my

|IMulroney beset by new scandals

OTTAWA (CP) — Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney's government can't seem to get on with the new start that was to begin when Parliament resumed last month,

Scandals, it,seems, keep getting in the way.

The Progressive Conservatives, with their huge majority in the Commons won in September 1984, had gone through two years with little distinction.

Cabinet ministers had been in trouble, one b: h was charged with influence peddling and another defected to the New Democrats.

But this week. the opposition used a fish deal with France to batter the government. They also went after the Tories on an RCMP ‘ion into peddling in

fee "pa CasthaiirNews _Febvory 6.1997

\Newfoundiand Premier Brian Peckford asked for — and

an emergency meeting of premiers that will be held in

to on Monday to discuss the fish deal.

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski appeared to open the door to a renegotation of the Canada-France fisheries agreement. He said it was not out of the question to go back to the table with French negotiators.

His, appear to have been sparked by a report quoted by New Democrat Leader Ed Broadbent, who said French Premier Jacques Chirac indicated new negotiations might be welcomed.

But a French official quickly quashed any idea that Franch might be willing to give back any of the gains it made

personal gain in the awarding of » federal building rental contratt in Quebec.

Monique Vezina, supply and services minister, refused to respond to an accusation by Liberal MP Jean Lapierre that the RCMP investigation may involve Mulroney's top aide, Bernard Roy, and other officials in his office.

Lapierre asked whether the Mounties are investigating the role played by Roy, two other PMO aides and Claude Nolin, chief of staff to Minister’of State Roch LaSalle when LaSalle was public works minister.

Vezina would say only that the inquiry deals with the | influence-peddling conviction of Pierre Blouin, an advance * man for Mulroney in Quebec during the 1984 election.

$1.9 million winner

RICHMOND. (CP) — The province's. latest millionaire lottery winner is a 65-year-old retired employee of B.C. Forest Products who was convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him when he got all six Lotto 6-49 ‘numbers correct.

Grahame Shott of North Vancouver, was presented with a cheque for $1,953,636.70 by Provineial Secretary Elwood Veitch.

“tem was intended to help the federal government cut its

went over a cement divider and down a bank. Humolink was shaken up but not hurt, as was Robert Rollick of the Nelson area who was behind the wheel of the Dodge.

A passenger in Rollick's car also was unhurt.

The tow truck sustained $10,000 damage while it is estimated the Dodge suffer-- ed $4,000 to $5,000 damage. Police are considering laying charges.

Va a5 River te clean-up

TRUCK CRASH . . . Civic Esso tow truck flipped down an embdnk- ment and onto its roof followi di dnesd

g rear-end

ternoon near The Dam Inn on Highway 3A. No one was seriously of- hurt in the mishap.

—CosNewsPhote by Rick Grohom

planned

By CasNews Staff ‘The Castlegar Chamber of Commerce is planning 4 major clean-up of the Colum-

bia River in preparation of the jet boat races to be held on the river May 9 and 10.

‘The chamber is also hoping other community groups will get involved with the clean- up operation.

In other chamber news it has been decided that Paul Moroso will act as chairman of this year's SunFest to be held between June 4-7.

The first organizational meeting will be held Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Interested groups, individuals and past parti- cipants are invited to attend.

BOGOTA (AP) — Amer- icans in Colombia kept their children at home, cancelled parties and hired bodyguards this weekend in fear of re- prisals after the extradition of an alleged Colombian drug kingpin for trial in the United States.

Some U.S. citizens, citing smugglers’ threats to kill five Americans for every Col- ombian extradited, said they were sending their families out of the country.

Police, meanwhile, arres-

ted three more men — Carlos Gomez and brothers. Alvaro and Rodolfo Suarez — whose extradition is sought by the US. A wave of ne

through the esti Americans in Col

panic ran ted 5,000 bia.

Fear of reprisals against Colombian officials was also evident, as extra soldiers guarded government build- ings and motorcycle police escorted officials.

Thirteen Colombians have been extradited on drug

charges to the U.S. in the last 2%, years, ding Carlos

sonville includé conspiracy,

Lehder Rivas, captured Wed- nesday and immediately sent to the U.S.

Lehder is a billionaire member of what Colombian and U.S. authorities describe as a cartel that supplies 80 per cent of the cocaine smug- gled into the U.S.

A 87-year-old self- proclaimed Nazi, Lehder was being held pending a hearing Monday in Jacksonville, Fla. Charges against him in Jack-

WATERSHED

continued from front page

includes Blueberry and China creeks, is to build a recreational area, including hiking trails and to allow Kalesnikoff Lumber to log in the watershed.

Evans said any concerns people have about the logging of Merry Creek “will be incorporated into the cutting permit itself.”

But Harry Killough, a member of the Merry Creek watershed committee, said even if the committee objected to the logging — which it did initially —

inistry would still issue a

“We've still got concerns about the logging in the watershed. At our initial meetings with the forest ministry we were very confrontational. We told them that we didn’t want any logging in the watershed,” said Killough. “But the ministry said the timber was needed. And that’s due to their own mismanagement in terms of re-planting trees.”

He added that the watershed com- mittee has agreed to the logging

WKPL

continued from front poge uses the same approach with the Kan sas City, Mo.-based corporation.

“If it's good enough for them, if] may put it this way, it’s good enough for us,” he said.

Cominco lawyer C.B. Johnson argued against the commission impos- ing terms and conditions on the sale agreement, saying it is not contem plated in the B.C. Utilities Commission Act.

Don Scarlett, vice-president of the Kootenay-Okanagan Electric Consum ers Association, told the commission his 7,100 members believe the “future of Canada is at stake” if the sale goes ahead. And he said it w: “irres. ponsible and vexatious” of UtiliCorp lawyer George Macintos}f to suggest his group doesn't now het in the people's best interest. \

The public attended thg hearing in unprecedented numbers and their message is stronger than ever, he said

Frank Lauer, representing the B.C Fruit Growers Association, said dele gates to his group's annual convention in January overwhelmingly opposed the sale.

“When you own the cow, you sell the milk,” he said. “When you sell the cow, you buy the milk.”

He said his organization is not “anti American, but pro-Canadian.”

because Kalesnikoff “is a good opera- tor and he'll go the extra mile to ensure the watershed is not damaged.”

But Killough said both the forests ministry and Kalensikoff have already made mistakes with the Merry Creek plan.

“The personnel here are pretty good chaps. We've got along fairly well, but they have messed up a few things. They started on the road construction without a permit. Somebody jumped the gun on making the roads,” said Killough.

“It makes you a bit uneasy but they (forests ministry) do have the power to go ahead whether you like it or not.”

He added that one of the committee's biggest concerns is that there is a potential for the water to overflow the culvert. If that happens then several

businesses along Columbia Avenue would be damaged.

“No one has defined who would be liable if the water did overflow the culvert. The forests ministry has. said the City of Castlegar would be held liable, but.my position is that if the ministry is logging then they should be the ones responsible,” said Killough.

He added that there is a lot of “buck passing” with the issue of liability and that “cooperation is needed to plan ahead before the logging begins.”

In December the forests ministry held an open house for residents to view the plans for the Merry Creek area. Evans said the ministry is still accepting feedback on the plan and once all the comments are in, the ministry will meet with the watershed committee to plan a more detailed course of action.

AIR QUALITY

continued from front page

lead levels increase in the blood and that’s really where the concern is.”

But Arnott said that though it is a medical fact that high lead levels in the blood will pose a serious risk to the human brain, he said minimum levels are probably not serious.

“Certainly environmental groups out there would call for no contaminants,” said Arnott. “But even in the far north there are contaminates in the ice.”

He said lead levels in northern ice have been found in samples estimated to have formed in the last 100 years.

According to the report, particulates are best removed through weather conditions such as air movement and rain, referred to as dispersion.

“Here, there is great dispersion,” said Arnott. “One can't say with cer- tainty you wouldn't be affected, but it would be little, due to dispersion.”

But the study shows a drop in particulate levels beginning in 1983, which the reports attributes to smelter modernization.

“Modernization will certainly im- prove the conditions,” said Arnott. “Invariably it will help reduce contam. inants in the atmosphere.”

Rick Crozier, head of the environ mental section of Nelson’s Waste Man agement Office and one of the authors of the report, said the air quality study does not draw conclusions.

“We had to be very careful in doing this report,” he said. “We can't make

suggestions about health.

“That's the Health Ministry's job,” he said.

Crozier pointed out that suspended particulate levels derived by the en- vironment ministry were developed through public and industrial gather- ings taking into consideration all the current scientific information.

Crozier’s report also brings into question the reliability of the informa- tion gathered over the years.

He explained that the air monitoring devices around Trail, located at such places as Butler Park, Warfield, Trail Regional Hospital and the West Koot- enay Power and Light building, are low volume samplers.

Most air monitoring equipment in Canada is high volume.

“In reality, Trail's measurements are probably much lower,” he said. “In a little filter, one big particulate settling in it could make an enormous differ- ence in weight.”

Arnott also agrees that newspapers shouldn't “struggle for headlines” over the information found in the report.

“We're swallowing a camel and choking on a fly,” he said.

“The major environmental pollutant is tobacco smoke,” said Arnott. “Some 300,000 people a year in the U.S. die of tobacco smoke pollutants and not all those smoke.

“We (people in general) are willing to ignore that,” he said. “Here's some play in left field we're watching and ignor- ing the home run.”

ip ig cocaine, p with intent to distribute and racketeering.

Broader smuggling char- ges are pending against him in Miami.

The U.S. has asked for the extradition of 109 Colom- bians on drug charges.

Colombia’s drug traffickers have taken brutal action against anyone who tried to stop them.

Justice Minister Rodrigo

Lara was killed by “subma-~

chine-gun fire in April 1984, while advocating a vigorous campaign against drugs, and Supreme Court Justice Her- nando Baquero was killed last July.

Americans fear reprisals

Raul Echevarria, assistant editor of thé newspaper El Occidente, was fatally shot in November after a series of editorials calling for the ex-

Migs a deficit. claim was made Thurs-

day ‘by; Jack Munro and Frances Soboda, dissident members of the Forget com- mission.

The two labor leaders ap- peared Thursday before a

and Munro, of the Interna- Woodworkers issued dis- senting reports. One of Forget’s key prop- osals is that unemployment insurance benefits be linked

par y studying the commission's report, and suggested Forget had been acting on a hidden agenda to help the govern- ment justify cutting $3 billion

! from the annual, $12-billion expenses of the unemploy- ment insurance program.

Forget insists that his rec- ommendations would ~not save the government a cent and would .only make the program more fair.

“The $3 billion we want to cut from the program is money that is now going to relatively well-off people, which we say should be given to the genuinely poor with a new income supplement plan,” Forget said in an interview at the annual con- vention of the Canadian Con- struction Association.

“It's really sad that Jack would stoop to namé-calling and such distortions of our proposals. The fact is he stopped attending our meet- ings and public hearings halfway through last year,

to the it ploy during the préeeding year rather than the preceding 10 or 20 weeks.

Forget told the construc- tion association this proposal would save billions of dollars.

He also said it is a myth that seasonal workers are among the. poorest Cana- dians. Many workers in con- struction, forestry, oil, fish- ing and other resource in- dustries make more money from their seasonal jobs than do others working year- round at or near the min- imum wage, Forget said.

“When we buy a car or a house, we don’t ask ourselves how much money did we earn last week,” he said.

“We ask ourselves how much did we make last year. Why shouldn't we apply the same rule to UI benefits?”

In the interview, Forget said only about nine per cent of the jobless who exhaust the unemployment insurance benefits are so poor that they then qualify for welfare.

ecution of drug

Guillermo Cano, editor of El Espectador, was shot dead last December, after his paper had run stories about drug traffickers and their al- leged police connections.

On Jan. 18, Colombia’s am- bassador to Budapest was seriously wounded as he ‘walked to work in Budapest. The ambassador, Enrique Parejo, was a former minis- ter of justice who had been assigned to Budapest be cause of threats by drug traffickers.

Four students killed in crash

HOPE (CP) — Four Ab- botsford high school students were killed Friday when a van taking them to a basket- ball tournament was crushed between a snowbank and a tractor-trailer unit on an icy stretch of the Hope-Prince- ton Highway.

Two other students and the adult driver of the van were seriously injured in the accident that occurred about 2:20 p.m. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Dead are: Meghan Wil- liams, 16; Brent Wilson, 16; and, Darren Readhead, 16. A fourth girl was killed, but her name has not yet been re- leased.

Rodney Scott, 16, is in ser- ious condition at Vancouver's St. Paul's Hospital and was scheduled for open heart surgery Saturday. Sean Lynn is in serious but stable condition in the spinal-cord unit at Vancouver's Shaugh- nessy Hospital.

Lynn’s father, 43-year-old Milton Lynn, was the driver of the van. He suffered head

CP Rail station on view

By CasNews Staff Castlegar residents will get a glimpse of the historic CP Rail station later this month. The Castlegar Heri.

injuries and a fractured pel- vis.

The van was one of four being driven by parents to take the students to the bas- ketball tournament.

The accident, which oc- curred about 39 kilometres east of Hope, blocked the highway for, three-and-a-half hours while rescue crews tried to separate the ve- hicles.

Coroner Walter Granger said road conditions were “very, very icy at the time.”

The six students, ranging in age from 14 to 16, were on their way to an eight-team tournament at Princeton secondary school. The other teams attending the tour- nament are planning a mem- orial service in Princeton for those killed.

Robert Clayton, principal at Princeton Secondary, said his school’s teams make sev- eral long trips along the highway each year without incident.

“But after something like this, we will have to re- evaluate how often we travel and at what time. There's no doubt about it,” he said.

Rick Goulet, basketball coach at Pitt Mead sec-

OTTAWA (CP) — Com- munications Minister Flora MacDonald's interest in a compulsory cable fee to finance a new Canadian network has caught the cable industry by surprise.

Cable television compan- ies argue that their sub- scribers may believe in the nobel cause of greater Canadian content, but may not watch it or pay extra for it.

“Recent consumer re- search . . . indicates a sig- nificant proportion won't,” said Michael Hind-Smith, president of the Canadian Cable Television Associ- ation.

The Commons commun: ications committee is studying a report released last fall by an advisory

Fee surprises cable industry

committee on Canadian broadcasting. It recom- mended a stronger diet of Canadian-produced shows, leaner CBC operations and a new commercial-free Canadian network paid for by a compulsory cable fee. The minister delivered her first major statement on the report on Thursday. She favors the new net- work and thinks the cable fee is worth exploring. “We were frankly sur- rpised by the minister of communications’ endorse- ment of the recommenda- tion,” Hind-Smith said. Several other report proposals would also affect cable television. One would altar the so-called tier sys- tem so that more Canadian channels would be included for the basic monthly rate.

MacBlo earns $133 million

VANCOUVER (CP) — MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. re- ported net income of $133.3 million in 1986, the highest annual earnings since 1979, a company spokesman said.

The earnings, calculated before an extraordinary gain of $45 million in the first quarter, were more than triple the $42.9 million earn- ed in the previous year.

Total sales in 1986 totalled $2.5 billion, compared with $2.3 billion for last year. Income for operations totall. ed $222.5 million, up $113.6 million from 1985.

The, company's extraordin-

ary gains resulted from the sale of a portion of its inter- est in Koninklinke Neder landse Papierfabrieken, 4 fine paper company in The Netherlands.

Company president Ray Smith said earnings improv ed because { reduced costs and increased use of existing plants.

Smith said most of the im: provement was in the first half of the year. In the second half, the 4'/-month strike by the International Woodwork ers of America cost the com pany $88 million in operating earnings.

ondary, said: “I know it’s going to have an effect on the number of trips teams will make in the future — par- ticularly trips up that Hope- Princeton Highway. I've taken teams up that way before and it’s treacherous.”

tage Advisory Committee will open the station to the public during Heritage Week, Feb. 15-21.

+ The i is still

Weather

working with CP Rail on plans to move the station just south of its present location to make room for new rail- way offices.

Mainly cloudy foday with highs near 2 and lows between -1 and - 3. There is a zero per cent of per cipitation. Much the some tor Monday ond Tuesday

Court

news

In Castlegar provincial court this week, Faron Moret was sentenced to five months in jail after he pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving.

. 8 8

Kaszlo Kaponai pleaded guilty to one count of a drinking and driving related offence and was fined $700.

* oe

John Topouzis pleaded guilty_to one count -of com. mon assault. He was fined

$600 and placed on month’s probation.

one

* 8 © Patrick Diotte pleaded guity to one count of an order prohibiting driving. He was fined $350. * 28 * Darren Peppard pleaded guiltysto one count of theft and one count of possessing stolen property. He was pla ced on a total of nine months’ probation.

the awarding of government contracts in Quebec, an

Shott thought his eyes were deceiving him when he checked the. on his ticket f ‘ing the Feb. 4 draw.

“It’s funny,” he said. “When you have all the numbers on your ticket, it's almost hard to make them out. Your eyes just can't see. You keep thinking it has to be a mistake.”

Man killed in fire

KELOWNA (CP) — A house fire claimed the life of one Kelowna man and sent another to hospital Friday.

‘Alex Tait, 49, general manager of Carruthers Meikle Ltd., a local real estate firm, died in Kelowna G®heral Hospital. His father, Samuel, is in stable condition, after fire broke out at about 12:33 a.m.

A spokesman for the fire department said the fire began in a chesterfield or easy chair and was likely the result of a smoldering cigarette.

$23 million loan

VICTORIA (CP) — The provincial government says it will guarantee a $23-million bank loan and interest during the construction of a $90-million ethanol plant at Dawson Creek.

In addition, it will provide a $10-million loan or guarantee to farmers in the Peace River area so they can become investors in the project led by Agrifuels Canada Ltd., a consortium of Canadians and Americans who will put up most of the money.

Ceasefire ends

MANILA (AP) — Communist rebels announced Saturday they will not extend a countrywide ceasefire due to expire at noon today on grounds Philippines government forces had “blatantly subverted and violated” the agreement.

Communist negotiators of the National Democra- tic Front, the countrywide Communist umbrella organizati said in the that the NDF also will not resume the peace talks from which they with. drew Jan. 30.

The decision represented a serious blow to President Corazon Aquino’s effort to fashion a political settlement of the 18-year-long insurgency.

Eng still held

LONDON (CP) — An official of the company that icated

that had interferred in a lawsuit, and 4

when it persuaded Ottawa to open new areas to fishermen in exchange for an agreement to begin

police ii into alleged kickbacks and ying by Tory-connected firms over a contract for a Toronto airport terminal.

Critics of the fish deal say the federal government sold out the interests of Newfoundland fishermen by. giving France access to new fish stocks.

rs on the St-Pi jon boundary dispute. Gilbert Guillaume, one of the chief French negotiators, said Chirac meant that France wants more fish from Canada, and it wants it right away. The government also said the RCMP is investigating allegations Conservatives used their political connections for

PILE OF RUBBLE . . . That's all that is left of the old C

Library

as a construction crew tore down the building this past week.

D new library building.

contracted Philip Engs to work in Iran ind Saturday the engineer from St. Catharines, Ont., might still be under Iranian detention.

The official of the Paris- and U.S.-based engineering firm of Schlumberger International, in a telephone interview, said in Tehran that there was “still no news” on Engs.

“No idea whatsoever,” said the official when asked about latest developments regarding 29-year. old Engs. The official requested anonymity

“We haven't heard anything. The foreign news has had different forecasts.”

He declined to discuss details.

NDP help poor?

OTTAWA (CP) — Canadians believe a federal New Democratic Party government led by Ed Broad

bent would help the poor, cut unemployment and operate more fairly and honestly, a public opinion poll suggests. But among those polled, many fear the NDP would increase personal taxes and the federal deficit. Forty-one per cent of respondents think the NDP could form the government within the next decade.

Liberace tested

PALM SPRINGS, CALIF. (AP) Liberace’s body was released to a funeral home after the coroner completed tests for AIDS, while a published report said Saturday the flamboyant entertainer tested positive for exposure to the deadly virus while in hospital.

The autopsy results on the pianist who died at home Wednesday at age 67 were not immediately released. The cause of death was expected to be determined positively by Monday, officials said.

Thousands riot

SEOUL (AP) — Tens of thousands of riot police fought for hours with anti government protesters in the streets of South Korea’s capital Saturday, firing tear gas to prevent a memorial rally for a student tortured to death by police.

Clashes were also reported in the major cities of Pusan and Kwangju

News reports said dozens of people, including 12 police officers, were injured across South Korea. Police said 551 people were detained

Iraq bombs Iran

NICOSIA (AP) Iraq said Saturday its warplanes bombed three Iranian cities, and Iran said several civilians were killed or injured in “barbarous” air raids.

Iran and Iraq have been intensifying their so-called war of the cities in which the two sides attack civilian targets — as ground fighting has stowed near the southern Iraqi port city of Basra

THOUSANDS CHEER HANSEN IN REGINA

REGINA (CP) — Thousands of people cheered and waved banners as wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen, accompanied by city, police joggers, entered the Saskat chewan capital this weekend.

Hansen wheeled across the eastern city limit and past well-wishers under a sunny sky and in above-zero temperatures about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, not stopping to wait for an official welcome from Mayor Larry Schneider.

Schneider later said he met Hansen about 1.5 kilometres into the city and stopped to shake hands, but saved the welcome until the 29-year-old quadriplegic was greeted at a local McDonald's, a corporate sponsor of the Man in Motion tour.

“Rick, this is the first time in my life I've ever been speechless,” Schneider said. “This is an absolute thrill and an honor to meet you. May I take the time now to officially welcome you to the city of Regina.”

The city made a donation at a civic luncheon Saturday, Schneider said

Hansen was also presented with cheques totalling $20,250, including $17,500 from McDonald's franchises in Regina, Yorkton and Weyburn.

Hansen, who has logged thousands of kilometres on

his two-year, around the world journey, has raised more than $5.8 million dollars for spinal cord research. MORE NEEDED

Hansen thanked his supporters but cautioned them that money alone will not break down barriers that stand in the way of disabled persons and their potential.

“It really means a lot to me to see so many people supporting the spirit of the Man in.Motion tour, and more importantly the objectives,” he said.

“(But) I want to encourage you to understand, though, that the dream is not measured by the dollars and cents alone in the bank. It doesn't have the ability to be accomplished in the time frame of the Man in Motion world tour.

“Once we've left your community and once I've wheeled back into Vancouver, it’s not the end. I believe it's only the beginning.”

There is no concern that his message is “being lost because these people (supporters) understand exactly what the objectives of the tour are,” Hansen later told reporters.

“(But) I think my responsibility leaves once I've left a community and once the tour is over,” he added.

“I think it's up to the people in the community to continue the spirit. I think it’s important that the public also realize they can’t just give a dollar to the tour and that’s the end of their consciousness towards disabled individuals because they're not going to go away.

“We are making’a very serious effort to get back into the mainstream of life and just be successful, productive citizens leading as fulfilled and happy life as we can.”

Besides Saturddy’s civic luncheon, Hansen was also honored at a provincial reception in the aftetnoon.

He's scheduled to leave Regina Monday

NUCLEAR ARMS

Clark calls

NEW DELHI (AP) — Ex

going is critical, as is the ternal Affairs Minister Joe eventual holding of another Clark said Saturday it is summit.”

“critical” for the United J.S. President Ronald States and the Soviet Union Reagan and Soviet leader to reach agreement on re Mikhail Gorbachev were on ducing their nuclear arsenals. the verge of an agreement to reduce offensive nuclear wea pons last October. But their summit meeting in Reykja vik, Iceland, broke down over U.S. insistance on the contin uation of its Star Wars pro- gram.

U.S.-Soviet talks in Gen eva, Switzerland, on reduc ing nuclear and conventional weapons resumed Jan. 15 after a holiday recess

Clark said Canada’s aim is “the reduction of nuclear as well as conventional arsenels to the lowest possible level.”

He also urged the Soviet Union to end its “brutal oc cupation” of Afghanistan to prove its expressed interest in improving relations in Asia

Clark, who is on a seven day official visit to India, made the remarks at a lunch eon given by the Canadian High Commission.

“It is not going to be an easy year for arms control negotiators,” Clark said. “But keeping the Geneva process

or cutback

He criticized Moscow for its “lack of compliance” with existing international ac: cords, citing violations of human rights and the con tinuing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan as examples.

“The brutal occupation of that country, should it con tinue, will give the lie to any Soviet protestations of good intent in southwest Asia.”

The Soviets, who became militarily involved in Af ghanistan in 1979 to help a pro-Soviet regime, has an es timated 115,000 troops in Af ghanistan.

Clark also termed nuclear proliferation as presenting “unparalleled dangers” to the world and said: “The signing of the nuclar non-prolifer ation treay by all nuclear weapons and weapons-capa able essential.”

He did not mention India by name. India, which has nuclear capability, has so far refused to sign the treaty.”

Clark noted that Gorbach- ev ina speech at Vladivostok, the Soviet Far East, last July had called for a still-unde- fined Asia-Pacific security agreement. Asian countries, including India, have been cool to the idea.

“Nothing would dramatically

more illustrate Mr. Gorbachev's determination to follow through on his Vladivostok speech than ‘a withdrawal from Afghanis tan,” Clark said

Blouin, who died two weeks ago of a heart attack, pleaded guilty last sumemr to trying to use his influence with the Mulroney government to help businessmen in

Drummondville, Que.

The Toronto Globe and Mail reported Friday that the

another

d Conservative

are who boasted of being responsible for electing 50 Tory MPs in.

1984.

was needed to make way for the construction of the

CosNews Photo by Mike Kalesmiko

Waite to

be freed: Berri

DAMASCUS (AP) — Nab- ih Berri, Lebanon's justice minister and head of the Shi ite Moslem militia Amal, said Saturday Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite, feared held by the Lebanese captors of American hostages with whom he had been negoti ating, will be freed within 48 hours.

Waite disappeared in Mos- lem West Beirut Jan. 20 while conducting secret neg- otiations with Shiite Moslem extremists on the hostages. There have been various re ports, none confirmed, about his status and

Mulroney plans changes

LAVAL, QUE. (CP) — Prime Minister Brian Mul- roney — acknowledging that his government's credibility is at risk — has promised to take “every step required” to restore Canadians’ faith in the morality of his admin- istration.

“Canadians expect people in public life to observe high standards of ethics and mor- ality.” he told about 1,000 Conservatives at an evening recpetion as his government was shaken by three new controversies.

“Any failure to achieve that by anyone hurts Canada and offends the nobel cause of probity in public life.”

But many in the crowd were not listening. Through- out his 13-minute address, a steady and strong buzz of conversation could be heard.

And although many swarmed around him after he spoke, attempts to get people chanting hs name as he entered the room quickly failed as many stood silent, their arms folded.

The prime minister did not address any of the recent controversies in particular and specifically declined re- porters’ requests to comment on allegations earlier in the day that he intervened in a civil suit to try to help a senior aide.

The allegations were pub- lished on the same day as other reports that the RCMP is investigating alleged kick- backs to Conservatives and that high-placed Tories, many of them his close friends, are lobbying for a contract to build a Toronto airport terminal.

ADMITS DAMAGE Mulroney, who fired one of his Quebec ministers last month over a land specula tion scandal, freely conceded that the government has been hurt in recent weeks and that “if it is not arrested, our credibility risks being seriously undermined.” But “we shall take every step required to ensure that Canadians’

including that he was being held captive by the hostage holders.

“I have information that Mr. Waite will be freed with in 48 hours at most,” Berri told a news conference in Damascus, the Syrian cap ital.

He said: “This information comes from friends.” He de clined to elaborate.

Berri called on all factions holding foreign captives in Lebanon to release them im. mediately and said he is willing to negotiate their de mands.

Earlier, Berri was quoted as saying in a magazine in terview in Lebanon that the kidnappings of foreigners in Lebanon must end

RANSOM POSSIBLE

Police in Lebanon said Saturday that Jack Saikaly, 50, said to be a Lebanese born American, was abduc ted at mid-afternoon Friday near Beirut University Col lege. Details on the kid. naping, which would bring to nine the number of Amef icans either born in the United States or naturalized citizens, were not immediate ly available.

and ex- pectations in this vital area are met and respected.”

He did not say what meas- ures he is proposing, but some members of the Quebec caucus, meeting here this weekend, want him to ban corporate contributions to political parties altogether.

In addition, an all-party Commons committee has rec ommended new controls on lobbyists. Also, tougher reg ulations on conflicts of in terest for ministers will like ly be recommended by the judicial inquiry into allega tions that Sinclair Stevens broke cabinet —_oenflict-of. interest guidelines.

The prime minister noted that other governments had gone through difficult per iods in the past and cautioned his critics not to count him out yet with the next election still two years or away

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“My friend (Pierre) Tru deau said one day .. . ‘my father said that it is at the end of the evening that we see the best dancers.”

“You're going to see Brian Mulroney and the Conserva tive team waltz to a new victory in the next election.”