Wow! This is amazing: Sudan, despite being a dusty, grubby place full of black and brown people, expects to be treated like a sovereign nation when Prime Minister
Dithers and Foreign Minister
Pierre Prettycurls decide what Canada is going to do for or about or to it. (See the paper attached to http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/17947/post-182791.html#msg182791 for a definition of what foreign policy is.)
Here is the
poop from group from this morning's
CanWest papers at: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=d7249ce8-09aa-45c4-93a0-541fb1812035
Send aid, not troops, Sudan tells Martin
Ambassador says Khartoum wasn't consulted about PM's Darfur relief plan
Mike Blanchfield
The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Sudan has accused Canada of not properly consulting with Khartoum in the crafting of the Darfur aid package announced this week.
"This plan has never been consulted or negotiated with the government of Sudan," said Sudan's ambassador to Canada Faiza Hassan Taha in an interview yesterday. "They had enough time and ample time to talk to our government about their intentions. This has not happened. We feel very sorry."
The ambassador said Foreign Affairs called her Monday to tell her that Prime Minister Paul Martin was planning an announcement, which came on Thursday, of aid to the war-ravaged west Sudanese region of Darfur.
Ms. Taha said she asked Mr. Martin to call Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir or for Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew place a courtesy call to his counterpart, Mustafa Osman Ismail.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister, however, said the Sudanese government was fully advised. Melanie Gruer said Mr. Martin spoke to al-Mr. Bashir 24 hours before Thursday's announcement, and Canada's charge d'affairs in Khartoum briefed Sudan's minister of state for foreign affairs.
While Sudan welcomes the $170 million in military aid, and any other assistance Canada might be contemplating, Ms. Taha said her government firmly objects to non-African soldiers in Darfur. That means the 60-odd military advisers that are to assist the African Union should not set foot in Darfur, she added.
"We are not going to refuse any help, which we think we need. But we want to be there, in the picture, to participate fully as a government," said Ms. Taha.
"This is an agreement between the African Union and Sudan. The African Union should be given the chance and should be given the opportunity to develop its own capacity in dealing with African problems."
Ms. Taha also rejected calls by the independent MP David Kilgour for Canada to send at least 500 troops to the Sudan. Mr. Kilgour, whose vote is crucial to the survival of Mr. Martin's minority government in next week's confidence vote, has said he won't support the Liberals unless Mr. Martin increases the troop commitment.
"This will not be decided by Mr. Kilgour, neither by the Canadian government. But it will be decided by all parts which are involved in that in Sudan," said Ms. Taha.
Glen Pearson, of the volunteer group Canadian Aid for Southern Sudan, said he is urging Mr. Kilgour to support the government in its confidence vote next week.
Mr. Pearson, who was recently in Sudan and spoke with Mr. Martin and Mr. Kilgour in separate meetings this week, said it makes no sense for Canada to send hundreds of combat troops to Sudan as Mr. Kilgour is demanding.
"We've been to Sudan over 20 times. There's just no way Canada can logistically support that number of troops in such a huge country. Coalition partners would need to be involved," said Mr. Pearson.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2005
The
National Post print story - same article, just longer and not on the web, yet - goes on to discuss the
fact that Canada and Sudan do not have any kind of
Status of Forces Agreement which is
required to allow Canadian troops to be armed in a foreign country - someone named Marie Okabe, at UNNY said that Canadians in UNMIS will not be carrying weapons. Someone else, named Marie Christine Lilkoff (who is listed in the government's electronic directory as
â ? Spokesperson, Africa, Asia, Middle-East, Commonw/Francophonieâ ? in International Trade Canada's Media Relations Office) said "DND is and will make appropriate arrangements to ensure the security of CF personnel.â ? Notwithstanding her rudimentary grasp of English grammar, I wonder how an International Trade Canada
press agent can say what DND will or will not be able to do.
I heard a pertinent comment the other day. The Liberals'
team, this person opined, is great at campaigning but lousy at governing. This Sudan fiasco is a classic example: the whole exercise is founded, 100%, on public relations. There is no Canadian
policy objective at issue because the
centre - the PMO - is not interested in policy, in fact the
centre actively dislikes policy because it gets in the way of
politics.
So, maybe a handful of unarmed logistics type trainers and advisors and as much money as someone like Ms. Lilkoff can conjure up from existing lines in the Blue Book - will that be enough to buy Mr. Kilgour's vote?
Canadians who really, really believe in
Pink Lloyd Axworthy's 'Human Security Agenda' and 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine must demand, scream from the rooftops:
"To hell with the UN and the Government of Sudan! Load our Light Brigade into our C-17s and invade the Darfur region Now! Human security is threatened and we have a responsibility to protect; let's not be hamstrung by petty legalisms - George Bush is right.â ? Responsible Canadians must, yet again, slap their foreheads - look towards
Festung Pearson and ask, quietly:
â ?Is anyone thinking over there?â ?
