February 2, 1991

Allied air power continued to pound Iraqi troop positions today while artillery and tank fire echoed across the Kuwaiti border, but there was no sign of further Iraqi movements into Saudi Arabia. Small-arms fire from Iraqi snipers still rattled in parts of the battered Saudi town of Khafji, even though Saudi and Qatari forces had smashed the main Iraqi force in the town and taken as many as 500 Iraqi prisoners, allied commanders say.

President F. W. de Klerk moved today to smash the legal bedrock of apartheid by announcing that he would scrap the remaining laws on which South Africa's ideology of racial discrimination has long rested. In a speech opening the 1991 session of Parliament, Mr. de Klerk said legislation would soon be introduced to repeal the Land Acts of 1913 and 1936, which reserved most of the country's land for the white minority, the Group Areas Act of 1966, and the Black Communities Act of 1984, which entrenched the separate status of black townships. In appealing for the revocation of racial laws, now considered to be virtually certain, Mr. de Klerk went beyond what had been expected by also mentioning the Population Registration Act, which classifies all South Africans into four racial groups: blacks, whites, people of mixed race and Asians. Reversing an earlier Government position, he said that the law, entrenched in the nation's Constitution, would, like the others, be soon eliminated. Transitional Steps Proposed He said this could be done through the enactment of what he described as "temporary, transitional measures" needed to maintain the present Constitution until a new one can be negotiated and drafted. "Should Parliament adopt the Government's proposals," Mr. de Klerk said, "the South African statute book will be devoid, within months, of the remnants of racially discriminatory legislation which have become known as the cornerstones of apartheid." [ Excerpts from the speech, page 7. ] In Washington, the State Department welcomed the proposals as "dramatic and far-reaching," but noted that all political prisoners had yet to be released, as required under United States laws governing the lifting of sanctions. Further Momentum The speech by Mr. de Klerk today lent further momentum to a process that the President began at the opening of Parliament last year, when the African National Congress and other anti-apartheid organizations were legalized and Mr. de Klerk announced his Government's intention to release the congress's leader, Nelson Mandela. Mr. Mandela walked out of a prison farm nine days later. "In the short span of a single year," Mr. de Klerk said today, "substantial progress was made. The Government is determined to build on the foundations laid purposefully, efficiently and with due speed. "South Africa cannot allow or permit the dynamic process of reform to slow down," he told Parliament. As he spoke, the African National Congress, conducted mass marches in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and some other cities to put pressure on the Government in advance of looming but as yet undefined Constitutinal talks. The anti-apartheid group also sought to underscore the reality that blacks remain excluded from Parliament and from institutional political life. In Cape Town, Walter Sisulu, a senior leader of the congress, addressed a crowd of perhaps 15,000 people who had gathered outside City Hall. Insists on Right to Vote "We still do not have the vote, and this is what our people want today," Mr. Sisulu said. He added that the scrapping of the apartheid laws must be followed by "measures to retrieve the damage they have done." Mr. de Klerk reiterated his opposition to an elected constituent assembly to draft a new constitution and an interim government, something that the African National Congress has demanded. "The idea that the present, legally constituted Government should relinquish its powers and simply hand over its responsibilities to some or other temporary regime cannot be considered in a sovereign, independent state," Mr. de Klerk said. But he suggested that the Government might share some of its authority with the congress and with other groups outside the parliamentary process, once the transition to nonracial democracy was under way. "Consideration may be given to certain transitional arrangements on the various legislative and executive levels to give the leaders of the negotiating parties a voice in the formulation of important policy decisions," Mr. de Klerk said. Entrenched Inequality While the elimination of the remaining racial laws will likely signal the demise of apartheid as a legal system, the disparities, inequality and hostility that have divided black and white South Africans under the apartheid system are unlikely to be erased as categorically. Though public facilities like libraries and community swimming pools were legally integrated in October, many of these remain unused by blacks. Similar recent laws enabling some formerly white schools to accept black pupils when more than 72 per cent of the parents approved have so far to led the integration of 205 schools, a small number nationwide, with generally few black children admitted at each school. Once the laws cited today are repealed, a black South African will legally be able to live in a white neighborhood and buy land previously set aside for whites. In practice, though, few blacks can afford it. The Government has not said that it will return land confiscated from dispossessed blacks, with little or no compensation, in the last four decades. Some lingering resistance to change was evident in Parliament, where legislators of the right-wing Conservative Party, the official opposition, angrily walked out during Mr. de Klerk's hourlong speech. The Conservative Party leader, Andries P. Treurnicht, said later that Mr. de Klerk's plans to scrap the apartheid laws struck at the roots of white community life. "It is surprising that South Africa now has the only leader in the Western world who is negotiating himself, his party and his people out of power," Mr. Treurnicht said. White Liberals Gratified However, Zach de Beer, the leader of the liberal Democratic Party, observed that President de Klerk had promised to repeal the Group Areas and Land Acts. But, Dr. de Beer said, "most of us did not expect that the Population Registration Act would go this year, and we're pleased." The Government had said that the Population Registration Act would have to remain in force until a new constitution extending political rights to the black majority was adopted. But President de Klerk said today that "following investigation, it would, in fact, appear possible to repeal this act, provided that this is accompanied by the adoption of temporary transitional measures toward the acceptance of a new constitution." The total elimination of existing racial distinctions would throw into question the legitimacy of Parliament, which now has separate chambers for white, mixed-race and Asian legislators, though none for blacks. Mr. de Klerk was proposing, among other things, keeping Parliament, and by extension his Government, intact through temporary legal provisions in place of the Population Registration Act. Gerrit N. Viljoen, the Minister for Constitutional Development, told foreign journalists that the racial classification of all new babies or immigrants would end the day the Population Registration Act was repealed. He suggested that the racial classification of other South Africans, while still on the registration books, would quickly fall into disuse. The President is not expected to have difficulty enacting his proposed reforms because his National Party and the liberal Democratic Party control close to three-quarters of the seats in the white House of Assembly. The leaders of the Democratic Party have consistently sought discussions with the nation's black majority, and in recent years, Mr. de Klerk has convinced many in his own party that such dialogue is inevitable. End of Emergency Rule Since he committed himself and his Government to fundamental change, Mr. de Klerk has repealed the Separate Amenities Act, which let municipalities reserve public services for whites, has opened hospitals to all races, among other changes, and has ended a national state of rule by emergency decree, which restricted political activity. Foreign Minister Roelof F. Botha said that the measures announced today were not aimed at eliminating the economic and other sanctions imposed by Western nations, including the United States. "What is happening today is confirming President de Klerk's clear statement that the process toward the dismantling of apartheid and fundamental change in South Africa is irreversible," Mr. Botha said. Tutu Now Doubts Sanctions The Anglican Archbishop, Desmond M. Tutu, who attended the African National Congress march, told reporters there that President de Klerk's speech made it hard to dispute his seriousness about dismantling apartheid. "We are getting very near to where it will be irreversible," said Archbishop Tutu, a prominent proponent of economic sanctions. "It is going to be very difficult for us to continue to ask for sanctions." The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act enacted by the United States Congress in 1986 provided that sanctions would end once the Pretoria Government released Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners, repealed rule by decree, legalized banned political parties and unfettered political activity, repealed the Group Areas and Population Registration Acts, and agreed to enter into good-faith negotiations with representatives of the black majority. It further permits the President to suspend or modify sanctions once three of the last four conditions were achieved. The President told Parliament that the constitutional reform he envisionedd had to be accompanied by economic growth to give blacks real equality. "Until the pressing problems of poverty and unemployment are alleviated," he said, "constitutional models will be of little avail to us." -------------------- U.S. Praise and Pressure WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department spokeswoman, Margaret D. Tutwiler today called President de Klerk's proposals "dramatic and far-reaching." But she said that South Africa has yet to release all political prisoners or people detained without trial. Current American sanctions ban new investment in South Africa; the import of South African arms, iron, steel, gold coins and farm products, and also bar South African Airways flights. They also restrict banking activities. -------------------- Europeans Encouraged BRUSSELS, Feb. 1 (AP) -- The European Community's executive body said today that Mr. de Klerk's plans to repeal South Africa's major apartheid laws could lead to a softening of sanctions against the country. "The enforcement of these initiatives will allow the community" to discuss softening the economic sanctions imposed in 1986, said the community's External Relations Commissioner, Frans Andriessen.

At 7 A.M. a full moon was shining down on Tim Peck as he stood outside an unemployment office trying to ward off the bitter cold and his rising anger. Seven weeks after he was laid off from his job as a truck driver, Mr. Peck had yet to receive his first unemployment benefits. Several calls to the unemployment office went unanswered or brought a busy signal. So, despite an early morning snow, he waited with 30 others, knowing that if he arrived later in the day as many as 300 people would be in line and he would wait four hours to be seen.

Severe Afghan Quake Said to Kill 109 in Pakistan A severe earthquake centered in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan jolted Pakistan, killing at least 109 people, the official press agency said. In Afghanistan, the radio said 4 people there had died. Page 3. Abrams Seeks Senate Seat New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, one of the state's leading vote getters, said he will seek to unseat Alfonse M. D'Amato. Page 27.

A USAir jetliner landing here with about 90 people aboard collided this evening with a smaller commuter plane preparing to take off from Los Angeles International Airport, Federal aviation officials and the airline said. The jetliner, a Boeing 737, burst into flames. the A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, Jeff Rich, said: "Right now, we're looking at more than 15 dead. I can't give you a firm figure, but that's a good ballpark number."

President Mikhail S. Gorbachev eased his hard-line pressure on the independence drives in the Baltic region today, appointing delegations to begin a "discussion of issues" with the three embattled republics. The Soviet leader's shift to a more conciliatory approach follows worldwide criticism of his handling of the Baltic crisis, in which a score of civilians have died in recent weeks at the hands of Soviet soldiers.

In the face of stark new evidence of the nation's economic weakness, the Federal Reserve moved today with unusual force to stimulate the economy by sharply reducing the interest rates it controls. Large banks across the country responded immediately by reducing their prime rate, the benchmark rate for many mortgages and other commercial and consumer loans.

It all depends on which lens you look through. The battle of Khafji, which produced the first protracted ground fighting of the Persian Gulf war, was an insignificant Iraqi incursion easily thrown back, or a demonstration of Arab prowess in battle, or evidence that the initiative now lies with Baghdad, or a warning that grim combat and heavy casualties lie ahead for American ground troops here. In purely military terms, Khafji was a rout; it may well have been an error for the Iraqis to emerge from their bunkers. But that is by no means the only way to view matters.

The Persian Gulf crisis has flooded bookstores with works by veteran reporters, military planners and first-hand witnesses of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. But most of these books are being outsold by "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis," which promises on its cover to tell "what the Bible says about the future of the Middle East and the end of Western civilization." "I have never seen this kind of interest in prophecy before, and I've been at it a long time," the book's 80-year-old author, John F. Walvoord, a former president of the Dallas Theological Seminary, said in an interview on Wednesday.

In a cavernous hall set in a 4,500-acre flower farm here, an almost militarily precise work force grades, ties in bunches, packs in boxes and refrigerates a million carnations a day. After a rocky three-hour ride on trailer trucks from this lakeside area in the Rift Valley of East Africa, the flowers are loaded in Nairobi on jets bound for Europe, where Kenyan flowers are harvesting a name for quality and durability.

War in the Gulf: 4-6 Signs of Iraqi troop concentrations were reported north of the Saudi border, but fears that Iraq planned another incursion faded, as allied bombers continued to pound Iraqi positions near the border. Page 1 News analysis: The battle of Khafji was a rout in purely military terms: Invading Iraqi troops suffered heavy casualties as they were easily repulsed. But there are other ways to look at it. 1 Fighting continues in Khafji as Arab soldiers mop up 5 U.S. investigates whether marines were killed by U.S. jets 5 Soldiers and air crewmen missing in action are indentified 5 Bush tours three bases to thank troops and families 5 Iraqi troops played into U.S. hands by coming out of their entrenched positions, officials said. The incursions into Saudi Arabia made them more vulnerable to air strikes, as well as artillery and ground fire. 4 The bombing has ravaged Baghdad, severing electricity and telephone service. As cruise missiles hit two residential areas, wounding 11 civilians, Iraq said downed airmen would be treated as war criminals. 6 France will allow B-52's to fly over its territory on raids 6 Prime Minister backs down in fight over Japan's contribution 6 The annual report on human rights issued by the State Department said that Iraq's record of abuse worsened last year, but it also criticizes America's war allies -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey and Israel. 6 The troubled B-1 bomber spends the war at home 9 Is the end of the world upon us? The war has stirred interest in books like "Armageddon, Oil and the Middle East Crisis" by John F. Walvoord, which try to explain biblical prophecy of the destruction of humanity. 1 International: 2-3, 7 President F. W. de Klerk proposed scrapping the legal foundation of apartheid. He suggested repealing laws that reserve most of the country's land for the white minority and mandate residential segregation. 1 Naivasha Journal: Kenya makes a name for its flowers 2 Th Kremlin has softened its stance toward the Baltic republics. In a significant reversal, President Gorbachev appointed delegations to begin a "discussion of issues" with the republics' independence leaders. 1 Soviet troops are patrolling Moscow and other cities with the local police. The joint patrols, mandated by the Gorbachev Government, met no resistance in the capital but were denounced in several republics. 3 Earthquake jolts Pakistan, killing at least 109 3 U.S. and British dispute over air routes heats up 29 Stock scandal in Japan runs deeper than many thought 29 National 8-10 The Federal Reserve's interest rates were sharply reduced amid reports of rising unemployment and other economic weaknesses. Large banks across the country responded by reducing their prime rate. 1 Government reports heavy new wave of job losses for January29 The nation's unemployment system is straining to keep up with the crush of new applicants. Because of a decline in Federal aid, state unemployment offices have had to reduce staffs over the last few years. 1 Bush proposes Pentagon budget of $295 billion for 1992 8 A USAir jetliner burst into flames on a runway at Los Angeles International Airport after colliding with asmaller commuter plane preparing to take off. At least three people were killed, and about 30 were injured. 1 American Airlines faces a walkout by its pilots, possibly as early as March. Their union rejected a third contract offer this week, this time after a Federal mediator supervised bargaining in Washington. 8 The E.P.A.'s plan to reduce haze in the Grand Canyon was criticized by the owner of a giant coal-burning plant in northern Arizona. He accused the agency of basing its decision on flawed scientific research. 10 E.P.A to scale back estimate of damage caused by radon gas 10 U.S. ban on some European wines may be lifted 10 Regional 25-27 Governor Cuomo's budget proposal, by relying heavily on spending cuts, will force tax increases and service cuts at the local level -- a shift that mimicks a Federal strategy he has denounced, local officials said. 25 Attorney General Robert Abrams said he would run for the United States Senate in 1992. Mr. Abrams, a leading Democrat in the state, will challenge the Republican incumbent, Senator Alfonse D'Amato. 27 Mayor Dinkins's visit to Israel has created a controversy over black-Jewish relations in the city. Blacks say he is trying to bolster his popularity among Jewish voters while neglecting black constituents. 25 An inquiry on water-meter contracts is now focusing on whether a Staten Island union helped a Kentucky company gain a edge in the New York City program by allowing the company to underpay workers. 25 Daily News and unions enter crucial negotiating phase 27 Landmarks panel rejects plans for Fifth Avenue newsstand 26 Has Gramercy Park lost its peace? The elegant square, a vestige of a gentler era, has been shaken by charges of election fraud, slander, threats and -- worst of all -- a breach of good manners and fair play. 25 An Episcopal bishop from Newark, John Spong, has shocked the establishment inside and outside his church by arguing in a new book that the apostle St. Paul was a "self-loathing and repressed gay male." 27 Serial killer in Rochester sentenced to at least 250 years 26 Neediest Cases 27 Business Digest: 29 Arts/Entertainment Opera shows changes in composer 13 Disney cost memorandum has Hollywood abuzz 13 Furor over Cuomo arts cuts 13 Music: "Fidelio" at the Metropolitan 12 "Figaro" by City Opera National Company 16 Two books on rights and privacy 17 Critic's Notebook 46 Consumer's World 48 Making sure a health club is strong financially Point man for the Center for Auto Safety Coping with frail fabrics Postage due: 29 cents Guidepost Obituaries 11 Phil Watson, player and coach of the New York Rangers Robert J. Havighurst, educator Peter Camiel, headed Philadelphia's Democrats in the '70's Charles Salesky, president of the Hat Corporation of America Sports Basketball: Fans turn up heat on Bianchi 45 Barkley returns and sparks Sixers 45 Column: Rhoden on flags on uniforms 43 Football: Craig and Bavaro free agents 43 Marinovich enters draft 45 Golf: Azinger 10 under 45 Hockey: Ranger goalie overshadowed 45 Track and Field: Foster wins hurdles 43 Editorials/Letters/Op-Ed Editorials22 The gulf war is not Vietnam Mr. Florio cuts back Mr. Weicker gets ready Femme fatale Letters 22 Russell Baker: A pretty flabby defense 23 Tom Wicker: An opposition leader? 23 Spurgeon M. Keeny Jr.: Is the Start treaty slipping away? 23 Martin Walker: The wrong cause at the worst time 23

"Should Parliament adopt the Government's proposals, the South African statute book will be devoid, within months, of the remnants of racially discriminatory legislation which have become known as the cornerstones of apartheid." -- President F. W. de Klerk of South Africa. [ 1:1. ]