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Christians should not support the right-wing government of President Efrain Rios Montt because it is slaughtering innocent peasants and stealing their oil-rich land, Cockburn says. "As a Christian myself, I think it's very important that group (Christians) understand what is happening in Guatemala." he said in an interview.
Rios Montt, a born-again Christian, is getting a good deal of support from both Canadian and U.S. fundamentalists in his "God versus Communism" campaign. Cockburn adds.
Cockburn and fellow singer Nancy White visited the region and met March 10 with Canadian external affairs minister Allan MacEachen and immigrations minister Lloyd Axworthy.
Cockburn and White say there were at least 7,000 refugees in a Mexican camp they visited, but the only medicine was what they brought with them in a light plane.
Cockburn says Canada should "wake up to the reality" and help support the three-year-old Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
If the western alliance doesn't offer support soon. the Soviets will. he says. "There is a good deal of misinformation floating around Ottawa about the whole region," he says.
"The Sandinista government isn't perfect, but its people support it and seem willing to let it make mistakes.