Deep South preparing for Tropical Storm Arlene to hit Page 11 San Francisco Trying to deal Giants’ Shoot house in Suspect: ‘Something right fielder with baseball’s Moises Alou Germany prepares bad happened’ to language barrier troops for combat missing Ala. teen Back page Page 8 Page 9 Natalee Holloway Volume 3, No.63 © SS 2005 MIDEAST EDITION SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2005 Troops shocked, amazed during African journey PHOTOS BY CHARLIE COON/Stars and Stripes Top: Nigeriens along the road watch Thursday as the convoy of Team Niger endures 15-hour convoy Team Niger passes through their town in southwestern Niger. The soldiers of Team Niger are there for Flintlock 05, a seven-nation exercise to train African soldiers and to strengthen U.S.-African to reach camp for Flintlock 05 ties. Above: Soldiers from Team Niger get back onto their bus after a break during a 15-hour convoy from Niamey to Tahoua. Page 4 PAGE 2 ·STARSAND STRIPES· MIDEAST EDITION· Sunday, June 12, 2005 War on terror Accidental shooting: A Marine whose gun went off while he was clean- ing it, killing a comrade in Afghanistan, was sentenced in absentia Friday to 12 years in prison. Lance Cpl. Frederico Pimienta, 23, was convicted at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Thurs- day of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Lance Cpl. Russell White, who was shot in the head last year. Pimienta was tried in absentia: He left the base without permission before the trial, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Business Enron scandal: Tens of thousands of Enron Corp. investors who lost money be- cause of the energy trader’s collapse moved a step closer on Friday to recouping at least some of their losses. Citigroup Inc., the nation’s largest finan- cial services company, said it will pay $2 bil- lion to settle a class-action lawsuit over its role in helping Enron orchestrate a massive Day care death: The driver of a day care center van was arrested Friday in the death of a accounting fraud that led to the company’s 2-year-old girl who was left in the vehicle for hours on a hot, muggy day. The body of Asia collapse in 2001. Jones was discovered Thursday afternoon when her mother arrived at the day care center in Attorneys in the case hope for similar set- suburban Milwaukee and workers could not find the girl. Pictured from left, Kael Lampe, tlements with eight other banks and broker- Justine Jamke, 8, and Lampe’s daughter, Winter, 10, place flowers, a cross and a teddy bear ages as well as several former Enron execu- near the playground of the Come and Grow With Me Learning and Arts Center. tives. “We will disarm all groups throughout the of tensions they are causing with other Nation country with this program,” said Moham- Asian countries, media reports said Satur- mad Karim Khalali, chairman of the Disar- day. Mad cow disease: The government says mament and Reintegration Commission. In an unusual move, the Nippon Izokukai, there is no new health risk from mad cow “We don’t want armed groups or illegal which has long backed visits by Japanese disease despite fresh suspicions about an an- groups. We don’t want individuals with prime ministers to Tokyo’s Yasukuni imal that was previously cleared of the le- weapons.” Shrine, cautioned Koizumi about his annual thal infection. pilgrimages, saying “it is necessary to give The Agriculture Department said Friday U.N. reform: The United States and 22 consideration to neighboring countries and night it will seek further testing of a tissue other nations sent a letter urging U.N. Secre- obtain their understanding,” NHK public sample from a “downer” beef cow — one un- tary-General Kofi broadcaster said. able to walk — after receiving conflicting re- Annan to stay focused Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan’s 2.5 mil- sults on tests of it for mad cow disease. on U.N. finances and lion war dead, including wartime Prime management as he forg- Minister Hideki Tojo and 13 other leaders Church sex abuse: The Archdiocese of es ahead with efforts to convicted of the most serious war crimes at San Francisco agreed Friday to settle 15 reform the world body. a 1946-1948 international war tribunal in pending lawsuits involving allegations of The letter, obtained Tokyo. Koizumi’s visits there have outraged sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests for Friday by The Associat- China and other Asian countries that suf- $21.2 million, the church said. ed Press, comes at a fered during Japan’s brutal conquest of the Under the settlement brokered by a re- crucial time: Republi- region. tired judge who is still mediating about 40 cans in the U.S. Con- Lebanon assassination fears: The recent cases, the archdiocese will pay out $6.6 mil- gress are pushing to killing of an anti-Syrian journalist has re- lion, with the rest coming from its insurers. withhold U.N. dues un- Several other cases have gone to trial. Annan vived fears among Syria’s opponents in Leb- less the United Nations anon that Damascus and its local allies may enacts drastic budget be planning further political assassinations Patriot Act debate: The Republican chair- changes. man walked off with the gavel, leaving Dem- despite the withdrawal of the Syrian army While much of the debate over Annan’s re- six weeks ago. ocrats shouting into turned-off microphones form agenda announced earlier this year at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Syria’s opponents in Lebanon, who loudly has focused on redesigning the Security demanded Syria end its control of Lebanon Act. Council, the signatories said they don’t want The House Judiciary Committee hearing, after the Feb. 14 assassination of former Pre- other key reform issues to be ignored. with the two sides accusing each other of mier Rafik Hariri, have said they may be tar- being irresponsible and undemocratic, geted by remnants of the joint Lebanese-Syr- Ethiopian opposition leaders: Ethiopian came as President Bush was urging Con- ian security services and are taking precau- authorities placed two opposition leaders tions. gress to renew those sections of the under house arrest Saturday, saying they Such fears were buttressed by accusa- post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to ex- tions from the United States Friday that pire in September. were threatening the security of the state and were behind a week of protests that saw Syria has not fully withdrawn its intelli- Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chair- gence operatives from Lebanon and that it man of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meet- police fire on demonstrators, leaving 29 dead. was perhaps even organizing political assas- ing to an end and walked out, followed by sinations. other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared Information Minister Bereket Simon ac- that much of the testimony, which veered cused the main opposition Coalition for into debate over the detainees at Guantana- Unity and Democracy of reneging on an Military agreement struck Friday with the ruling mo Bay, was irrelevant. Fort Riley murders: A military jury found party and another opposition coalition to an Army sergeant guilty Friday of premedi- World work together to end protests. tated murder in the shootings of two fellow The government has accused the opposi- soldiers last year. Afghan disarmament push: Afghanistan’s tion of engineering the protests by students Sgt. Aaron Stanley, 23, of Bismarck, N.D., government Saturday launched a new disar- and others angered that the ruling party has faces a sentence of life in prison. He took mament campaign aimed at ridding the claimed victory in recent parliamentary the stand in Fort Riley, Kan., during the sen- country of illegal weapons left over from a election. The opposition denies it orchestrat- tencing phase to read an apology to the vic- quarter century of war. ed the protests, but has said the elections tims’ families. The program, which will run for up to were flawed by fraud and violence. Closing statements were to be presented three years, aims to disarm up to 1,800 Saturday morning. groups, such as criminal gangs and private Japan war shrine visit controversy: A pow- Stanley was convicted of killing Staff Sgt. militias. It will be set up in each province erful conservative group representing fami- Matthew Werner, 30, and Spc. Christopher and will start by urging armed people to lies of Japan’s war dead has asked Prime Hymer, 23, at his rural farmhouse near Fort peacefully give up their weapons and if they Minister Junichiro Koizumi to reconsider Riley in September. don’t they will be forcibly disarmed. his visits to a controversial shrine because Stories and photos from The Associated Press Sunday, June 12, 2005 · STARSAND STRIPES· MIDEAST EDITION· PAGE 3 Bombers, gunmen kill at least 23 in Iraq BY PAUL GARWOOD The Associated Press BAGHDAD — A suicide bomb- U.S. deaths in Iraq er dressed as a policeman blew The Associated Press I Army 1st Lt. Michael J. Fas- himself up during roll call at the nacht, 25, Columbus, Ga.; killed heavily guarded headquarters of As of Friday at least 1,691 Wednesday when an explosive an elite commando unit Saturday members of the U.S. military detonated near his vehicle in as attacks in and around Baghdad have died since the beginning of Tikrit, Iraq; assigned to the 1st killed at least 23 people. the Iraq war in March 2003, ac- Battalion, 15th Infantry Regi- Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, cording to an Associated Press ment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry meanwhile, said an Iraqi-led of- count.