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Syria talks aim to build from Iran deal Vol. 122, No. 283 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
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Syria that has killed more than 100,000 people. The nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers was announced in Geneva on Sunday. Success in negotiations on a final accord could pave the way for normalization of ties between Iran and the West, reshaping the Mideast political map. As Assad’s staunchest ally, Iran has given him significant financial support and is believed to have sent military advisers, trained pro-government militiamen and directed one of its proxies, Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, to fight alongside Assad’s troops. U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky played down the possibility that the negotiations with Iran played a direct role in the movement on Syria, which followed a meeting in Geneva of senior diplomats from the U.S., Russia
BEIRUT (AP) — Within 24 hours of an interim deal aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear program, world powers raised hopes Monday for the first face-to-face talks to end the Syrian civil war as the United Nations called the warring parties to the table. But huge gaps remain. The opposition remains vague on whether it will even attend the Geneva conference called for Jan. 22, and both sides hold fundamentally different visions on the very basics, particularly the future role of President Bashar Assad. Nevertheless, Monday’s announcement of a date for the talks after months of delay produced palpable hope that the precedent of successful nuclear negotiations with Iran might open new diplomatic channels that could help broker an end to the nearly 3-year -old civil war in
November 26, 2013
and the U.N. The two tracks “are very separate, both tracks have been going on in different formats, in different locations,” he told reporters. “So I would simply say that it was a good weekend for diplomacy.” Still, a senior member in the main, Western-backed Syrian opposition coalition expressed hope the nuclear deal would transform Iran into a “positive regional player,” relinquishing its support for Assad. “We hope the Iranian nuclear deal will provide impetus for a Syria deal,” Abdelbaset Sieda of the Syrian National Coalition told The Associated Press. “The Iranian government must cut relations with the regime and leave the choice to the Syrian people.” A break between Iran and Assad is unlikely in the short ter m given the foothold the alliance gives Tehran in the Arab
TUESDAY
AP Photo
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian government soldiers stand on their tank, in Homs, Syria, Monday.
world. Still, a thaw between Iran and the U.S. — which backs the opposition coalition — could prompt Tehran to encourage Assad to make concessions, at least enough to keep talks going.
“If the Iran talks had not worked or if the Iranian deal had not come about yesterday, I think it might have been more hard-
Travelers cast wary eye as storm moves eastward City searches for new attorney
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JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
AP Photo
Crews spray deicing solution onto an American Airlines 737 before departure at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport, Monday. Winter weather has caused travel disruptions throughout the area including the cancellation and delays of hundreds of flights.
DALLAS (AP) — A winter storm blamed for at least 11 fatal accidents in the West, Texas and Arkansas threatens to dampen the Thanksgiving holiday for mil-
lions of Americans traveling this week. Nearly 300 American Airlines and American Eagle flights were canceled in and out of Dallas-Fort
Worth International Airport on Monday due to the weather, spokeswoman Laura Masvidal said, mirroring disruptions at the air hub a day earlier. Some of the
Roswell and Goddard high school band musicians to play at Carnegie Hall TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
Mark Wilson Photo
Roswell High School band students Kyler Brown, foreground, and Myles Burd rehearse during class Friday morning.
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TODAY’S FORECAST
Carnegie Hall needs no introduction. Musicians around the world dream of playing at the concert venue in New York. Three high school musicians in Roswell have achieved the high honor and will play at Carnegie in February. Roswell students Myles Brown, Kyler Burd and Corey Stevens were accepted into the High School Honors Performance Series in late October. From Feb. 6-10, they will rehearse and finally play with world-renowned conductors at the venue. “It feels amazing,” said Burd, 17, a senior at Roswell High. “To be able to do that in high school is not something everyone gets to do.” Burd plays trumpet and will participate in the orchestra section of the series. RHS junior Brown and Goddard High School See MUSICIANS, Page A3
• NORMA JEAN C DE BACA • CLITTICE PARKER
country’s busiest airports — New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Charlotte, N.C.
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The city has only received two submissions after launching its search for an in-house attorney this month and both were retur ned as incomplete, officials said Monday. The position was advertised beginning Nov. 11, when city councilors decided to stop paying for outside legal counsel. After advertising the job, the city received two resumes but returned both when they were submitted without an application, according to the city’s Human Resources director, Sheila Nuñez. The job was advertised in the Roswell Daily Record, posted on the city’s website, a national job search site called indeed.com, with
Storm brings water, street light troubles JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
City street workers repaired two water main breaks Monday, likely caused by recent freezing temperatures that blew through the region the past few days. A break that occurred at North Garden and East Eighth Street and another at West Alameda Street and South Wyoming Avenue were repaired by Monday afternoon, said City Engineer Louis Najar. The aging water pipes tend to burst when temperatures dip drastically. “That’s what happens when it gets cold. Water was shooting out of the street,” Najar said. “It takes a good day, or half a day, to fix each one.” Traffic lights at various intersections throughout the city also lost power, possibly from water leaking into the wiring. “Our water lines are really old. Moisture gets into the traffic signals,” Najar said. “Water and electricity doesn’t mix.” The signal malfunctions didn’t cause much disruption, he said. Electricians were called out at 2 a.m. to make the repairs. The city may see more water line breaks as the win-
• ALBERT NICK VALLEJOS • MAXINE WITT EMMONS
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
ter storm moves out, however. “We’ll probably have some more main breaks, when it starts warming up again, which is typical,” Najar said. “I just hope it isn’t a big one.” The city also stopped work on a water line replacement on North Union Street from West Eighth Street to West College Boulevard. City crews have completed one block of a project that will replace a water main in the area. But with the inclement weather and the upcoming holiday, a decision was made to stop work. “For the convenience of the public, we’re going to hold off on the water line project,” Najar said. “We’re just not going to work this week.” The water line was originally built in the 1930s. The city has many antiquated water pipes like many surrounding towns. But, unlike the Village of Vaughn, that recently lost all water service when it experienced massive water line breaks, Roswell is equipped with a system that allows the city to reroute water to serve neighborhoods in an emergency, Najar said. “We have a whole looped system,” he said. “(For instance) when the water is coming from the left, if the line breaks, we can make the CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
See ATTORNEY, Page A3
water come around from the right. For the most part, we can keep most people going all the time.”
Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday she has proposed plans to include two new state funds to support local communities dealing with water emergencies in her budget recommendation.
Martinez’s proposal includes a plan to also help struggling communities come up with technical plans for projects and upgrades to prevent emergencies, and seeks to establish a Dry Community Water Emergency Fund and Technical Assistance Planning Fund.
The proposal calls for an initial investment in the fund of $200,000, with an additional $200,000 allowance upon executive order, for the Dry Community Water Emergency Fund that could be declared for use within hours and days following a water supply emergency. The Technical Assistance Planning Fund would be managed by the New Mexico Environment Department. The proposed $250,000 fund could be used by small communities to design or construct high-quality water system repairs.
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 NATION ..................A6
OPINION .................A4 SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8