Netanyahu seeks approval of Palestinian peace accord
By Laurie Copans
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu easily sur
vived a no-confidence motion in
parliament today in his battle for
political acceptance of his new
peace deal with the Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, the prime
minister lost an initial political
fight in the Knesset, with lawmak
ers deciding to present an early
elections bill to parliament for a
vote.
In the West Bank town of He
bron today, an Israeli security
guard was shot three times and
his body was dumped in a street
in an apparent attack by Palestin
ian militants. Hours later, an
anonymous caller directed police
to the body of a Palestinian man.
The caller said the Palestinian
was slain to avenge the killing in
Hebron.
It was not immediately clear
whether the violence would en
danger the implementation of the
peace agreement, under which Is
rael is to withdraw from 13 per
cent of the West Bank over a 12
week period in exchange for a
Palestinian crackdown on Islam
ic militants.
In a first step toward toppling
the Netanyahu government, par
liament’s Law Committee voted
9-7 to hold a first reading on a bill
to disperse parliament and hold
new elections within 100 days.
The suggested date for the elec
tions was March 16.
The bill was supported both by
coalition hard-liners opposed to
the West Bank withdrawal and by
dovish opposition legislators hop
ing to bring down the prime min
ister.
Committee chairman Hanan
Porat said the first reading of the
bill could be held within two
weeks. A bill needs to be ap
proved in three readings before it
becomes law.
The early elections bill will
need to be backed by a special
majority of 60 of the 120 legisla
tors. Supporters of the bill said
they were confident they could
pass the legislation.
Opposition leader Ehud Barak
said he was trying to topple Ne
tanyahu without hurting the im
plementation of the peace agree
ment.
As a result, Barak said his Labor
Party would not back a motion of
no-confidence submitted by the
far-right opposition party
Moledet.
With Labor’s help, Netanyahu
easily defeated the no-confidence
motion with eight votes in favor,
21 against and 15 abstentions. A
majority of the legislators, includ
ing Netanyahu, did not show up
for the vote.
Labor will also back the govern
ment when parliament votes on
the peace agreement at the end of
a two-day debate starting Nov. 3.
“We will give Mr. Netanyahu
an ad hoc safety net for the vote
on the agreement. There is no
connection between implementa
tion of the peace process and ear
ly elections,” Barak told Associat
ed Press Television News.
However, today's slaying of an
Israeli security guard in Hebron
— and the death of a Palestinian
in an apparent revenge attack —
raised questions about how much
violence the new West Bank deal
can withstand.
President Yeltsin cancels Austria visit because of poor health
By Greg Myre
The Associated Press
MOSCOW — Boris Yeltsin, re
duced to a part-time president in
recent months, was ailing again
Monday and canceled yet anoth
er foreign trip, this time to recu
perate from high-blood pressure
and extreme fatigue.
Yeltsin’s fragile health is a
source of daily specidation, and a
growing chorus of critics ques
tions his fitness to guide Russia
through its worst economic crisis
in the post-Soviet era.
His doctors ordered Yeltsin not
to make a one-day trip to Austria
on Tuesday because he was suf
fering from an ‘‘asthenic condi
tion,” the president’s office said.
Asthenia refers to a lack of physi
cal strength.
Yeltsin’s blood pressure was
also unstable, presidential
spokesman Dmitry Yakushkin
said, adding that doctors recom
mended a vacation for the presi
dent.
“I think everything will be
fine” with Yeltsin, Prime Minis
ter Yevgeny Primakov told Asso
ciated Press Television on Mon
day. Primakov will travel to
Vienna for talks with the Euro
pean Union instead.
Yeltsin aide Oleg Sysuyev said
the 67-year-old president would
likely start a vacation Wednesday
and would probably stay near
Moscow.
"The president is not ill
enough to be considered inca
pable of working,” Sysuyev said
on the Russian TV program “Hero
of the Day.”
Sysuyev said it was difficult for
Yeltsin to cancel the Austria vis
it. “This is perhaps the first time
recently when the president has
listened to his doctors’ advice.”
If Yeltsin were to resign — and
he insists he won’t — he would
be replaced temporarily by Pri
makov, who would be required to
call new elections within three
months.
Primakov has been prime min
ister for only six weeks and has
yet to produce his own blueprint
to deal with the country’s deep
rooted economic problems. But
he is widely respected by all po
litical factions and is seen as a sta
bilizing influence at a time when
Yeltsin has receded into the back
ground.
In Washington, President Clin
ton’s spokesman expressed confi
dence Monday that Yeltsin’s lat
est health setback would not delay
efforts to resolve Russia’s econom
ic crisis.
“We wish him a speedy recov
ery," White House press secretary
Joe Lockhart said.
For several months now,
Yeltsin has rarely put in full days
at the Kremlin, spending most of
his time at a secluded country
home in the woods west of
Moscow.
Yeltsin has been weakened by
recurring health problems, in
cluding heart bypass surgery in
1996. The president and his doc
tors insist that he’ll serve out the
rest of his term, set to end in the
summer of 2000, and they deny he
has crippling health problems.
Still, Yeltsin clearly lacks the
energy he displayed in his early
years in office. He visits the Krem
lin two or three times a week, and
usually only for a few hours at a
time.
Public appearances and foreign
trips have become rare, and poten
tial candidates m the 2000 presi
dential race have already begun
an informal campaign to replace
Yeltsin.
The leading contenders include
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov,
Communist Party leader Gennady
Zyuganov and Alexander Lebed,
a former general and now gover
nor of a vast Siberian region.
Russian newspapers have spec
ulated that Yeltsin is afflicted with
Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s dis
ease, but their reports are based
simply on his public appearances,
not on medical examinations.
Yeltsin cannot point to any ma
jor accomplishments since he was
re-elected in 1996. His critics say
he lacks the political and physical
strength to take on any major pro
jects and should quit.
But others say his resignation
would trigger a political crisis on
top of Russia’s economic turmoil.
Yeltsin was forced to cut short
a trip to Central Asia earlier this
month because of a respiratory in
fection. Doctors said last week he
had recovered.
Yet Monday, Yakushkin said a
committee of doctors that usually
meets before Yeltsin travels voted
unanimously for canceling the
Austria trip. There were no plans
to hospitalize Yeltsin, Yakushkin
said.
In Vienna, Yeltsin had been
scheduled to discuss security is
sues and Russia’s economy with
Austrian Chancellor Viktor Kli
ma, holder of the rotating Euro
pean Union chairmanship.
Yeltsin has already canceled a
visit to Malaysia that was planned
for next month, but a visit to India
in December was still on his
schedule.
COMPLIMENTARY PASSES
EXCLUSIVELY FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS' CAROMEMBERS.
WHEN AND WHERE.
October 29
Cinema World
WHAT.
Cardmembers get two
complimentary passes to
a preview screening of
Universal Pictures' new film
Meet Joe Black to be
released November 13th.
HOW.
Just bring your American
Express* Card and your
student ID to the location
listed below to pick up your
passes.
SPECIAL OFFER
JUST FOR APPLYING.
Receive 2 complimentary
passes when you apply for
the new American Express
Credit Card for Students
(stop by the location listed
below).
MORE TO COME.
Meet Joe Black is one in a
series of three major motion
pictures to be previewed on
your campus this year, com
pliments of American
Express.
PICK UP YOUR TICKETS HERE.
Outside the Bookstore
October 26-29
'O'997 American Express Travel Related Services Company inc
BRAD j
pin i
\ ANTHONY
HOPKINS
■<**
Meet Toe Black
SOONER OR LATER EVERYONE DOES
il:(TTjjcBiJ JT1.TFl* w.—» jji^
• K;r««tir cjifiiuii iifre-i giiciM iiro m-naot
TV1 --1 ,A* rnr_<*“■ z^sCiL. -".r.ouu'.cvf
>vlXi»(n 1 »<> j.^ jaw"A1«.rstr — ~ > v :.-v
NOVfMBER 13
'IvraiUMas* ^
f <^$*T A .. . • ■:• ' *J
'**: -r
, 3331 3213*15 t»lQ01
Cards
AFI
Entertainment
Got tho
UJINNU
on Hollowoon.
5^ Rood today's
^ spatial section
Frightening
Fowl
bc^'t [c/i^eX tc
A. fyiA&frjlf
50% off
great travel packs!
Eurailpasses issued
on the spot!
Plan early for
Thankgiving!
Travel
Council
CIEE: Council on International
Educational Exchange
877 1/2 East 13th Street,
Eugene
1222 East 13th Street,
EMU Building,
Univ. of Oregon,
Eugene [54IJ-344-2263
wuu.counciltravel.com