Bush right to put pressure on Saddam -- Canada

03 Dec 2002 21:27
Bush right to put pressure on Saddam -- Canada

OTTAWA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Canada said on Tuesday that U.S. President George W. Bush was right to put pressure on Saddam Hussein, saying the Iraqi leader had to comply with U.N. resolutions demanding he give up any weapons of mass destruction.
Bush told a rally on Tuesday that Saddam was not being forthright about Iraq's arsenal and said inspections alone were not enough to erase his doubts.

Many in the Arab world question whether Bush is dooming the inspections to failure but Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham -- who strongly opposes the idea of a unilateral U.S. strike on Iraq -- said Bush was on the right track.

"I think there's clearly an effort on behalf of Mr. Bush and the U.S. administration to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein, so that he knows and understands he's got to comply, and I think that's perfectly legitimate," he told reporters.

"I don't believe the United States is acting in bad faith in some way, saying 'We're working within the U.N. but we're going to go in and do what we want to do anyway'...I'm confident they're going to let the inspections take place."

Iraq faces a U.N. deadline of Sunday for making a full disclosure of its weapons of mass destruction programs. U.S. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says Iraqi cooperation with weapons inspectors had been good so far.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03373667


Canadian Foreign Minister: "No Nation Can Stand Alone"

By Oliver Moore
Globe and Mail Update
Friday, 4 October, 2002

On the same day that the U.S. warned it could attack Iraq even without United Nations backing, Foreign Minister Bill Graham warned that unilateralism will never win against terrorists whose existence is "an affront to the very principles of international law."
In a speech written for delivery in Montreal, Mr. Graham also underscored the sometimes contentious Liberal government belief that poverty, aggression, tyranny and arrogance play a crucial role in fomenting terrorism.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/10.08C.ca.min.alone.htm


Ottawa, Ontario
August 16, 2002
CANADIAN JEWISH LEADERS MEET WITH FOREIGN MINISTER BILL GRAHAM

A Canada-Israel Committee (CIC) delegation of senior Jewish leadership met yesterday afternoon with Foreign Minister Bill Graham.

On behalf of the group, Joseph Wilder, Q.C., National Chairman of the CIC introduced a number of Middle East issues of particular concern to the Jewish community, including: Canada’s voting record at the United Nations (UN) and the urgent need for reform of various U.N. agencies; Canada’s anti-terrorism policies; the threat posed by Iraq to regional security and global stability; and the American-led efforts to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority.

“I think we left the meeting satisfied that the Minister understood the position of the Jewish community on the issues and we were encouraged that the government shares many of the concerns that were expressed”, said Wilder.

Mr. Graham confirmed that Canada endorses the U.S. vision regarding the need for substantial reform within the Palestinian Authority – as a necessary condition for progress towards peace and that there can be no moral equivalence between the terror experienced by Israelis over the last two years and Israel’s efforts to provide greater security for its citizens.

The Foreign Minister shared the CIC’s concerns about the erosion of credibility within the U.N. and its agencies and committed to review all U.N. General Assembly resolutions to ensure that Canada does not lend its support to those that are lacking in balance, single out or use excessive language against Israel. Shoel Silver, President-elect of UIAFC urged the Minister to re-think Canada’s approach to the resolutions process. “Words count…and Canada has to be more sensitive to their impact on international debate – including the licence they give to those hostile to Israel and the Jewish people to deligitimize and even demonize Jews with the ‘imprimatur’ of the United Nations.”
The delegation was re-assured that Canada properly identifies Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups as part of the global terrorist network and will be meeting with Solicitor General Lawrence McCauley to urge the government to speed up the process of registering these groups as entities subject to prosecution under the Criminal Code.
The Foreign Minister expressed grave concern about the threat posed by Iraq not only to Israel but the international community as well. However, he disagreed with the CIC regarding the most effective ways to isolate Sadaam Hussein and reduce the threat of his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. “The Minister holds out some residual confidence in the U.N’s ability to ameliorate the situation”, said Wilder, “but he did acknowledge that the current stance of the Iraqi dictator does not provide much hope for a constructive resolution of the current crisis”.
Wilder characterized the discussion as “engaging and intense”, but reflective of a genuinely warm relationship the community enjoys with Mr. Graham. “For us, this represents just one point in an on-going dialogue. We value the quality of our discussions with the government and are confident that our messages find a receptive hearing”.
The delegation included: Joe Wilder, Chairman, CIC; Rochelle Wilner, President B’nai Brith Canada (BBC); Frank Dimant, Executive VP, BBC; Keith Landy, President Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC); Manuel Prutschi, National Director of Community Relations, CJC; Kurt Rothschild, President, Canadian Zionist Federation; Shoel Silver, President-elect of United Israel Appeal Federations Canada; Brian Morris, Immediate Past Chairman, CIC; Norman Godfrey, Vice-Chairman, CIC; Shimon Fogel, CEO, CIC; and David Cooper, Assistant Director Government Relations, CIC.
For further information:
Shimon Fogel, CEO
Canada-Israel Committee