U.S. “mentality of cowboys”

Press, 14 March 1987, Page 21

U.S. “mentality of cowboys”

Have you increased aid to the LR.A. because of Britain’s involvement in the American raid?

Yes, of course. The Americans are acting with the mentality of cowboys and a civilised country like Britain should not be in the same policy with the Americans. But Thatcher played with the cowboys and therefore it did a lot of harm to Britain. Yes, she is a cowgirl.

Do you welcome Mr Charles Haughey’s election as leader in Ireland?

Of course, we have welcomed the success of our friend.

Is it your policy to continue the war against the United States, now that President Reagan is already in deep trouble there?

We expect the American and British people to try these killers. Otherwise the Libyan families themselves will take revenge. Would they come to Britain to take revenge?

Some of them have their children in the United States and Britain studying. Anyhow, the West is responsible for what is happening. They are the ones who adopted terrorism against us. They are the ones who colonised our countries. They are the ones who planted Israel in our countries.

You are a friend of both Syria and Iran, whose supporters are fighting each other in Lebanon. Are you willing to help in the release of Western hostages, including Terry Waite? Do you know if Mr Waite is alive? We have no information. As far as Terry Waite is concerned, we had a different portrait of him before. We though he was a religious man, we respected him and he came to talk to me. I put it forward to the Peole’s Conference to discuss the problem of the release of the British people, and we released them. In return, we agreed with him that he

would help with the release of Libyan students there and also to improve relations between the two countries. But unfortunately he did not respect his promise, so now we think that he might have been a spy, because all of the agreements that he made were not respected.

A spy for whom? For God?

Of course not. He was carrying cassettes on him.

Did the Libyan secret service kill two British teachers and one American hostage in Beirut as a reprisal for the raids? You have been accused of doing that.

These were not secret service actions. They were part of • a general reaction to the raid throughout the world and there were attacks against the British and Americans all the way from Latin America to Japan.

Do you fear that Mr Gorbachev’s wish to establish better relations with the United

States may be at the expense of Russia's friends in the Arab world?

This may happen. Do you have any view on the reforms in the Soviet Union? We think they are necessary. It is also a renewal of revolution in the Soviet Union.

May we ask about the war in Chad? Are you seeking peace seriously now? Peace is important to us more than to anybody else, because it is on our border. Peace in Chad doesn’t concern France or America. On the contrary, they would like the war to continue, so they can sell their arms and also achieve their imperialist goals.

Why do you feel the necessity to become involved in something as far away as South America? You have been supporting the Nicaraguans against the contras and now you are supporting the Gov-

ernment of Surinam against its rebels. We support just causes anywhere in the world because the enemy of freedom is common.