The Tropic Times

the Tropic Times Vol. II, No. 46 Quarry Heights, Republic of Panama Dec. 19, 1989 White House officials defend secret China mission WASHINGTON (Reuter) -The top aides. Cable News Network. the late Ruhollah Khomeini's Iran in White House admitted Monday that The White House confirmed a "General Scowcroft did undertake 1985-86. President Bush's ban on high level secret July mission by National a mission to China for President Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a California contacts with China was secretly Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, Bush in July to personally Democrat and author of a Bush- discarded in July just a month after who publicly exchanged toasts with underscore the United States shock vetoed bill to protect Chinese the bloody assault in Tiananmen Chinese leaders in Beijing on Dec 9- and concern about the violence in students in the United States, said the Square and five months before a 10, in a written statement released Tiananmen Square, and to impress president was losing his credibility on controversial public mission by two shortly after it was disclosed by the upon the Chinese government the China. seriousness with which this incident "Why did Scowcroft go on a secret was viewed in the United States," the mission to profess American concern White House said. over the massacre? I am concerned he Later, White House spokesman may have had more on his agenda," Marlin Fitzwater said deputy she said in a statement. secretary of state Lawrence Fitzwater, who was unaware ofthe Eagleburger, who accompanied July trip when it happened. said he Scowcroft in December, was also could not say flatly there were no part of the July mission, other secret talks. But a senior The secret trip came shortly after administration official said privately that Bush banned high level contacts on 'he was reasonably confident June 20 as a show of American anger there had not been any others. over the June 4 assault that killed The White House spokesman - hundreds, if not thousands, of pro- defended Bush's decision to keep the democracy demonstrators. July meeting secret and said that sessions Democratic National Committee additional unannounced the future. chairman Ronald Brown and his were possible in party members reacted angrily to the Fitzwater noted that Secretary of disclosure that Bush had sent State James Baker talked to Chinese dscosre thatBeuhnghidJ seyofficials during international Scoweroft to Beijing in July. meetings in Paris and at the United "There has not been a decision so Nations this summer. out of touch with American values "There have been a number of since the sale of arms to the these kinds of conversations and Ayatollah," Brown said in a there will be more. The president has statement. He was referring to made it very clear he thinks these Student marchersfrom Peoples University were involved in the June 4 bloody former president Ronald Reagan's kinds of meetings are essential," he assault in Tiananmen Square. (AP Laserphoto) policy of secretly selling weapons to said. He added that Bush, a former evy to China, "thinks its important U.S. Army offA icerrmyoj~erslwotshotsPDF FDF mmeemba to keep c=some of' these kinds of meeting quiet. WASHINGTON (Reuter) - A the Panamanian had drawn his pistol about 12,000 troops, have been put U.S. Army officer apparently first. on a high state of alert and along with wounded a Panamanian Monday in The White House said the killing their families have been told to avoid A . i. the second shooting incident in three of a U.S. soldier Saturday by public places during the heightened o days involving American forces in Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) state of tension. Romania seals borders Panama, the Pentagon said. was part of a coordinated wave of "We are very concerned that the BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)- The Defense Department said in a violence started by Panama's declaration of war that was stated Romania sealed off its western statement that an American Army weekend declaration that a state of last weekend may have been a license borders and dispatched tanks, lieutenant drew his pistol and fired war existed with the United States. for.harassment and threats and in troops and helicopters to two twice after a Panamanian traffic At the Pentagon, the defense this case even murder of a United cities- following battles between officer approached. official said the U.S. Army lieutenant States citizen," White House police and pro-democracy The American serviceman "felt had left a laundry in the Curundu spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said. protesters that witnesses said left threatened when he saw the section of Panama City at about In an interview earlier Monday, several people dead, Hungarian Panamanian apparently reach for his 11:30 a.m. and was in his car when he President Bush acknowledged state radio reported Monday. weapon," the statement said. "The was approached by a traffic frustration over Noriega's ability to American responded defensively by policeman and told to stop. hang on to power and said he was NASA delays launch pulling a weapon and fired two shots. "The transito (traffic policeman), outraged by the death of the "The Panamanian went down, who you should remember is a American soldier. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. then got up and left the scene," the member of the PDF, pulled his But he refused to discuss what (AP) - Putting safety first, statement said. "The extent of his weapon. The lieutenant did the same. actions he might take and there was N AS A offi cia Is Mon day injuries is unknown at this time." The lieutenant fired two shots," the no indication any U.S. response was abandoned hopes of launching the But there was confusion over official said. imminent. shuttle Columbia before whether the United States was saying Washington has been trying to In addition to the killing of a Christmas and reluctantly delayed the Panamanian actually drew his oust General Manuel Antonio Marine and another incident where a the flight to at least Jan. 8 because gun. Noriega, chief of the PDF and head Naval officer was beaten and his wife of problems with the ship's launch The Pentagon statement said only of government, since he was indicted sexually threatened, Fitzwater said pad. that he had reached for his weapon, in the United States on drug there was a previously unreported but a defense official, who asked not trafficking charges in February 1988. third incident over the weekend in Cold weather records to be identified, earlier told reporters U.S. forces in Panama, which total which weapons and radios were NEW YORK (AP) - A taken away from U.S. military police Canadian delivery of sleet and ice by Panamanian forces. sledded into the deep South on A ir F force F -16 jets crash "When you put all of these Monday ina winter preview that temperature BONN, West Germany (UPI) the southern German town of together you begin to discern a cracked century-old B T w G.S.Air y UPI) F16 stern Gecertain climate of aggression that is records across the Midwest and - Two U.S. Air Force F-16 Maxdorf. very disturbing," the spokesman clogged the Missouri River with a fighter jets collided and crashed She said details were sketchy said. 75-mile ice jam. while on a training flight over but that preliminary reports On Friday, Fitzwater brushed off West Germany Monday, a U.S. indicated at least one of the two the war declaration and the Panama Stock prices tumble spokeswoman said. At least one of pilots survived the collision and assembly's naming of Noriega as the two pilots survived and there there were no civilian casualties. head of government. He called them NEW YORK (AP) - Stock were thought to be no civilian "German rescue officials should "hollow" acts that did not change prices tumbled Monday in selling casualties. be on the scene of the crash," she relations between the two countries. attributed to spreading worries The Air Force spokeswoman said. On Monday, Fitzwater said the about the real-estate outlook. The said the two F-16 jets were on a A police spokesman said one of weekend's activity suggests the War Dow Jones average of 30 training flight from Hahn, where the jets crashed in the vicinity of a statement "may well be triggeti g an industrials fell 42.02 to 2,697.53, the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing is market and the other near a aggression of another kind" than for its biggest single -day loss since based, crashed at 4:20 p.m. near highway a few miles away. traditional military action, it dropped 47.34 points on Nov. 6. Times 2 Dec.Tropic 19, 1989 1U.S. news Bomb 'deliveries'prompt tighter mail security ATLANTA (UPI) - Authorities his Alabama home. Vance's wife appeared to be a pipe bomb," he said. "It does not appear to have a time found a bomb mailed to the 11th remains hospitalized with injuries "It was found just inside the lobby device on it, but we really won't be U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and she received in the blast. and- from all indications, it came sure of that until furtherevaluation." another bomb critically injured a The attack prompted federal through the regular mail system. It Police and military bomb experts Savannah, Ga., city councilman courts around the nation to tighten could have been delivered. We just from nearby Fort Gillem took the Monday, two days after an explosion security, and the Justice Department don't know how it got there. device to the Atlanta Police killed an l1th Circuit judge in said U.S.

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