Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Putin appears headed to victory Avoids runoff election by narrow margin after earlier strong showing by Communists by Barry Renfrew Associated Press MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin appeared headed foi a narrow victory Monday in Russia’s presidentia election after a surprisingly strong showing by the Communists threatened to force him into a runof vote. While Putin would almost certainly win a sec ond round, it would have been a humbling setbacl Tor the former KGB officer, who has soared fron nowhere to become the nation’s most popular politi cian in a few months. Putin’s call to strengthen tht authority of the state and the security forces wor .ried some Russians, who fear the country’s democ ratic reforms could be rolled back. With 84 percent of the vote from Sunday’s elec tion counted by early Monday, Putin had almost 52 percent of the vote, enough to ensure victory and avoid a second round against the next highest vote winner. Communist chief Gennady Zyuganov was second with 30 percent. The state-run RTR television network predict ed an outright Putin victory with no runoff vote. Liberal economist Grigory Yavlinsky was project ed to take third place with about 7 percent of the vote. Zyuganov accused the government of falsifying the results, saying the Communist vote was more than 40 percent. There were no immediate reports on the fairness of the election from international monitors. “They have set up a zone of blanket fraud to cheat citizens,” Zyuganov said. Putin looked likely to fall well short of his cam paign’s hopes for a huge victory and a strong man date for his call to impose strong government at home and to revive Russia as a global power. Putin’s campaign may have suffered from the widespread assumption that he would win, con vincing many of his supporters that there was no need to vote. But the fairly strong vote for Zyuganov was also seen as a protest by Russians unhappy about Putin’s apparently inevitable victory. Putin, looking relaxed, said he was confident of victory as he voted at a Moscow polling station. “Tomorrow is Monday, a hard day, and I will have to go to work,” he said. Putin later acknowledged the Communists had done well despite their cash-strapped campaign and that his government would have to take popular dis content into account. “That means that our policy must be more balanced, take into account the existing realities and aim at increasing living standards,” he told a news conference. The tough, man-of-action image that Putin cul tivates appeals to many Russians, tired of the un certainty and mayhem of the final years of former President Boris Yeltsin. Putin has promised to end massive corruption, revive the economy after years of recession and restore the political and military influence that Moscow wielded before the Soviet collapse. “I’m tired of all this disorder,” said Vladimir Pr ishchev, a pensioner casting his ballot for Putin in Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where graft - Russia seewem Clinton, Assad fail to reach agreement by Terence Hunt ^ Associated Press Geneva—President Clinton and Syri an President Hafez Assad failed during three hours of face-to-face negotiations Sunday to nail down an agreement to restart negotiations between Israel and Syria for a landmark peace treaty. “The differences are significant and important and obviously more work needs to be done to bridge them,” White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said. He characterized the meeting between Clinton and Assad — their first face-to face summit in six years—as “very use ful.” But at the same time, he said, “We don’t believe it would be productive” for Syrian-Israeli talks to resume at this point. “It is impossible to predict when those talks might resume,” he said. Lockhart said Assad “articulated his position clearly and forcefully” through out two businesslike sessions. Clinton spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak both before and after the Assad meeting, Lockhart said. Syrian presidential spokesman Jubran Kourieh said that during the talks Assad stressed the importance of Syria’s long demand for an Israeli pullback to the coun try’s 1967 borders. “Since yesterday nothing earth-shat tering happened in the peace process,” Kourieh said afterward. The summit discussed pending issues and the peace process and the “obstacles that Israel has put up and is still putting up,” Kourieh said. In Jerusalem, Deputy Defense Min ister Ephraim Sneh said in a telephone interview that the main sticking point in Geneva was Syria’s demand for a prior commitment to cede the strategic Golan Heights plateau. “The fact that Syria insists upon dic tating an agreement and not obtaining an agreed-upon agreement is what made the resumption of the talks impossible,” Sneh said. “They are quite intransigent about what they are supposed to give in terms of security arrangements and they have different ideas about normalization.” Clinton left Geneva shortly after the meeting broke up, leaving Lockhart be hind to speak to reporters. The spokesman said the United States will continue to mediate between Israel and Syria and that both sides are com mitted to reaching peace. “In our judgment it is not worthwhile to have meetings just to have meetings,” Lockhart said. Expectations had been high going in to the negotiations, in part simply because the 69-year-old Assad, who rarely trav els, made a special trip to Switzerland to see Clinton. But as the day wore into evening, hopes diminished that the talks at a lux ury hotel overlooking Lake Geneva would produce an agreement. Officials suggested that it was unlikely that any kind of formula could be an nounced for another round of talks un til, at least, Clinton had a chance to talk to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak, a key figure in all peace ne gotiations in the region, had a sched uled meeting with Clinton in Washing ton on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Clinton’s Mideast en voy, Dennis Ross, was headed back to Is rael to brief Barak on the talks. Clinton mediated Israeli-Syrian talks in Shepherdstown, W.Va., which broke off in January. The president has been working intensely for their resumption. Mideast see page m The differences are significant and important and obviously more work needs to be done to bridge them.' Joe Lockhart White House spokesman Investigation casts shadow on Gore candidacy n v Dctc V a c t — Associated Press Washington—Missing e-mail. The Buddhist temple. No controlling legal authority. These fund-raising images haunt Vice President A1 Gore. Federal prosecutors and Republi cans threaten, for very different rea sons, to extend the impact of the 1996 fund-raising missteps well into the fall presidential campaign. The Justice Department opened an investigation last week into whether e mails from Gore’s office and other parts of the White House were hidden from criminal and congressional investiga tors who had subpoenaed them. Republicans, from presidential ri val George W. Bush to House Gov ernment Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton, are keeping the issue alive with hearings, advertisements and cam paign stump attacks. They are moti vated by polling that shows the vice president is vulnerable on the issue. “It’s sort of a low-grade toothache — it's not going to kill you, but it’s ir ritating, and it doesn't go away,” Brook ings Institution senior fellow Stephen Hess said of the fund-raising problems. Gore breathed a sigh of relief two years ago when the Justice Department concluded there was no reason to name an independent counsel to investigate him or President Clinton, which es sentially cleared Gore of wrongdoing. While he maintains he broke no laws. Gore's discomfort level has risen in recent weeks since: • A memo surfaced showing the chief of the Justice Department pros ecution task force angrily disagreed with the decision not to name an indepen dent prosecutor and accused political appointees at Justice of engaging in “contortions” to avoid naming a spe cial prosecutor. • The White House belatedly dis closed thousands of e-mails were nev er reviewed to determine if they were responsive to the fund-raising investi gation. Several employees who knew about the problem said they were threat ened if they talked about it That gave the fund-raising task force new license Gore seewgem Castro: Elian's Miami relatives have lost battle to keep him by Anite Snow Associated Press Havana — President Fidel Castro said Sunday that the Miami relatives of 6 year-old Elian Gonzalez and their anti communist backers might kill the child or abduct him to a third country rather than let him return to Cuba. “They are capable of killing him rather Tar. etum him safe and sound to the country,” Castro said of Miami’s Cuban American exiles as he wrapped up a 1 1/2-hour speech. He spoke before more than 700 pro-government univer sity students. Castro suggested that the exiles could expose the child to a serious illness in an act of vengeance against Elian’s father or the Cuban government, which have been battling for his repatriation. He also said that according to “reliable sources in Miami,” the child’s “kidnappers” had discussed moving the child to another lo cation or even a third country to prevent his return to Cuba. U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore’s dismissal on Tuesday of the fam ily’s lawsuit seeking to block Elian’s repa l^atiqj was “just and moral,” Castro said. Castro said the boy should be back in Cuba within three weeks, depending up on what other legal or political maneu vers the Miami relatives attempt. The U.S. Justice Department late Fri day told Elian’s relatives in Miami that they l ave until noon Mondaj to agree to an expedited appeal or the boy will be returned rapidly to his father in Cuba, ac cording to family spokesman Armando Gutierrez. In Wellington, a federal official close to the case confirmed that the Justice De partment plans to give the family’s lawyers until April 3 to prepare and file their ap peal. Elian has been at the center of an international tug-of-war since late No vember, when he was rescued by fish ermen who found him lashed to an in nertube bobbing off the Florida coast. Elian’s mother and 10 others perished when their boat sank during the jour ney from Cuba to the United States. In Miami, Elian was turned over to his great-uncle, who is now fighting for the right to raise him, saying he can give him a better life off the communist island. But his father and four grandpar ents, backed by Castro, have demanded the child’s return to his native country. For four months, the Miami relatives have successfully blocked the child’s repa triation. In an apparent bid to increase American support for their battle to keep Elian in the United States, the Miami rel atives last week allowed television jour nalist Diane Sawyer to spend two days with the boy. The ABC News program “Good Morning America” plans to air the first of several reports Monday. OPEC ministers near consensus on oil output by Bruce Stanley Associated Press Vienna, Austria — OPEC oil minis ters were close to reaching a consensus Sunday on the need to boost output to rein in galloping petroleum prices and mollify the United States and other oil importing nations. Although the ministers refused to confirm the size or timing of any such increase, Kuwait’s oil minister, Sheikh Saud Nasser al-Sabah, said OPEC is like ly to raise its official production by as much as 1.7 million barrels of crude a day. The 11 ministers from the Organiza tion of the Petroleum Exporting Coun tries will meet Monday to decide whether to extend cuts in output made in 1998 and 1999 that have propelled oil prices to their highest levels since the Persian Gulf Wit. The United lomatic pressure to try to persuade OPEC member countries to open their taps further. OPEC ministers met privately in small groups in an effort to resolve differences ahead of Monday’s semiannual meeting. “We are arriving to a consensus,” Venezuelan Oil Minister Ali Rodriguez told reporters at a downtown hotel. Any official increase would not be as large as it may seem because of the more than 1 million “unofficial” barrels that OPEC members are currently pumping each day. This cheating on production quotas means that a daily increase of 1.7 milliori barrels would add only about 600,000 barrels of actual new oil to the market. OPEC produces more than 26 mil lion barrels of crude each day, or about 35 percent of the world’s supply. The United States and other oil-im porting countries are hoping OPEC will raise production by 2 million-2.5 million barrels per day. Many industry analysts worry that OPEC won’t produce enough to let consuming nations replenish their meager oil inventories and simul taneously meet higher seasonal needs for gasoline. The United States has been lobbying hard for a production increase to stabi lize domestic fuel prices that recently hit nine-year highs. American motorists now pay an av erage of $1.59 per gallon for unleaded gasoline, an increase of nearly 60 cents since prices bottomed out at 99.8 cents per gallon in February 1999, according to a Lundbeig Survey of 10,000 U.S. gas stations released Saturday. Analysts warn of possible shortages and $2-a-gallon gas, already appearing in some areas, during the peak driving sea son this summer. 7 ‘We are arriving to a concensus.' Ali Rodriguez Venezuelan Oil Minister News Briefs ■ Wyclef Jean cancels Charleston concert Charleston (AP) — Hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean canceled his performance here to support the NAACP’s boycott of South Carolina, called to protest the state’s flying of the Confederate flag, his pub licist said. Jean was supposed to perform at a concert sponsored by the College of Charleston last Friday, but he dropped out when he found out about the book ing. Publicist Miguel Baguer said the per former didn’t “become aware of the show until Thursday.” -“When he realized it, he said, ‘Oh my God I can’t do South Carolina be cause of the NAACP sanctions against South Carolina.’ So that’s what happened,” Baguer said. ■ Former Rwandan pastor sent to Africa for alleged atrocities Houston (AP)—A 75-year-old Rwan dan clergyman accused of taking part in the massacre of refugees in his homeland has been deported to Africa to face an in ternational tribunal. Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, a Seventh Day Adventist pastor, is the first person arrested on U.S. soil to be turned over to a U.N. tribunal, said Assistant U.S. At torney Don DeGabrielle in Houston. He is accused of luring refugees into his Rwandan church, where they were massacred. If convicted, he could get life in prison. Ntakirutimana has been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in neighboring Tanzania. He was arrested in 1996 in Laredo, where he had been living. His flight from Texas left Thursday for Tanzania, De Gabrielle said. “We hope and expect he will receive a fair trial,” the prosecutor said. “The tri bunal was set up under the microscope of the entire world. All the nations that are U.N. members had participation of the establishment of rules and fundamental principles the tribunal would employ.” SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS In the New Millennium Career Fair 2000 Thursday, March 30,2i Carolina Coliseum Concoi 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If you are interested in the Hotel and Resort Industries, which is a rapidly growing and expanding field, then the Career Fair on March 30, 2000 is where you need to be. Marriott Fripp Island Resorts Lowe's Motor Speedway SEARS Omni Hotel From 9am until 2pm in the Coliseum Concourse, several of the hottest names in this industry will be present to answer your questions, take applications on-site, and give on-the-spot interviews. Door Prizes and other wonderful prizes will be awarded. If any additional information is needed, you may email: shemelldvm.sc.edu or call Prof. Sandy Strick at 777-6665 Hosted by: University of South Carolina College of Hospitality _Retail & Sports Management_ I • 30 sizes and types ' | • You rent to the inch- only what you need | • • Extra side doors I • Resident Managers I • Computer controlled gate access ' | • Free use of moving dollies 1 . • Freight deliveries accepted , • You lock it and keep the keys I • From locker size to garage size ' U-Haul® Trucks • Moving Boxes & Supplies I Mini Office Warehouses 1 I_I • Temperature • Humidity • Climate Controlled 803-256-0103 803-787-5332 037 Elmwood Dr., Columbia 5604 Forest Dr., Columbia Elmwood @ Main St. Forest Dr. @ 177 803-798-1580 3754 Femandina Rd., Columbia 1-26 , S. of Piney Grove visit us on the web @ www.private-mini.com