Mahathir Urges Arab Countries to Use Oil as a Weapon Against U.S.
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) -- Malaysia's outspoken former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad urged oil-producing Arab countries in comments published Sunday to use oil as a weapon to fight U.S. oppression.
In an interview with the Malay-language daily, Mingguan Malaysia, Mahathir also said the countries should withdraw their huge financial reserves deposited in the United States so as to bankrupt the country.
"Arab countries have oil and it can be used as a weapon. Besides that they keep a large amount of money in the United States. If we take out the money, the U.S. can go bankrupt," he was quoted as saying.
Mahathir also criticized suicide bombings as means of struggle, saying they did not produce any results.
"What do we get from it? Does it have any impact? They (the U.S.) will get angry. In the end, Muslims are killed when they invade Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.
"If they (suicide bombers) kill soldiers, it is alright, but the problem is those who are killed are the public," he said.
Malaysia currently chairs the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement.
He led this mainly Muslim nation for 22 years before retiring last October and has voiced a series of scathing attacks on U.S. foreign policy.
In the past he has strongly criticized the United States for its unfair policies in the Middle East, which he claims favor Israel. Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
The former prime minister warned that if the U.S. withdrew from Iraq now, it would not leave behind peace, even if Iraqis were in power. "They have disturbed the beehive," he said.
He said though that he did not expect the United States to leave Iraq after June 30, the deadline for the return of sovereignty.
"I think the U.S. will not hand over power because its troops continue to remain in the country. Any government that rules the country will be under the influence of the U.S. Army," he said. |
