North County Times from Oceanside, California • 3

STATE NATION WORLD North Col vnrTiMLs A-3 WEDNESDAY, Hi, 24, 1W TODAYS CniZFi Governors upbeat at D.C. conference ended on an upbeat note with Democratic and Republican governors saying their style of bipartisanship and consensus building might be taking hold in Washington. I sense a new civility that may be in the air in our nations capital, said Gov. Tom Carper, a Democrat from Delaware who is chairman of the National Governors Association. The governors were often united across party lines, often Counsel law appears doomed Texas Gov.

George W. Bush gains endorsements for presidential run ASi IAIfcO IKt-V' WASHINGTON The nations governors demanded more federal money for state programs with no strings attached, ending a four-day conference Tuesday that also boosted Texas Gov. George W. Bushs presidential prospects. Though Bush left Washington without a formal endorsement, his supporters said they secured support from 13 of the 31 GOP governors.

Three or four more could soon join in, organizers of the drive said. I think its going to be a few more days before we get this done, Montana Gov. Marc Racicot said. He joined forces with Govs. John Engler of Michigan and Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts to round up Bush allies, hoping to get a majority of the GOP governors aboard.

Bush was hardly the only topic at the conference, which Staunch support against Washington. They demanded more money for education and welfare programs, while telling Congress and President Clinton to keep their hands off money that states earned in lawsuits against tobacco companies. The president promised on Monday to back legislation allowing states to keep the tobacco money if it is spent on health and anti-smoking initiatives. GOP governors said they would committee opening hearings today into whether to renew or kill the Independent Counsel Act agrees and even he isnt convinced of the need for such a law. Sens.

Mitch McConnell, and Chris Dodd, were more blunt Tuesday, calling for the laws demise. Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Fred Thompson, has said he knows of no way to adequately fix the law before it expires June 30, but hes holding hearings to be sure. Avchtep fREj- Photo Bukos, 20 miles north of Pristina. The mourners and police were trapped for more than an hour in the house, said Associated Press photographer Srd-jan Die, who sustained a cut on his leg from firing shrapnel. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, observing from a nearby hill, said the Yugoslav army sent in reinforcements, including a tank, an anti-aircraft gun and dozens of soldiers.

No fighting was reported elsewhere in the province. But Beatrice Lacoste, the spokeswoman for the OSCE monitors in Kosovo, said government forces were preparing to mine a bridge on the main road leading south to Macedonia. make sure Clinton kept his promise. It was Congress turn Tuesday, with lawmakers from both parties trooping to a downtown hotel to address the governors. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said he, like Clinton, would support states keeping tobacco money.

I know this is a burr in your saddle, he told them. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi promised a quick vote on a bill that would allow states to waive federal education regulations, and he said the next budget will include more money for schools. What I want is more flexibility and more money for you, he said. Several governors complained that Washington was not giving states money promised for welfare and special education programs mandated by Congress. As for the 2000 presidential situation, what started as an informal head count Sunday rapidly evolved into a Bush boomlet and could still lead to a formal endorsement in the next week or so, organizers said.

Trust is issue in Capitol Tre-' WASHINGTON In their first prolonged encounter in 1 12 years, President Clinton and congressional leaders met Tuesday and discussed getting the peoples business done together. But top Republicans later declined to say that they trust the president they impeached and then acquitted. And in a hint of disputes to come, Clinton insisted that lawmakers reserve 77 percent of anticipated future budget surpluses to bolster Social Security and Medicare, participants said. Republicans have broadly agreed to dedicate 62 percent of the projected surpluses for Social Security, but want to use much or most of the rest for tax cuts. When Clinton said 23 percent of the surpluses could be used for tax cuts, education and other domestic initiatives, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, said that would squeeze the GOPs tax cut plans too tightly, said aides from both parties who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Overall, surpluses are projected to total about $2.5 trillion over the next decade. The meeting came just 11 days following the end of Clintons Senate impeachment trial, after which Lott questioned whether he could trust Clinton. Asked repeatedly as they exited the White House whether he trusted the president, Lott would not say. Ill tell you what I trust, Lott said. I trust the ability of the people here in the Congress, in the government, to work together to do what we need to do for the people.

Thats where the real trust should be, the trust in us doing the job. WASHINGTON (AP) Spawned by Watergate but increasingly attacked by lawmakers of both parties, the law that gave Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr his job is in for a major overhaul if it survives at ail. Weve either got to fix it or drop it and look for another mechanism, said Sen. Carl Levin, a principal author of the 1978 statute intended to take the politics out of investigating high-ranking officials. The chairman of a Senate bia, the main Yugoslav republic.

About 90 percent of Kosovos population are ethnic Albanians, and most want independence. More than 2,000 people have been killed and 300,000 made homeless since fighting began last year. Tuesdays fighting began when suspected rebels opened fire on Serb mourners, who gathered under police escort at the home of Mirko Milosevic, a civilian killed Monday allegedly by the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army. Elderly women lit a candle and prayed next to the body, while police exchanged gunfire with the rebels outside, an Associated Press Television News cameraman said. The dead mans blood still stained the snow in front of the house in TERRI SHUTE meeting, Davis met with reporters for California-based newspapers and in a separate, private meeting urged Californias congressional delegation to woik for his agenda.

Panel to look at Iraqi disarmament UN ITI I) NAI IONS An international panel of experts met for the first time Tuesday to take a fresh look at ways to complete the disaimament of Iraq, which has been stymied for the last six months. With a stack of technical reports in fmnt of them, the 20-mcmbci panel opened four davs of meetings, which will start bv assessing the state of the eight-vear U.N effort to rid Iraq of its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and long range missiles Commission issues caution about cords WASHING ION Millions of foie lgn made extension colds, powu strips and surge protectois mav contain faulty wiring or loose connections that pose serious dangers to con-sumcis. tlie government savs he onsumer 1ioduct Safe-tv Commission will issue a warning to consumers today about the latilty items, which can cause fires, shocks or electrocutions According to the agcricv which has recalled 2 million defective coids. power stnjis and surge piotectors sime 1991 main of these piodiuts aie made in China and sold at discount stoies or small ic taileis Administration nixes satellite for China WASHING I ON After veais ot piomoting satellite exports to China, the Clinton administration abruptly reversed comse. retccting a $450 million commctcial satellite sale to a Chilli se controlled consoitium amid concerns about valuable nulitarv know how I he decision, confirmed luesdav bv semoi administration otiicials, leaves Hughes 1 lectronics with tens of millions of dollais in high tech hardware under construction at its Southern California plant Rejection ot the export comes a week be foie Seuetary of State Madeleine Albught travels to Belling for talks with Chinese leaders and amid congiessional and executive branch probes of whether past satellite deals helped the Chinese military Analysts look at Social Security WASHING I ON Improving the etonomv by paying off the national debt oi cutting taxes, fot example would be one of the best ways to help ensure the nation can afford piomised Social Security benefits, congiessional budget analysts said luesdav.

The size ol Social Security's trust fund, on the other hand, is irrelevant, say the nonpartisan researchers. In the Social Security trust fund, we have debt, not assets, said Dan L. Cnppen, dnector of the Congressional Budget Office. Poll: Little court justice for minorities WASHINGTON Too many Americans think the nations courts do not provide equal justice for racial minorities, the American Bar Association's president said Tuesday as the lawyer group released findings of a poll it commissioned. Of 1,000 people surveyed by telephone in August, 47 percent said they strongly disagreed with a statement that the courts treat all ethnic and racial groups the same.

Only 39 percent agreed with the statement, and 14 percent voiced no view. Asked whether courts treat men and women alike, 55 percent said yes, 30 percent said no, and 15 percent expressed no iTew. oMlilll HI U.S. official: China seeking WTO entry BEIJING In a shift that could help Chinas drive to join the World Trade Organization, Beijing officials appear to he more interested in opening their economy to competition, a top U.S. official says.

An agreement is not close, but more officials have concluded that a more open, more competitive, more dynamic economy is in Chinas interest, Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said 'lues-day. Summers said intense negotiations are expected before Premier Zhu Rongii, the official in charge of economic refoim, visits the United States in April Joining the WTO would gne China low-taiiff access to export maikets and shield it fiom one-sided trade sanctions Major crimes down in states big cities SACRAMENTO crimes in Californias largest cities dropped 12 percent last year, drnen primarily by a dia-matic decline in Los Angeles murders, state officials said 'I uesdas The 1,484 homicides in the state's most populous cities and counties in 199S repicsented a decrease of 20 percent from the previous year, state Attorney General Bill Icker said in the annual State of the Public Safety address The 12 percent decline came in six categories homicide, forcible rape, roblierv, aggravated assault, burglary and vehicle theft The crimes were repotted to the state by 76 law enforcement jurisdictions that account for 65 percent of the states population Higher antibiotic resistance found CHICAGO Researchers have found a worrisome increase in antibiotic-resistant in fections of the urinary tract that mav require switching drugs and treating patients for longer periods A five-year study of women with urinary-tract infections in a large Seattle-based H.MO found more than 20 percent of the most common bacteria-causing infections were resistant to penicillin ty pe antibiotics Experts debate MTBEs safety, value SACRAMENTO With just days remaining before Gov Grav Davis decides the fate of MTBL, opponents of the controversial gasoline additive said Tuesday that it poses significant public health risks. But fuel industry representatives told a state hearing that a University of California repoit recommending the phase-out of MTBE understates the clean-air benefits of continuing to use the additive. MTBE methyl tertiary butyl ether is one of several oxygenating agents that may be put in gasoline for cleaner combustion. Manufacturers favor MTBE, and federal authorities say it has helped cut air pollution drastically.

Consumed in drinking water or inhaled in gasoline fumes, MTBE may also pose higher risks of cancer, respiratory irritation and other health problems, according to a study by University of California scientists. Davis: Doctors will control HMOs WASHINGTON Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday said he is prepared to support laws that require managed health care companies to ensure patients are treated fairly, but believes doctors eventually will resume control of medical decisions and the financial risk for health care with or without government intervention. In the final day of a three-day trip to the nations capital to lobby the administration for federal aid and bond with fellow governors at the National Governors Association winter Supporters of Nigerian presidential candidate Tuesday. Obasanjo, a former military ruler and Olusegun Obasanjo celebrate upon the arrival of the current front-runner for the Feb.

27 presiden-their candidate at a rally in Enugu, Nigeria, on tial elections, is touring the country. Rebels open fire on Serb village A 's'! i TrI" PRISTINA, Yugoslavia A fierce bout of fighting left five Serb policemen wounded Tuesday and raised fears that a surge of violence in Kosovo could follow the inconclusive end of peace talks. The fighting, which stopped by midafternoon, added to the gloom left by the failure of international negotiators to pressure Serbs and Kosovo Albanians to agree to a peace plan at Rambouillet, France. The clashes between government troops and separatists have driven about 9,000 people from their homes in the past few days, the U.N. refugee agency reported Tuesday.

Kosovo is a province in Ser- Lebanese guerrillas kill three Israelis in ambush Kurd rebel leader Ocalan to stand trial for treason ANKARA, Turkey (AP) At a secret hearing on a forbidding prison island, Turkey formally arrested the foremost Kurdish rebel leader on treason charges Tuesday, paving the way for trial by a security tribunal. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty. Abdullah Ocalans Turkish attorney was barred from the hearing or conferring with his client, who has been under interrogation for a week without seeing a lawyer. Ocalan, 49, leads the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, a rebel army that has BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) Lebanese guerrillas ambushed an elite Israeli commando squad Tuesday, killing its commander and two officers and wounding five soldiers in a painful blow to Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The Benjamin troops were Netanyahu moving north of the Israeli-occupied zone when they ran into Hezbollah guerrillas, who opened fiiv at close range with automatic rifles and grenades.

The commandos fired back and called in helicopter gun-ships, warplanes and artillery support before being evacuated, the Israeli army said. The three dead were the first Israeli fatalities in Lebanon this year. In addition, an Israeli officer and four soldiers were wounded, one seriously, the army said. The loss was certain to increase debate in Israel about the cost of holding on to its occupied zone in south Lebanon ahead of May 17 elections. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem that it was a very, very bitter blow and a very tjfg toll for Israel.

waged a nearly 15-year fight for Kurdish autonomy in Turkeys rugged, impoverished southeast. The conflict has claimed an estimated 37,000 lives, mostly rebels and Kurdish civilians, with the toll growing daily. On Tuesday, the government reported the deaths of 14 rebels in clashes with Turkish troops in the mountains. Tuesdays hearing was closed to the press and public. Its outcome was reported by the semiofficial Anatolia news agency, which cited statements from the judge and prosecutors.

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