Iran says West behind
attacks on its embassies
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran on Monday de
mandod the extradition of rebels who attacked
Its. diplomatic missions and accused Iho W«*l
of trying to undermine Tehran as it prepares
for parliamentary election* this week
Tho elections Friday uri‘ i onsidered r.rut la!
for President Hasheml Kafsnnjanl as he struggles to gam control
over hard-line opponents in parliament and continue his policy of
opening Iran to the West
Tehran radio said the attar ks on missions in New York. Ottawa
and at ross Europe were part of a "« air ulated plot by arrogance (the
West) anti its mercenaries' to undercut the legitimacy of Iran's
elections
Iranian official* tear that the rift ...between Rafsanjani and the
hard liners i oultl tn exploited hv disaffec ted groups
The foreign Ministry in Tehran summoned several European
ambassadors to deliver a stern protest-over the attar ks
Norway and (lermanv apologized to Iran for the damages while
Sweden said demonstrators who were not citizens may he ex
pulled, allhough not to Iran Swedish-law prevents deportation of a
person to a country where he may fat e the death penalty
The attacks followed Iran's bombing Sunday of a Imsc of the
Baghdad harked Iranian rt'liel Mu|ahedeen Khali) inside Iraq Teh
ran said the rairl was to retaliate lor a cross border Mujahcdren at
tar k on Iranian villages S.itunlay
In New York, Iraq protested the air raid anti asked the I N Set u
r11v ('nuncil to lake action against the Iranian "aggression " Iran.
,iIm) in ,i letter lo Ini' (.mini ;il, 11roli•*>l«-i 1 Itu* embassy attar ss
On Sunday. Iranian dissidents rampaged through embassies in
(lertniiny. flritain. I'ninoe. Sweden. Norway, Canada. the Nether'
hinds. Switzerland and the Iranian mission al the l Tilted Nations
to protest Iran's air raid
State-run media said several diplomats and other embassy staff
were injured The f oreign Ministry i ailed for extradition of those
responsible and deni.mded eotnpensatlon for damage
The f oreign Ministry warned Iraq to (.ease sup|>ort lor the Mu|u
herleen, which has lieen based in lrai| since it was expelled from
Trance In 1‘JHfi In responsi1 to Iranian pressure
Iranians interviewed al random on the street were not sure
whether they believed reports of either the cross-border Mujuhe
deen incursion or the Iranian air raid Into Iraq
This is the lirsi I've heard of u .aid .1 JH vrar-old Iran-lraq war
veteran who gave only his first name. Abbas "But if the Mujahe
deen attar ked. then Iran has every right to bomb their liases
Chairman notes rocky Israeli ties
WASHINGTON (API — The
Republican Party chairman
told a Jewish political action
committee on Mond.iv that
the Bush administration's
rocky relations with Israel are
temporary and praised the
country's restraint during the
Persian Gulf War
"Right now, the average
American lew probably feels
more al home with the Demo
cratic Parly than the Republi
can Party." GOP chairman
Rich Bond acknowledged in «
speech to the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee
"1 know your community is
angry, frustrated and nervous
Bui i hope this will pass over
the nest few months as differ
ences art? resolved
Ron Drown, chairman of
the Democratic. Party, also ad
dressed tho gathering He
painted hi* party as the morn
consistent ally of Israel and
said that nation's security
hinged on ousting Bush
Echoing some themes of
Democratic front-runner Bill
Clinton. Brown said the Bush
administration is about for
getting dose friends About
embr.ii ing undeserving fix’s "
Clinton last week slammed
the administration for public
ly attacking Israel's policy of
establishing settlements In
disputed territory and being
ungrateful for its decision not
to retaliate against Iraqi mis
sile attac ks during the war
Bond said thul "lime and
again, Israel has been asked to
do what few other countries
have been asked to do."
As for relations with tho ad
ministration, which Is trying
to hold hack S10 billion in
loan guarantees until Israel
agrees to slop building new
settlements in Israeli-occu
pied territory. Bond said they
will be smoothed out
"Our friendship is too
deeply rooted, the mutual re
spect too grounder!, our val
ues tot) similar for our rela
tionship to he damaged by
this difference,” he said.
Brown said the settlement
issue should not be linked to
the loan guarantee ' Israel has
always paid its debts.” Brown
said.
Bond maintained that his
parly has acted more deci
sively to quash anti-Semitic
candidates, including cam
paigning against former Ku
Klux Klansman David Duke
Baptist church endorses gay preacher
CHAPEL HILL. NC (AP) - A homosexual mnn
lic ensed to preach by a Southern Baptist c hurch
said Monday he struggled for years before he real
ized he c ould be Ixith gay and Baptist
"I grew up as <i Baptist, was raised In a Baptist
congregation from birth." John Blevins. 24. said
Mondu\ "I finally came away realizing that I was
a Baptist, that I c herishod the free-e huroh spirit of
the Baptists "
Linda Jordan, senior pastor of Olln I' Binkley
Memorial Baptist Churc h, said the 145-107 vote
to license Blevins was taken because the Duke
University divinity student attends that church
But he will have to find a job elsewhere He
was never considered for a Job at the churc h. sJie
said
The Southern Baptist Convention, which
claims 15 million members as the largest Protest
ant denomination in the country, allows its
churches to exercise? wide autonomy in policies
and religious practices
"Lie (insure to preach the gospel means that the
congregation recognizes a candidate’s gifts for
ministry and supports him or tier in the final
stages of educational preparation,” church offi
cials said In a statement Monday
'it is not equivalent to ordination, but docs in
dicate that a candidate has sufficient preparation
to preach In local congregations," the statement
said
The a< lion is expected to anger leading state
and national Southern Baptists
PRESIDENT’S FORUM
"Ballot Measure
5
and the
Future
ofUO”
featured panelists include
Margaret /. Halloek, thre, tor labor IJn.ati. "
and Research Center
State Representative Carl Hosticka, i-mvi
ate Vice Pres for Statewide l Jucational Serenes,
Professor of Planning Public Policy C Management
jerry Kissler, Senior Vice Pro:\*t for Planning &
Resiiurces
joint Moseley. Vue President for Research
Al l STUDENTS ENCOURAGED
TO ATTEND AND ASK OUl STICKS!
Tuesday, April 7, at 3:30pm
100 Willamette Hall
University of Oregon
SAIF head to manage
private insurance firm
SALEM, Ore
( A i’) — Stun
Long announced
Monday he's re
signing as president of SAIL
Gorp . the state-owned work
ers' compensation insurer
Long, who has had a some
what turbulent tenure since
becoming head of SAIL in
November lUHH. is resigning
us of May 1 to u< t opt an oxoc
utive position with a New
York-bused insurance compa
ny
Long, a Eugene lawyer and
former deputy state attorney
general, stemmed the flow of
red ink at the state's largest
workers' compensation tarri
er but drew flak from various
groups who opposed bis re
forms
Hr will Im-coitu! president
ol lhi.' new cost containment
division of American Interna
tionul Group Ini . the Million's
largest underwriter of com
mercial and industrial cover
age
Former Gov Neil Gold
schmidt appointed Long to
the- SAIF post In an effort to
stem the company's losses,
which reached close to SI
million a week in I98«
The company's condition
turned around after Long
tightened claims payment
practices and persuaded the
Legislature to change some
workers' compensation laws
SAIF reported net income
of S-’O million in the 1990 Fis
cal year and $11 million in
the 1991 year
Kathy Keene, SAIF' execu
tive vice president, will be
acting president until a suc
cessor to Long is appointed
by the SAIK board of direc
tors, said Chairman Herbert
Aschkenasy.
Aschkenasy said Long took
SAIK "from the brink of insol
vency and made it into one of
the most innovative, creative
end financially secure Insur
ance companies in the na
tion ”
However, Long's cost-cut
ting moves drew fire from
chiropractors, trial lawyers
and organized labor, who ac
cused SAIK of penalizing in
jured workers to cut employ
ers' Insurance premiums.
One of Long s staunchest
critii s. state Sen Grattan
Kerens. D-Kugene, called the
resignation a "red-letter day
for Injured workers who had
borne tfie brunt of Long's re
forms.
the si.iio Department oi in
surance and Finance studied
SAIF practices and recently
concluded the company was
too quick to deny claims for
compensation from people
suffering from job-related in
juries or illnesses.
Long said despite cost-cut
ting moves, he believes work
ers with job injuries and ill
nesses am better off today that
when ho took over as presi
dent.
"I sleep really well at night
on the issue of whether work
ers are well taken care of,”
Long said.
Coldschtnidl appointed
him as director of the former
state Commerce Department
in 1487. and Long helped
guide a bill through the Ore
gon Legislature that abolished
the department.