News In Brief

The World

The Eu backed a French proposal for a special summit on the former Yugoslavia. The summit would bring together the leaders of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia. US Secretary of State Christopher said there must be weeks of preparation and realistic expectations. The Bosnian Serbs would not be invited to the summit unless they reversed their opposition to an international peace plan, France said. French Foreign Minister Juppe said the location and time of the summit are undecided, but talks should get under way before spring, when fighting could flare up again.

The Russian Army is preparing to pull out of Chechnya, leaving Interior Ministry forces in charge, Defense Ministry officials told the Interfax news agency. A special commission will look at the logistics of withdrawing the troops, Interfax said. The Russian government claims it has routed all "organized resistance" from Grozny and has finally encircled the city. But Chechen rebels say they still control southern and southwestern parts of the capital.

Poland's two ruling parties met to discuss a possible cabinet reshuffle. President Walesa earlier threatened to dissolve parliament unless it votes Prime Minister Pawlak out of office. Pawlak's own Polish Peasant Party said it would consider replacing him on certain conditions. Aleksander Kwasniewski, head of the larger Democratic Left Alliance, said he might accept the job. (Story, Page 6.)

Vowing not to let anyone spoil his peace pact with Israel, PLO leader Arafat ordered police to round up 45 followers of a radical Damascus-based group. The crackdown followed a Feb. 5 ambush that killed one Israeli security guard and wounded another. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack. It intended to embarrass Arafat and sabotage Israel-PLO talks. Arafat said he would take action against any militants opposed to the peace process.

Peru and Ecuador's deputy foreign ministers were told to remain in Brasilia, signaling the possibility of further peace talks. There was no letup in the fighting, however, and neither side gave any indication of conceding. Each side accuses the other of aggression in the nearly two-week-old war on the eastern edge of the Andes. Brazil gave no date for the start of negotiations.

Us-china talks on intellectual property piracy are just a small step toward improving a troubled relationship, Christopher said. The two countries have to further address human rights, Tibet, and the global spread of weapons technology, he said. A potential trade war, however, will not keep a large US delegation from visiting China later this month. The delegation, led by Energy Secretary O'Leary and including the heads of major US energy companies, said it hopes to sign deals worth up to $8 billion.

The White House demanded that the Security Council review the safety of a planned UN mission to Angola after the first troops arrive. The US wants the Angolan government and rebels to pay for much of the mission. The Security Council also extended the mandate of its Tajikistan observer force for a month, the duration of the Tajik rebels' cease-fire. The Rwandan ambassador, meanwhile, said the UN should recruit peacekeepers from countries other than Zaire to patrol refugee camps. He charged Zairean soldiers with stealing from the refugees.

Noncrisis food aid promotes dependence, undermines rural economies, and keeps farmers trapped in poverty, the UN said. Its analysis was prepared for a Feb. 9-10 agricultural conference in Lucerne, Switzerland. The UN also found that food production in the 1980s couldn't keep up with population growth in 75 poor countries. In 15 developing countries, the per capita production drop was 20 percent or more, the analysis showed. The US

The House took up a series of bills to toughen last year's anticrime law. One measure would require anyone convicted of a federal crime to pay restitution to the victim. Another would give prosecutors greater leeway in using unconstitutionally seized evidence if police were acting in good faith. Republicans have put off for now a repeal of last year's assault-weapons ban, which President Clinton has vowed to veto. The line-item veto amendment passed Feb. 6, with 71 Democrats joining 223 Republicans in favor. The bill, which Clinton is expected to sign, faces opposition in the Senate.

A Russian cosmonaut aboard the space shuttle deployed the Spartan science satellite for a two-day flight. The task was performed after Discovery's successful rendezvous with the Mir space station. Back on Earth, Speaker Gingrich said he had not advocated abolishing NASA.

Gingrich's spokesman denied a conflict of interest involving the Speaker's wife. Marianne Gingrich earns $2,500 a month plus commissions recruiting businesses for a free-trade zone in Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 6 that she was hired after her husband told Israeli officials he supported the free-trade zone. Mrs. Gingrich got the job last September. Meanwhile, Ralph Nader asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Gingrich used a political consultant to do official work.

Senate minority leader Daschle said he is "deeply disturbed" by allegations that federal aviation officials destroyed documents to conceal his advocacy for the owner of a charter plane that crashed. Daschle, whose wife is deputy FAA administrator, said he knew nothing about the allegations. The Transportation Department's inspector general will look into the matter.

White House Spokesman McCurry said retired Air Force Gen. Michael Carns is Clinton's choice for the CIA director's job.

White House Chief of Staff Panetta said Clinton would act to end the baseball strike if mediator W. J. Usery made no progress by 3:00 (Eastern time) Feb. 7. Meanwhile, players filed an unfair-labor-practice complaint against the owners' signing ban.

The O. J. Simpson trial was to begin hearing evidence about events on the night Simpson's ex-wife and her friend were murdered. Earlier, Nicole Brown Simpson's sister, Denise, testified about the couple's stormy relationship, alleging several wife-beating incidents. Witnesses and a videotape appeared to present conflicting evidence about Simpson's demeanor on the day of the killings.

American productivity rose 2.2 percent last year, the Labor Department said. It was the fifth straight annual advance. Output jumped 5.2 percent, a 10-year high, while unit labor costs, an inflation-related measure, edged up a mere 0.9 percent.

Defense lawyers moved for a mistrial yesterday in the New York terrorism trial. They argued they had been "ambushed" by the government after a key defendant pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. The judge will rule at a later date. Etcetera

Russia's Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg lifts the veil of secrecy on a hoard of stolen art treasurers next month when it exhibits 74 paintings seized from Berlin collections by Soviet soldiers during World War II. Works by Renoir, Cezanne, and Degas will be featured. (Story, Page 1.)

British author Sharon Creech has won the 1995 Newbery Medal, one of the most prestigious awards for children's literature, from the American Library Association for "Walk Two Moons." US artist David Diaz won the Randolf Caldicott Medal for children's book illustration for his impressionistic paintings in "Smoky Night."

Keiko, the killer whale star of the film "Free Willy," is heading toward Oregon, and eventual freedom. The Reino Aventura amusement park in Mexico City will give him to the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, which plans to free him off Iceland after rehabilitation.

Ruins in Egypt's Western Desert, uncovered by a Greek archaeologist who believes they are part of Alexander the Great's tomb, seem to date from a later period, experts say. In Athens, the Greek government added to the skepticism Feb. 6, saying it has seen no proof it is Alexander's tomb. TOP 10 POP SINGLES 1. "Creep," TLC (LaFace) (Gold) 2. "On Bended Knee," Boyz II Men (Motown) 3. "Another Night," Real McCoy (Arista) (Platinum) 4. "Take a Bow," Madonna (Maverick-Sire) 5. "Baby," Brandy (Atlantic) 6. "You Gotta Be," Des'ree (Music) 7. "Always," Bon Jovi (Mercury) (Gold) 8. "Sukiyaki," 4 P. M. (Next Plateau) 9. "Before I Let You Go," Blackstreet (Interscope) 10. "I'm the Only One," Melissa Etheridge (Island)(Platinum - more than 1 million copies sold; Gold - more than 500,000 copies sold.)

- Copyright 1995, Billboard-Soundscan Inc. - Broadcast Data Systems. ``[It] might be entertaining to have an independent person in 1996 to throw some more fun into the game."

- Gen. Colin Powell, refusing to rule out a run for president