Kuwaiti Embassy In Firing Line of Tank

The Ottawa Citizen ^ | January 9, 2003 | Dave Rogers

[Loyalist]

Kuwaiti Embassy in firing line of tank
Ambassador says he doesn't mind, but builder of new embassy says he worries it might make dignitaries feel uncomfortable

CREDIT: Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen

A vintage Sherman tank will continue to face the Kuwaiti Embassy until the Canadian War Museum moves to its new location, says the museum's deputy director.

A company building the new Embassy of Kuwait has asked the Canadian War Museum to remove its old Sherman tank, or at least rotate the turret, because the tank's cannon points at the embassy under construction across the street.

Roger Sarty, deputy director of the War Museum, said the embassy's agent, City Gate Corp., told the museum the tank should be moved. The museum replied the move will have to wait until artifacts are moved to the new $105-million War Museum on LeBreton Flats in 2004.

City Gate spokesman Thady Murray said yesterday that he asked the museum to move the tank because the gun might make dignitaries coming out of the embassy feel uncomfortable. He said the embassy had nothing to do with the suggestion.

"I wrote to the museum as the project manager for obvious reasons -- the tank's gun is pointed at the embassy's front door," Mr. Murray said. "If someone had a gun pointing at your front door, it would be the neighbourly thing to ask them to move it.

"If I was representing Bell Canada or some other corporate client the request would be the same."

The tank, an improved version of the vehicle the Allies employed in Europe during the Second World War, was used by the Canadian Forces for training until the early 1970s.

It has been on exhibit in the same place outside the museum, on Sussex Drive, since then.

Kuwaiti Ambassador Faisal Al-Mulaifi denied that the tank's presence worries embassy staff. "This tank is not a concern to us because the tank was there before we even thought of purchasing the land to build our new embassy building," he said.

"Why should we care? The museum is displaying some military equipment and this tank is not meant to point to any buildings in the area. Besides, we have very good relations with the Canadian government people and things like this should not be of concern to anyone."

Mr. Al-Mulaifi said he didn't know City Gate approached the War Museum about the tank.

"It is natural and normal for the War Museum to display military equipment," he said. "Why should we make an issue out of nothing?"

The City Gate request was refused because the tank would be too expensive to move twice, Mr. Sarty said, and the turret can't be rotated because it is welded shut and the operating mechanism has probably been disabled.

Bringing in a crane would be too expensive because the tank weighs nearly 30 tonnes, he said. And changing the aim probably wouldn't help anyway, he said.

"That is a crowded street," Mr. Sarty said.

"Oh God, it would probably be pointing down Mackenzie Avenue, perhaps even at the U.S. Embassy, if we redirected the gun barrel. Even if we were to break open the welds -- which would be no easy thing -- who knows what we would find once we got inside?"

"The equipment needed to move the internal parts was probably removed before we got the tank."

The embassy, being built on a former Sussex Drive parking lot, between St. Andrew and Bruyère streets, is expected to open in late May.

© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen

[Poohbah]

Stupid Canucks, they shoulda parked it in front of the IRAQI embassy!

[xrp]

I agree, the Sherman tank should be removed


























Replace it with this tank, instead:



...with live ammunition.

[jbstrick]

Point it toward the Saudi Embassy

[xm177e2]

"It is natural and normal for the War Museum to display military equipment," he said. "Why should we make an issue out of nothing?"

Good thing it's not a statue of a naked woman...

[RansomOttawa]

Replace it with this tank, instead:

Uh, would you please turn the turret of your tank somewhere else? It's pointing right at me, and it makes me uncomfortable . . .

(Amazing what some people will think of. I've been past that museum dozens of times, and frankly I'm made more uncomfortable by that giant orange knockwurst thing that passes for "art" in front of the National Gallery.)