Language : Spanish Article Type : BFN -LSB- Text -RSB- Lima , 13 Feb -LRB- AFP -RRB- -- The `` Sunday Review '' television program said that according to a `` very reliable source , '' the end of the `` popular war , '' the surrender of weapons , and a general amnesty , would be the main points of a peace agreement `` without victors or vanquished , '' between the Shining Path and the Peruvian Government . The administration of President Alberto Fujimori has admitted that talks , led by Abimael Guzman who has been serving a life sentence since October 1992 , are being held between government representatives and Shining Path leaders in prison . No details , however , have been issued on discussions or possible agreements . According to the `` Sunday Review '' program , directed by journalist Nicolas Lucar on the Lima America Channel 4 Television Network , the 10-point agreement says its main aspect is to `` stop the popular war with its four forms of fighting : terrorism , selective murders , sabotage , and armed agitation and propaganda . '' Another point refers to `` dismantling the People 's Guerrilla Army with their surrender and the destruction of their weapons . '' It also includes the self-dismantling of the people 's committees and the Shining Path 's support base throughout the country . A general amnesty has been mentioned and a process whereby , `` little by little and in accordance with the circumstances , prisoners of war and political prisoners will be released and their sentences reduced . '' Together with the `` improvement of relations between both parties , '' it is also stressed that the agreement would be without `` conquerors or vanquished , '' and would ease the way for the return of those Shining Path members living abroad `` in order to recover the country 's social and normal life . '' The agreement would entail a `` cessation of hostilities toward relatives of Shining Path members '' and `` the movement 's archives , library , museum , and other symbols would also be returned . '' One of the points in the agreement mentions the need for `` economic support and investments in the areas devastated by the war . '' So far , government authorities have not denied or rejected the accuracy of this agreement between the government and Shining Path .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

popular war
shining path members
peace agreement
peruvian government
guerrilla army
economic support
general amnesty


IN California , labour leaders , environmentalists and the ` Perotistas ' supporting Mr Ross Perot have signed a Declaration of War against the North American Free Trade Agreement . The site of the signing ceremony in Sacramento sent a warning to the city 's congressman , Mr Bob Matsui , one of the leading proponents of Nafta in the US House of Representatives . In Washington state , Nafta opponents wrote alternative menus for a dinner given for Mr Rufus Yerxa , the Deputy US Trade Representative . These featured the potential chemical content of the dishes if the free trade pact becomes a reality and allegedly toxic-laden Mexican produce floods into the US . Anti-Nafta crusaders drove caravans through Tennessee , California and Texas to mobilise opposition . Equipped as information centres , the vans cruised from town to town showing films and slides of the environmental degradation in Mexico . With just a shoestring budget - no more than Dollars 200,000 -LRB- Pounds 134,230 -RRB- a year in cash - foes of Nafta have worked for three years to mount a massive campaign to win the hearts and minds of the American public . Nafta 's US proponents - mostly the business community - are spending millions , bypassing the voters , to convince Congress to pass Nafta . An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week showed 31 per cent of all Americans in favour of the pact , a slight increase from previous surveys , while 29 per cent are opposed . However , 63 per cent believe Nafta will cost US jobs . Although the Clinton administration weeks ago said it would appoint a ` Nafta czar ' to shepherd the pact through Congress , it has yet to announce it has found anyone to take on the task . By contrast , the opposition has an ` anti-Nafta czar ' in place and making speeches around the country . He is Mr Jim Jontz , a former Indiana congressman . Nafta foes have pooled their meagre resources to provide him with a campaign office , and field legislative directors . Forty-one states have been organised , and every two weeks the organisers hold long conference calls to plot strategies . Nafta foes around the country say their protests have persuaded congressman to back away from support of the deal . One California gubernatorial hopeful , Ms Kathleen Brown - sister of former Governor Jerry Brown - has been stalked by demonstrators , who even follow her to fundraising events . According to Mr Craig Merrilees , director of California 's Fair Trade Campaign , Ms Brown has expressed doubt about the pact , along with the rest of the state 's Democratic establishment . With the expected conclusion this week of the talks over side agreements on labour and environment , both sides are preparing to crank up their lobbying efforts . The opposition is not awaiting an announcement of the details , said Ms Lori Wallach , one of the opposition 's leaders . The side pacts will be ` silly , ' she said , ` It 's the same old Bush Nafta with the supplementals used to create a fig-leaf . '

O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north american free trade agreement
leading proponents
nafta opponents
free trade pact
environmental degradation
massive campaign
american public
fair trade campaign
side agreements
nafta foes
california


A U.S. Air Force F-111 fighter-bomber crashed today in Saudi Arabia , killing both crew members , U.S. military officials reported . It was the fourth American aircraft to crash in three days among those deployed to this kingdom for Operation Desert Shield . Eight Marines are missing in the crash of two helicopters in the northern Arabian Sea on Monday . An Air Force F-4 reconnaissance jet also went down that day , killing both crew members . Lt. Cmdr. J.D. van Sickle , a military spokesman , said the F-111 crashed in the `` southern Arabian peninsula '' while on a training mission and that the incident was under investigation . The names of the flyers were withheld pending notification of next of kin . The aircraft was attached the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath Air Base in Britain . The wing was sent to Turkey as U.S. forces massed in the region in response to Iraq 's Aug. 2 takeover of Kuwait . Today 's crash brought to at least nine the number of Americans killed in the Persian Gulf region since Operation Desert Shield began . The eight Marines aboard the two UH-1 Huey helicopters that vanished Monday are still officially listed as missing . In addition to those killed in Saudi Arabia , 13 other Air Force personnel were killed in a crash of a C-5 jet cargo plane in Germany . That aircraft was ferrying supplies and equipment to the Saudi peninsula . Officials said the F-111 crashed at dawn . The aircraft was an F-model , the latest version of the 23-year-old swing-wing jet that first saw action in Vietnam . The F-model has more powerful engines , and state-of-the-art equipment to operate against enemy targets at night . The plane can carry up to 12 tons of bombs and missiles and has a crew of two , a pilot and a weapons systems officer .

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crash
saudi arabia
crew members
operation desert shield

u.s. air force f-111 fighter-bomber
f-model


DAMAGE CAUSED by Hurricane Andrew could rise to Dollars 20bn , it was estimated yesterday , as one of the costliest US storms this century threatened a further devastating landfall near the city of New Orleans . Government officials in Louisiana , Mississippi and Texas yesterday advised or ordered more than 2m people to evacuate coastal areas . The hurricane tore through southern Florida early on Monday morning , causing billions of dollars of property damage and at least 12 deaths , and yesterday was moving north-west across the Gulf of Mexico with winds of about 140 miles an hour . At least three people died on Sunday when Hurricane Andrew crossed the Bahamas . Ms Kate Hale , director of emergency services in Florida 's Dade County , which bore the brunt of the storm , estimated that Andrew had already caused Dollars 15bn to Dollars 20bn -LRB- Pounds 7.5bn-Pounds 10bn -RRB- of damage . However , insurance industry analysts cautioned that it was too early to assess the costs accurately . The US industry 's Property Claims Service , the official compiler of disaster losses , had yet to compile a preliminary tally of the Florida bill . A hurricane warning was in effect yesterday along 470 miles of Gulf coast from Pascagoula , Mississippi , to Galvestone , Texas . Several forecasting agencies suggested the likeliest landfall was in central Louisiana , to the west of New Orleans , possibly late last night or this morning . New Orleans , with a population of 1.6 m , is particularly vulnerable because the city lies below sea level , has the Mississippi River running through its centre and a large lake immediately to the north . Much of America 's oil refining industry is concentrated along coastal Texas and Louisiana and several refineries were yesterday partially shut down . These included British Petroleum 's Belle Chasse plant in Louisiana . In Florida , Andrew caused greatest havoc in a largely suburban swathe some 10-15 miles south of Miami . The town of Homestead , near the centre of the storm , was largely flattened , including a local air force base . Miami 's city centre escaped with relatively light damage . More than 24 hours after the hurricane , some 825,000 households and businesses were still without power . The brunt of insurance claims from the Florida storm will fall on the US industry , and companies with a heavy local exposure include the State Farm Group and the Allstate Insurance unit of Sears Roebuck . These are also the leading property/casualty and home insurance groups in Louisiana , together with American International Group . A spokesman for State Farm Insurance said he believed the company had roughly 20 per cent of the Florida market . The mutually-owned company has no reinsurance . Its size has made obtaining reinsurance cover difficult and its reserves , at about Dollars 24bn , have made it unnecessary . According to Balcombe Group , a UK-based claims adjustment firm , other insurers with large exposure in the hurricane-hit area are Hartford Insurance , Aetna and Travellers . Travellers said it had flown 50 claims adjusters in to Florida late on Monday and was assessing losses . About 12 per cent of Travellers ' home insurance premium income came from Florida last year , and 4.6 per cent of its commercial insurance premiums . The last serious US hurricane , Hugo , which struck South Carolina in 1989 , cost the industry Dollars 4.2 bn from insured losses , though estimates of the total damage caused ranged between Dollars 6bn and Dollars 10bn .

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hurricane andrew
new orleans
property damage
disaster losses
insurance claims
emergency services


Shining Path rebels have formed a new front to push their insurgency into Lima and other coastal urban areas , President Alan Garcia said after two powerful car bombs exploded within blocks of the Government Palace . Garcia spoke Wednesday in an atmosphere of stepped up rebel attacks in Lima and a series of weekend raids around the capital that resulted in the seizure of five Shining Path safe houses and 31 arrests . The president , who leaves office July 28 , said the newly formed People 's Defense Revolutionary Movement , is the `` urban , metropolitan organ of the Shining Path . '' The Maoist-inspired Shining Path operates in at least half of Peru , especially in the mountains and jungle , but has had little success in expanding to coastal cities . At least 18,500 people have been killed in political violence related to the decade-old insurgency , which was launched in the Andean highlands . The Shining Path draws much of its support from indigenous peoples resentful of the economic and political dominance in the country of 22 million of descendants of European immigrants . The wave of violence comes four days before a presidential runoff that pits novelist Mario Vargas Llosa , a free-market activist , against centrist agricultural engineer Alberto Fujimori . The Shining Path has called on voters to boycott Sunday 's vote and threatened election day `` armed strikes '' in Andean cities . In one of the guerrilla safehouses raided in an upper-class Lima suburb , police found tons of Shining Path documents and propaganda . They also found personal possessions that apparently belonged to Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman . Garcia said he believed the raids proved that `` the chief of terrorism actively participates '' in Shining Path operations . Guzman went underground in 1979 and , over the years , there have been numerous rumors he was dead . The raids also proved that the new urban front has been formed , Garcia said : `` The people who were captured were essential to the new movement . '' Two people were injured in the car bombings near the Government Palace on Tuesday night and Wednesday and Garcia called the upsurge in urban violence a `` desperate response '' to the weekend raids . In other violence Wednesday in Lima , a city of 6 million , four rebels armed with machine guns took over a neighborhood electoral office . They forced the electoral workers outside and set fire to the office . Firefighters said the blaze destroyed most of the documents in the building , including identification for electoral workers . Guerrillas blew up at least three high-tension power pylons Tuesday night , blacking out parts of the capital and other coastal cities where most of Peru 's 22 million people live . In pre-dawn attacks Wednesday , guerrillas threw gasoline bombs at a city bus and at a stove factory owned by a senator-elect of Fujimori 's Change 90 party , according to police . Tuesday 's car bomb went off behind Lima 's Roman Catholic cathedral , which faces the main plaza where the Government Palace is located . Police said the cathedral was not damaged , but one passerby was wounded . Operating out of its stronghold in Ayacucho , the Shining Path has spread throughout Peru 's highlands since it launched its armed insurgency in May 1980 . The movement , which seeks to impose a peasant-worker state , also controls much of Peru 's jungle . Efforts to move into Lima 's sprawling shantytowns , however , have been countered by strong police crackdowns .

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shining path rebels
rebel attacks
defense revolutionary movement
presidential runoff
coastal urban areas
powerful car bombs
lima
president alan garcia
political violence
indigenous peoples
shining path leader abimael guzman


It 's been described as the largest current civil engineering project , a multibillion dollar link that will help revolutionize Europe 's economy and physically end Britain 's historic isolation , a dream born in Napoleon 's day . The `` Chunnel '' between Britain and France is half-dug and scheduled to open on time in three years . But the three-tunnel thoroughfare under the English Channel is almost 60 percent over budget , embroiled in a contractor dispute and scrambling for more investment money . The project also has raised increasing hostility among many Britons , who fear it will provide an easy conduit for ills from the continent ranging from terrorism to rabid animals . `` We will have the money to finish the project , '' says Alastair Morton , British deputy chairman of Eurotunnel , the privately owned Anglo-French company overseeing the work . The Chunnel 's June 15 , 1993 scheduled debut will come six months after the 12-nation European Community formally drops remaining trade barriers and becomes a unified marketplace of 320 million consumers . But the project 's success hinges on much more than just finishing the undug part . While the French are forging ahead with a high-speed rail link to their end of the tunnel , for example , state-owned British Rail is dragging . `` Britain becomes branch line of Europe , '' a Guardian newspaper headline declared after the government announced June 14 that it would not fund a high-speed rail link between London and the British end of the tunnel . It 's not the first time the idea of a tunnel has irritated Britain 's island identity . The British resisted an undersea bond with the continent envisioned nearly 200 years ago by a French engineer named Albert Mathieu . Napoleon wanted to build it but Britain warned him off . Tunneling actually was started in subsequent efforts in 1882 and 1974 but they were scrapped . The Chunnel project also has been marred by eight accidental deaths on the site . The British public demonstrates little enthusiasm for the Chunnel . Random samplings elicit fears that it will import rabies , terrorists , invading armies . `` There is an attitude in France that this is a great project in the national interest . In this country , the attitude to these projects tends to be the reverse , '' Morton told a recent news conference . Eurotunnel Chairman Andre Benard said the company has provided for any foreseeable problems , but stressed : `` We always made it very clear that this was a risk project . '' Giant boring machines are digging three tunnels toward each other from Folkestone , England and Calais , France , with the first underground meeting expected in November in the service tunnel between the rail tunnels . Tunneling is three months ahead of schedule on the French side , a week behind on the British . As of mid-June , workers had dug 53.2 of the total 91.9 miles . Chunnel trains will carry passengers , cars and freight between London and Paris in about three hours , roughly the same time as a flight including ground travel , and at least twice as fast as a car-ferry journey . Eurotunnel estimates that 28 million passengers and 17 percent of Britain 's non-oil trade will pass through the tunnel in the first year . The Civil Aviation Authority says the tunnel should divert 5 million out of 53 million air passengers annually . This past Wednesday , shareholders approved a sale of an extra $ 906 million worth of stock to existing shareholders , who already have bought $ 1.7 billion worth . That step could clear the way for a bank syndicate 's approval of additional credit Eurotunnel has requested , from $ 8.6 billion to $ 12 billion . Assuming banks approve , the project would have a total of about $ 14.6 billion in debt and equity financing . The company most recently estimated it would cost $ 13.1 billion to complete , vs. $ 8.3 billion forecast initially . `` History dictates that that will not be the last figure we hear . But the order of magnitude of increase will slow down , '' said Richard Hannah , a transport analyst with the London investment firm UBS Phillips and Drew . He expected the extra financing to come through . `` It 's one of these situations where the more money you put in , the more you have to spend or else you 're walking away from billions of pounds , '' Hannah said . Eurotunnel says it does n't expect to p end of the century , and probably wo n't pay shareholders a dividend until 1999 , four years later than envisioned . But stockholders haven ` rofit before thet fared badly : The shares , first traded in November 1987 at about $ 6 , have traded recently at $ 8.55 . The more urgent worries for Eurotunnel have been costs , creditors and contractor feuds . In October , concern about the rising pricetag drove Eurotunnel 's banking syndicate to freeze funds for three months until the company reached a truce with Trans-Manche Link , the consortium of 10 British and French contractors doing the construction , over responsibility for $ 1.7 billion in overruns . The problems led to Eurotunnel 's second management shakeup since 1987 . The British government 's refusal to finance a rail link has presented another big obstacle . Eurotunnel says is can survive without a new link . But cnt that she wo n't spend taxpayers ' money on a rail link . The French government , on the contrary , is spending roughly $ 2.8 billion building 210 miles of rail from Paris to the tunnel , with a branch to Brussels , where the EC is headquartered . Trains capable of 190 mph will link the tunnel 's freight and passengers to another planned high-speed system . One reason the French are enthusiastic is that the tunnel surfaces in one of the most depressed areas of France . On the other hand , residents of Kent , in England 's rural and prosperous Southeast , have campaigned strenuously against having high-speed trains screaming through their back yards .

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english channel
contractor dispute
chunnel project
chunnel trains
rail tunnels
budget
easy conduit
investment money

high-speed rail link
three-tunnel thoroughfare


JUST weeks ago , the prospects for the North American free trade agreement seemed assured . The proposed pact between the US , Canada and Mexico had the support of the Republican establishment , of Governor Bill Clinton , the prospective Democratic nominee , of the powerful Texas Democrats on Capitol Hill and most of the Democratic leadership in Congress . But the outpouring of public disaffection for ` politics as usual ' has pushed to the forefront of many polls in the US election campaign Mr Ross Perot , the Texas billionaire . His campaign for the presidency is stressing jobs , and he has said a Nafta pact would send jobs to Mexico . The White House has taken its own polls and remains convinced that President Bush 's support for Nafta is a winning issue . Although many working class Hispanic Americans believe Nafta would cost jobs , the Latino business organisations cautiously support the pact . Under the tightly constrained fast-track procedure - which forces Congress to vote on a trade pact without amendment - it is too late to get Nafta approved by Congress this year . Between retirements and election defeats , one-quarter to a one-third of the House could change , and no one can foresee the prevailing sentiment on trade issues . The president is expected to stage a high profile initialing of the agreement at the most politically opportune time . Politically sophisticated trade lobbyists , like Mr Harry Freeman , executive director of the MTN Coalition , believes the Democrats will use Nafta as a weapon against the president , arguing that he wants to divert jobs to Mexico . A centrepiece of the opposition will be a letter from the president to the Congress in May 1991 , in which he committed himself to action on environmental issues , labour rights and worker adjustment assistance . ` Whatever the administration sends to Capitol Hill with Nafta , or if they do n't send a complete package in these three areas , the Congressional Democrats will seize upon the deficiency - real or alleged , it does n't matter , ' said Mr Freeman . Governor Clinton is also likely to deem the pact the ` wrong kind of Nafta ' . The environment/farm / labour coalition opposed to the Nafta has prepared its ground well in the House . It now has 200 signatories to a resolution , introduced by Congressman Henry Waxman and majority leader Richard Gephardt , which warns that they will not support a Nafta that does not have strong environment or food safety provisions . Fifty-seven of the 200 signatories voted for the president 's fast-track authority and now may be moving over on the issue . ` There are millions more people who ` get ' the Nafta now , ' said Ms Lori Wallach of Ralph Nader 's Public Citizen . ` They have been contacted by their local churches , labour unions , farm groups , environmental or consumer organisations . There is a new awareness of its costs and that has come back to their representatives in Washington . ' In the Senate , Nafta is threatened by a resolution introduced by Senator Don Riegle , which would permit Congress to amend the agreement in five areas . ` If the Riegle resolution gets through , ' said one business lobbyist , ` we might as well kiss Nafta goodbye . '

O O O O O O O O B I B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north american
free trade agreement
food safety provisions
congressional democrats
environmental issues
hispanic americans
president bush
republican establishment
public disaffection
us election campaign
mr ross perot
nafta pact
governor bill clinton


MR Lewis Preston , World Bank president , yesterday promised to strengthen the bank 's efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries . ` Poverty reduction must be the benchmark against which our performance as a development institution is judged , ' he said . However , he failed to respond to demands from the Clinton administration for the bank to set more precise targets for the proportion of lending that should have an explicit poverty focus . In congressional testimony this week , Mr Lloyd Bentsen , US treasury secretary , said the US wanted to see more funding that ` will create social and economic safety nets ' for poor people most affected by war , civil strife and economic mismanagement . ` We will look for specific increases in the share of lending going for these purposes . ' In fiscal 1992 , nearly half of all World Bank adjustment loans failed to include specific poverty reduction measures , in spite of calls from Mr Preston to put greater emphasis on poverty relief . The share of bank lending allocated for ` human resource development ' is still only 14 per cent , in spite of repeated calls from Mr Preston for an increased emphasis on investment in people . At a news conference Mr Preston said the bank was making progress : a decade ago only 5 per cent of bank lending went for human resource development and only 5 per cent of structural adjustment loans had a explicit focus on poverty . But he said the bank had a ` long , long way to go ' . While he expected an increase in the share of bank lending aimed at poverty relief , he declined to set precise targets for bank staff . Mr Preston , however , does intend to take several new steps to sharpen the bank 's focus on poverty . The bank will publish annual progress reports charting its progress in poverty reduction . It will also seek the participation of the poor in the design as well as the implemention of projects . ` We want this to become the norm for our operations in the years to come , ' Mr Preston said . He also released a report , ` Implementing the World Bank 's Strategy to Reduce Poverty - Progress and Challenges , ' that outlines progress to date . This highlights the diversity of performance on poverty reduction in the third world . East Asia has reduced the proportion of people in absolute poverty from over 30 per cent in 1970 to 10 per cent . Sub-Saharan Africa , however , had seen an increase in poverty which now affected half the people in the region . Mr Preston said bank efforts to reduce poverty could succeed only if governments concerned co-operated . Officials cited Indonesia , China , Mexico , and El Salvador as examples of countries that were co-operating well but declined to name poor performers . He said hoped for a clear signal from this week 's meeting of the Group of Seven leading industrial countries that they would deliver on commitments for a Dollars 18bn replenishment of resources for the International Development Agency -LRB- IDA -RRB- , the centrepiece of bank efforts to reduce poverty .

O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

third world
developing countries
lewis preston
world bank
poverty relief
poverty reduction
bank lending
adjustment loans


Britain and France were linked beneath the English Channel on Tuesday when workers used a two-inch probe to connect two halves of a 31-mile undersea rail tunnel , officials reported . Management sources at TransManche Link , the construction consortium building the `` Chunnel '' - the Channel Tunnel - confirmed the historic linkup occurred about 8:25 p.m. when British workers sent the probe through to French colleagues . `` It is an example of what Europe is about , '' British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in London . `` This is Europe in practice . '' The linkup fulfills a dream by Napoleon in 1802 , who thought he could defeat the English by connecting Britain to Europe with a land passage . The Chunnel is scheduled for completion in June 1993 . `` This is a hugely historic moment because it means , in effect , that Britain is no longer an island , '' said a construction union official . Eight workers suffered injuries , two seriously , about 90 minutes later when a tractor towing supplies rolled over on them in a service gallery , authorities in nearby Sangatte reported . The basic goal of the Channel Tunnel project is to enable passengers to travel between London and Paris in about three hours . That time is comparable to flying , if transport to and from airports is included , and is half the time of a car-ferry journey . The conservative Daily Express newspaper noted in its Wednesday editions that Britons would theoretically be able to walk to France for the first time since the last Ice Age . The cost of the project has soared from an initial estimate of $ 9.4 billion to $ 16.7 billion , including an extra $ 1.97 billion for unforeseen cost overruns . The threading of the probes through 100 yards of chalk under the English Channel marks a major turning point in three years of drilling on the world 's costliest tunnel . The meeting point was just over 13 -LCB- miles southeast of Shakespeare Cliff , the British terminus near the town of Dover , and 10 miles northwest of the French town of Sangatte , near Calais . The tunnel starts a few miles inland on each side , accounting for its total length of 31 miles . Geological conditions account for the different progress on each side . French workers reaching the tiny hole telephoned their British counterparts and relayed the news to TransManche officials . The first champagne corks popped minutes later . `` It 's an exciting moment . It 's the first time we have air passing between the two tunnels , '' said Gordon Crighton , tunnel engineering manager . `` We see it as just another exercise , but I 'm sure there will be a lot of parties going on , '' he said . Preliminary tests indicated the two halves were 20 inches out of alignment . Another day will be needed to be certain , technicians said , but they called the line-up `` exceptional , '' considering the massive boring machines are drilling holes about three stories high . The workers will now bore out a one-yard hole to permit passage from one half to the other . They are expected to greet each other with handshakes in a few weeks . Two Japanese-designed boring machines are drilling the tunnel . After it is finished , one will be dismantled and hauled out in pieces . The other will drill its own grave and be buried in cement because French officials said it will be too costly to extricate it . A work slowdown since last week by militant tunnelers demanding more pay on the French side appeared likely Monday to stall the linkup until the weekend or beyond . But TransManche officials said earlier Tuesday that the meeting in the middle would occur on schedule . The Chunnel actually consists of three tunnels - two for railway trains and a smaller maintenance tunnel between them . Taking into account all the tunnels , 80 percent of the drilling has been completed by giant , Japanese-built boring machines working from Calais and Folkstone , England . Tuesday 's linkup in the service tunnel is described by the French as a `` mouse ole '' - a bore only two inches in diameter . President Francois Mitterrand and Mrs. Thatcher are expected to meet each other in the tunnel Jan. 26 , after the digging for much of the tunnel is finished . The first coupling of the two rail tunnels is scheduled for mid-1991 . Eurotunnel PLC , the world 's largest engineering project , announced Oct. 8 that it had reached an agreement with its banks on $ 3.5 billion in new credit . More than 200 banks are involved in the financing . The Chunnel 's scheduled debut in mid-1993 would come six months after the 12-nation European Community formally drops remaining trade barriers , becoming a unified marketplace of 320 million consumers . Officials estimate the tunnel may carry 28 million passengers in the first year of operation , although Eurotunnel does n't expect a profit until the end of the century . A study released last Friday in Paris by transportation experts said the tunnel 's completion will aggravate traffic congestion in a wide area of continental Europe . Some Britons have worries of a different sort , fearing an influx of ills from the continent ranging from terrorism to rabid animals . Since construction began in late 1987 , there have been seven deaths on the British side and two on the French . Five British firms were ordered last Wednesday to stand trial on charges related to the death of a construction worker last year . The undersea bond between the two hereditary enemies was envisioned nearly 200 years ago by a French engineer called Albert Mathieu . Napoleon wanted to build it , but Britain warned him off . Tunneling actually started in subsequent efforts in 1882 and 1974 , but were abandoned .

B O B O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

britain
france
english channel
chunnel
historic linkup
channel tunnel project
traffic congestion
continental europe
cost overruns
transmanche link


GUERRILLA tactics by Greenpeace were swamped by the White House pomp in which Mr Clinton and three past US presidents this week endorsed the North American Free Trade Agreement . But the environmental activists , who momentarily disrupted a House hearing to unfurl a 15 foot anti-Nafta banner , saw their stunt repeated again and again on evening news shows . With dozens of similar exploits and clever strategic planning , grassroots organisations have succeed in fanning anti-Nafta sentiment into widespread public hostility against the pact with Canada and Mexico . A new Wall Street Journal poll , found opposition , at 36 per cent , had reached its highest level yet with only 25 per cent of those polled in favour of Nafta . The continued economic sluggishness and the drumbeat of corporate layoff announcements have hurt the pact 's chances and presented the administration with a formidable challenge . Fifty per cent of the Americans polled disagreed with the administration 's argument that more jobs will be created than lost and 54 per cent said that wages would be forced downward so that US companies and workers could compete with Mexico . Pro-Nafta congressmen and senators have been morosely admitting the opposition 's success in framing the debate against Nafta as a pact which would cost jobs . But they took heart from Tuesday 's presidential show : President Clinton 's passionate insistence that the realities of the global marketplace be faced ; President Carter 's attack on Mr Ross Perot , the populist billionaire , as a demagogue with ` unlimited financial resources , ' ; President Bush 's praise of Mexican President Carlos Salinas ; President Ford 's warning that the country would be overrun by impoverished immigrants from the South if they are given no work at home . ` It was a revival , ' said Texas Congressman JJ Pickle . ' I think Nafta was born again . ' To keep the pro-Nafta case before the public , President Clinton Wednesday took off for New Orleans and top officials in his administration fanned out on speaking tours across the country . Government agencies have been mobilised for the battle , given pro-Nafta literature and instructed to boost the pact in seminars and public forums . Congressional committees have begun to examine the details in preparation for writing its implementing legislation , now expected on the Hill in November . It is believed this process may satisfy some of the Congressional doubters , who are demanding a ` level playing field ' and a speedup of Mexican tariff reductions . Pro and anti-Nafta forces are keeping the fax lines burning . A Greenpeace release warned that two decades of work on environmental protection would be undermined if the pact is approved . In response to similar charges by hundreds of grassroots environmental , citizen and labour groups , Vice president Al Gore , Senator Max Baucus and other lawmakers with green credentials , accompanied by six leaders of the largest national environmental groups who helped negotiate the environmental side pact , held a briefing to praise Nafta 's environmental safeguards . Seemingly unfazed by Nafta 's new show of life , the Citizens Trade Campaign , one of the umbrella opposition groups , called a press conference to ` debunk ' the Clinton Administration claim Nafta would create 200,000 jobs in the next five years . Unmindful of a television camera , its leaders plotted new strategies : anti-Nafta resolution in 25 state legislatures ; a letter writing campaign and more . Notable by his absence from the fray has been Mr Richard Gephardt , the House Majority Leader , who is said to be close to moving from tentative to committed opposition . He will join forces with Congressman David Bonior , the majority whip , and three of Mr Bonior 's lieutenants , leaving the House Speaker , Tom Foley , nearly alone on the defence , among the leadership . ' I do not think we have articulated well - the supporters of Nafta - the very positive and energetic reasons that can be offered for supporting this , ' Mr Foley acknowledged . Without Nafta , the US relationship with Mexico could ` deteriorate , ' and ` much of what people are worried about will happen , perhaps more speedily without Nafta than with it . Those things have to be presented more forcefully . '

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O B I O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

north american free trade agreement
environmental activists
house hearing
widespread public hostility
environmental protection
impoverished immigrants
president clinton


KEY Hispanic groups in the US are making stringent side agreements , aimed at protecting worker rights and the environment , a condition of their support for the North American Trade Agreement between the US , Canada and Mexico . Several Hispanic leaders said last week that the Clinton administration also had to present a ` blueprint ' of a plan to retrain displaced workers before they would give their support . The announcement will deal a blow to supporters of Nafta , who counted on Hispanic backing to get the agreement through Congress . But the US Hispanic community is deeply divided over whether to endorse the agreement . Mr Richard Lopez , an aide to the congressional Hispanic caucus , said last week that differing opinion had prevented the group taking an official position on Nafta . Leaders of important Hispanic coalitions such as La Raza , a civil rights group , and the Southwest Voter Registration Project said they feared Hispanics in the US would bear the brunt of the negative impact of Nafta . ` The most competitive sectors on both sides of the border would win , ' said Prof Raul Hinojosa , of the University of California in Los Angeles and a leader of the Southwest Voter Registration Project . ` Trade would produce job growth on both sides of the border , but the question is how those jobs are distributed . ` Those sectors of the US economy most vulnerable to import penetration are those sectors most dependent on recent immigration for their labour force . ' Fifteen Hispanic organisations , including La Raza , propose to set up a trilateral North American Development Bank to direct resources to regions of the US , Mexico and Canada most affected negatively by Nafta . However , business organisations like the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Trade Council are enthusiastic backers of the deal . Mr Abel Guerra of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said he feared side agreements dealing with issues on the environment and labour rights could jeopardise Nafta . ` It 's a giant opportunity we ca n't let go to waste , ' he said . At the other end of the spectrum lies Mr Segundo Mercado-Llorens of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union who is vehemently opposed to the current incarnation of Nafta . ' A vast majority of us -LRB- Hispanics -RRB- will be losers unless there are fundamental changes in the current Nafta , ' he said .

B I I O O O O O B I I O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O

trilateral north american development bank


GOVERNMENT veterinary and health experts were yesterday putting out reassuring messages about bovine spongiform encephalopathy -LRB- BSE -RRB- , or ` mad cow ' disease , in the face of growing public anxiety . Dr Kenneth Calman , the government 's chief medical officer , yesterday repeated the official advice that beef can be eaten safely : ` There is no scientific evidence of a causal link between BSE in cattle and CJD in humans . ' One cause of concern is that the number of cases is continuing to rise , in spite of forecasts from the Ministry of Agriculture that the incidence of cases would peak last year and then decline rapidly . Farmers reported 8,581 animals with BSE during the first nine weeks of this year compared with 8,099 in the same period last year . Another fear is that BSE could cause illness in humans . It was revealed this week that Mr Peter Warhurst , a dairy farmer whose herd had a BSE case in 1989 , died last year of Creutzfeld-Jacob disease . Both BSE and CJD are caused by mysterious particles of infectious protein called prions . Dr Robert Will of Western General Hospital , Edinburgh , who is monitoring all CJD cases in the UK for the Department of Health , drew attention to Mr Warhurst 's case without naming him in the Lancet , a medical journal . He says he now regrets writing to the Lancet because of the unnecessary alarm caused . Statistical analysis , taking account of the average national incidence of CJD and the number of people working on BSE-affected dairy farms , shows that the probability of one CJD case having occurred among the latter group by chance is about 1 in 20 . Even so , Dr Will believes that Mr Warhurst 's disease was a coincidence not related to BSE exposure . His study has shown no change in the pattern of CJD since BSE started and no other cases among people working with cattle , such as abattoir staff or vets .

O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

bse case
cjd cases
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
infectious protein
scientific evidence
public anxiety
causal link


The republic of Slovenia plans to begin work on a constitution that will give it full sovereignty within a new Yugoslav confederation , the state Tanjug news agency reported Monday . Slovenia , whose 2 million inhabitants account for a fraction of Yugoslavia 's total population of 23 million , is the most politically liberal and prosperous of the country 's six member republics . Slovenia `` should be set up as a sovereign state , with all attributes of factual authority and with full international-legal rights , '' Tanjug said , quoting from a declaration of the Slovenian presidency , the top local ruling body . The Slovenian move was endorsed by Slovenia 's president , Milan Kucan , who told a Monday session of the presidency that the new constitution will be the `` constitution of the sovereign state of Slovenia , and not of one of the federal -LRB- republics -RRB- , '' Tanjug said . The proposal is to be discussed by Slovenia 's parliament in mid-July , Kucan said . Its approval is viewed as almost certain . Slovenia has been frequently accused by politicians and the media in Yugoslavia 's more conservative southern republics , and particularly in the country 's largest republic of Serbia , of harboring separatist tendencies and of protecting its own interests at the expense of federal goals . Slovenian authorities claim Serbia is trying to politically and economically dominate the Yugoslav federation by introducing greater federal control and by limiting the autonomy of the republics . More than 70 percent of the residents of the northern republic believe their region might be better off if it were outside the Yugoslav federation , results of a public opinion poll said last March . Only 15 percent of the Slovenes surveyed expressed their wish for Slovenia to remain a republic within Yugoslavia in the present form . Both Slovenia and Croatia , the two Yugoslav republics that held free elections this year , have proclaimed a readiness to turn the Yugoslav federation of six republics and two provinces into a looser confederation of states cooperating voluntarily . Also Monday , Serbia 's president Slobodan Milosevic , in a speech to the Serbian parliament , said the new constitution Serbia is preparing is designed to `` offset the transformation of federal Yugoslavia into a confederation . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

full sovereignty
new yugoslav confederation
slovenian presidency
separatist tendencies
federal goals
yugoslav federation
federal control
milan kucan
serbia


The lawmakers who replaced the Communists as leaders of the prosperous northern republic of Slovenia have proclaimed the state 's full sovereignty , but stopped short of calling for secession . There was no immediate reaction to the Slovenian declaration from federal authorities or from rival Serbia . Monday 's parliamentary declaration provides for establishing an independent legal system that would take precedence over federal laws and for Slovenian control over armed forces stationed in the republic , state media said . The document said Slovenia should adopt a new democratic constitution within the next 12 months , but made no mention of earlier calls for the republic to secede from the troubled Yugoslav federation . The media said a joint session of the republic 's 240-seat legislature voted unanimously to adopt the Declaration of Sovereignty of the State of Slovenia . Slovenia contains 2 million of Yugoslavia 's total population of 23 million . The Ljubljana nightly television news said the declaration asked Slovenian authorities to `` assume control over units of the -LRB- Yugoslav -RRB- armed forces stationed on Slovenian territory , '' and said a 30 percent cut in defense spending would be implemented . A coalition of center-right parties formed a new government last month in Slovenia , the most prosperous of Yugoslavia 's six republics , after trouncing reform Communists in the first free state elections held in Communist-ruled Yugoslavia in 45 years . The republic 's new authorities demand that Yugoslavia transform itself into a loose confederation of sovereign states . They threaten that Slovenia will declare full independence from Yugoslavia if the remaining republics do not accept its proposals for a confederation . Yugoslavia , including Slovenia , was created in 1918 . Premier Lojze Peterle and other Slovenian leaders also say Slovenia should take urgent steps to join the European Community , no matter what Yugoslavia 's Communist-ruled southern states say . The demands have been echoed in Croatia , the country 's second-largest state . A center-right party came to power there last month in free elections . The hard-line Communist government in the largest state of Serbia vehemently opposes turning Yugoslavia into a confederation . Serbia rejects Western-style democracy and does not plan to hold free elections for at least another year . The Slovenian declaration also said police should take over control of frontiers with neighboring Italy and Austria , replacing border guards deployed for the past 45 years by Yugoslavia 's Communist government , Ljubljana TV said . It said the state would establish its own intelligence and counter-intelligence services , that would be independent of their Communist-controlled federal counterparts . The adoption of a declaration of sovereignty has been under discussion in the new Parliament since the new government was installed in May . Slovenia 's president , Milan Kucan , has said that Slovenia intends to proclaim sovereignty as part of its drive for liberal political and economic reform in Yugoslavia . The timing of Monday 's proclamation by Slovenia may have been affected by Serbia 's sudden decision last week to hold a special referendum Sunday and Monday on adopting consitutional reforms that would virtually destroy any remaining autonomy for its troubled province of Kosovo . Slovenia and Croatia increasingly have sided with Kosovo 's ethnic Albanian majority in its drive for autonomy from Serbia . In Kosovo 's capital of Pristina , after Serbian police on Monday barred about 100 ethnic Albanian deputies from entering the province 's Parliament , about 40 deputies proclaimed Kosovo equal to the six Yugoslav republics . The deputies want to revoke a constitutional amendment that gave Serbia almost total control over Kosovo .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

full sovereignty
slovenian declaration
federal authorities
independent legal system
slovenian control
yugoslav republics
troubled yugoslav federation
loose confederation


NEGOTIATIONS FOR a new contract between Botswana , the world 's most important diamond producer in value terms , and De Beers , the South African group which controls 80 per cent of the market for rough -LRB- uncut -RRB- diamonds , are taking much longer than expected . The previous three-year contract ended on December 31 . Some Botswana politicians want to change De Beers ' exclusive sales contract so that part of their country 's output can be sold independently of the South African group 's international cartel . This would give Botswana its own ` market window ' to see what its diamonds are worth in the free market . De Beers is resisting any change . Mr Nicholas Oppenheimer , chairman of the group 's Central Selling Organisation , argues that if Botswana chose not to sell its production exclusively through his organisation , the CSO 's ability to regulate the distribution of rough diamonds would be compromised . He said : ` Because the major -LRB- diamond -RRB- producers freely consent to sell exclusively through one channel , the CSO is able to preserve an orderly market by matching rough diamond sales closely to consumer demand . ' However , IDC -LRB- Holdings -RRB- , a London-based group which claims to be the most experienced and substantial dealer in rough diamonds independent of the CSO , suggests the CSO 's attitude ` is unreasonable and based on a conceptual argument with little substance in fact . ' In presentations to Botswana 's Minerals Policy Committee and members of parliament , IDC has been arguing that , not only was it commercially essential for Botswana to understand the real value of its diamond output , but that the country had a political responsibility to do so . ` Data accumulated independently of the CSO would put Botswana in a position to have more input into the arrangements for the sale of its diamonds , ' IDC pointed out . ` On a political level this would enable the government to answer its critics or its electors with confidence and sure knowledge when questioned about arrangements for the disposal of the country 's mineral assets . ' If Botswana were to sell 10 per cent of its rough diamond production , worth about USDollars 100m , independently of the CSO - which sells about Dollars 4bn-worth a year from all over the world - it would represent no threat to market stability , IDC said . It claims analysts have estimated that 50 per cent of De Beers ' diamond profits in 1989 came from Botswana . ` This profit is disproportionate to the sale of diamonds by Debswana -LRB- De Beers ' subsidiary in Botswana -RRB- to the CSO as a percentage of the CSO 's total sales profits , ' IDC says . ` It is not unreasonable to reflect whether the fact that Botswana is the only major producer currently selling 100 per cent of its production to the CSO has any bearing on the substantial profits made by the CSO on the sale of its diamonds . ' Other substantial producers such as the Soviet Union , Angola , Zaire and Australia do not sell all their production to the CSO and therefore have access to independent market information . IDC does have a vested interest . It already markets diamonds for producers in Guinea , Guyana , Brazil and the Central African Republic , and is offering to do some marketing for Botswana . It acknowledges that all sectors of the diamond trade welcomed the CSO 's efforts to keep the diamond market stable . But ` the fact that the CSO forms part of an aggressive , profit-motivated public company with a primary responsibility to its shareholders is often lost from view . ' De Beers says Botswana diamonds do not contribute half its diamond account profits - but it will not divulge the true figure . It suggests IDC 's arguments are flawed because they are based on an assumption that Botswana needs more market information . However , in common with other producers selling diamonds to the CSO , Botswana has appointed independent valuers who continuously monitor diamond production and the prices paid . According to the CSO , these valuers are fully informed about market conditions and the prices received for Botswana stones . Mr Geoffrey Leggett at IDC suggests , however , the valuer only ensures that the assortment of diamonds from Botswana conforms to an agreed sample and that the agreed contract price is paid . ` He is not a trader , he does not know what the stones are worth in the market . ' De Beers insists it remains on cordial terms with Botswana and says the country is still selling its diamonds through the CSO . It is not the first time that contract negotiations have gone on past the theoretical deadline . The Botswana government recently set up a diamond cutting centre with De Beers ' technical help , and this , too , should further the country 's understanding of the market . There has been a special relationship between the CSO and Botswana since 1987 when the country sold its diamond stockpile to De Beers in exchange for an estimated USDollars 250m and a 5.27 per cent shareholding in the South African group . Analysts suggest market conditions do not help Botswana press its case . De Beers , which itself mines about 40 per cent of the world 's annual rough diamond output , markets stones from Angola , Australia , Namibia , Tanzania , Zaire and the Soviet Union , as well as South Africa and Botswana . Prices of rough diamonds , with few exceptions , have moved upwards every year since the 1930s depression . But now De Beers is steering the world 's most successful cartel through depressed market conditions caused by the recession in the US -LRB- the biggest single market for diamonds -RRB- , sogginess in Japan -LRB- the second-largest -RRB- , and the Gulf war . To maintain price stability , the CSO is stockpiling diamonds at great expense , rather than releasing unwanted stones to the market . Its promotional budget has been lifted by 20 per cent to more than Dollars 1m a week - Dollars 53m for the year . In addition , Botswana this year faces its first budgetary deficit since 1982 and , according to De Beers ' calculations , one of its diamond mines - Orapa - needs investment of USDollars 600m . The CSO has also notched up some recent coups : bringing a big part of the Soviet Union 's and Angola 's rough diamond output back into the cartel - or what it calls its ` single channel marketing ' - arrangements . However , the CSO is also currently involved in contract negotiations with Argyle Diamonds , the western Australian company which is the biggest individual diamond producer in volume -LRB- but only sixth in value -RRB- terms . Argyle , too , wants to stay with the CSO when its contract ends on May 1 - but on more favourable terms . A delegation from Botswana is to meet CSO representatives in London at the end of this month for another attempt to break the deadlock . The industry is betting that Botswana will give way , perhaps in return for De Beers helping to finance the Orapa mine investment . However , the ` market window ' idea is unlikely to be dropped and will almost certainly be raised again when the next contract negotiations start .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O

individual diamond producer
botswana politicians
de beers
south african group
exclusive sales contract
central selling organisation
rough diamond sales
diamond trade
botswana diamonds
rough diamond output
contract negotiations


Language : Spanish Article Type : BFN -LSB- Text -RSB- The Shining Path does not intend to seek reconciliation in the country , has disarmed itself neither militarily nor ideologically , and is instead trying to become a semi-legal party operating as a shock force against the opposition , subversion specialist Carlos Tapia has said . Tapia emphasized that the Shining Path faction led by Abimael Guzman Reinoso enjoys government favor , and among other things has been given assistance in organizing a second party congress . He said that imprisoned Shining Path members of the Guzman-led faction , such as Edmundo Cox Beuzeville , have been allowed to tour several prisons and to promote debates to support the proposal of so-called President Gonzalo . Tapia said : `` The Shining Path was defeated , but it seems that after the beginning of negotiations , Abimael Guzman 's leadership has been consolidated , tied to the commitment to organize a second party congress . '' `` The documents of this second congress are being prepared to make the Shining Path stop engaging in armed actions . It is true that armed actions will end , but no one knows when . A new , stronger Shining Path could reemerge later for a second beginning , and as a weapon for fighting popular movements ... , '' Tapia said . He added that peace negotiations between the Shining Path and the government are being held behind the country 's back . Tapia believes the government is seeking to strengthen Abimael Guzman 's leadership within Shining Path , countering the hardline faction led by Alberto Ramirez Durand , aka `` Feliciano . '' Guzman 's faction , Tapia said , represents the imprisoned Shining Path , while the one led by `` Feliciano '' is made up of the terrorists who are still free . `` They are the ones who plant the bombs , '' he said . For his part , ex-leftist Senator Enrique Bernales has said that the Guzman group is trying to sell itself in order to eventually gain its freedom and later regroup . Tapia and Bernales made these statements during an interview on the `` En Directo '' program hosted by Alfredo Barnechea on Channel 9 . The statements were made in the wake of a letter that Shining Path member Edmundo Cox addressed to Colonel Gabino Cajahuanca , the director of the Miguel Castro Castro prison , asking him for an audience `` to inform you about what we have done . '' Cox was referring to the meetings he held with imprisoned Shining Path members in other prisons of the country to support the peace proposal by Guzman Reinoso , against the faction led by `` Feliciano . '' Carlos Tapia , who is a careful observer of the subversion phenomenon , believes that the Shining Path does not seek national reconciliation , and that it maintains its ideological positions , such as `` hatred of classes '' and its stand against the `` legal leftist sector , human rights organizations , popular unions , and nongovernmental organizations . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I I O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

national reconciliation
peace proposal
peace negotiations
shining path faction
government favor
second party congress
imprisoned shining path members


1990 is fast becoming one of the worst years on record for tornadoes and flooding across the middle and southern sections of the nation . So far this year , 726 tornadoes have touched down nationwide , well ahead of the 640 tornadoes recorded during the first six months of last year , and the 30-year average of 482 tornadoes recorded between January and July , said Frederick Ostby of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center here . The nation had 747 tornadoes in the first six months of 1973 _ one of the biggest years for tornadoes since 1950 , when the forecast center began keeping reliable records of the storms . There were 756 tornadoes reported in 1982 . `` We seem to be on a pace that would put us up with those two years , '' Ostby said . The culprit in this tornado barrage across the Plains is a persistent West Coast pattern of low pressure in the upper atmosphere that is keeping the jet stream anchored at a southern latitude . This year 's storms seem particularly violent , as illustrated by the March 13 tornado that cut a swath a mile wide and brought winds of 300 mph to a field in Kansas . The tornado was the strongest to hit the United States since 1985 . The first weekend in June saw the worst outburst of tornadoes since 1974 . Ostby said 101 tornadoes touched down from Kansas to Kentucky , leaving nine people dead . But a break in the storm pattern may be at hand . As summer wears on , the land warms up and cold air from Canada retreats . This moves the boundary of the jet stream to the north , Ostby said . `` Our longer range computer forecasts are suggestive of that . There is some kind of a readjustment beginning to take place in the upper atmosphere , '' he said . However , a study of tornado trends indicates parts of the Midwest , particularly Kansas and Missouri , are heading into a six-year period of more intense tornadoes . The study of tornadoes since early this century shows that they are concentrated in regions for five - or six-year periods , said Michael Smith , president of WeatherData Inc. . But warning of impending storms is becoming more sophisticated , leading to fewer deaths . Tornadoes have caused 20 deaths this year , while an average year in the 1980s saw 52 deaths , and in the 1970s nearly 100 , Ostby said . `` There are better watches , better warnings and a better response , '' Ostby said . Ostby credited the quicker response to computers that allow meteorologists to see many sources of data , such as satellite readings , more clearly . Flooding in the South and the Plains has been as destructive as the tornadoes . The death toll from last week 's flash floods in Shadyside , Ohio , rose to 21 on Monday , making the flood one of the most deadly in recent years . Authorities held out little hope for more than a dozen others listed as missing . Wegee and Pipe creeks overflowed during storms that dumped 5 -LCB- inches of rain in 3 -LCB- hours . The floods destroyed as many as 70 houses and damaged up to 40 , officials said . Flooding in Texas has been blamed for at least 16 deaths since April . An estimated 10,000 people were forced from their homes , and high water caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage .

O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O B O B O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O

tornadoes
tornado trends
flooding
storms
damage
deaths
study


LOS ANGELES Police Chief Daryl Gates had been accused of nurturing one of the most brutal police forces in the country : now he is under attack for fuelling the violence and then standing by as it rolled across poor black neighbourhoods . Mr Gates acknowledged yesterday that his department had been overwhelmed by the scale of the violence . Police could only look on , outnumbered , as crowds looted shops , and moved in mostly to protect firefighters from attack . The controversial police chief was said to have argued on Wednesday , the first night of rioting , against sending in National Guard troops , and only to have bowed later to evidence that his police force was incapable of handling the violence . That the Los Angeles police department should have been overwhelmed by the riots may be understandable , but it represents one final blot on Mr Gates 's reputation . In his 14 years of office , his critics say he has built a heavily politicised force in his own image : aggressive , insensitive and widely tinged with racism . Shortly after his appointment in 1978 , Mr Gates told a Hispanic audience that Hispanic officers were not promoted because they were lazy , and he later suggested that the carotid choke hold - a police technique severely curbed in 1983 after police had killed 16 suspects with it - might be more dangerous for blacks because their arteries did not open up as fast as on ` normal people ' . In March , Mr Gates strongly defended the detective who had led an investigation 17 years earlier into the killing of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer , although a judge had just released the two men wrongfully convicted , calling police conduct ` reprehensible ' and urging an immediate investigation of the ` sordid record ' . The detective involved now heads the unit which investigates shootings involving police officers . But the Los Angeles police chief has almost complete protection from removal under a 1937 statute that followed a series of political scandals , and Mr Gates has developed political clout on top of this job security . President George Bush last year called Mr Gates ` an exemplary police chief , ' although at the time he called the conduct of the four Los Angeles officers - whose acquittal this week over the beating of a black motorist triggered this week 's protests and violence - ` sickening ' and ` outrageous ' . A high-ranking commission appointed after the beating , under the chairmanship of Mr Warren Christopher , a lawyer and former deputy secretary of state , concluded that the Los Angeles police department got results , in terms of arrests , but had developed a ` siege mentality that alienates the officer from the community ' . Besides recommending that Mr Gates should go , the Christopher commission urged a policy of community policing with more foot patrols , as well as measures to discipline racist police officers and to improve the investigation of complaints about police brutality . The commission found that a significant minority of the Los Angeles police force ` repetitively misuse force ' without being properly disciplined . Six months after its initial report , however , the commission noted that of the 44 officers identified as the object of six or more brutality complaints , two had been fired , three had resigned and 11 removed from field duty . Mr Gates has finally agreed to step down in June . His replacement , Mr Willie Williams , will be the first black head of the Los Angeles force . Mr Williams faces an uphill struggle , but he has drawn widespread praise as Philadelphia 's police commissioner since 1988 for mending fences between the police and the community - notably through the use of the foot patrol methods recommended by the Christopher commission .

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

brutal police forces
violence
brutality complaints
police brutality
investigation
daryl gates


CSO -LSB- Article by Greg Neale , environment correspondent : `` Creeping Cow Madness '' -RSB- -LSB- Text -RSB- It is already a multi-million pound disaster for British agriculture and now it threatens to erupt into a major political row between European governments . It is bovine spongiform encephalopathy -LRB- BSE -RRB- -- `` mad cow '' disease -- and few would be prepared to say exactly when and where it will end . Next week European Community health ministers will meet to discuss a German call for a ban on British beef imports to that country . Some German politicians say their country should risk breaking Single Market free trade rules because the potential health risks are so grave . Nonsense , say British government scientists . Meanwhile , the controversy in Britain is reaching new heights . Last week , the scientific journal Nature called for a start to be made on replacing the British cattle population with animals free from the infection -- which the magazine estimate would cost # 30 billion . Next day , one of the farming industry 's loudest voices , the magazine Farmers Weekly hit back at what it called `` a diet of speculation , half-truths and downright lies '' and denounced what it called `` certain publicity-hungry scientists promoted by the media more interested in fiction than fact . '' Calling on the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food -LRB- MAFF -RRB- to do more to explain the disease , the magazine concluded : `` The alternative is to exacerbate the current climate of fear and uncertainty ... '' The fear is not just that shared by farmers worried about their livelihood . Could it transfer itself from cows to humans ? `` Mad Cow '' disease was probably first observed on a farm in Kent in 1985 , when four animals were put down after they were observed drooling , staggering before collapsing . Scientists at the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Surrey found that the animals ' brains had become holed and spongelike -- similar symptoms to the disease scrapie in sheep and the rare Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -LRB- CJD -RRB- , in humans . MAFF scientists concluded that BSE had appeared in cattle given processed feed that included remains of diseased sheep . New rendering methods , reducing the temperature at which the feed was prepared , were enabling the infective agent to survive , they concluded . Acting on this advice , in July 1988 , John MacGregor , then Agriculture Minister , introduced a ban on such ruminant protein being used in feed . Cattle confirmed as having BSE have been put down and incinerated , with the ashes being buried . In 1989 a further ban was introduced , on cattle offal sold for human consumption . That year it was officially predicted that 20,000 animals would be affected before the feed ban , together with the drying up of any supplies already on farms , had its effect . But the spread of BSE has confounded original expectations . The Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday that by the beginning of last week the total number of cattle diagnosed since November 1986 as having BSE had risen to 121,898 -- six times the original prediction . The ministry believes that the reason more cattle have died is that farmers or food renderers kept using infected feed after the ban . Last week , MAFF said that the numbers of confirmed BSE cases in the first two months of this year showed a 20 per cent drop over the same period in 1993 -- proof , the ministry says , that the epidemic is waning . Yet there is still controversy . Some 8,004 cattle have died from BSE despite being born after the feed ban was introduced . MAFF says 5,767 of these were born before the end of 1988 , and were probably fed from remaining infected supplies . That theory has been assailed by critics of the ministry . Mark Purdey , a Somerset farmer and independent researcher , believes that the use of organophosphate pesticides , used from the 1980s as a sheep dip and to treat warble-fly infestation in cattle , could have damaged the animals ' immune system , exposing them to the disease . Ministry scientists , originally dismissive , are now reassessing his theories . More recently , researchers have suggested that in some cattle , BSE has been `` vertically '' transmitted from cow to calf . Given a long incubation period , such a possibility could make the disease harder to eradicate . This month 19 cattle have died on farms where MAFF is conducting a seven-year experiment into the disease . It is a daunting possibility for the farming industry , which has responded angrily . `` There is no evidence that this disturbing disease can be transferred from cow to calf , '' Farmers Weekly insisted last week . More cautiously , MAFF told The Sunday Telegraph : `` We have never said we have ruled out the possibility of maternal transmission , but even if it occurs , our scientists do not believe it will do anything other than lengthen the time before the disease is eradicated . '' So how long will it be before the epidemic is ended ? Richard North , a former environmental health officer turned consultant , and a contributor to The Sunday Telegraph , believes that MAFF 's statistics are being skewed to produce more optimistic figures -- claims not surprisingly rejected by the ministry . Mr North said : `` We have more than 8,000 cattle born after the feed ban that have subsequently contracted BSE . The claim that all of these are affected by illegally retained infected feed gets less credible by the hour . '' One question -- perhaps the most important -- remains . If the disease has jumped from sheep to cattle -- and cases have also been reported in kudu antelope at London Zoo -- could it affect humans ? That prospect , discounted by most scientists -- including MAFF critics such as Mr Purdey -- is considered a possibility by Richard Lacey , a Leeds University microbiologist who has been studying cases of CJD , a disease with a long incubation period . Reviled by the farming industry and privately disparaged by MAFF , he nevertheless insists that there may be a threat . `` I 'd expect an increase in cases of CJD by the early years of the next century , '' he says . `` The bottom line is we just do n't know what risks we may be running . ''

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

maternal transmission
diseased sheep
disease scrapie
british agriculture
british beef imports
infected feed


THE CONDITION known in cattle as ` mad cow disease ' , spongiform encephalopathies , has been found in Britain 's sparsely-scattered antelope population , the government has admitted . Three elands , three greater kudu and an arabian oryx have been diagnosed with the disease over the past three years . In all , six species other than cattle have been confirmed with the condition during this period . The statistics - released in response to a written question from Mr Ron Davies , a Labour agriculture spokesman - show a disconcertingly rapid increase in the number of sheep found to have the disease . A total of 894 cases of sheep encephalopathies or ` scrapie ' were diagnosed in 1991 , versus just 348 a year-earlier . However , the government states in a footnote to the table that the reporting of scrapie in sheep has been encouraged since 1991 ` to obtain material for spongiform encephalopathy research ' . Since 1989 , the condition has also been confirmed in 23 cats and 29 goats . Mr David Maclean , junior agriculture minister , stressed that naturally occurring spongiform encephalopathies in species other than cattle were not notifiable diseases . He said there was ` insufficient epidemiological data ' to ` draw firm conclusions ' as to how the disease might have been contracted in cases other than scrapie . Scrapie , he said , was considered to be transmissible ` both maternally and horizontally ' .

O O O O O O O B I I O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

mad cow disease
spongiform encephalopathies
antelope population
sheep encephalopathies
scrapie