April 18, 1994 – CBS World News Roundup – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
April 18, 1994 – Starting with historic news from South Africa. It was learned today that South Africa’s leader achieved a milstone breakthrough under which The Inkatha Freedom Party would be able to join the first-ever all-race elections in the coming week. It was hailed by President DeKlerk and his successor Nelson Mandela as a great leap forward. It was the capper on months of negotiations and endless hours of wrangling, but Chief Minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi would be participating in South Africa’s first Democratic elections. Getting Buthelezi into the election process was vital for the cooperation of the entire Zulu nation if the elections were to be legitimate.
Meanwhile, former President Richard Nixon had suffered a serious stroke, which left him unable to talk. The 81 year old Mr. Nixon was reported in stable condition at New York Hospital where he was rushed the night before from his home in Parkridge New Jersey.
Bosnian Serbs, in their undeclared war against the United Nations, seized eighteen anti-aircraft guns from under UN control outside Sarajevo. The guns repossessed by the Serbs had been handed into UN custody along with other heavy weapons. They were under French guard in a huge warehouse. Between 100-150 Serb troops arrived, there weren’t enough French troops to block off access to the warehouse. Fighting was continuing all around the region with very little evidence of end in sight. President Clinton was being presented with a list of options, both diplomatically and militarily to consider for the region.
And from Israel came word that moves against Hamas, in the wake of a bus bombing, were sweeping across the area, nabbing some 4-500 suspects. The sweep was apparently directed at groups who supported Hamas as much as it was targeting Hamas itself. Prime Minister Rabin had been under intense political pressure in recent weeks since the bombing of the two Israeli buses where twelve Israelis died. Opposition leaders blamed Rabin and his negotiations with the PLO for the attacks.
And that’s only a sample of what went on, this April 18, 1994 as presented by The CBS World News Roundup.
