News Currents
MIDDLE EASTIsrael, in an attempt to break a deadlock over Palestinian representation at a Middle East peace conference, will propose to US Secretary of State James Baker III that a Palestinian who is a Jordanian official born in Jerusalem be on a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation.... Iraq yesterday accused Hans Blix, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, of making hasty judgments that could offer a pretext for military attack. However, David Kay, head of the latest team to visit Iraq, said Wednes day there appeared to have been a change of attitude on the part of the Iraqis, who were proving "very forthcoming." The UN and the IAEA are responsible for inspecting Iraqi nuclear facilities under Gulf war cease-fire terms. UNITED STATES President Bush faces a tough - but winnable - battle to gain Senate approval of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against a liberal coalition that fell into line Wednesday, Reuters reports. The leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and AFL-CIO labor alliance said they would fight Senate approval. But sources say it will be an uphill fight to defeat Thomas, since white senators may be reluctant to oppose a black for fear of possible voter backlash. A number of bl acks will testify in support of the conservative Thomas.
EUROPE Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, head of the Communist Party, referred to the Bible yesterday in farewell comments to President Bush. Atheism is still obligatory for the 15 million party members, though a radical new program proposed by Gorbachev last week would allow communists to embrace religious faiths. Bush arrived in Kiev yesterday for a six-hour visit to the Ukrainian capital on the final day of his trip. He spoke to the Ukrainian parliament, focus of mounting nationalist sentiment, and visited Ba bi Yar, site of a Nazi massacre in World War II.... The US and the Soviet Union yesterday called for an end to the civil war in El Salvador, saying this would spur development in Central America.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Nearly 70 percent of Chinese journalists have admitted to not telling the truth when reporting on sensitive topics, a Hong Kong-based magazine said in its latest issue, published yesterday. In a survey obtained by Nineties Monthly, journalists in print, radio, and television complained of restrictions, poor leadership, and low public confidence in the media.
LOOKING AHEAD Monday: Start of annual meeting in Geneva of UN Human Rights Commission on protection of minorities.
