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Show I 2 r It THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 2002 THURSDAY. MARCH 21. f W: f-- ! -- f 1 hUfD) 1 ' 2 r" of a commuter school that feels like we all live on campus. 'e have a vision ij i - : ANNMARIE ALLEN, PRES CANDIDATE KS CHRONICLE 1DIT0H JARCO HITLY jWHfTLEY3CHR0NiCLE.UTAH.EDU CHRONICLE WifiE EDITOR UiKEL CAJKOWSKJ MGAJKOWSKICHRONlCLL.UTAH0U ft. ABOUT HER VISION FOR NEXT YEAR MARCH jgA r m nil i i wiu nil i n i i ii ii r j. i 1 1 i in American forces WASHINGTON Afghanistan arc releasing 43 prisoners, most of them mistakenly thought to be ai Qacda or Taliban fighters, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Twelve prisoners were released after being held for two weeks on suspicion they were Iranians trying to destabilize the interim Afghan government. The other 31 had been captured Sunday at what U.S. forces thought was a Taliban or al Qacda military compound. The 12 had been turned over to U.S. custody after being detained March 5 in the western province of Farah on suspicion of trying to buy influence for Iran among local groups, local Afghan authorities said at the time. They turned out to be ethnic Afghans, Brig. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr., deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday. Afghan and U.S. officials have been complaining that Iranian agents distributing money, weapons and other supplies among armed groups in western Afghanistan arc trying to destabilize Afghanistan's interim central government by fomenting regional dissent. The other 31 released were taken in the latest raid on a suspected Afghan terrorist compound Sunday 40 miles west of Kandahar. li n i ii t h n m ir i The ASUU Presenter's Office wilt host "Ccffts i Though the decision had been made to release them, American forces were still working Wednesday on transportation and other logistics for their release. All the prisoners were being released into the custody of local Afghan authorities. Rosa told a Pentagon press conference Wednesday that American forces had previously watched the site, then more recently saw a buildup there in weapons and suspicious activity. "Through intelligence we saw more ammunition, more weapons in that area. We also saw folks that we didn't necessarily recognize" and that Afghan allies didn't recognize, he said. The development highlights difficulties the U.S.-lc- d coalition faces to figure out who's who in a e nation where lawlessness is rampant and supporters switched sides after the harsh Taliban governing system fell. It also highlights the difficulty in collecting good intelligence as coalition forces seek out scattered and hiding enemy fighters. Additionally, it is an example of operations rarely talked about openly by the Pentagon. Sunday's raid was made public, but an unknown number of others with similar outcomes have remained secret, defense officials said. The capture came as coalition forces were wind one-tim- ing down Operation Anaconda, a 2,000-trooassault to kill or capture al Qaeda and Taliban fighters believed to be regrouping in eastern Afghanistan. Before Anaconda, the last known ground operation was on Jan. 23, when U.S. special forces raided a compound where the United States mistakenly believed enemy figures were hiding. The Pentagon has said 16 people who turned out not to be to al Qaeda or Taliban were killed when they resisted and another 27 captured were released to Afghan authorities. Smaller, undisclosed raids took place before and after the Jan. 23 raid, officials have said privately. Those raids concentrated on gathering information about pockets of resistance and netting documents or individuals who were previously released. On Sunday, a team of Army Special Forces soldiers attacked a convoy that American intelligence had been watching, three vehicles traveling about 45 miles southwest of the city of Gardez. Sixteen people in the convoy were killed, and the military said they were believed to be al Qaeda fighters. One man was detained, officials said. Although Anaconda was the largest U.S. ground operation in the war, it is not expected to be the p n SALT LAKE CITY-Jos- hua was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for possession of the drug Ecstasy with intent to WASHINGTON Rising costs and slipping mail volume are giving the Postal Service an increasingly bleak financial outlook, according to a General Accounting Office report. It urges Congress to give the agency more operating flexibility. The post office reported a $i.68 billion loss last year, the report said, and costs are increasing faster than income. In addition, dealing with the terror attacks and the anthrax mailings have cost the agency millions of dollars, as will continuing efforts to protect the mail. mood-enhancin- SALT LAKE CITY-F- our news organizations have sued Gov. Mike Leavitt, contending he is illegally destroying his email. The suit filed Tuesday in Third District Court contends Lcavitt's deletion of electronic documents violates the Government Records Access and Management Act and Utah's Uniform Electronic Transmissions Act and amounts to "destroying public records." The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City Weekly and television stations KUTV and KTVX contend the governor is "depriving the public of its constitutional right of access to information concerning the conduct of the public's business." UNIVERSITY WEATHER THURSDAY: 6139 Did You Know... 6541 S540 Four political parties are running in this year's ASUU election: Impact, Apathy, Elevation and Probably Cause. 0 MOSTLY SUNNY FliBAY: MOSTLY SUNNY MTUIDAY: EVENING SHOWERS SSSSSAY: RAINSNOW MONBAT: FLURRIES 3730 3627 Courtesy Brendon Degen and Todd Foisy, www.met.utah.eduJimsteenams Check The Daily Utah Chronicle for the latest in election news and upcoming events. DBZiUtah chronicle THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE is an independent student newspaper published daily Monday through Friday during Fall and Spring semesters (excluding test weeks and holidays) and weekly during Summer Term. Chronicle editors and stall are University ol Utah students and are solely responsible lor the newspaper's content. Funding comes from advertising revenues and a dedicated student lee administered by the Publications Council. Subscriptions must be prepaid. Forward all subscription correspondence, including change o( address, to the Business Manager. To respond with your quesor visit chronicle utah.edu on the World Wide Web. tions, comments or complaints call (801) RED Editor in Chief News Editor Sports Editor Feature Editor Opinion Editor Magazine Editor Photo Editor Production Manager MATT CANHAM mcnham?chroniclt Utah edu The report, prepared by the congressional investigative arm for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, comes just weeks before the post office is expected to send Congress a transition plan to improve its operation and finances. Last year the GAO placed the Postal Service on its list of top government agencies at risk of severe financial mismanagement. preparation for upcoming elections, ASUU will host "Meet tht Csrvdldstt s " in Saint Instithe Latter-da- y tute lounge at 11:4 S a.m. Light refreshments will te served. In JARED WHITLEY whitleychronicle uth edu ERIC "WALLY" WALDEN MjldcnfchronKlt.uUhedu parrychronicle utahedu LAURA B. WEISS lweisschromcle utahedu KATHRYN C0WLES kathryn? red mag com JEREMY HARMON harmon?chromcl utah edu DAVE HOWELL dhoellchromcle utah edu Online Editor MARK OCDEN mogdentchromcie utah fdu Business Manager ADAM WARD awardchromcte utah edu Accountant KAY ANDERSEN kayfrchron.de utah edu Advertising Manager JASON COOMBS jcoombschromclc ulah edu ; MARCH 2G The Hinckley Institute of Politics presents Ti'ssism Shoshont Lsfjfil Is Nat for.,; ; an address by Carrie Dann in OSH Room 255 at noon. part of its "Women's Week" celebration, the U will host a pane! discussion As titled, "(Self) Righteous Babes: The Border Creep cf Western Feminism" in the Union Panorama East Room at noon. WASHINGTON Independent Counsel Robert Ray concludes in his final Whitewater report that the Clintons' land venture benefitted from criminal transactions but there was insufficient evidence to prove the former president or his wife were guilty of wrongdoing. The report, released Wednesday, also said prosecutors could not rule out the possibility that Hillary Rodham Clinton played a role in the disappearance and mysterious discovery of her law firm billing records. The report wrapped up a investigation by three different prosecutors of the Clintons' finances and detailed the business transactions they undertook with partners Jim and Susan MARCH drop second session classes. Susan Gladden from Midwestern Ur.!vm!iy Osteopathic School will give a presentation In ASB Room 304 at noon. five-volu- six-ye- ar Th University Bookstore McDougal. will The report said Jim McDougal wrongly used funds from the failing S&L to benefit the Whitewater venture that he had created with Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, and Hillary Clinton, then a lawyer. U.S. mediator Anthony Zinni contacted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel. Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to ensure that the delicate truce talks would not be derailed by the bombing near the northern town of Afula. The explosion, which blew gaping holes in the sides of the bus. also injured 27 people, many of them Arab Israelis. Israelis and Palestinians have both hinted a truce could be declared as early as Thursday. However, the militant Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing and said it would not abide by any cease-fir- e agreement. feature GrsdFilrZCQZ with prize drawings and free refreshments. Students may order caps and gowns, announcements, class rings and ether graduation materials from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ASUU primary clsctlon Ing begins on'ine.'r:i.:. Palestinian Kills 8, With Weak Support Tensions Flaring JERUSALEM An Islamic militant blew himself up in a packed bus during morning rush hour Wednesday, killing seven other passengers, including four Israeli soldiers. Israel said it wouldn't retaliate for now and agreed to a crucial meeting with the Palestinians that could produce a cease-fir- e after 18 months of Mideast fighting. 27 Today is the test day to Cheney Tour Ends ANKARA, Turkey Vice President Dick Cheney ended an Mideast tour Wednesday by promising Turkey financial aid for peacekeeping in Afghanistan. Cheney said he hoped Turkey would agree to lead the force, now being run by Britain. But he failed to win the key NATO ally's support for a tougher policy against neighbor Iraq. The message Cheney received from Arab leaders regarding Iraq was to give diplomacy a chance, an Arab diplomat said. U.N. Secretary-GenerKofi Annan plans to meet with a senior Iraqi official next month about permitting U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Iraq. If Iraq rejects weapons inspections, the Bush administration would have a better case for military action. Meanwhile, the Arab League holds a pivotal meeting next week in Beirut, Lebanon and is expected to endorse a Middle East peace initiative by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. 23 Summer class registration by scheduled appointment begins today. U.S. al WYNNE PARRY MARCH Stl" Postal System Whitewater Case In Financial Plight Lacks Evidence distribute. was Christcnsen originally with charged selling 500 tablets of g the drug to an undercover federal agent. A grand jury last July indicted him on eight drug and firearm counts. Christcnsen pleaded guilty to possessing nearly 100 Ecstasy tablets with intent to distribute. In court documents the Drug Enforcement Agency claimed Christcnsen was responsible for 80 percent of the $6 million annual sales in Utah of Ecstasy and the drug GHB. The OrgiPifzstfon of Spanish Sptakers will meet in Union Room 319 at 3 p.m. All students, faculty and staff are Invited. last Dealer News Companies Receives Sentence Sue Gov. Leavitt Top Ecstacy Chris-tensc- house Opt n M!c Poetry" In the Union Panorama Room at 8 p.m. u UTA I 22 vot-- V The University Dec I; store Is ; hosting a Umd drfvt from. f.. I noon to 4 p.m. All donors " receive coupons for,;,; reduced Insignia pparffv"': wi.?f ' ASUU wKI ' host an tkctlKi;-- . with the two fmai dftt parties the In Lstter-da- y Ssfnt Institute noon. Lunch !ounget be served. The department cf mtrfici-- ; chemistry v "i f:.:tura a dissertation on "M&xt Spec- -' tromt try cf Isjjrcsrie Cslonocliot'dts md Ths!r na! f.rts-lnSkc-sH?.- !! Room 316 at 3 p.m. APRIL April 1 - Fesf's Dr WW.BAHWAKCK"SKXIECM |