Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.inter From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: inter Tue, Mar 31 1992 Date: Tue, 31 Mar 92 05:49:46 EST Message-ID: 03-31 0000 DECISIONLINE: International News USA TODAY Update March 31, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network U.N. INSPECTORS `SATISFIED': Iraq probably has been truthful in its account of how many weapons it destroyed last June, a U.N. inspector said Monday after his 35-member team ended a 10-day visit to Iraq. "We were able to satisfy ourselves of a high proportion of what Iraq declared," said Derek Boothby. Iraq reported earlier this month that it destroyed Scud missiles, chemical bombs and other weapons. PEACE TALKS TO CONTINUE: The State Department has invited all the parties to the Mideast peace talks to a fifth round of talks in Washington April 27 - but only if they all agree to a sixth round in a city "closer" to the Mideast. The department has asked all the parties to provide a list of cities that would be acceptable to them. So far, only Israel has complied. FIGHTING IN COMMONWEALTH: Armenia and Azerbaijan Monday accused each other of violating a cease-fire in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Russian leadership met with its ethnic minorities to avert a Soviet-style breakup. In the republic of Moldova, both sides in the explosive ethnic conflict reported dead and wounded in new fighting. USA ATTRACTING SCIENTISTS: The State Department Monday announced two programs to deter former Soviet scientists from working for countries unfriendly to the West: 150 defense scientists will work for three to six months as interns for U.S. scientific and research companies. At least 150 scientists will work at U.S. colleges and universities for one to two years as visiting scholars. PANAMA WANTS USA TO `SLOW DOWN': Panama is worried it won't be ready to take over U.S. bases by 2000 and has asked the Bush administration to slow down the military withdrawal. The bases, run by the U.S. military since before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, shift to Panama's control under a 1979 treaty that also turns over the canal to a private Panamanian concern on Dec. 31, 1999. EMBARGO NOT HARSH ENOUGH: A U.N. air and weapons embargo against Libya scheduled for a vote Tuesday won't likely cause Moammar Gadhafi to hand over terrorism suspects, according to experts. His bigger fear is unspecified Western efforts to bring him to justice as the man who ordered airplane bombings that killed 441. Already he is planning to get around the embargo with a ferry to Malta as a transit point. JAPAN FIGHTS RECESSION: The Japanese government has announced a $30 billion package to stimulate that country's sluggish economy. The package includes speeding public works spending and making it easier for companies to borrow for investments that will save power or labor. Japan's labor shortage has contributed to its economic slowdown. GERMAN OFFICIAL FIRED: Germany's defense minister fired one of his top aides Monday amid an escalating scandal over the illicit delivery of 15 Leopard tanks to Turkey. Germany has suspended all arms aid to Turkey in protest over Turkey's crackdown on Kurdish separatists. Also, Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel ruled out autonomy for Turkey's 10 million Kurds. JAPAN NOT GETTING CHIPS: U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills says Japan's failure to import more semiconductor chips is a serious concern. Hills says Japan imported only 14.4% of its chips the third quarter. Under a trade agreement, Japan is supposed to boost chip imports - from all foreign suppliers, not just the USA - to 20% by the end of this year. Hills says the next figures are due in July. FIGHTING IN CROATIA: Serbs Monday gunned down a Croatian soldier amid reports of exchanges of fire in several parts of Croatia. But the United Nations went ahead with plans to deploy troops in the republic; a truce held in neighboring Bosnia-Hercegovina where recent ethnic fighting has killed dozens. DOW JONES OPENS ON UPSWING: The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials opens Tuesday at 3235.24, after closing up 3.80 Monday. The New York Stock Exchange composite opens at 222.99, down 0.32. The American Stock Exchange market value opens at 393.61, down 0.75. The NASDAQ OTC composite opens at 602.07, down 2.60. DOLLAR OPENS MIXED OVERSEAS: The dollar opens mixed on foreign markets Tuesday. It opens at 0.5759 British pounds, up from 0.5743; 5.5920 French francs, down from 5.6085; 132.68 Japanese yen, down from 133.17; and 1.6455 German marks, down from 1.6400. (As of 3 p.m. Monday. Source: First American Bank of New York.) International News Editor: Michele Coleman. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM