in i interview with ssociated Press Television News. “We will lay out clearly our concerns about heir nuclear weapons development programs and ther weapons of mass destruction, of their prolif- ration activities, missile programs” among other issues, he said. icknowledgesthes China will participate in the discussions, the ladelphia, Penns|iii first between Washington and Pyongyang since U.S. officials said in October that North Korea lat it is the right is admitted running a clandestine nuclear weapons i and do other thic; program. Washington has called for multilateral talks to resolve the issue, and renewed its promise Wednesday to try to bring other nations - espe cially South Korea and Japan — into the talks. Pyongyang earlier insisted on negotiations only with Washington, but agreed last week to allow China at the table. I ODRRiUSS • KRTGt in said he would just an averager three years as i de facto general: the future, he said! rate more on f« with desire, pas villingness to beS: coached - even ill ddered marginal b alent standards, mid take 12 guys' strong passion to [ ne over 12 stars i respect die ganj ;aid. The talks likely will cool tensions on the Korean Peninsula, roiled for months by sabre-rat tling rhetoric from North Korea and massive, joint U.S.-South Korean military drills. Powell said the mood on the peninsula is one of relative quiet, adding that this could auger well for the talks. “We are hopeful that nothing will happen that would make the political environment difficult,” he said. As for the North's penchant for delivering inflam matory statements, Powell said, “They seem to be not more provocative than usual. By the standards of normal discourse between us and the DPRK, it is rel atively calm.” Yet there is a sense of urgency about the situa tion because North Korea, already believed to have one or two nuclear weapons, could extract enough plutoni um for several more bombs within months if it begins reprocessing existing stocks of spent nuclear fuel. North Korea has accused the United States of planning to invade once the war in Iraq is over. President Bush — who once described North Korea as part of an “axis of evil” with Iran and Iraq — has said he wants to resolve the nuclear crisis peacefully, but he has not ruled out a mili tary solution. North Korea has a history of engaging in tough bargaining in prolonged negotiations. Powell has said the quick U.S. military success in Iraq may have influenced Pyongyang's thinking on opening diplomatic discussions. “The one thing that is absolutely clear, is that at whatever level it starts, and with whatever atten dance, it has to ultimately encompass the views and thoughts of all the neighbors in the region,” Powell has said. We believe this is the beginning of a long, intense process of discussion. — Colin Powell Secretary of State THF RATTATTOM JL JlJL jLj mjJljl JL JL jOLLiA Fall 'os Staff Application If you can write, edit, design pages, draw, use a camera... Texas A&M's award-winning newspaper is looking for you. • gain valuable experience • earn extra cash • make friends in a professional newsroom environment Name: Phone number: Cellphone or pager: E-mail: Major: Classification: Credit hours you will take in the spring Expected graduation (semester): How many hours per week would you be available for work at The Battalion? ALL APPLICANTS: Please type your responses on a separate piece of paper, and attach a resume and samples of your work (stories you have written for publications or classes, pages you have designed, photos taken, drawings made or other creative samples—just show us what you can do). Section Editor Applicants 1) What are your goals for managing your staff? 2) What do you believe is the role of the section for which you are applying? 3) What changes would you make to improve The Battalion 1 . Pay particular attention to the position for which you’re applying. Staff Applicants 1) Why do you want to work at The Battalion, and what do you hope to accomplish? 2) What experience do you have that relates to the position for which you are applying? (include classes, seminars, etc.) 3) What changes do you feel would improve the quality of The Battalion! Give special attention to the section for which you're applying. OPENINGS INCLUDE: Please check the position(s) for which you are inter ested. If you are interested in more than one position, number them in order of preference with “I " being your top choice. Managing Editor Section Editors News* AggieLife* Opinion Sci (Tech Sports* Design/Copy Chief Graphics Photo Radio Producer Webmaster *assistant editor positions available Staff News Reporter Sci |Tech Writer __ Feature! Entertainment Writer Sports Writer Radio Reporter Opinion Columnist Page Designer Copy Editor Photographer Graphic Artist Cartoonist DEADLINE: 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, for editor positions and Friday, April 25, for staff positions. Turn in applications at 014 (basement) Reed McDonald Bldg. Interviews will begin immediately after application deadline. Extra applications available in the newsroom or online at http://www.thebatt.com American Airlines avoids bankruptcy y $ 4 J J / dr ieur$hip he top. real-world ne program lent. i companies- nary MBA. ight from m, visit By Angela K. Brown THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines flight atten- lants reversed themselves and ipproved $340 million in labor :oncessions Wednesday, pulling he world's largest carrier back rom the brink of bankruptcy. American welcomed the eprieve but warned that its trou- )les may not be over. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said 10,76 i votes were cast for :he concessions package and 9,652 against, a 1,642-vote swing from just one day earlier, when flight attendants narrow- y rejected the package of lay offs, wage cuts and reduced uenefits. After the initial rejection, the union and company had extend ed the balloting, saying some workers had encountered diffi culty in voting and that it was a ast shot at avoiding bankruptcy. “This is not a day for rejoic- ng,” said a union spokeswoman, mri Bassani. "Tough times lie ahead for our airline and our members. By ratifying this agreement, we will be giving up a great deal to try to keep our airline out of bankruptcy." Unlike pilots and ground workers, who approved conces sions Tuesday, flight attendants weren't allowed to change their votes once cast. During the vot ing period, American sweetened the original deal by offering one-time bonuses of up to 4.5 percent in 2006 or later if the company's credit ratings improve sharply. "The people of American Airlines have together made his tory," said Donald J. Carty, American chairman and CEO. "These agreements represent the most ambitious effort to consen- sually restructure costs ever, not only in airline history but in U.S. history." American asked its three main unions to approve the bulk of $1.8 billion in annual labor cuts sought. The board of directors of American's parent, AMR Corp., had been prepared to meet by teleconference Wednesday night and approve a bankruptcy filing if flight attendants had rejected the labor cuts, a company spokesman said. Stocks fall sharply, Dow closes down 145 By Hope Yen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Investors brushed aside a wave of encour aging earnings Wednesday, giv ing blue-chip stocks their sharpest decline in more than two weeks. However, tech shares managed a gain on strong results from Microsoft and Intel. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 144.75, or 1.7 percent, at 8,257.61. It was the biggest decline since March 31, when blue-chip stocks finished 153 points lower; the loss also offset much of the 198-point gain in the previous two sessions. The broader market finished mixed. The Nasdaq composite index rose 3.71, or 0.3 percent, to 1,394.72. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 10.90, lor 1.2 percent, to 879.91. Analysts said many traders were choosing to cash in quick profits from the market's recent rally on fears the advance may have been too much, too soon. Downbeat outlooks from Coca-Cola and 3M added to the pessimism. “Keep in mind, we've had a pretty substantial rally as a result of the war," said Todd Clark, head of listed equity trading at Wells Fargo Securities. "While earnings have been better than expected, we're having a little bit of a sell-on-the-news mentality." Microsoft rose 30 cents to $24.91 after the software com pany reported fiscal third-quar ter earnings that beat Wall Street's lowered expectations. Intel climbed $1.03 to $18.16 after the technology giant posted first-quarter profits that beat analysts' estimates by 2 cents per share. shoe caumvai: Warming Trends men's ^Columbia “ Sportswear Company. Debater) women's | V ■(-SWISS Kolzig U Present this coupon to save an additional * I V/l V-/1 *5 Off the total purchase of 29.98 or higher. 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