i~~~~~~~~1 f lA 1 Xif[I.\t~/~jw H4V PAGE 4, WH]TBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1991 Mus lim leade'r crtical FROM PAGE 3 two year and that actual, "war gamèe were conducted tho month ro ethe invasion., Mahl!said théconffictiaan "économic war" bocauso Hussein would not follow the, lead of Kuwait'and other oil-producing countrios in reducingpricosj. "I have no doubt the invasion was used te create- justification 10 TannInq Session for $39.95 Tanning SpecWa ends Saturday, March 2nd. Glazed Ice Fiberglass Nails by Virginia SPECIAL $39.95 Gift Certificates Available te ocSupy 75 por cent of the oit reserves of the world. "My strong feeling is tho United States of America is not there for world peace or te stabil- im. the r »on. Tey are there te occpoi0 eld Mahdi added that anyone wiho believes the Americans will leave once tho war is over is "naive". As for Canadas participation, Mahdi had 'harsh.words for- the go vernment of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. "It's very dangerous for Canada te change its role from a peaceý-keeper te a warrior and one is angered'te seel how that decision was made.» According to Mahdi the govern ment waited until Çositli- ties started and thon Parliament had no choice but, te support the troops. of Canad Hé said Parliament should have -been recalled sooner and MPs allowed a free vote. 'Il think if we had a *fee vote ýof Parliament they wouid have, had trouble justifyin the war. The forces wore sent Le the Gulf fret, thon Parliament was called. Ho..said Canada's foreign polcy isbeing set'by the State depairtent mi Washington and flot the ministry ýof external affairs. < If the United States decides te use nuclear weapons the Cana- dian- government can't say we will no longer do this.» »While ho prays that it- will flot corne te at oint, Mahdi believes the U.S. will «not hesfit- ato» -te employ nuclear weap* ns if th grond w r on lo~ sanctions iin'posed against Iraq rr were notdg=neuliint time to work adh eetdarguments that it was too costly te l- ceep ropinthe region. toeonforce santions <'Tere was no need te, send ail the forces there. We should not have bought' their oil and not; delivered anything te fraq for six months,ý a year ... ho would not have survived." Mahdi noted that western "lea-ýý ders hope the Iraqis will remove ,Hussein from power -on their own. «But if the war is over next week; how many thôusands wiII die of choiera, typhoid and other diseases over the years? "Thids is a strange way of help- ing the fraqi peopbeget rid of Hussein.»