Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, February 18, 1991, Page 5, Image 5

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    PERSIAN GULF WAR
Ground attack date not yet set
DHAHRAN. Saudi Arabia
(AF*) — The U S. military said
Sunday that no date has been
set for an allied ground offen
sive in the Persian Gulf War,
and Washington said it would
reject any Soviet peace plan
calling for a cease-fire.
In Saudi Arabia, American
and Iraqi patrols clashed along
the border in seven separate en
gagements early Sunday.
During one prtvdawn skir
mish. an American Apache at
tack helicopter firing Uellfire
missiles destroyed two Ameri
can military vehicles, killing
two soldiers and wounding si\.
the U.S. Command said
It was the worst friendly fire
accident since Jan. 29, when a
U.S. warplane hit a Marine re
connaissance vehicle during a
furious tank battle along the
Saudi-kuwait border and seven
American soldiers were killed
The French Foreign Minister.
Roland Dumas, said Sunday
the allies have already set a
date for the ground assault
"We are on the eve or the
pre-eve of the ground offensive
for the liberation of Kuwait."
Dumas said in a radio interview
in Paris, without saying exactly
when the attack would occur
In another report. The l-os
Angeles Times said Sunday
that the United States plans to
launch a ground and sea attack
this week if Iraq does not sur
render or agree to a "diplomat
ic deal" in the next three days.
The newspaper quoted uniden
tified U S military officers in
Washington.
The report also quoted a se
nior officer as saving the allies'
monthlong air war has cut the
combat effectiveness of Sad
dam's army virtually in half
US off it ials have said in tin
past that 50 percent destruction
was their goal before sending
ground forces into Kuwait
When reporters at the U S
military briefing in Riyadh
asked about Dumas' comment.
Marini' Brig lien Richard Neal
said it was false
"No. there is no date set at
this time," he said
U S Secretary of State fames
Baker refused to say during the
interview on CNN’s "News
maker Sunday" when an allied
ground assault might begin.
But when he was asked if it
could start during the Aziz
Corbachev consultations, he re
plied "The campaign plan that
the coalition forces have is go
mg to !>e carried out in accord
ance with its original terms "
In two of the skirmishes Sun
day. 20 Iraqi troops whose po
sitions were overwhelmed by
U S firepower surrendered and
walked into Saudi Arabia with
Apache helicopters guarding
them from overhead. Neal said
"They dropped their weap
ons. and that’s when we pist
herded them hack with the
Apaches," he told reporters,
adding that the capture was
“unique."
CBS working for Simon’s release
\K\Y YORk (AP) Getting .i reporter into
Baghdad is top priority for most news orgam/.a
lions covering the Gulf War. Not so .it (’BS News,
where the goal is getting < aptured correspondent
Bob Simon and his three-man crew out
"Frankly, we've made a decision that Si
moil's safety and by that. 1 mean all four is
more important to us than whether we have
somebody there." said CBS News president Krii
W Ober.
Almost immediately after Simon and the
crew disappeared four weeks ago near the ku
waiti border, the network swung into at tion try
mg to locate and rescue the lour men
F.x CBS president Frank Stanton has used lus
contacts in the Red Cross to help out CBS head
laiurence Tisch sent a Telex to the pope king
Hussein of Jordan and Prince llassan of Jordan
made appeals for information based on CBS re
quests; Soviet officials did the same Fetters were
sent and personal appeals made to diplomats
around the world
The first definitive report that Simon and
company were alive came Friday, sending a wave
of relief through the company CBS said it had
confirmed that the four were being held in Bagh
dad
For Sam Roberts, a veteran CBS executive
spearheading the network's efforts, it meant an
other entry into his computer bank of tips and ru
mors. another round of calls and letters asking for
release.
"It's the toughest thing I've ever done, with
out any question." said Roberts, his phone ring
ing non-stop as he recounts the harrowing last
three weeks
Roberts. the exec utive direr tor ot < MS' inter
national broadcast services, sits in his office lie
neatli photos of tile four raptured journalists Si
mon, London bureau chief l*«>ter Bluff. freelanc e
cameraman Koberto Alvarez, and free lam e
soundman |uan (laldera
joining Roberts on the trout line of tins story
within the war .ire network executives Don
DeCesare. who is working the Middle hast and
lack Smith, who is dealing with the embassies in
London
DeCesare, speaking by phone from Amman.
Iordan, recounted his frightening return to the
Kuwaiti border site where the car containing the
four i aplured journalists was found )an 2 1
The network's coverage of the war lias been
affected by the missing crew although ()ber de
i lined to disi tiss specifics lie- made it c lear
however, that the well-being of Simon and com
pany took precedent e over w ar coverage
Simon s wife, Francoise, believes tier Inis
band was c aptured while out doing what he's
clone for tile past 24 years at CHS: c overing one of
tfit* world's hot spots from the perspective of the
front line In the past, he's been everywhere from
Biafra to Beirut for CBS News, capturing Kmmys
for his work in I'tH4 and lilHti
"For someone of his experience and integri
ty. there's definitely no other way to cover the
war than to go and look for yourselves." said
Mrs Simon, who is conducting her own diplo
matic efforts on behalf of her husband
"I think they said. 'Let's take a ride and see
what we come up with.' What the hell? That's
w hat a good reporter does." said Roberts
Ship-based planes may
destroy enemy artillery
THE USS MIDWAY IN
THE GULF (API - War
plain's list'd to flush Iraqis
from dug-in positions dur
ing a possible ground war
will face high risks from
anti-aircraft fire, a visiting
congressman said Sunday
Rap John Murtha D-Pt
who heads the House Ap
propriations defense sub
committee toured the USS
Midway aircraft carrier as
pilots prepared lor their role
in a possible ground war
against Iraqi forces in hti
wait
The congressman and the
pilots ilesr rihed .1 mission
more dangerous than past
bombing raids in the Persian
(hill War tier uuse it will re
quire 11 \ mg much < loser to
■mt 1 am raft batteries than in
rci ent bombing raids
Murtha said am raft sin h
as the I A 1H tighter bomber
i ould be effet live ill knot k
mg out Iraqi ground fon t's
onr e they were fori ed out of
their dug in positions
I be slop based airplanes
would be used til klloi k out
specifu enemy artillery po
sit ions harassing American
troops and to Ini Iraqi sup
ply lines as well as to 1 on
linue the 1 ampaign against
slrategu sites in southern
Iraq
"That’s tin' worst thing
you could ever do It’s not
like lotting bridges or < hem
it id plants from high over
head I'hev are going to he
i lose, said I t Mike \ an< e,
JH. ot Daytona Beach. I la
an I A IH pilot
MANAMA. Bahrain
(AP| Despite rnedicnl
treatment only one m in of
the oily birds rescued from a
massive oil spill in the Per
sian Gulf will survive a
Canadian government envi
ronmentalist said Sundav
Jose Carreiro. chief of
wildlife conservation for the
Ontario region of hnviron
ment Canada, said most of
the birds rescued from such
spills are in very poor i ondi
lion.
Oil is especially danger
ous to birds, which can
drown when their feathers
become oily An even great
er threat. Carreiro said, is
"when they preen them
selves and ingest large quan
tities of oil That’s the killer,
and that's why spot ial treat
mant has to be given to
them
Priority vs ill he given to
birds that have permanent
nesting grounds m llahram.
especially the local breed ol
c ormorant
II they die. it nothing is
done tor them, these cado
mes will nev er i nine ha« k .
said ( urteirn. who had no
estimate of the local cormo
rant population
MOSCOW | A P) Iraq's
fori*ixn minister en route to
Moscow tor talks with I'resi
dent Mikhail S Corliai lie\
s.utl Siindav that the Iniiilen
is mm on the I S led > oali
lion to take steps toward
peace
We have taken our step
find now is the turn u! the
nthei suit to show its good
v\ ill I oreign Mllllstet
I ani| \/i/ told reporters in
Iran
He was si Iteiiuled to meet
( arrbiii hev on Monday iri a
last i ham e hid for pear e in
the Persian Cult before a
ground war The stakes are
high not only for Iraq but
tor the Soviet I llinil as well
The Soviet I blion has
play ed an ini reasmgK dom
inant role in international el
toils to tiring atioul .1 diplo
main solution to the (hill
War before an all out allied
ground offensive begins
The Soviets appear wor
ried that the I' S present e
III the gulf could lead to
long term Amcrii an super 1
ority there leaving the
Kremlin on the sidelines
Since ( airbat hev he( a me
Soviet leader six years ago.
the Kremlin has largely
abandoned its policy of
gaining influence in the re
gum through weapons sales
to Arab ( bents, ini hiding
Iraq. Syria and Kgy pt
MAD BLOB "
is on the
Rampage Again,
Terrorizing Innocent Arteries
with his secret weapon
CHOLESTEROL...
Find out if mad Blob is terrorizing
your innocent arteries by getting your
cholesterol screened.
Tuesdays 9:00-11:30 a.m.
at health Education in the Student Health Center
FREE
sponsored by the Lifestyle Planning Program Student Health Center
1. Taco Crisp (beef)
corn tortilla. seasoned ground l*eef, chodilar cheese,
lettuce, tomatc»cs $ 1.00
2. Taco Crisp (chicken)
corn tortilla, reasoned chicken, clwddar cheese, lot
tuce, tomat<»es SMS
3. Bean Burrito (soft)
flour tortilla, refried beans, cheddar cheese, stnjr
cream, salsa, lettuce SI ..IS
4. Meat Burrito (soft)
flour tortilla, seasoned ground I'oef, clieddar cheese,
sour cream, salsa, lettuce SI .#»**
5. Chicken Burrito (soft)
flour tortilla, seasoned chicken, chcddar cheese, sour
cream, salia, lettuce
Rice with above, add *iOc
Crisp Btirritos
llcan SI..15
Hrrf
SI .M
Kcclo Spuds *
french frictl potato***, v.i*.«>nr%\ with Mexican * p«i <
Full order SI *»<*
DOS PATOS
Mexican Restaurant
1219 Aider
"Lunch for l.ess Than $2.00"
Hours: 11iiiii-3|>ni
si .*»■;