Posted on 03/21/2003 10:25:25 AM PST by albertabound
U.S. has a 'right' to attack Iraq, Chrétien says PM flip-flops on stance: Comments lead to speculation Ottawa may join Washington
Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief National Post
Friday, March 21, 2003 ADVERTISEMENT
OTTAWA - Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister, yesterday wished U.S. military forces well in their war against the Iraqi regime and said it was America's "privilege and right" to launch attacks against Saddam Hussein.
Mr. Chrétien's first statements following the beginning of the war in Iraq marked a sharp turnaround from his position earlier this week that military action was "unjustified," and led to speculation in Parliament that Canada is wavering on its decision to stay out of the conflict.
"It was the Americans' privilege and right to make the decision that they made. We respect that," Mr. Chrétien told the House of Commons. "I hope that this war will be very short and that there will be a minimum of victims. Of course, I hope that the Americans will do as well as possible."
The Prime Minister's comments fell short of a full declaration of support for the U.S.-led war, but signalled a determined attempt by the Liberal government to try to avoid further estrangement from the Bush administration in Washington.
On Monday, Mr. Chrétien announced Canada would not join the war because the United States and Great Britain failed to win explicit authorization from the UN Security Council. The Prime Minister was also sharply critical of the stated U.S. goal of regime change in Iraq.
But Mr. Chrétien said yesterday he would not "debate the legality or illegality" of the war.
"At this point, I think there is no use debating the reasons why some people think war is necessary and some people think it is not. We should not say anything that would comfort Saddam Hussein," he said in a statement to Canadians.
The House of Commons formally voted 153 to 50 in favour of the government's decision not to participate in the war. The Liberals, New Democrats, Bloc Québécois and one Canadian Alliance MP, Keith Martin, supported Mr. Chrétien's decision. The remaining Alliance MPs and the Progressive Conservatives opposed the decision.
Despite Canada's decision to stay out of the war, Canada has three naval frigates leading a multinational task force in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Apollo, the war on terrorism. Mr. Chrétien has said repeatedly that Canadian ships would continue their duties and defend any allied forces in the region if they came under attack.
Mr. Chrétien declined to comment on the possibility of future participation in the war and said "we don't want to anticipate" circumstances like the Iraqi use of chemical weapons that might draw Canada into a conflict.
Bill Graham, the Foreign Affairs Minister, said again yesterday Canada would not join "at this time."
The Liberals, supported by the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives, voted 166 to 41 to defeat a Bloc Québécois motion in the House of Commons to pull all Canadian military personnel, ships and airplanes from the Persian Gulf region.
Jack Layton, the New Democrat leader, said he fears the government is wavering on its initial decision. He wants assurances that Canada's ships will not provide any aid to U.S. ships participating in the Iraqi offensive.
"It is time that the Canadian government came clean on whether we are in or whether we are out of this war," said Mr. Layton. "You can't have it both ways. You can't be cheering on a government that is taking an illegal act."
Mr. Chrétien said the federal government was stepping up security at border crossings, ports and critical infrastructure to protect against potential terrorist attacks stemming from the war.
David Collenette, the Transport Minister, said the government would place additional RCMP officers on selected flights in Canada and on international routes to guard against possible airliner hijackings.
But he said Canadian security and intelligence officials "have no direct information of a threat at this time."
Mr. Chrétien issued a public appeal to his MPs to show respect for the U.S. war decision, echoing a sentiment he expressed in private during the government's weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday.
He has not yet spoken to George W. Bush, the U.S. President, about the war but said officials in his office and the White House have had "very cordial" discussions about each government's respective decisions.
In Vancouver yesterday, John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister, also urged MPs to avoid anti-American comments.
"Members of Parliament, members of the Canadian Senate have to remember they're not expressing private views in their homes or in a tavern when they speak to the media," he said. "They are Canadian government officials, whether they are ministers or not, and they need to be very careful what they say when the jobs and livelihoods of Canadians are at stake."
Stephen Harper, the Canadian Alliance leader, explained that his party supports the war because there has been no evidence that Saddam Hussein is willingly complying with UN demands to disarm.
"It is inherently dangerous to allow a country such as Iraq to retain weapons of mass destruction, particularly in light of its past aggressive behaviour," Mr. Harper said. "If the world community fails to disarm Iraq, we fear that other rogue states will be encouraged to believe that they too can have these most deadly of weapons to systematically defy international resolutions and that the world will do nothing to stop them."
He said Canadians should be appalled that "for the first time in history when the British and Americans are united in military conflict, Canada will not be standing by their side."
Joe Clark, the Tory leader, stated for the first time he believes the U.S.-led war is legitimate under international law.
"The government has gone out of its way to offend the foreign country on which the lives of our citizens most depend," Mr. Clark said.
"It is not wrong to disagree with the United States.... What is wrong is to deliberately insult them in the process, both by the intemperate statements of ministers and senior officials, and by the Prime Minister's simple lack of courage in not calling the President himself to advise that Canada ... would not participate in dealing with a regime we know is deadly."
Both the NDP and the Bloc said they believe the war is illegal. Gilles Duceppe, the Bloc leader, said "today is a day of sorrow."
salberts@nationalpost.com
© Copyright
"No thanks dood, we got it handled"
And there are quite a lot of them. There are also quite a lot of good New Zealanders. Even the occassional Frog.
Thank you, O glorious leader, for your permission to continue this war. </sarcasm>
Shut up, Jean. You're a day late and a dollar short.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.