Posted on 02/14/2003 7:41:07 AM PST by quidnunc
Chicago – As the threat of war grows, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien stood on U.S. soil Thursday night and warned the United States that it is not trusted in the world and needs United Nations legitimacy for a war on Iraq.
In a speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Chrétien urged the Americans to refrain from a quick military response if the UN's chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, reports Friday that Iraq has violated UN resolutions aimed at forcing it to destroy weapons of mass destruction.
"The price of being the world's only superpower is that its motives are sometimes questioned by others," Mr. Chrétien told his audience.
"Great strength is not always perceived by others as benign. Not everyone around the world is prepared to take the word of the United States on faith."
The Prime Minister spoke just hours after U.S. President George W. Bush urged U.S. allies to "show backbone and courage in the face of true threats to peace and freedom."
The crisis over Iraq is expected to deepen Friday morning, when Mr. Blix is to appear before an open UN Security Council meeting attended by the world's most influential foreign ministers.
Although he is expected to give a mixed report on Iraqi co-operation, the Bush administration has signalled its intention to put skeptics on the defensive, demanding they explain why Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should be given more time to work with the inspectors.
Mr. Chrétien, who delivered his speech amid heavy security, said Canada firmly supports the goals of the United States in Iraq, and he applauded Mr. Bush's leadership. But he told his audience that if the United States, without UN support, wages war against a Muslim nation, it would raise the spectre of a "clash of civilizations."
Foreign Minister Bill Graham, speaking earlier in Ottawa, went further and said a unilateral attack on Iraq could lead to the toppling of unstable governments in the Middle East and Asia.
"I see a destabilized Middle East; I see problems in Indonesia, in India, in Pakistan," Mr. Graham told reporters in Ottawa, referring to the risks of anti-Western violence and possible acts of terrorism raised by a war against Iraq.
Mr. Graham said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and others in Washington know there are risks of an Iraq conflict spreading to countries where extremists threaten unstable governments. He said he had told Mr. Powell: "The U.S. would be better served if it stayed within the UN process."
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(Excerpt) Read more at globeandmail.com ...
Chrétien is Canada's leader and he speaks for Canada.
In other words, this is Canada's official position and it was deliberately stated in a way and in a venue calculated to wound.
Exactly. And to think Candians pride themselves as being "nicer people" relative to other nations...
I don't care if they trust us or not. As the worlds only Superpower, we just want obedience.
It is time to reconsider our bilateral trade agreements with Canada
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