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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2001)
Argentina Jewish Bomb Trial Begins, Iran Claims Innocence Tw enty people accused o f in volvem ent in a car bom b attack on a Jew ish center in Buenos Aires in 1994, which killed 86 people, is going on trial in the Argentine capital. Those on trial are not charged with carrying o u t the attack - Argentina, Israel and the United States have laid the blame on Middle Eastern guer rillas backed by Iran. But Argentine prosecutors »ay five o f those now going on trial, including four form er police of ficers, provided the attackers w ith the stolen vehicle used in the bom bing. The defendants say they are not guilty, w hile Iran has re jected claim s that it w as in any way involved in the attack. CROSS-BORDER PROBE Law yers on the case say that it could shed light on the little- know n world o f Islamic m ili tants currently being investi gated follow ing the recent at tacks in America, The authorities have not said if their investigation is close to finding those actually carried out the attack, but have ac know ledged the investigation ex ten d s b ey o n d A rg e n tin a ’s borders. For at least six m onths more than 1,200 w itnesses will give evidence before a panel o f three judges in a specially fortified court. Standing trial are 15 form er Argentine police officers and Venezuela’s Last Dictator five civilians allegedly involved in a stolen car ring. The m ost serious charges are against five people w ho are ac cused o f know ingly providing a van to the attackers, who then packed it with explosives before driving it into the com m unity centre. T h e b la st co m p le te ly d e stroyed the seven-story build ing o f the A rgentine Israeli M u tual A id Association. If found guilty o f supplying the vehicle the four form er A r gentine police officers and a car salesm an face life in prison A rgentina’s 300,000-strong Jew ish com m unity is the big gest in Latin A m erica and the seventh largest in the world. Juliette Becomes Major Hurricane M E X IC O CITY (A P) H urri cane Juliette was grow ing to enorm ous proportions, but was m o v in g slo w ly aw ay fro m M ex ico ’s vulnerable Pacific coast and was unlikely to a p proach the U nited States. The National Hurricane C en ter in M iam i re p o rte d that Juliette had sustained w inds o f 145 m ph, m aking it a very strong Category 4 hurricane. It was likely to gain even more force later, forecasters said. The storm w as located 275 m iles south o f M anzanillo and was heading w est-northw est at 3 mph. Forecasters said the storm could shift to a m ore northw est track running parallel to the coast. H u rric a n e -fo rc t w inds e x tended outw ard up to 60 m iles from the center, and tropical sto rm -fo rc e w in d s e x te n d e d outw ard up to 160 miles. A hurricane w atch was in ef fect from Lazaro Cardenas to C abo Corrientes, a 250-m ile stretch o f coastline beginning 155 m iles north o f the resort city o f Acapulco. A sm aller hurricane, Kiko, was centered w ell out to sea, m ore than 1,200 m iles west o f M exico’s central Pacific coast. It had m axim um su stain ed w inds o f 75 m ph and w as headed tow ard the w est-north w est at about 9 mph. C 4RA CA S, Venezuela (AP) — Gen. M arcos Perez Jimenez, V enezuela’s last m ilitary dicta tor, died last T hursday. He was 87. Perez J im enez died o f a heart attack in his home in M adrid, Spain, w here he lived in self- imposed exile, his daughter, Fior P e re z J im e n e z , to ld lo c a l G lobovision television. She said his body w ill be crem ated in Spain on Friday, and that she hopes th e re m a in s w ill be brought b ack to V enezuela “some day.” Perez Jimenez ruled Venezuela from 1952 to 1958, when he was ousted by a bloodless coup. The coup ushered in 43 years o f unin terrupted democratic rule — the longest standing dem ocracy in Latin America. Bom in 1914 in the western state o f Tachira, Perez Jimenez partici pated in a military coup that ousted the dictatorship o f Gen. Isaias Medina Angarita in 1945, helping to install the democratic govern ment of President Romulo Gallegos. But in 1948, he led a coup that ousted Gallegos. A junta of three military officers ruled Venezuela until 1952, when Perez Jimenez declared himself president. His regime was backed by a security force that silenced opposition leader's by jailing them and torturing them. During his term he also created grandiose public works, includ ing a highw ay that connects Caracas to the northern coast, burrowing through the moun tains that separate the city from the Caribbean. In 1957, Perez Jimenez was elected for another fi ve-y ear term in a vote w idely considered fraudulent. But his regime had lost much public support and a clandestine movement to over throw him, led by the Democratic Action party, was taking force. O nJanuary23,1958,apopular uprising backed by the military forced Perez Jimenez and his fam ily to flee to the Dominican R e public. He had lived in Madrid since 1968. U.S. Navy Begins Shelling on Vieques Amid War Preparations VIEQUES, Puerto Rico ( AP) A U.S. destroyer fired shells at the Vieques bombing range in the first full-scale military exercises since the United States declared war on terrorism. Protesters cut through a Navy fence and threatened anti war demonstrations. Most protesters had pledged to stop their civil disobedience cam paign of invading Navy lands in favor o f peaceful vigils to show solidarity with the Sept. 11 terror attack victims, and to avoid raising tensions as Washington prepares for war. B ut som e h a rd -lin e rs cut through about 60 feet o f the Navy fence around the training ground, police on Vieques said. Opponents have for years protested the live bombing exercises on their island of9,100 people. The Navy said the exercises be gan Monday morning with non explosive 5-inch shells. From a hill, reporters heard distant thuds and watched smoke rise from the guns of the USS The Sullivans. Navy jets were expected to drop inert bombs on the firing range on the island’s eastern tip later in the exercises. In recent years, groups op posed to the training have mobi lized protesters to invade Navy lands and be arrested for trespass ing. But since the attacks, most have decided to limit their opposi tion to peaceful anti-war vigils, protest leader Robert Rabin said. The Navy has used the island to train for every major U.S. conflict over the last six decades. Opponents say the exercises harm the environm ent and the health of the island’s 9,100 people, accusations the Navy denies. Preserving Afro-Cuban Dance D o s familias unidas en una sola celebración. Talented Afro-Cuban Dance Performer Shares Her Skills in an Effort to Perpetuate the Art Form The Portland State U n iv e rsity W orld Dance Office is host ing Teresita Perez, a principal dancer and educator for the world ren o w n ed fo lk lo ric group, Affo-Ctlba de Matanza. She is the world’s leading author ity on Afro-Cuban folk loric forms. Perez will be hold ing a w orkshop on dance forms from her native country, demon strating the first as an aesthetic and spiritual source of inspiration for the second. Topics to be covered will in clude orisha song and dance, son, salsa, cha cha and mambo. All classes will fea ture live percussion by some of Portland’s hot test musicians. She will be at the Peter Stott Center Rm. 207 at PSU, from Oct. 2 - Nov. 22, Tuesday and Thurs days, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Call 503-725-5670. Teresita Perez is dedicated to preserving the integrity o f Cuban dance as well as presenting a contemporary perspective. photo by EARN WHILE YOU SAVE! L eading E dge H ealthcare S avings P rogram N eeds R eps to O pen D oors « V Mes De La Hispanidad • • • • • • • Save up to 80% on Doctors & Hospitals Savings on Dental and Vision Up to 40% on prescriptions includes Legal Services & Veterinary 60% Payout With Incentives and Bonuses! Company Profit Sharing for Top Producers No License Required. 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