Posted on 06/23/2004 6:08:42 PM PDT by nuconvert
Mystery surrounds Jean Chretien's possible visit to Iran
AFP - World News (via Yahoo) Jun 22, 2004
MONTREAL - A possible visit to Iran by former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien in his capacity as adviser to oil company Petrokazakhstan remains wrapped in silence here.
If it takes place this month as scheduled, it will occur ahead of a trial in Tehran of a man accused of the murder of Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi.
"We are aware of his plans to go there" in his personal capacity, said a Canadian Foreign Ministry official.
But his new employer, Calgary-based Petrokazakhstan, declined to confirm or deny the plans.
"I will not comment about Jean Chretien's private life," said Ihor Wasylkiw, the company's vice president for investor relations. "It is not uncommon for our people to go to Iran."
But the planned visit that was first reported by The Globe and Mail last month has drawn criticism from the son of Kazemi, who died in detention in Tehran last year.
"Your failure to ensure justice was served in the case of my mother, Zahra Kazemi, - who was murdered by the Iranian regime while you were prime minister - has apparently paid off: you are now most welcome in Tehran," Stephanen Hachemi wrote in an open letter to Chretien.
An Iranian intelligence agent accused of killing Kazemi goes on trial July 17.
What mystery? He's gone there to surrender, of course.
Just doing the bidding of his masters Chirac and Desmarais.
Will this play in the Canadian election?
A glimmer of truth comes out about this terrorist appeasing pice of slime. I hope the Canadiens wake up and will never elect a turd like him again. I don't know how their new PM is doing.
For one thing, we know that Chretien's daughter was married the the largest stockholder in Total Fina Elf. For another, we know that he behaved egregiously in the Iranian prison death case mentioned here. For another, we know that he is massively corrupt, and there's no money like oil money as the liberals keep pointing out.
Yeah.....isn't so mysterious to me.
My guess is no. Cicero has already pointed out Chretien's oil connections, which have been common knowledge for a couple of years now. They lost serious money in Iraq and don't look to get back in that country anytime soon given their pro-Saddam antecedents. But the same political alignments that are screaming "no blood for oil" at Bush are strangely silent when the real thing comes along, and because of that I don't think it will hurt the Libs.
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