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Iran rules out Russian enrichment proposal draws harsh criticism from Moscow officials Dli Abba/1 Daremi THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Sunday ruled out a proposal to conduct uranium enrichment on Russian territory, drawing a harsh rebuke from a lawmaker in Moscow who said the move destroyed the only chance for a compromise in the standoff over Tehran’s suspect nuclear program. The announcement came as the permanent members of the U.N: Security Council — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — were to meet this week to discuss a draft statement aimed at increasing the pressure on Iran to resolve questions about its nuclear activities amid heightened fears they are aimed at developing atomic weapons. Moscow has sought to persuade Iran to move its enrichment program to Russian territory, which would allow closer international monitoring. Iran said previously that basic agreement had been reached on the plan but details were never worked out. “The Russian proposal is not on our agenda anymore,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. “Circumstances have changed. We have to wait and see how things go with the five veto-holding countries (on the council).” Asefi’s comments to reporters effectively mean the Russian proposal is dead the nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran to the council, which could impose political and economic sanctions. The Security Council has been considering how to deal with the standoff and gain more compliance with Tehran, including demands -that it abandon uranium enrichment. In Moscow, Konstantin Kosachev, the head of international affairs committee of the lower house of parliament, said Iran’s decision meant the end of chances for a compromise on the issue, according to Russian news reports. Kosachev also warned Tehran that its refusal to^ continue talks on the Russian offer could “radicalize” the Security Council’s debate, the Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies said. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, meanwhile, said Tehran had no intention to use oil as a weapon in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, contradicting a statement a day earlier by Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to continue to provide Asia with the oil it needs as a reliable and effective source of energy and will not use oil as a foreign policy instrument,” Mottaki said at a conference on energy and security issues in Tehran. Iran is the No. 2 producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia. It also has partial control of the narrow Straits of Hormuz, a key route for most of the crude oil shipped from the Persian Gulf nations to world markets. Meg Gaillard/ THE GAMECOCK ¥ Students from the Harmony School of Columbia visit the Kolb site, an archaeological excavation in Mechanicsville in Darlington County. USC students have participated at the site since it opened in 1997. Visitors can talk to archaeologists and help dig. DIG • CODTinUCDFROmi me.” Students are not the only ones able to learn at the Kolb site alongside professional archaeologists — ordinary people from Darlington County and around South Carolina come to the site to walk around, talk to archaeologists and students about the work they are doing, and help the excavation by sifting through dirt for artifacts. “I don’t think I’ve worked on a project*where multiple classes of people realize they have a common ancestry,” said JaColeman Hutto, a professional archaeologist who has been working on the Kolb Site for nine years. “The preservation of the past helps to establish growth and development of the community, which in turn allows the individual to develop and find themselves inside of the community. That is why the Kolb site is important to Darlington county and the state of South Carolina.” The site was discovered and recorded by local citizen Chip Helms in 1973. In 1997, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Heritage Trust Program began investigations. Chris Judge, HTP archaeologist and adjunct USC professor, co directs the excavation with archaeologist Carl Steen. Work at the Kolb site is scheduled to continue for the next eight years with the help of students and volunteers. The first week of the two-week excavation begins during spring break each year. Experience is not necessary to participate. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm. sc. edu 11 Champion Automotive 9 jl |" Champion Automotive and Custom Muffler Center Qt i | I Have Joined Forces to Bring You the Best in Custom Designed ** I ■_ Aluminized or Stainless Steel Exhaust Systemsand Complete Original L * |1 Replacement Systems, “Lifetime” Limited or Entire System Warranties Available, r | ■ ♦VORTEX ♦FLOWMASTER - ♦ SUPREME DIESEL ♦VOLT wQ ■■ ♦ ELIMINATOR TURBO ♦ METAL CAT ♦ CMX CONVERTER CHAMPION AUTOMOTIVE ■ _ ♦ MUSTANG PERFORMANCE_DSP. & I Take $20 off Any Stainless I Vortex Muffler, Aluminized C0Lon,BL»VSP. ?|229 ® | nil Steel Muffler for Pipe, & Chrome Tips 803-736-5146 ^ RQUHRlUm • COnTinUCDFROiTlI security check for guns, knives and fishing poles, visitors may stop at the information desk for maps and to check coats. They then walk through a narrow passageway lined with two tanks of jacks, fish perpetually swimming to the right leading visitors to what they’ve been waiting to see. Many guests clog the entrance, standing in a stupor and marveling at the sheer size of the atrium, which is almost as cavernous as the aquarium itself. Clam-like structures hang from the ceiling and fish project onto the floor. Plasma televisions show scenes and animals from inside the aquarium. Many visitors opt to see the aquarium’s main attraction first: the whale sharks of the Ocean Voyager, the largest indoor fish exhibit in the United States. Measuring 263 feet long, 126 feet wide and 33 feet deep, the exhibit contains 6.1 million gallons of water. Various spherical viewing windows line the path but are usually blocked by small children standing in front of them while parents take pictures. A tunnel makes visitors feel like divers as golden trevally and hammerhead sharks swim above and beside them. One visitor remarked that the tunnel was “dizzying.” “You keep turning around and around but never catch everything,” she said. After this small taste it is on to the main show, the second-largest viewing window in the world. Visitors gather in a collective gasp at the first glimpse of it. Plan to spend plenty of time in front of it, staring at it much like a comatose teenager at a video game screen and listening to the drone of a park attendee and the shrieks of at least four school groups. Sitting on the ground directly in front of the window gives visitors an idea of the size of the animals within. Lucky visitors can watch the whale sharks being fed or a hammerhead eating a stingray. Other exhibits feature many intriguing animals to touch, including shrimp, horseshoe crabs, anemone and stingrays. Although intimidating, even the most squeamish and timid of visitors should find it a pleasant experience. Food is not scarce in the area with many visitors opting to eat at Cafe Aquaria for $6.95 salads and sandwiches comparable to U$C’s Grand Marketplace. Those planning to eat across the street at Centennial Olympic Park, be warned: the aquarium requires visitors to return no later than 30 minutes after exiting. That’s 30 minutes to leave, eat and re-enter the park. No small feat. A trip for two to the Georgia Aquarium will run upwards of $60. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc. edu I $100 back! Receive $100 back through Kaplan’s Rebate when you enroll in a Kaplan course in March! Take advantage of this limited-time offer. Enroll today. 1-800-KAP-TE5T | kaptest.com/rebate HIGHER TEST SCORES GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK” ^S^5^^5^^55SE555SS5S5> Ivo5^4t53T^I SOLUTION!!! I 11 WE DELIVER! 7 DAYS A WEEK “ZT " —" ■ - ■ ,rir—;—“-; -j-^- ,i„ j