Ufjr Daily (Ear Hrel
IN THE NEWS
Top stories from the state, nation and world
Pentagon warns soldiers
of possible gas exposure
WASHINGTON The Pentagon is
warning 5,000 Gulf War veterans that
they may have been exposed to nerve gas
when U.S. troops destroyed an Iraqi
weapons depot in 1991. A spokesman
said the number could grow.
This figure is far higher than the num
ber of soldiers officials said they were
trying to contact in June, when the Pen
tagon disclosed that U.S. troops may
have been exposed to nerve gas in the
destruction of the weapons depot at
Khamisiyah in southern Iraq on March
4,1991.
The depot, known as Bunker 73, con
tained both conventional and chemical
weapons, officials said.
Officials said in June that 300 mem
bers to 400 members of the Army’s 37th
Engineer Battalion from Fort Bragg were
near the demolition. Earlier this month,
investigators for a presidential advisory
panel said they believed as many as 1,100
U.S. troops were exposed in that inci
dent.
However, an announcement Thurs
day described a second low-level expo
sure to chemical weapons on March 10,
1991.
Members of the 37th Battalion de
stroyed an unknown number of chemical
rockets found in stacks of crated muni
tions in a pit area about two miles from
Bunker 73.
Lawmakers expressed frustration over
the Pentagon’s handling of the matter.
“From my view, this tells me the cover
up continues,” said Rep. Christopher
Shays, R-Conn., chairman of the House
Government Reform and Oversight sub
committee on human resources and in
tergovernmental relations.
“We are continually getting bad news
and it is not going to stop," said Shays,
upset that no Pentagon official would
appear before his panel to explain the
growing number of potential exposures.
Yeltsin agrees to transfer
full power during surgery
MOSCOW—President Boris Yeltsin
agreed Thursday to transfer full power to
his prime minister while he undergoes
heart surgery, including control over the
so-called nuclear button.
Yeltsin signed a decree that specifi
cally says Prime Minister Viktor
Chernomyrdin will be put in charge of
Russia’s nuclear arsenal and the firing
activation mechanism known as the
nuclear button.
The president said he would issue an
other decree specifying when
Chernomyrdin will take control. The date
of Yeltsin’s bypass operation has not
been set.
Speculation has swirled over who will
control Russia’s nuclear arsenal during
Yeltsin’s surgery. The president already
has granted Chernomyrdin control over
Russia’s security forces, but he has re
tained responsibility for nuclear weap
onry.
Yeltsin, 65, has been in the Central
Clinical Hospital, the Kremlin hospital,
since Friday for what his spokesman has
insisted are routine tests in preparation
for heart bypass surgery.
One of Russia’s leading cardiologists
said today that Yeltsin’s heart troubles go
back to when he was a teenager.
U.S. questions motives of
North Korean infiltration
WASHINGTON—Secretary of State
Warren Christopher expressed concern
Thursday about the attempted infiltra
tion by North Korean agents into South
Korea and urged both Seoul and
Pyongyang to exercise restraint.
“We wish that all parties would avoid
taking any further provocative actions of
the kind reflected apparently in this step,”
Christopher said in a news conference.
Appearing with Christopher was Japa
nese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda,
who said he shares Christopher’s views.
“We very much hope that this inci
dent won’t develop into something that
will have negative effects on the environ
ment," Ikeda said.
He said it was important that nothing
disrupt the agreement under which Ja
pan, South Korea and other nations are
helping North Korea abandon its pluto
nium-producing nuclear reactors and shift
to safer models.
Ikeda said the process has become an
important source for dialogue with the
North Koreans.
Later, Christopher’s spokesman,
Nicholas Bums, issued a clarification in
which he took a tougher line against
North Korea than Christopher.
Bums urged North Korea “not to en
gage in any provocative acts," adding
that Christopher did not intend to direct
his admonition against South Korea.
“It’s a very bizarre incident,” Bums
said. “The fact that the submarine was
where it was is provocative.”
Five months have passed since the
United States and South Korea proposed
a direct North-South dialogue with
American and Chinese officials serving
as mediators. North Korea has yet to give
a definitive response to the proposal.
FROM WIRE REPORTS
For all you non-math
majors, this is
a really good deal.
□ FT. LAUDERDALE □ HARTFORD □ NY/LAGUARDIA
□ NY/NEWARK □ ORLANDO □ PHILADELPHIA
□ PROVIDENCE □ STEWART/NEWBURGH □ TAMPA/ST. PETE
□ WASHINGTON, D.C./NAT'L □ WEST PALM BEACH
PRESENTING MIDWAY AIRLINES' STUDENT WEEKEND FARES.
Plus, you can also fly to Los Angeles for $99, each way. No advance purchase. Fares
are valid for travel departing on a Saturday and returning that same day or the
following Monday or Tuesday. Student I.D. required. For more information or to book
your reservation today, call your travel professional or 1-800-44-MIDWAY!
Restrictions: Fares are each way from Raleigh-Durham based upon a round-trip purchase. All travel must be completed by 11/20/96. Fares subject to change without notice. Seats are limited and may not be
available on every flight, every travel day. Tickets are non-refundable, however changes can be made for SSO, plus applicable fare difference. Passenger Facility Charges of up to $6, per person, are additional.
STATE & NATIONAL
FEEL LIKE FLYING AGAIN -
mkUvcM
" AIRLINES #
Friday, September 20,1996
\v. r. i;y H. vr A,..'
_
The Industry’s
Newest
7