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Posted on 01/18/2003 10:04:12 AM PST by knighthawk
Raymond Baaklini, the Lebanese ambassador to Canada, would like us all to know that he is sorry. But for what, exactly?
Last weekend, he was so remorseful about his baseless accusation, in an interview with an Arab-language newspaper, of a Zionist conspiracy to control the Canadian media, that he helpfully repeated the slur to a National Post reporter. After being told that his comments were "unacceptable and without foundation" by a senior official at Foreign Affairs, he repeated them yet again to Arabic newspapers, adding that Canadian officials were not concerned about his behaviour. He even claimed to be the victim of newspapers "under the control of Zionist groups," together with supposedly fanatical Christian immigrants from Lebanon with nothing better to do than tarnish his reputation.
On Thursday, having been reprimanded by Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, Mr. Baaklini finally seemed to realize that an apology was in order, if only to rescue his diplomatic career. But while his subsequent letter to Mr. Graham apologized specifically for alleging that Canadian police "always suspect every man with a beard and every woman with a veil," and stated his regret for the "offence" and "controversy" that his other comments had caused, he never actually retracted any of his anti-Semitic rant.
That "apology," however, was inexplicably good enough for Mr. Graham. "I am confident that the ambassador fully understands our position," he said Thursday, adding that he considers the matter closed. In a sense, Mr. Graham is probably right: Mr. Baaklini is undoubtedly now aware that it is not a good idea to parade his bigotry in public. But that does not excuse his anti-Semitism, nor does it make him a suitable diplomatic representative to our country.
In the immediate wake of Mr. Baaklini's initial comments, Mr. Graham responded by saying that Canada "will not tolerate anti-Semitism." But rather than make good on those words, he has let the ambassador off with a slap on the wrist. Last Tuesday, we suggested that Mr. Baaklini should either be recalled by the Lebanese government or have his diplomatic status revoked by our own Foreign Affairs department. Nothing in his forced and contrived "apology" has convinced us otherwise.
P. C. wimp.
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