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Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, in Ottawa Thursday, wants to see 'great evidence' that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is not following the United Nations resolution on disarmament before he will commit Canada to involvement in a war against Baghdad. Photo: Fred Chartrand/CP
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JEFF SALLOT
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Ottawa — Prime Minister Jean Chrétien says the United States has not yet made the case for war with Iraq, and that he has told U.S. President George W. Bush that Canada does not want the United States to attack without a UN mandate. Arguing that United Nations weapons inspectors should be given more time, a skeptical Mr. Chrétien said Thursday he is not afraid to part company with Canada's closest ally if the United States attacks Iraq without the backing of the UN Security Council.
An increasingly frustrated Mr. Bush phoned Mr. Chrétien on Wednesday looking for political support from Canada after a rough day in which France's President Jacques Chirac and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder joined together in a sharp challenge to U.S. policy on Iraq. Other key members of the Security Council have also said there is no justification yet for war, and public support in the United States appears shaky. Mr. Bush did not ask for a military commitment from Canada, officials said, calling the 15-minute conversation friendly and low-key. Although Canada does not currently hold a Security Council seat, Washington often seeks Ottawa's political support on international-security issues. The skepticism voiced by allies is one reason that U.S. domestic support for war has fallen off, pollsters have said. In the latest poll, conducted for The New York Times and CBS News and released Friday, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they wanted Mr. Bush to seek a diplomatic solution in Iraq, while 31 per cent supported using military force. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points 19 times out of 20. Mr. Chrétien kept Canada in the skeptics' camp Thursday, saying Canada will support a war only "if the Americans or the Brits have great evidence that [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein, who is no friend of mine, is not following the instructions of the United Nations [to disarm]. ... But we're not there yet." The current UN resolution "calls for action" if Iraq continues development of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, Mr. Chrétien said. "So let's see if they conform." Canada is waiting to hear from UN weapons inspectors, who are to make their first formal report to the Security Council on Monday, he said. "I would not complain" if Mr. Hussein voluntarily steps down and goes into exile to end the crisis, Mr. Chrétien said. "I do not know if he would want to live in Canada, though. ... I don't talk to him very often," he joked. Colleen Beaumier, the Liberal MP for the Ontario riding of Brampton West-Mississauga, on an unofficial peace visit to Iraq Thursday, told Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz that Canada intends to follow closely the UN resolution on weapons of mass destruction. Ms. Beaumier emerged from a meeting with Mr. Aziz in Baghdad with harsh criticism of the United States, CBC New reported. "If there are no weapons of mass destruction, then the United States is definitely travelling the wrong path," she said. Asked whether he worries about failing to support the United States, Mr. Chrétien said everything depends on what the inspectors discover. "If I have to say no [to the United States], I will. If I have to say yes, I will. We are an independent country," Mr. Chrétien said. Mr. Chrétien also dismissed concerns voiced by some business interests that the United States might impose even more stringent border restrictions if war breaks out. Canada and the United States continue to work closely to keep the border open in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept., 11, 2001, he said. It is not in anybody's interest to make crossing the border more difficult, he said, noting that many Canadians spend a lot of money while on winter vacations in Florida and California. The Canadian Forces are making contingency plans that will go into effect if the UN Security Council authorizes a military campaign against Iraq, and if the government decides to participate, defence officials said. Earlier in the day, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said the weapons inspectors should have the time they think they need to complete their work. Mr. Graham said no final decisions have to be made even when the council receives the first inspections report on Monday. Asked whether Canada would support the United States if it attacked Iraq without Security Council approval, Mr. Graham said, "We are in favour of multilateralism, and of course that eliminates the idea of a unilateral attack." Unity at the UN is the best way to make sure Iraq ends any weapons programs, Mr. Graham said. Mr. Bush's frustrations with the pace of the disarmament process are very clear, Mr. Graham said. Nevertheless, he added, U.S. policy has always focused on working through the UN. At various times, Mr. Bush and other senior officials have said the only way to make sure Iraq no longer poses a threat is to topple Mr. Hussein's regime. Mr. Graham suggested that "regime change," as Mr. Bush has characterized it, is not the ultimate objective, but rather it is disarmament that is crucial. If the inspections succeed, "there will be a change in the nature of the regime in Iraq by this very process," he said. With a report from Canadian Press
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