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News stories from Saturday December 20, 1980
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Iran's terms for freeing the hostages are unacceptable, administration officials said. In their frustration they were considering suspending further exchanges with the Iran on the hostage issue and letting the Reagan administration take it over.
The "main outstanding problem" blocking the hostages' freedom is Iran's demand that the the Shah's wealth be returned to Teheran, Prime Minister Mohammed Rajai said. His remarks cast a new light on the terms outlined by Iran yesterday. He explained that the money that Iran wants the United States to deposit in the Central Bank of Algeria would cover the Iranian assets frozen in the United States and the fortune left by the Shah. [New York Times]
- President Carter's legal authority to comply with with Iran's demand for the transfer of frozen Iranian assets to Algeria was questioned by lawyers. An act of Congress might be necessary to meet another condition for the release of the hostages. This is the deposit of American funds in Algeria to "guarantee" the return to Iran of the late Shah's wealth, which it values in the billions of dollars. [New York Times]
- The Soviet Union confirmed the death of former Prime Minister Aleksei Kosygin, announcing after a delay of about 36 hours that he had died of a "grave, long illness." Mr. Kosygin was eulogized in an obituary signed by the top Soviet leadership. [New York Times]
- No economic emergency exists, Secretary of the Treasury William Miller said in sharp criticism of the economic policies of the administration of Ronald Reagan. He said that the President-elect's aides might be creating an emergency by talking about one. [New York Times]
- The auto industry's "literal collapse" will be brought about by current economic conditions, the leadership of the United Automobile Workers said in a message to President-elect Ronald Reagan, urging him to convene "an emergency summit meeting on the crisis" and to help reduce high interest rates and take other steps to improve the economy. [New York Times]
- Prospects for large-scale busing to desegregate schools during the Reagan administration are dim, civil rights advocates believe. With busing opponents coming to power in the White House and Congress and much of the public opposed to busing, they say that there will be little progress in the next four years. [New York Times]
- Opposition leaders were arrested in India as they led a march of thousands of farmers demanding higher prices for sugar and onion crops. The police seized 500 people, including Y. B. Chavan, a former Defense Minister and Home Minister, Sharad Pawar, the former chief minister of of Maharashtra state where the farmers' protest developed last month, and R. A. Patil, a leader of the Janata Party. [New York Times]
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