| OCR Text |
Show bare The Salt Lake Tribune NATION/WORLD A3 Friday, December24, 1999 Popularity of Posada Grows With Latino Numbers Christmas procession spreads across U.S. N.Ireland’s Convicted Terrorists Get Gift of Temporary Freedom THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS BELFAST,NorthernIreland — Every convicted terrorist impris- oned in Northern Ireland went homefor the holidays Thursday, ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES — Thethrong thanks to the Bri at Our Lady Queen of Angels church jostles to get a look at a “girl in a blue veil and a man in a ,Serape, representing Mary and _Joseph. They follow them, singing as the couple goes door to door asking for sanctuary. ment’s iatest initiative to support the Belfast peace accord. The 139 prisoners walked free from the Maze Prison southwest of Belfast to the cheers and tears of their waiting friends andrelatives. The prisoners include mem- “In the name of Heaven,” the bers of the Irish Republican Army and the province's outlawed pro-British groups, the Ul- people sing fervently in Spanish, “T ask you for shelter, since my t beloved wife cannot even walk.” “Nearby, at Olvera Street market, the scene repeats itself as an- ster Defense Association and Ulster Volunteer Force. British authorities expect them all to return voluntarily to other Mary and Joseph walk from building to building. The proces- the prison by Jan.4 to finish out sion of about 200 moves through two alleys crowded with stores, lasting no more than an hour. The Latin-American Posada, a “centuries-old tradition that re‘enacts the story of the biblical couple seeking a place to stay as _Mary prepares to give birth to “Jesus, has been winding through this community for generations. Now, as Latino populations swell across the country, organized processions are becoming more prominentin the streets of cities once more used to Christ- “The more that the Latino Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press Veronica Duran, representing the Virgin Mary, and Celestino Monje, as Joseph, center, follow a couple of angels during a Posada procession last week through the Plaza Olverain Los Angeles. City Council member whose district includes Olvera Street. chosen beforehand. One chorus Growing up in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of another on the other side of the Boyle Heights, Pacheco rermembers long,candle-lit Posadas — literally “shelter” — over the traditional nine evenings preceding community has been growing across country, the more that our ‘traditions ae culture are becom- Christmas Eve. The Posada could be held at a churchorin a neighborhood. The ving part of large metropolises,” group would stop in front of at <sald Nick Pacheco, a Los Angeles least three doors, which were Hezbollah Is the Wild Card In Israel-Syria Peace Talks + KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSSERVICE BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah’s headquarters in a seedy apartmentabove a dentist's office here mightbe the last place you would expect to hear quotations from Israeli politicians. But lately, Hussein Hajj Hassan, a 40year-old Hezbollah politician, seems to take smug delightin repeating what Israelis say about theIslamic resistance movement. and withdrawing from south Lebanon — is contingent on Hezbol- lah’s cessationofhostilities. Shortly after the announceinent that Syria and Israel were talking again, Hezbollah issued a statement saying it would con- duct businessas usual. Hezbollah formed in 1982 — At the third door, the chorus agreed to take them in, and all those in the procession would re- ceive hot chocolate and refreshments. Often, the children then brokea pifiata. From Florida to Indiana, Pacheco’s tradition nowis part of both public events and private cent. They number more than a third of California’s 33 million people, most of them of Mexican or Central American descent. ThePosadahasalso started to emerge in cities like New York, where large numbers of Mexican immigrants have arrived in re- centyears. on disarmament will carry the heaviest political consequences. The province's major Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists, this month dropped its long: standing objection to forming a new Protestant-Catholic government for Northern Ireland that a the IRA-linked Sinn Fein rr the Ulster Unionists have threatened to withdraw from the government — an act that wotdd collapse the centerpiece of the accord — unless the IRA begins disarming by February. The UDA’s and UVF’s political represerita- tives aren't involved in the new government. Thursday's paroles offeted temporary freedom to people te- hind someof the worst mass killings ever committed during Northern Ireland's past three decades of bloodshed. But this tithe organizations representing vic- Maze becausethey haveserved at leasta third oftheir original sen- timsof terrorism staged noné of tences, the requirementset out in “Christmas for many innocent victims will be a sad and empty one, in stark contrast to some of the accord. Northern Ireland Secretary Pe- ter Mandelson, the British government minister responsible for Thursday's releases, said he now expects the three outlawed organizations to begin disarming soon, preferably next month. All three groups opened negoti- ations this month with a the protests they had in thepast. the prisoners, who will be living it up because of the appeasement by government to terrorist,” said Norman Boyd, a Protestant politician opposed to termsof the peaceaccord. Noneof the parolees was willing to comment. re ieee data ieee re een aay 1983, the group was linked ee tie promised Israeli students they on the U.S. embassy here and to numerous kidnappings. Since Barak door rejected them. block parties. Across the country, Latino populations have surged in the 1990s, growing more than 35 per- More than 300 inmates from the outlawed groups already have been permanently freed fromthe best-armed group, and its stand with Iranian and Syrian help — bombingof the U.S. Marine racks at Beirutthatkilled at cen servicemen,as well as to two attacks would not have to serve in Lebanon,as well as an admission from sang pleas for a place to rest and their sentences. The prisoners are supposed to win permanent paroles by July in accordance with the peace accord of 1998 that outlined a power-sharing governmentfor the province. the accord. The IRA is by far the after Israel invaded Lebanon. In Herecites from memory recent speech in which Israeli ,Prime Minister Ehud govern Belfast-based commission that aims to secure their total disarmament by May, the goal set in then, Hezbollah has settled down the late Prime Minister Yitzhak “Rabin just before his 1995 assassi- nation that Hezbollah, or Party of ‘God, was winning the war in south Lebanon. “Listen to whattheIsraelis say about us,” Hassan urged at the -group’s south Beirutoffices. “All those years that Israel occupied - the Sinai and they neversaid anything like that.” Hezbollah has good reason to be self-satisfied. In 17 years of terrorist attacks and cannily waged guerrilla warfare in south Leba- non, it has brought Israel to the brink of abandoning thelast of its Lebanon. mentstill considers ita terrorist organization. In recent years, Hezbollah has diversified into a political and social organization serving Lebanon’s underprivileged Shiite Muslim population. tbollah runs schools, hospitals and dental clinics as well as a television and radiostation. TimorGoksel, a senior adviser to the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, believes Hezbollah will have to disarm if there is some elements could continue the fight, perhaps joining forces with Hamas, a Palestinian move- sult of Hezbollah’s achievements. -But Hezbollah could fall victim to vits own success. A peace deal would require ending hostilities ‘in southern Lebanon, and that would put Hezbollah out of business. Hezbollah is a wild card in the ment dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the spreadof Islam. According to some Arab media reports, Hamas trains in Lebanon in the same camps as Hezbollah. Under that scenario, it would completely controlled by Syrian troops,” said a Lebanese politician. “If Syria wants to stop the weapons, Hezbollah will be no problem.” INS Delays Interview With Cuban Boy ‘THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI — U.S. immigration officials have postponed a routine interview with a 6-year-old Cuban boy until next month, but said the had no bearing on the decision about who should have custodyof the child. Elian Gonzalez has been at the tug-of- delayed, the INS could still decide before, during or after the inspection who can “speak on the child's behalf,” an agency phrase that refers to the Now get the simpler way to stay in touch andget a free $50 American Express’ Gift Cheque, only at your US WEST" retail store. Here's how: Sign upfor a plan with free domestic long distance and 500 free FRa2 °50 American Express Gift €heque weekend minutesfrom your home coveragearea, such as our 200 weekday minute plan for just $29.99, Buy any QUALCOMM’ phone (use your American Express Gift Cheque towards a new QUALCOMM single-modethin phone or payjust $49.99), @ Choose a Total Link™ feature like One NumberService, Voice Messaging Link or Home/Ottice Link. © You even getfree activation (a $20 savings). This is a limited time offer, so stop by one of our stores today. : |
