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.nr I on '.-' ^Cirrf-r ^ • • J? ' USS Cole charges expected soon by Ahmed Al-Haj Associated Press ADEN, Yemen—Yemeni investigators are ready to chaige at least two people in the apparent ter rorist attack on the USS Cole, a source said Sun day, six weeks after an explosion tore through the warship as it sat in Aden’s harbor. Chaiges are expected to be filed as soon as this week gainst the two suspects, the source said. They could be sentenced to death if convicted. But any chaiges are unlikely to mean the end of the probe: U.S. investigators suspect an interna tional conspiracy was behind the bombing.: Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed and 39 more injured on Oct. 12, when two suicide bombers steered a small boat laden with explosives along side the Cole and detonated it while the destroyer was refueling. U.S. and Yemeni officials have said the attack appeared to be a carefully planned, well financed operation, and the bomb materials were expertly prepared. The Yemeni source close to the investigation would not identify the two men he described as main suspects about to be charged. But last week, other sources said authorities had detained six Yemeni men they believe were key accomplices — in cluding one who was allegedly in charge of the op eration in Yemen. American officials have said they believe the operation was carried out by a network of small cells of two or three people, probably from one or more anti-American Islamist organizations, in cluding Yemen’s Islamic Jihad, Egypt’s al-Gamaa al-Islamiya aad Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden’s followers. Bin Laden, an exiled Saudi millionaire, lives ir Afghanistan. U.S. officials believe he ordered the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya anc Tanzania that killed 224 people. Officials have suggested that the Cole attack ers were from various Arab countries, including Yemen, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, and that they may be operating from both Afghanistan and Yemen A Yemeni security official, also speaking or condition of anonymity Sunday, said investigations revealed that an Egyptian suspect whom he iden tified only as Hamdi fled Yemen a month before the bombing along with five others, including z Libyan man. He said all six men had links to Islamic Jihad, but he did not elaborate further. The first Yemeni source said the chaiges plannee against at least two suspects included carrying oul the attack, threatening state security, forming ar armed gang and possessing explosives. Conviction on all four charges would carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, the source said, adding that the suspects could be executed if convicted of threatening state security or carrying out the bombings. Most executions in Yemen are by firing squad and are performed in public to set an example. The prosecution will review the case by Tuesday before filing charges, the source said on condition of anonymity. The prosecutor declined to comment Sunday. In Yemen, a court generally sets a trial date within a few days of charges being filed. That date usually is within a week. According to Yemeni law, the trial will take place in Aden, where the attack took place, the source said. , Certified from page 1 be, declaring that he and Gore had no choice but to challenge the Florida cer tification. “The election was close,” Bush said, “but tonight, after a count, a recount and yet another manual recount, Secretary Cheney and I are honored to have won the state of Florida, which gives us the needed electoral votes to win the elec tion.” Moments after Republican Harris declared Bush the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes at a ceremony in Talla hassee, Lieberman said she had certified “an incomplete and inaccurate count” and he and Gore would challenge it. But Bush, in a nationally-televised address from Austin, said, “I respectful ly ask” that Gore reconsider further con testing the hair-line Florida count. If the certification of a 537-vote Bush maigin stands, the Texas governor would win 271 electoral college votes — one more than necessary for victory —-to L'o / iur vjuic. Harris said Bush had 2,912,790 votes and Gore had 2,912,253. That gave Bush the 537-vote lead out of 6 million cast, although Harris rejected partial returns from Palm Beach County. An unofficial AP tally including recounted Palm Beach County votes showed Bush ahead by 357. The secretary of state's formal dec laration, which set off GOP cheers out side the Florida capital and at the state capitol in Austin, Texas: “Accordingly, on behalf of the state elections canvassing commission and in accordance with the laws of the state of Florida, I hereby declare Gov ernor George W. Bush the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes.” Lieberman said, “The integrity of our self-government” could be cast into doubt without Democratic steps to get the most complete and accurate count possible. Gore's lawyers were to file their chal lenge in the courts of Leon County, site of the state capitol at Tallahassee, Monday morning. James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state speaking for Bush — who was making his own statement lat er Sunday night — said that count al ready has been delivered, repeatedly. He said Bush “won this election” under the rules set by law before Elec tion Day, Nov. 7 — and under rules changed after the election. Baker de nounced Gore's lawyers for what he called an extraordinary resort to the courts — although Bush has his own set of law ;_1..JI_TT o OVAAkO, AI1VA VAlAAll^ HIV w .u. Supreme Court, which hears oral argu ments on Friday. “At some point there must be clo sure,” Baker said. “At some point the law must prevail and the lawyers must go home. “We have reached that point,” he said. "... It is time to honor the will of the people.” For all that, Baker said Bush will “ab solutely” go ahead with his case in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the state supreme court ruling that led to the ex tended certification deadline and hand recounts of ballots cast by machine in four disputed Democratic-leaning coun ties. “We have no assurance that the oth er side will stop,” he said. Anticipating the certification. Gore was preparing a speech to be delivered on Monday, explaining his case for the continuing challenge. I The recounts, at a glance: ■ Statewide: Counties turned in results to meet a 5 p.m. EST deadline, after which Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified the election outcome - prompting more legal challenges. ■ Palm Beach County did not finish its count in time. Up to 1,000 votes in that county were not counted. ■ Republican George W. - Bush's unofficial lead was 537 votes if hand recounts and recertified totals from a total of 17 counties were included. His official lead over Democrat Al Gore absent any ballots from these recounts was 930 votes. ■ Gore planned to contest some county results, including those in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, in state courts Monday, a campaign spokesman said. ■ Bush's lawyers dropped a lawsuit over rejected overseas absentee ballots, but was tar geting individual counties, try ing to pad his lead with votes from military personnel. ■ The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a Bush appeal seek ing to bar hand-counted ballots on Dec. 1. Bush wants the court to overturn the Florida Supreme Court's decision to allow the hand recounts to continue. ‘Secretary Cheney and I are honored to have won ... Florida, which gives us the needed electoral votes to win the election.’ George W. Bush Republican presidential hopeful ‘It is in our nation's interest that the winner in Florida is truly the person who got the most votes.’ Joe Ueberman Democratic vice-presidential hopeful Mexico’s new president says U.S. should accept more blame for drugs by Niko Price Associated Press SAN CRISTOBAL, Mexico — Only days before his historic inauguration as president, Vicente Fox said Amer ica should deal with its drug habit and pledged to join the United States and Canada in what he called “NAF TA-plus.” In an interview with The Associated Press before he takes office on Friday, Fox said the United States is too quick to write off Mexico as a corrupt haven for drug smugglers — and too reluctant to look in the mirror. “The United States year after year blames us. Why?” Fox asked. “Who lets the drugs into the United States? Who is doing gigantic business in the United States, then sends down millions of dollars that corrupt Mexican po lice officers and government officials?” Fox said the two countries need to “sit down... and work this out together.” Fox has promised strong measures against drug cor ruption, but his comments indicate he will continue — or increase — Mexico’s long-standing complaint that the supply of drugs would not exist without demand in the United States. He also said that despite a tepid reaction from both Geoige W. Bush and A1 Gore, he was confident that he would persuade his northern neighbors to expand the North American Free Trade Agreement and eventually to open their borders entirely to Mexican goods — and maybe even workers — along the lines of the European Union. ■ “I am proposing a ‘NAFTA-plus,’” he said. “I’m proposing that 20,30 years down the road we form a North American common market in which we become partners, the United States, Canada and Mexico. “I will continue to insist on this, and I know I will win the battle,” Fox said. “I am going to persuade Bush or Gore, whoever it is. And I am going to persuade the American people.” Fox’s election on July 2 was a historic change for Mexico, ending 71 years of rule by a single party. On Fri day, the country enters a new era as Fox takes office — and takes on dire problems including crippling poverty, widespread corruption and rampant crime. A fanner and former Coca-Cola executive, Fox pledged to treat the country as a CEO would a money-losing com pany, and to build “agovemment that costs less and does more.” This weekend, he took his final breather before the presidency, retreating to his hometown of San Cristobal, a farming village 210 miles northwest of Mexico City. Fox milked a cow, tended to horses in the stables and played tennis, and joined his children in an out-of-tune number with a mariachi band. He sat for an interviews Saturday with The Associated Press and CNN in his moth er’s living room, amid porcelain figurines of horses and black-and-white wedding photos of family members. Chatting with his children and posing for photogra phers, Fox seemed extremely relaxed given what he’s fac ing. “It’s just like in school,” Fox said. “When it’s time for exams, the people who have studied go in calmly, with the confidence that everything will go well.... I am go ing to be the best president this country has ever had.” Fox said he was aware of the giant — probably un realistic — expectations Mexicans have for him, but claimed he wasn’t worried about them. On the contrary. “I would never throw cold water on that enthusiasm, on that hope,” he said. “I dare say that this is Mexico’s revolution of hope.” But he cautioned people not to expect too much, say ing most of the changes he envisions will take much longer than his six-year term. “I think the development process Mexico is facing will be long,” he said. “We have said that in a genera tion we want to have the Mexico that we always should have had.... The 21st century is the century of Latin Amer ica and of Mexico. We are going to be the winners.” Fox said he had been surprised by the smoothness with which Mexico has accepted the democratic opening in which he was elected, and that he had expected more re sistance from the ruling party and other opposition forces. “I’m very satisfied, and I have to recognize not only the Mexican people, but also President (Ernesto) Zedtl lo, who came onto national television... and declared the winner Vicente Fox because he was convinced that I had won,” Fox told CNN. Then he smiled. “Maybe,” he said, “this should happen in the Unit ed States.” Clinton cheers America’s charity by Lawrence Knutson Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Clinton praised Americans on Saturday for charitable giving that is growing along with the economy and challenged young people to “discover the rewards of generosity.” Americans contributed a record $190 billion to chari table causes in 1999, a 41 percent increase since 1995, the president said in his weekly radio address, citing a report by his Council of Economic Advisers. Seven in IX) American homes made at least one chari table contribution last year, and even half of all Americans who make less than $ 10,000 had at least one charitable con tribution. The money helped feed hungry people, immunize chil dren, build homes for the poor, tutor immigrants, restore parks and send disaster relief to people at home and around the world, Clinton said. “We’re making a difference, but we still have more to do,” he said. Clinton, seeking to appeal to the idealism of young Americans, announced a $2 million privately funded ini tiative that will train young people to identify charitable needs in their communities, teach them how to raise and distribute money, and build leadership skills. “We need to help younger people recognize their own capacity to do good, and help them discover the rewards of generosity,” the president said. He said he wanted to tap into the spirit he said is dis played by the more than 150,000 young people who last year joined AmeriCorps, the volunteer community based service agency. “With the help and guidance of several major philan thropic oiganizations, we developed a national blueprint to do just that — the Youth Giving Project,” he said. It will be coordinated by a nonprofit coalition of ex perts on youth programs that can provide local groups with training materials, access to a comprehensive Web site and expert advice. Clinton said the relatively modest investment can pro duce enormous dividends. That’s true, he said, because members of the baby boom generation stand to inherit $ 12 trillion from the World Whr II generation and will likely pass on even more to their own children. Noting the figures in the report by his economic ad visers, Clinton credited a strong economy and rising in comes, as well as Americans’ generous spirit, for the in crease in charitable contributions. News Briefs ■ S.C. city named best-mannered CHARLESTON (AP) — Charleston has earned another title as the nation’s most mannerly city, followed by the Illinois and Iowa communities known as the Quad Cities. Charleston has been on the list all 24 years it has been compiled by etiquette expert Marja belle Young Stewart, and the ranking she issued Friday was the seventh that rates the city No. 1. Following the Quad Cities area — Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, 111. — Milwaukee ranked third this year and Las Vegas was fourth. ■ Cheney downplays his heart condition WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Told by doctors his heart condition would not impair his ability to serve as vice president, Dick Cheney left the hospi tal Friday with a prescription for a blood thinner and advice to take the weekend off before returning to a “full, normal, active life.” Cheney said he and George W. Bush talked by phone and chatted about his health, but spent a lot of time talking about Florida, “which is what we usually talk about these days.” Asked whether he had given any thought to asking Bush to replace him on the GOP tick et, the 59-year-old Republican vice presidential candidate replied, “No. Not yet.” ■ Four more die in Mideast fighting LEBANON (AP) — Israel — still engaged in violence with the Palestini ans — faced fresh security problems Sunday in Lebanon, where it rained missiles and machine gun fire in retali ation for a Hezbollah bombing that killed one soldier. The assault was Is rael's first cross-border retaliatory at tack since pulling its troops from southern Lebanon in May to end Is rael's 18-year occupation of a border enclave there. The Israeli army con firmed striking back with gunfire after the roadside bombing in Chebaa Farms near the Lebanese border. One civilian was slightly injured on the Lebanese side. Lebanese President Emile La houd, in comments on state-run televi sion, called the Israeli raids a "grave precedent that may entail serious repercussions for which Israel is alone responsible." ■ Discounts drive customers to the malls in droves NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s retailers opened the holiday shopping season Friday with rampant discount ing and special deals to get consumers to start spending again. Shoppers, who have been in a spending funk over the past few months, were only too pleased, waking up at dawn to flock to stores and malls — and their comput ers — to take advantage of the bar gains. Others wanted to get a running start on what are expected to be this year’s hot toys: scooters and robotic pets, which do everything from wag their tails to sense touch and sound. ■ Global warming conference fails NEW YORK (AP) — On Sunday: negotiators headed home from the U.N. climate conference empty-hand ed and dejected, trying to figure out what went wrong and how to put it right next time. Delegates said they will reconvene in a few months to try again. But they also admitted to funda mental, even philosophical, differences on how to control greenhouse gas emissions — differences they say seem almost insurmountable. The divide is this: The Europeans and developing countries say the industrialized world must reduce the carbon dioxide from their factories and vehicles according to legally binding guidelines and tar gets. A U.S.-led bloc, by contrast, says there are more efficient, cheaper ways to attain the same goal, by letting a freewheeling international market re place administrative controls. » »