October 5, 1991

In an atmosphere of continuing tension, a high-level delegation of the Organization of American States arrived here today to begin seeking the return to power of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was overthrown in a military coup on Monday. Whisked from the white Canadian military aircraft that brought them from Washington, the delegation immediately began closed-door discussions at the airport, first with the ambassadors of member states accredited in Haiti and later with Brig. Gen. Raoul Cedras, the military leader who has assumed control of the country.

Mayor David N. Dinkins's plan to spread single homeless people around New York City in 20 to 30 new shelters has unleashed a convulsive debate on the city's approach to one of its biggest problems -- and one of the Mayor's core political concerns. In moving to disperse homeless individuals from barracks-style shelters to smaller neighborhood settings in which he hopes their health and mental problems might be better met, Mr. Dinkins is squarely in line with city policies of the last half-decade. In fact, he is behind schedule, and $258 million in capital funds have already been earmarked for building over the next five years.

David L. Boren, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, took the unusual step today of testifying before his own panel, warmly praising Robert M. Gates for his cooperation with Congress while he was a senior manager at the Central Intelligence Agency. Senator Boren, a Democrat from Oklahoma, has said from the beginning that he will not formally decide until the last minute how he will vote on the nominee for Director of Central Intelligence. Mr. Boren said today that his praise of Mr. Gates should not be considered "determinative" on that question.

Climaxing a long campaign by environmental groups to turn the Antarctic into a "world park," 24 countries, including the United States, signed an agreement to ban mineral and oil exploration in the continent for at least 50 years. The agreement, which was hailed as historic by both governments and environmental groups, also includes new regulations for the protection of wildlife, waste disposal, marine pollution and for the continued monitoring of the Antarctic, which covers nearly one-tenth of the world's land surface.

Anxious to revive the economy, the Bush Administration is publicly prodding the Government's bank supervisors to ease up on credit standards so that commercial banks will make more loans. But the White House tactic, first sounded a week ago and reiterated yesterday by the President, stirred up a fuss this week among the supervisors, who insist that they are not at fault. Banks are not making more loans, regulators and bankers say, mainly because demand for loans has fallen and not because regulators have clamped down too much. In addition, many bankers acknowledge that they have voluntarily raised their credit standards in the last year or so to eliminate potential borrowers who might not be able to repay their debts.