Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Milosevic calls for runoff I by Misha Savic Associated Press BELGRADE, Yugoslavia — De spite opposition threats of a general strike. President Slobodan Milosevic confirmed Thursday he will take part in a runoff vote, refusing to recognize an apparent first-round victory of a pro-democracy challenger. It was his first public state ment since the election Sunday. Summoning his closest Socialist Par ty associates, Milosevic pressed ahead with plans for the Oct. 8 runoff, ignor ing appeals at home and abroad that he step down in the wake of an over whelming defeat to opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica. The defiant move signals that the Yugoslav leader has no intention to back down, but will move to deepen the po litical crisis. Milosevic’s opponents threatened on Thursday to call a general strike, shut ting down schools, offices and other pub lic institutions until he recognizes their victory and steps aside. Kostunica earned 48.96 percent of the vote to 38.62 percent for Milosevic, the State Election Commission said late Wednesday. That would require a runoff. The opposition, using figures from its poll watchers, claims Kostunica won 52.54 percent to Milosevic’s 32.01 per cent —figures that would mean he won outright. Kostunica’s campaign manager, Zo ran Djindjic, called the government tal ly “a bad joke.” He vowed to take the opposition beyond street protests, which have been unsuccessful, by calling “a to tal blockade of the system and institu tions.” “Wfe will call a general strike,” Djind jic said. “We shall seek to paralyze all institutions, schools, theaters, cinemas, offices... call everyone onto the streets and stay on the streets until he who wants to be president by force gives up his post.” Declaring that “ Vojislav Kostunica was elected Yugoslav president in the first round of the elections,” the oppo sition leaders once again called on the members of the State Electoral Com mission to “publicly acknowledge the true election results.” The influential Serbian Orthodox Church recognized Kostunica’s election victory and addressed him as “president elect.” The church holds no direct po litical power in Yugoslavia, but its dic tates hold great moral sway in a population that recognizes it as a pillar of rectitude in a corrupt society. Montenegro’s pro-Western govern ment also recognized Kostunica’s ap parent victory. European Union officials said Thurs day the 15 EU members will not back a second round. In Brussels, EU officials said the organization will hold off, for now, on lifting economic and other sanc tions against Serbia until Kostunica has been installed as president. The statements came the morning after more than 200,000 joyful Milo sevic opponents swarmed the capital’s downtown district, waving banners and chanting, “He’s finished” There was no visible police presence near the crowd The biggest demonstration ever against Milosevic completely blocked Belgrade’s main streets around Repub lic Square. Much of the downtown area teemed with people. The victorious atmosphere suggest ed the pro-democracy Serbs no longer fear Milosevic’s autocratic government, sensing that he may not be able to hold on much longer. Some members of the election com mission reportedly resigned from their posts, due to “pressures they were un der to falsify the results,” media report ed. Among them was Bojan Pudar, the deputy head of the commission, FoNet news agency said. Sinisa Nikolic said 300 of the more than 10,000 polling stations never re ported, and he accused the commission of reducing the overall total by 600,000 votes. President Clinton and other West ern leaders have dismissed talk of a runoff. “The government’s official election com mission has no credibility whatever,” Clinton said. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. am bassador to the United Nations, said the United States will move to lift economic sanctions against Yugoslavia and restore its rights as a U.N. member state if Kos tunica is installed in Belgrade. The government’s official election commission has no credibility whatsoever.' Bill Clinton Government raises inflation numbers after finding mistake ■ Housing costs miscalculation • leads to error by Jeannine Aversa Associated Press WASHINGTON — Inflation at the con sumer level has crept up slightly more this year than the government previous ly thought because of a mistake in cal culating housing costs. The tiny upward revision of 0.1 per centage point in the Consumer Price In dex will not change the sunny outlook for the nation’s economy, private econ omists said. It also has not altered economists’ belief that the threat of an inflation flare up is so small that the Federal Reserve is probably finished raising interest rates for this year. The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday that infla tion as measured by the CPI over the first eight months of this year rose at a sea sonally adjusted annual rate of 3.5 per cent, rather than the 3.4 percent rate orig inally published. And, the “core” rate of inflation, ex cluding volatile food and energy, rose during the same period at a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.7 percent under the corrected calculation, compared with the 2.6 percent rate previously recorded. “These changes are very, very small” said Katharine Abraham, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Richard Yamarone, economist with Aigus Research Corp., said the tiny re visions would not have “a material im pact on the economy and it won’t af fect monetary policy.” In addition to serving as the gov ernment’s chief gauge of inflation, the CPI is used to calculate cost-of-living ad justments in Social Security and other federal benefit payments, as well as in some private benefit plans. The adjustment would add about 82 cents a month to the average retiree’s benefits check in January, said Social Se curity Administration spokeswoman Cathy Noe. The Treasury Department said the revisions won’t change interest payments for investors holding inflation-indexed savings bonds and securities. The revisions were being made to correct an error discovered in June. The error stemmed from incorrectly calcu lating components of the index that deal with housing costs. The bureau blamed software used to make the calculation. The Federal Reserve has raised in terest rates six times over the last 15 months to slow economic growth and keep inflation from escalating. Econom ic reports indicate that the Fed’s rate in creases are working, bolstering econo mists’ predictions that the central bank will not only keep rates unchanged at their meeting Tuesday, but also for the rest of this year. Over the years, the CPI has come under criticism, with economists and oth ers complaining that the index actually overstates inflation. Earlier this year, the Fed stopped us ing the CPI in its inflation forecasts. The central bank switched to an inflation gauge tied to the Gross Domestic Product, say ing it was a more accurate measure of price changes at the consumer level. French abortion pill receives FDA approval after 12-year dispute by Lauran Neergaard Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved U.S. use of the abortion pill RU486, a major victory for those who battled for 12 years to bring the early-abortion method to this country. Proponents say the pill, which has been used by millions of women in 13 countries, could transform abortion in the United States by making it more ac cessible and more private. But it can be used only in the earliest days of preg nancy. It could be available to doctors with in a month. “For those who choose to have an early termination of their pregnancy, this is a reasonable medical alternative,” said FDA Commissioner Jane Henney. Anti-abortion organizations have fought to keep RU486 out of the Unit ed States since the drag debuted in France in 1988. They pledged to continue the fight. “We will not tolerate the FDA’s de cision to approve the destruction of in nocent human persons through chemi cal abortion,” said Judie Brown of the anti-abortion American Life League. Wbrried about anti-abortion violence that has sprung up in recent years, the FDA has increased security in some of its offices and, in an unusual move, Henney is keeping secret the names of the med ical officers who reviewed the drug. “The climate around the reproduc tive-rights issue and personal safety is sues are in our minds,” she said. To ensure the pill is used accurately and safely, the FEA mandated that women be given special brochures called “MedGuides” explaining who is eligible for a pill-caused abortion, what side ef PlLL SEE PAGE 5 Accused Pan Am bombers say agent made up story by Jerome Socolovsky Associated Press CAMP ZEIST, Netherlands— , A former Libyan spy denied on Thurs day that he fabricated lies afctout two former associates to claim a $4 mil lion U.S. government reward for i evidence in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The spy, who became a CIA mole four months before tire Dec. 21,1988 bombing that killed 270 people—in cluding 189 Americans — is consid ered a key witness in the mass mur der trial. He has provided the strongest ev idence so far against Libyan intelli gence agents Abdel Basset Ali al Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, who are being charged in the terror ist bombing over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. Al-Megrahi and Fhimah have pleaded innocent, claiming Palestin ian terrorist groups were responsible for the bombing. The double agent, identified by the pseudonym Abdel Majid Giaka, defected to the United States in July 1991 after walking as a CIA agent for three years. He lives in hiding under the federal witness protection pro gram. Fhimah’s attorney, Ricliard Keen, wrapped up two days of cross-exam ination in which he repeatedly ac cused Giaka of lying. On Thursday he called the witness a Whiter Mitty, sug gesting his testimony was sheer fan tasy. “While you have been in Amer ica, have you been able to dip into gems of American literature, such as their short story writers like James Thurber?” Keen asked rhetorically He added: “Have you encoun tered someone called Mitty, first name Whiter?” “I’ve real some books but not all authors,” Giaka responded dryly in Arabic, speaking through electronic voice and image scramblers that con cealed his identity to the public. Tire defense has portrayed Giaka as something of a Mitty-like charac ter: a high school dropout who worked as a car mechanic and in other low level positions for Libyan intelligence before he offered his services to the CIA in 1988. Earlier this week, Giaka testified he saw al-Megrahi on the evening be fore cite bombing toting a brown Sam sonite bag that fit the description of the suitcase that held the plastic ex plosive. He also said the defendants stored explosives at an airport on the Mediterranean island of Malta, which was the bomb’s origination point, ac cording to the indictment. All tliree Libyans worked in Mal ta in the offices of Libyan Arab Air lines. Defense lawyere pointed out that the CIA’s records on Giaka never men tioned the suitcase until more than two years after the tragedy. Keen alleged that Giaka spun tales to qualify for the U.S. reward. “Have you made any plans of how you would spend the $4 million re ward if the accused in this case are convicted? ” Keen asked the witness. “I did not have any promises of any award whatsoever, at all, not even once,” Giaka said “You can ask the government, the U.S. government. I do not think the U.S. government will tell any lies concerning this question.” An FBI accountant. Special Agent James Sobchack, testified later that Giaka was paid Si 10,800 in witness compensation by the bureau since he defected. A CIA records officer, Bri an McNair, said Giaka received $30,130 in payments from that agency. Another FBI agent, Harold Hen dershot, said he was present in 1989 when Swedish police searched the home of jailed Palestinian terrorist Mohammed Abu Talb, who the de fendants say carried out the bombing. Hendershot said he could not re member what was recovered in the raid Defense lawyers say Swedish po lice found timing apparatus, clothing manufactured in Malta and a calen dar with the date Dec. 21, 1988 “marked or circled” The trial is being conducted in a special Scottish courthouse at a for mer U.S. air base in the Netherlands. Judge strikes down two claims in government’s tobacco lawsuit by Pete Yost Associated Press WASHINGTON — A judge on Thursday dealt a blow to the govern ment’s effort to recover billions of dol lars from cigarette makers for treating ill smokers, dismissing two of the claims in a federal lawsuit against the indus try. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled the government could pursue fed eral racketeering claims against the in dustry but could not use the Medical Care Recovery Act or the Federal Em ployees Health Benefits Act to recov er Medicare expenses related to ill smokers. The judge said that if the govern ment wanted to recover expenses dat ing to the 1950s, it should have acted sooner. “Congress’total inaction for over three decades precludes an interpreta tion of MCRA that would permit the government to recover Medicare and FEHM expenses,” Kessler ruled. “Accordingly, the government’s MCRA claim must be dismissed,” the judge ruled. The judge ruled the government could proceed with two other claims under federal racketeering laws. That means the government can continue to try to prove that the ciga rette makers misled the public about the dangers of smoking and should be forced to surrender the profits from past years that resulted front what it called “unlawiul activity,” “ Based on the sweeping nature of the government’s allegations and the fact that the parties have barely begun discovery to test the validity of these allegations, it would be premature for the court to rule,” Kessler wrote, ex plaining why she did not dismiss the entire lawsuit. “At a very minimum, the govern ment has stated a claim for injunctive relief: whether the government can prove it remains to be seen,” she wrote. At the Justice Department, As sistant Attorney General David W. Og den said, “Wfe are pleased the court has ruled that we can go forward with this important case. We look forward to proceeding to trial and holding the to bacco companies accountable for the fraudulent conduct alleged in this law suit.” The government sued the major tobacco companies last year, seeking to recover $20 billion a year spent by Medicare and other federal health plans to treat smoking-related illnesses. The government argued it is legal ly entitled to seek payments dating back to 1954, when the Justice Department alleges the cigarette makers began con spiring to mislead the public about the dangers of smoking. The tobacco companies asked Kessler to dismiss the entire lawsuit, prompting Thursday’s ruling. Republicans and members of Con gress from tobacco states have tried to deny the Justice Department money to pursue the lawsuit. In June, they suf fered a bipartisan defeat when the House voted 215-183 to allow Justice to get $4 million each next year front the de partments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, which are the client agencies in the case. The Senate Appropriations Com mittee, however, has approved a bill that would block the transfers. The government estimates the law suit will cost a total of $40 million this year and next year. News Briefs ■ Polls: Bush comeback aided by women, seniors WASHINGTON — George W. Bush has reclaimed some momentum in the presidential race, attracting women and senior citizens, focusing on his best is sues and benefiting from concerns about A1 Gore’s truthfulness. After several weeks when the cam paign appeared to be moving in the De mocrat’s direction, evidence pointed to a Bush comeback fueled laigely by his renewed appeal to female “swing vot ers” and seniors. “It was a combination of two things,” said nonpartisan political analyst Stuart Rothenberg. “Gore was back on the defensive, back on his heels on the ques tion of integrity and truth-telling. And Bush was back on the issues that he’s good on, like education, and not mere ly reacting to political process, like he was doing for four weeks.” When Bush wasn’t talking about ed ucation in the past week, he was criti cizing Gore’s plans for Medicare and en eigy policy. A new Los Angeles Times poll, which gave Bush a 4842 lead, suggested senior citizens supported Bush slightly more than Gore, 47 percent to 41 percent. This is despite findings that the elderly prefer Gore’s approach to Medicare and health care in general. Gore was up by almost 20 points among this group in a poll in early September. ■ Teen-agers say marketing changes for R-rated films won’t affect them LOS ANGELES (AP) - To Matt Casazza and fellow teens, the debate raging over Hollywood’s marketing of violent films to youth leaves them with one question: Who cares? “Sooner or later they’re all gonna come out on tape and then you can rent it,” the 15-year-old Casazza said. “It doesn’t really matter, because they don’t card at (video stores).” Teen-agers across the country were largely unaware of — and uninterested in — the Senate committee hearings un der way in Washington on Wednesday in which Hollywood executives admitted marketing movies made for adults to chil dren. Despite pressure from lawmakers, executives refused to promise an end to the practice. ■ Arbitrators uphold decision stripping gymnast of medal SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Gymnast Andreea Raducan, an 82-pound pixie who calls to mind another Romanian, j Nadia Comaneci, won’t get her gold " medal back. Arbitrators on Thursday upheld the International Olympic Committee’s de cision to disqualify the Romanian all around champion for taking cold medi cine that contained the banned stimulant pseudoepherdrine. The presence of the drug constitutes an offense “irrespective of whether or not the competitor intended to ingest the prohibited substance,” the Court of Ar bitration for Sport ruled Thursday. The Romanians had argued that the 16-year-old shouldn’t be punished for the doctor’s mistake. ■ Former Miami city manager turns himself in to FBI MIAMI (AP) —The former city man ager fired after the Elian Gonzalez raid turned himself in to the FBI on Thurs day, a day after he was indicted on fed eral chaiges alleging he took more than $86,000 from a police pension fund and a charity. Donald ^^&^shaw, who was once Mi ami’s assistant police chief and had been widely credited with cleaning up cor ruption, is charged with one count of conspiracy and four counts of mail fraud and faces one to three years in prison if convicted.