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BAGSHOT, England—Leaders of centre-left governments are considering a Canadian-proposal that would allow military intervention — without U.N. approval — in countries where large-scale loss of life or ethnic cleansing is imminent. The proposal would let "coalitions of the willing" act on their own if only one permanent member of the U.N. Security Council vetoed a resolution authorizing military intervention for human protection, a senior Canadian official said yesterday. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said the aim is to prevent "capricious vetoes" from tying the international community's hands in the face of outrageous abuses of human rights. "If you have unanimity, and...

Earlier this month, while Iraq was dominating the news, Fidel Castro quietly imprisoned nearly 100 of Cuba's dissidents, independent journalists, human rights activists and intellectuals. Oscar Elias Biscet, for instance, a doctor and one of Cuba's best-known activists, was sentenced to 25 years in jail. Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, a 56-year-old economist who leads an umbrella organization of 300 human rights groups, was sentenced to 20 years; as was independent journalist Oscar Espinosa Chepe, who has written about the Cuban economy for U.S. Web sites. Cuban authorities accuse the defendants of collaborating in a U.S.-led scheme to undermine the country's...

President Bush has decided to postpone a trip to Canada next month because of the Iraq war, U.S. and Canadian officials said Sunday. News of the postponement came about two weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien canceled a trip to Washington following criticism from the U.S. ambassador to Canada. The ambassador, Paul Cellucci, said the American government was upset and disappointed that Canada failed to join the U.S.-led military coalition fighting in Iraq. Bush's one-day trip to Ottawa, tentatively scheduled for May 5, was meant as a forum for cross-border issues. Two White House officials said Bush would push...

VANCOUVER - Suppose for a second that the following were true: Prime Minister Jean Chrétien has declined to offer the support of Canada to the United States in respect of the Iraq war chiefly because the population of Quebec is overwhelmingly opposed to said war. Just suppose. What would one think of that? In posing such a fundamental question one must establish some ground for believing the proposition, and we have no direct testimony. Jean Chrétien has not said, "I am prepared to see Canada suffer the inevitable trade and economic losses that will be visited upon us as a...

The remarks of U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci earlier this week made a public issue of what had previously been dismissed or denied: The government of Jean Chrétien has failed Canada by failing to support our best friend. The litany of shame is by now well known on both sides of the border. The last straw came when hockey fans in Montreal booed the American national anthem. Their action made headlines across the States, on the sports pages, the ones that are read by everybody. The responses in Canada are also familiar and predictable. By refusing to support the Americans on...

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...

In the wake of Carolyn Parrish's typically subtle foray into the nuances of bilateral relations ("Damn Americans, I hate those bastards"), everyone said her remarks were intolerable and must be repudiated. Well, not quite everyone. A clear majority Globe and Mail readers, in an online poll, agreed that Americans are bastards. And while the Prime Minister did not explicitly endorse Ms. Parrish's view of our neighbours, friends and allies, neither did he say anything publicly to contradict it. But then, has he ever? This is not the first time Ms. Parrish has reminded us of her loathing of the United...

Chrétien calls for UN involvement hours after Bush urges U.S. allies to show backbone in facing Iraqi threat 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...

PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCES VISIT OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH February 6, 2003 Ottawa, Ontario Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that U.S. President George W. Bush will visit Canada on May 5, 2003 at the invitation of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. "I look forward to welcoming President Bush on his first state visit to Canada," said the Prime Minister. "His visit will provide a valuable opportunity for us to continue our discussions on a range of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest and concern to our two nations." - 30 -

Canada backs U.S. on Iraq -- The Globe and Mail, Oct. 2 Canada will not support unilateral action by U.S. -- The National Post, Oct. 2 We have arrived at the very pinnacle of Liberal foreign policy, the shining achievement of Chrétienism: a position of such cunning duplicity, such divine ambiguity, as to be capable of two exactly opposite interpretations. To be fair, Canada's position -- against invading Iraq unless necessary, for it if necessary; against the Americans attacking unilaterally, for attacking with United Nations approval -- is genuinely ambivalent, even defensible. That at least is its current position. It...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The war on terror is now moving into a phase that will test America's commitment to prosecuting it, as some among our allies begin to take counsel of their fears and search for explanations of 9/11 that will both excuse them from the war and reassure them that they are not at risk. The latest example of this comes from Ottawa. There have been many overseas (joined by the usual suspects inside the U.S.) who have said a lot of fairly stupid things since last September, but the Canadian team led by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, is...