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Fair to partly 0 cloudy Lows TDnSORBGW: Partly cloudy Highs near 90 Page 2A 55-6- OGDEN UTAH — —— MWBB— ——— SERVING NORTHERN UTAH SINCE 1888 50 CENTS M Iraq sets new conditions for hostage release Associated Press Iraq today set new conditions for the release of 237 foreign women and children awaiting departure from Baghdad and said it was sending more foreign men to military targets to shield the sites from attack The development came as the met with UN secretary-generIraq’s foreign minister in Jordan to try to negotiate a solution to the Persian Gulf crisis Iraqi spokesman Naji said the 237 foreigners can be flown to London and Paris on Iraq Airways if the airline is allowed to retrieve an unspecified number of Iraqis stranded in the two European capitals by the “brutal American sanctions” Asked about the fate of the women and children if Britain and France rejected the request replied only: “We hope that the two governments respond quickly and positively to this humanitarian request” Britain said it would not object to Iraqi nationals returning on flights that take foreigners to London There was no immediate response from France Nineteen Italians meanwhile arrived safely in Jordan today from Iraq They are believed to be among the first Westerners to go free under Iraq’s offer to release women and children hosal Anne An F-- 16 RaupStandard-Examme- r with the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron deploys to the Persian Gulf Thursday The wait is over the worry begins Families deal with departure of loved ones for Gulf crisis By DENNIS ROMBOY Standard-Examine- r staff HILL AIR FORCE BASE — The deployment of many husbands and fathers to the Persian Gulf is no longer imminent They’re gone Spouses children and other relatives of those stationed at the Northern Utah base have been anticipating the moment when their loved ones would get the call to join Operation Desert Shield For some waiting has been the hardest part The Air Force on Thursday arranged for the wives of several airmen who had left for the Middle East to meet with reporters All of those interviewed declined to give their names “With all the suspicion the last couple of weeks it’s been really torturous” said a wife of an aircraft mechanic who flew out Thursday morning as part of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron’s deployment She said her husband took it well “He’s a together person I of course fell apart” For the mother of twin boys maybe the torture of now having to await their father’s return is just beginning Since the boys were born her husband has left her “only to go to the store I keep a real short chain” Many more links were added to that chain after her husband embarked on the journey to somewhere for who knows how long Families of pilots maintenance workers mechanics and others who have recently left the base say they honestly don’t know exactly where their husbands or wives mothers or fa-18-ho- ur Holiday travelers take off despite high gas prices staff and wire reports r Standard-Examine- Utah’s major traffic thoroughfares were already busy this morning as Labor Day weekend travelers left for summer’s last fling Gas prices hovering around $125 per gallon in Northern Utah don’t seem to be deterring travel on what is traditionally one of the busiest recreational travel weekends of the year said Sgt Gary Whitney of the Utah Highway Patrol “We haven’t really made a connection between high gas prices and reduced travel on holiday weekends” Whitney said “Labor Day seems to be the one everyone wants to go out on so we don’t think higher gas prices will affect travel much” The American Automobile Association is predicting a 2 percent drop in air train bus and car travel from last year — partly due to rising gas prices following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and partly due to an economic downturn that predates the Middle East crisis Such a drop would be hardly noticeable on Utah’s busy Interstate 15 Highway 89 and Interstate 80 which are already growing crowded with motor homes trucks pulling boats other recreational vehicles and cars Whitney said UHP officers are mobilizing to monitor speed in hopes of preventing a repeat of 1989’s Labor Day weekend when a record nine people died in traffic accidents in Utah Whitney said AAA based in Heathrow Fla says Americans are expected to See HOLIDAY on 2A Utah six other By WENDY OGATA Standard-Examine- ’ staff r Taxpayers have shown they are angry enough in seven states to have placed tax reduction or limitation issues on their ballots this year — tops for the past decade "Taxes remain a hot subject with the American public and with voters" said David Keating executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union The NTU describes itself as a private group representing about 200000 taxpayers Keating said 1980 had an high of 12 states with ballot issues non-prof- it all-ti- tax-relat- ed non-partis- Anne tages In RaupStandard-Examin- er A Hill family support worker (left) plays with the son of a serviceman who left Thursday Also sitting are the boy’s mother an airman’s wife and their twins thers have gone They say they do know it’s in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia The Family Services Center on base helps families cope with the waiting and wondering “The Air Force takes care of its own” said center director Amie Ellsworth The center establishes support networks and groups for those left behind Ellsworth said he experts the service to increase during the deployment of forces in the Gulf region “Yes there are some emotional concerns It is not easy” he said A mother of one See FAMILIES on 2A De Klerk: End JOHANNESBURG South Africa (AP) — In a major turnabout President FW de rulKlerk called today for the whites-onl- y ing National Party to be opened to all races in the drive to end apartheid De Klerk said the National Party must open its ranks to all South Africans who shared its basic values and hopes for a multiracial democracy He said the party had to prepare for major changes confronting the country “The new South Africa demands that those who belong together through inner conviction should come together” he told a party provincial congress in Durban The opening of the National Party to all races would be a historic change for the party that created apartheid and attempted from political power to exclude The party has for decades been the main voice of Afrikaner nationalism representing whites of mostly Dutch descent who dominate South African politics The president who also heads the party non-whit- es other developments six more warships from the United States Britain and the Netherlands entered Egypt’s Suez Canal en route toward the gulf 2 As the multinational flotilla grew President Bush urged wealthy allies to help foot the $1 h cost of deploying US forces in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region About 60000 US combat troops have moved to battle stations and their number is expected to hit 100000 soon to billion-a-mont- whites-onl- y tures to meet ballot certification requirements but court rulings have either struck down or delayed till next year those tax proposals Merrill Cook chairman of the Independent Party of Utah said he senses some apathy among Utah voters this year even with a controversial initiative on the ballot The Independent Party was responsible for placing Initiative A on the Utah ballot proposing to exempt food from state and local sales tax “I’m not sure that dramatic hysterics necessarily cause these (initiatives) to pass Two years 1 i A de The UN chief and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz met twice today at the Royal Palace in Amman Jordan No immediate progress was reported but the negotiators were expected to issue a statement later A senior Jordanian official who had met with the UN chief before the talks with Aziz began said there was a “strong possibility” that Perez de Cuellar will travel to Baghdad for talks lence Factional fighting in black townships around Johannesburg has left at least 518 people dead and Vlok said tension was being stoked by strikes black consumer boycotts and terrorist attacks black-majori-ty “It’s a different kind of revolt this time It’s a fairness question" he said “I don’t see a rebellion like the old one but what I see is some growing realization that the tax structure is not fair” Billings said He criticized Gov Norm and Republican legislative leaders for ruling out a special session prior to the November election to propose possible alternatives to the initiative such as a tax credit to offset sales tax paid on food or an sales tax rate reduction Billings said government lead-Se- e Ban-gert- er across-the-boa- US-ma- 1 et ago we saw a much more incensed citizenry but they went down to terrible defeat” he said of the three 1988 Utah tax initiatives “I think this year people are quietly trying to assess does the private sector really need more help or does the government need more help? That single assessment will decide whether we win or not" he said Peter Billings Jr state chairman of the Democratic Party which also is backing Initiatve A said the number of states with tax issues on their ballots this year is indicative of voters’ riness of unfair tax structures not looking to start hostilities He also said his military plans were made without regard to the issue of Westerners being held hostage in Iraq Also today an Israeli military source said that Jordanian military planes arc flying spy missions along the Saudi Arabian border to supply Iraq with information on troop movements The Jordanian reconnaissance flights are being flown by F--5 jets and are giving a view of troop movements dozens of miles into Saudia Arabia the source said National Congress on sharing power Also today the government declined to confirm reports that scores of political prisoners would be released Saturday The government and the ANC agreed Aug 6 on a review process to free political detainees starting from Sept In a speech earlier today to the congress Law and Order Minister Adriaan Vlok warned that black factional fighting which has claimed more than 500 lives could resume at any time and push South Africa into a spiral of violence and bloodshed Vlok who heads the police also warned that rising crime could trigger violence between whites and blacks He said police were doing all they could to prevent vio- states qualify tax issues for ballots This year with the Nov 6 general election about two months away seven states including Utah already have qualified tax issues for their ballots Another state Arizona still is circulating petitions to place on its ballot a referendum repealing a tax increase Whether or not Arizona tax protesters succeed in qualifying the referendum Keating said this year marks the largest number of states with tax issues on the ballot since that watermark year of the tax revolt 10 years ago Tax protesters in two other states — Illinois and Oklahoma — have gathered sufficient signa repeatedly ducked questions about specific US military options under consideration But he said the United States was party asked the congress to give party leaders the authority to amend its constitution to admit all races The congress was expected to approve clearing the way for similar action at other provincial party congresses De Klerk said South Africans of all colors who want a economy guaranteed human rights and other protections must band together to work for their common goals “The requirement of no (racial) domination means that power has to be shared in such a way that a majority will neither have absolute power nor be able to abuse its power to the detriment of minorities or for their suppression” he said De Klerk has pledged to end apartheid and share power with the black majority But he wants guarantees on rights for the white minority under any future government The government is looking for allies among black political groups to buttress its position in negotiations with the African free-mark- face the estimated 265000 soldiers of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein who are stationed in and around Kuwait The commander of US forces in the Middle East Gen H Norman Schwarzkopf said today that US deployment there is ahead of schedule though he gave no figures He also said there will be no war unless Iraq starts one a move he said would bring swift retaliation and prove to be “an awfully stupid mistake” Schwarzkopf in his first news conference since moving his command post to Saudi Arabia rd TAX on 2A |