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'(Che (gamecock Veto threat looms as Congress, Clinton agree on new proposals by Alan Fr am( Associated Press WASHINGTON — The White House and Republican leaders are allied behinc an $18.8 billion Interior Departmeni measure that would create a new lane conservation program, even as a vetc fight looms over a separate spending bill, The House planned to vote Tuesday on the Interior measure, which would create a six-year, $12 billion program for purchasing new park lands, main taining existing parks, beach and wet lands protection, urban parks and other initiatives. It would start at $ 1.6 billion for fiscal 2001 — more than double the amount for 2000 — and escalate annu ally, with any unspent money carrying over into the following year. Clinton administration and con gressional bargainers reached agreement on a $58 billion transportation bill for 2001 that would penalize states that don’t enact a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol lev el as the standard for drunken driving. If any of the 32 states that have a more lenient 0.10 percent level don’t adopt the stricter standard, they would lose up to 8 percent of their federal high way aid by 2007. Advocates say the low er standard will save hundreds of lives annually, while opponents including the restaurant and liquor industries say it would penalize social drinkers. Continuing a pattern in which spend ing bills’ price tags are rising, the com promise transportation measure is $7.3 billion higher than 2000 spending, $3.3 billion more than President Clin ton requested and about $3 billion high er than earlier versions approved by the House and Senate. Though the two sides were aligned on the Interior and transportation bills, they were racing toward a veto clash on another measure. By a 57-37 vote, the Senate gave fi nal approval Monday to a $23.6 bil lion energy and water package loaded with hundreds of projects for every cor ner of the country. The measure passed the House over whelmingly last week. But the bill would block the Clinton administration from letting the Missouri River return to a seasonal, ebb-and-flow of its water lev els, and cut Clinton proposals for restora tion of Florida’s Everglades, the Cali fornia Bay delta and salmon populations in the Northwest. Calling it “deeply flawed” and an ti-environmental, Clinton said in a writ ten statement, “Accordingly, I will ve to this bill when it reaches my desk.” The vote on final passage fell 10 votes short of the 67 that would be need ed to overturn Clinton’s promised veto if all 100 senators voted. Republicans voted 51 -1 for the measure—with on ly Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in op position — while Democrats lined up behind Clinton by 36-6. The administration plan for the Mis souri River is aimed at helping endan gered wildlife on the river, and also would benefit upstream recreation interests. The plan is widely unpopular among lawmakers from both parties in Mis souri, where opponents say flooding could result and that farmers and the baige industry would be harmed. Many Republicans have welcomed the veto battle as one that could throw the bat tleground state to GOP presidential can didate Geoige W. Bush. “Iguarantee this veto will have po litical ramifications,” said Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., the chief foe of the proposal. Among the Missouri Democratic foes are Gov. Mel Carnahan, who is run ning for Senate, and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt. So far, only two of the 13 spending bills for fiscal 2001 have become law. The new fiscal year began on Sunday, and most federal agencies have been op erating on a stopgap measure keeping them financed through Friday. With both sides conceding that bud get negotiations need more time, con gressional leaders planned to push a sec ond temporary extension through the House on Tuesday. That bill would keep agencies open through Oct. 14. In a sign of internal GOP strains, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said remaining spending bills could be finished by then if “the purists are willing to accept well enough and be done with it.” The comment seemed to be a swipe at some conservatives demanding tougher budget discipline. One of them — McCain — took to the Senate floor to chide his col leagues for writing spending measures he said were too costly and loaded with pork-barrel spending for home districts. His office released a $1.2 billion, 20 page list of home-district dredging, shore line restoration, eneigy research and oth er projects in the eneigy-water measure. « Israel from page 3 a leadership summit on Thursday. It was not clear whether Arafat planned to attend. Palestinians said an international in quiry into Israel’s actions would be a con dition of reviving the peace talks. “Wfe think that the Israeli crimes com mitted against our people attacked the heart of the peace process, and the tar get of it was the American effort,” said Nabil Abourdeneh, a top aide to Arafat. Barak’s office said he “totally rejected the call for an international investigation into the incidents in the territories.” The Israeli army said a 12-year-old boy killed at Netzarim on Saturday was apparently hit by Israeli gunfire. The death, caught on camera, had shocked viewers around the world. Israel’s Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gea Moshe Yaalon expressed “deep sorrow” and said a sniper had ap parently mistaken the child for a gunman. Israeli and Palestinian commanders had reached an understanding before dawn Tuesday that the Palestinians would try to contain violence and Is raeli troops would pull back from points of friction. However, the agree ment quickly unraveled. Israel’s deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, said the worst is ahead. “Our estimate is that the climax of this thing lies before us,” he said. Sharon, notorious among Palestini ans for launching the bloody war against Arafat’s forces in Lebanon in 1982, said he bore no responsibility. “The one who is responsible for that is only one man, and that is Arafat,” he told CNN. During the five days of clashes, Pales tinian gunmen had rushed Israeli outposts bordering Palestinian-controlled areas. Israeli tanks trained guns on luxury apart ments in Ramallah, and Israeli helicopter gunships swooped over civilian areas. The sides hoped the Paris meetings would not only end the fighting, but re vive the talks. “The meeting in Paris on Wednes day is a step in the direction of the re newal of the negotiations and not just the end of violence here,” Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami told Israel ra dio. While his officers negotiated an end to the fighting, Barak turned his atten tions to what Israelis clearly saw as an equally ominous development: the spread of the violence among Israeli Arabs. The riots in Israeli Arab towns were among the worst in the 52 years of the state’s existence. At least nine Israeli Arabs have died Solidarity with the Palestinians sparked the protests, but the fuel was the years of discrimination, poverty and unemploy ment endured by Israel’s Arab minority — one-sixth of Israel’s 6 million people. Barak set up a special Cabinet com mittee to address Arab needs, and was meeting with Arab mayors. He also planned a tour of Arab communities in the north. “I am much more worried by the in ternal issue, the situation with the Arab Israelis,” Ben-Ami said He regarded the Arab riots as a “real appeal regarding the priorities in this country.” E-mail from page 3 mittee chaired by Rep. Dan Burton, R Ind., began looking into the missing e mail early this year after disclosure in a court case that White House computer experts knew in 1998 that much e-mail was not being properly archived. Three White House contract em ployees said they were threatened and told to keep quiet about the problem by supervisors, who denied making any threats. “Contract employees were threat ened by White House staff” and “this helped the White House conceal the prob lem for almost two years after it was dis covered,” the GOP report concluded. The Democratic response states that the evidence regarding threats is incon clusive and contradictory and that “there is no evidence that Wliite House officials had any knowledge of — or participated in — any threats.” Presidential aides say there was a “dis connect,” with White House lawyers fail ing to understand that a computer “glitch” was actually a huge problem that meant much e-mail traffic wasn’t being reviewed for investigations ranging from the Mon ica Lewinsky scandal to Whitewater and the campaign fund-raising controversy. The Republican committee draft dis putes White House officials’ denials. “Personnel in the Clinton White House knew that the e-mail problems necessarily meant that there had been in complete document production” and “se nior personnel did nothing to correct the problem until it was independently dis covered,” the GOP report states. It adds that “the gravity of the White House obstruction became much clear er” a week ago when the White House released reconstructed e-mails on Vice President A1 Gore and the campaign fund raising controversy. The e-mails showed that Gore’s staff referred to a now-infamous event Gore attended at a Buddhist temple as a fund raiser. The staff also referred to White House coffees — some of which were hosted by Gore — as fund-raisers. Gore has said he does not regard the temple event and the coffees as fund-raisers. i nomas iviore t. at none tenter Rev. Tim Lijewski Mass Schedule Sacrament of Penance I Chaplain Saturday 4:30pm Saturday 3:00pm-4:00pm j Sr. Julienne Guy OSU Sunday 11:00am, 7:30pm or by appointment I Director of Christian _. . T , . I I Formation Newman Club Tuesday 7:00pm I -rfUw' 1610 Greene St. 799-5870 (Across from School of Nursing) Columbia -Five Points (behind Harper’s) Proclaiming Christ through the Scriptures and Sacraments I Adult Bible Class 9:30am • Holy Communion 10:30am Member Parish -Lutheran Church Missouri Synod | Find the Best Price on New and Pre-Owned Hondas www.rickhendrickhonda.com HONDA 791-5660 1650 Airport Boulevard • West Columbia, SC 29171 Marines The Few. The Proud. _[ ' I_ If you would like a shot at a guaranteed flight training seat or to find out if you qualify for financial assistance, contact Capt. Brian Mateja at 256-9015. The Marine Corps is only looking for the best. Find out if you have ^hat it takes to wear the title “Officer of Marines.” ■ - - — I I I for Student Advantage® members. When you present this coupon and your 1 Student Advantage Card. — — — — ! ■ for non-members with student ID. 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