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Show _ AS The Salt Lake Tribune WORLD Fri Russia Opens ImpeachmentProceedings Against Boris Yeltsin Hisfiring of popular prime minister has addedfuelto his adversaries’ fire LOS ANGELESTIMES MOSCOW — Russia’s wrathful lower house of Parliament opened impeachment proceedings “The country is in ruins.It is racked by death throes. Andthis is whyit is impossible for Yeltsin lawmakerIgor Bratishchev. The year-old impeachmentdrive revved into high gearafter Yeltsin fired his popular prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov, on Wednesday. Primakov was a favorite with the Communist-dominated Duma,the lower house of Parliament. The impeachment proceedingsare unlikely to unseat the president, who enjoys near-authoritarian powers under the constitution. Even if the Duma votes to impeach, the decision must be confirmed by the upper house, the Federation Council, as well as the country’s two highest courts — bodies whose members arelargely Yeltsin supporters. to continueas president,”railed Communist deputy Viktor Tlyukhin. “His impeachmentwill be thefirst step in the country’s revival.” Thursday against President Boris Yeltsin, turning a long-running parliamentary sideshow into a dangerous powerstruggle. Each side appears to be on a potentially suicidal mission to deposethe other. “We are readyfor any scenario,” said Communist tial elections. Yeltsin's representative, Alex- ander Kotenkov, argued that im- But a vote for impeachment, along with votes re- é jecting Yeltsin's nominee for prime minister, would peachmentrisks shattering Rus- , ae Boris Yeltsin fragile political drive Russia toward a constitutionalcrisis in which Yeltsin might be both required and forbiddento dis- band the Duma.To break the deadlock he could be “Forthefirst time in the 20th century, Russia has the chanceto replace the head ofstate legitimately and openly — before now they wereeither deposed or died in office,” Kotenkovsaid. “Today you face the choice between plunging the country into politicalcrisis and fighting for power, or affecting an orderly succession of power” in next year's presiden- tempted to call a state of emergency, rule by decree. eaneel upcoming elections or even impose martial law readyto establish a dictatorship in Russia Parliament has formulated five articles of im- peachment against Yeltsin: instigating the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991; illegally using force against Parliament in 1993 when lawmakers resisted his order to disband; going to warin 1994 against the separatist republic of Chechnya; destroying the armed forces by depriving them of sufficient funding: and committing genocide against the Russian people by promoting reforms that impoverished them andraised the death rate. Lawmakers say the charge with the most support is the article on the war in Chechnya. But they warned that Primakov’s dismissal has persuaded some lawmakers to take a harderstand, raising the likelihood that one or more charges could get the two-thirds majority neededto pass in the Duma. “Yeltsin's actions yesterday ensured that impeachment has become a real prospect,” said Oleg Morozov, leader of the centrist Russia's Regions fac- tion. “The dissolution of the Dumais almostinevita- “He is moved by only one motive — the preservation of his personal power and wealth of his family and close circle,” said Rasul Shugurov, a deputy from the conservative Agrarian Party. “Heis quite ble.” The Dumaoriginally set the vote for Saturday, but Communist leader Gennady Zyuganovsaidit could come as early as today Colombia Leader Readyto Create Guerrilla Haven DALLAS MORNING NEWS Risking further dismembermentof his war-ravaged country, Colombian President Andres Pastranasays heis willing to carve out a new safe haven for leftist guerrillas if it will advance the cause of peace. Pastrana already has garnered heavy criticism in the United States for ceding a Switzerland- size chunk ofhis nation to rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which Washington has labeled a terrorist organization that profits from Colombia's illicit drug trade. Pastrana told the Bogota newspaper El Tiempo in a recentinter- view that he wants to discuss creation of a separate “peace zone” for the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's second-largest rebel group. “We must find a mechanism to sit down with the Liberation 200 South 900 West Army,” Pastrana said. “The governmentis ready to find a mecha- ZCMIisclearing out a huge assortmentof mis-matched, as-is and discontinued 1998 SimmonsBeautyrest and Maxipedic nism. It can be a safe haven.” The FARC and ELN have spent the past 35 years fighting to overthrow Colombia's democratically elected government. Since 1997, their combined forces of roughly 20,000 guerrillas have gained the upper hand against Colombia's mattresses. Becausetheseprices are so unbeatable, no coupons, special offers or other discounts may be used. Save 20%-60% 120,000-member armed forces off original prices and, according to U.S. assess- ments, have caused the central Twin pieces starting at $59 government to lose control of 40 percent to 60 percent of the Colombian countryside. The Colombian president also Queensets starting at $149 agreed last week to negotiate terms with the FARC for expand- ing its current safe haven southward to include one of the heaviest cocaine-processing zones in the world, where the guerrillas say they hopeto establish a volunteer crop-substitution program. In addition, Pastrana agreed to extend for at least another month the expiration date for the current FARCsafe haven, which was to have returned to government control May 7. That concession followed an unprecedented, face- to-face meeting on May 1 between the Colombian president and FARC commander Manuel Marulanda. In return, the FARC agreed to move from anill-defined series of dialogues it has conducted with government representatives since January to full-blown peace negotiations. But the FARCreiterated its longstanding demandthatthe Co- lombian military crack down on right-wing paramilitary groups. “We have made clear to the government the threat posed by paramilitarism and that fighting against these groupsis oneof the fundamental elements that have kept the dialogues from dying since their start,’ FARC negotiator Raul Reyes told reporters. He warned that if the peace process fails, “there will be in Colombia a war of unpredictable consequences.” ‘The FARC and ELNareon the State Department'slist of international terrorist groups. In January, the Clinton administration dispatched two State Department officials to meet directly with FARCenvoys in Costa Rica. In March, FARC guerrillas kidnapped and killed three American activists working in Colombia with an indigenous group. The ELN is the group responsi- ble for last month's audacious hijacking of a Colombian commercial airliner carrying 45 passengers and crew. The rebels forced the plane down on a jungle airstrip, where all aboard were hustled away at gunpoint. The ELN continues to hold 25 of the hostages, including one Ameri- can, but has said through intermediaries that it is willing to release the remaining captives. In Washington, a Clinton ad. ministration official warned that U.S. counternarcotics aid to Co- PoetsSAY | 10 a.m.-8 p.m. 7] iL Saturday, May 15 10 a.m.-7 p-m. 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