Chretien opposed to Iraq attack

Kevin Lamarque, Reuters

Art Eggleton, the Minister of National Defence, is welcomed at the Pentagon by Thomas White, right, Secretary of the U.S. Army, yesterday. Eggleton met with U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who told him the Canadian mission to Afghanistan was still relevant.

OTTAWA and WASHINGTON - Canada opposes expanding the war against terrorism to rogue nations such as Iraq unless the United States can prove they were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, said yesterday.

"Our position has always been clear, that if there is no clear evidence, that the war should not be extended elsewhere," Mr. Chretien told the House of Commons.

"You will remember that right after the 11th of September, there were some people in Washington who were urging to move in Iraq at that time. And I stated publicly at that time -- and it is still [my position] today -- that it was not advisable to do that."

Mr. Chretien's remarks come in the wake of U.S. accusations this week that Baghdad is violating international treaties banning germ warfare. Some observers believe the tough rhetoric is part of a U.S. attempt to build political support for military action against Iraq.

Responding to questions from Alexa McDonough, the New Democrat leader, the Prime Minister said Ottawa made it clear "very early in the process" that Canada's support for military action applies only to bombing Afghanistan's Taliban militia.

"The terrorists were protected in Afghanistan and they had to go there to make sure they can get the terrorists and stop [them]. The Taliban refused to return them so they had to face the consequences," he said.

Ms. McDonough accused the United States of preparing a "hit list" of countries to attack "with no known evidence that they are linked to the Sept. 11 attacks."

Mr. Chretien also defended the government's decision to put its plan to send 1,000 Canadian ground troops to Afghanistan on hold until the situation in the country becomes more stable.

"The British tried to go there and the French tried to go there without having an agreement and they had to back away," he said. "At least here we are not like the Opposition. We think first. After that we make sure that when we will be there, we will do the job we are expected to do."

In Washington, Art Eggleton, the Minister of National Defence, affirmed Canada's commitment to fighting terrorism in a meeting with Donald Rumsfeld, his U.S. counterpart. But Canadian troops will not be sent to Afghanistan until the situation in the country has stabilized, Mr. Eggleton said after a meeting at the Pentagon.

"We are not going to send any of our troops into any conditions unless they're prepared," Mr. Eggleton said, calling the situation in Afghanistan fluid.

Three companies of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry have been ready since Friday to deploy to Afghanistan on 48 hours notice. Their mission would involve opening corridors within the country to allow for the distribution of humanitarian aid.

The Northern Alliance, the rebel group in charge of the Afghan capital, Kabul, and about two-thirds of the rest of the country, reluctantly agreed to a small detachment of British Special Air Service commandos at Bagram air base north of Kabul but rejected a larger British troop presence.

Mr. Eggleton said it is possible no Canadians will be sent if conditions do not improve.

However, he said Mr. Rumsfeld believed the Canadian mission was "still relevant."

The Defence Minister rejected any assertion that the Canadians, who would be sent in without armour and artillery, are being let down by their government.

"We are preparing for this 1,000-troop deployment on the basis of what was requested for humanitarian assistance and to calm things down," Mr. Eggleton said, "not to go to the front lines and be engaged in a battle."

He said the mission of tracking down Osama bin Laden's al- Qaeda organization and Afghanistan's Taliban religious militia is mainly the province of U.S. special forces. The Canadian military's mission, he said, is "to help people."

Mr. Eggleton appeared to suggest that commandos from the secretive Joint Task Force 2 are in the country.

"We now have some 3,000 troops either on their way, or there, or ready to go," the Defence Minister said.

When asked to clarify whether he meant that troops are now in Afghanistan, he replied: "Aside from the JTF2, which I will not comment on because of the security nature of that entity, I couldn't tell you that there are any there at this time."

Speaking in Dartmouth, N.S., yesterday, Lloyd Axworthy, the former foreign affairs minister, said Canada should pressure its coalition partners to seize an airport in central Afghanistan to deliver aid to the country.

As many as 100,000 Afghan children could starve to death this winter if they do not get help, said Mr. Axworthy, who returned recently from an Oxfam fact-finding mission to the region.

"While people are dying as we speak from hunger, it's still not too late," he told about 100 people at an Oxfam lunch.