ut-oh...we be pickin a fight

[Leslie]

Sanctions are a possibility, as Ottawa weighs its next move one day after recalling the Canadian ambassador from Iran in a dispute over the death of a Montreal photojournalist.

Disappointed by word Canadian observers will be barred from the trial of a man accused of killing Zahra Kazemi, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham announced the recall on Wednesday.

Without specifying, the minister has hinted economic and legal sanctions are a distinct possibility.

When asked for his reaction, Iran's ambassador to Canada said he believes it will do little good.

"I think this is not a helpful approach to move constructively in a mutual interest on the trial of Ms. Kazemi and our bilateral relations," Mohammad ali Mousavi told CTV's Canada AM in an interview Thursday morning.

As a sovereign state, Mousavi says Iran is not obligated to accept foreign observers at criminal proceedings.

"Then based on Iran's rule, it has become within the jurisdiction and decision of the independent judge," Mousavi said, urging Canadians to respect the Iranian judicial system.

"I think transparency of the court should not be only evaluated based on accepting foreign observers or not," he said, explaining that's the reason he suggests Ottawa reserve judgment until the trial actually begins.

"I think we should wait until the court start its sessions before to take any decision or any reaction to it."

The Kazemi family will be represented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi when the trial begins Saturday.

Kazemi, 54, was arrested last summer in Iran after taking pictures outside a prison. She fell into a coma while in custody and died a few weeks later.

Iran's judiciary initially said she died of a stroke. But a presidentially-appointed committee concluded she had in fact died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage. The injuries, it said, came from a blow to the head.

Ottawa recalled its ambassador to Iran soon after the murder but returned the diplomat after co-operation was promised.

An Iranian intelligence agent has been charged with "semi-intentional murder" of the Canadian journalist.

Kazemi's son, Stephen Hachemi, said Wednesday he was frustrated that he and his lawyers have been unable to obtain documents or evidence explaining what happened to his mother.

"Basically we got nothing," he told reporters in Ottawa.

He is disappointed Canadians won't be allowed to observe the criminal proceedings in Tehran, and he also holds little hope justice will be served. In his opinion, the accused "are not the right people."

"This masquerade is going to point to scapegoats," Hachemi said. "They're going to be condemned to pay some blood money."

Lamenting what he expects will amount to a show trial, followed by a symbolic punishment, Hachemi said, "I'm not going to be happy with that."

Graham has said intends to keep up the pressure on Iran, and also plans to take the issue to the International Court of Justice.

source


I really don't know that we should be doing this...it is their court system after all...but I don't know enough about the international laws dealie on this to have much of an opinion other than

 

[MrBishop]

As long as we don't have to go to war over it. International courtesy should've prevailed...Iran didn't have to bend over backwards for us, but a small show of courtesy can go a long way towards avoiding 'bad feelings', which in turn can go a long way towards avoiding sanctions.

 

[Gonz]

Canada acts to make a freer world & Canadians shiver at the thought

You're right, it is their court system. Run by a bunch of religious tyrants who disallow womens rights & practice slavery & racial profiling & bigotry.

So we shouldn't complain?

 

[The Other One]

Canada looking to brawl, huh? Will they stand up to Iran, or turn tail and run? I wonder if they'll ask their neighbor to the south for some muscle... They could cut off all diplomatic relations with Iran, stop shipping Canadian-made goods to them, ask for a public apology, and demand that their advisers be present for the trial... if all of that fails, they can make their case to the Security Council and seek the U.N.'s help. Or call Jimmy. Jimmy Carter's your man in any situation that needs a calm hand. Or appease the terrorists. Just give Iran a big ol' bear hug to settle things down.

 

[MrBishop]

Someone's forgotten who's taken care of Afghanistan while you went off on a wild-goose chase for WMDs

We won't exactly turn tail, eh. Nor are we willing to jump in blindly to war, just cause our daddy couldn't finish the job
j/k

 

[Gonz]

That would be the rest of the Army. Well, they and some Canucks.

 

[The Other One]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

Interesting that a pacifistic country, one that refused to help its largest trading partner and ally in removing a brutal dictator, sends 2,000 of its' 60,000 total armed forces to play a secondary/support role in Afghanistan. It's a role well suited to Canada’s international and domestic politics and the nation’s strategic capabilities.


(http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/aug2003/can-a30_prn.shtml):

The Liberal government has justified Canada’s intervention in Afghanistan on the basis of the need to pursue the worldwide “war against terrorism.” Rhetoric aside, a key reason for Canada’s increasing involvement in Afghanistan is the calculation of its political and economic elites that Canada must be a “player” in the expansion of imperialist military and geopolitical power in Asia and the Middle East if they are to secure their “share” of the economic and strategic benefits....It is well known that the top brass of the Canadian military was eager to participate in the action in Iraq, while it perceives the current Afghan mission as full of dangers and little glory. According to Barry Cooper and David Bercuson, academics with close connections to both the Canadian Alliance and the military, someone has to the “dirty job” of “bringing order to Afghanistan ... but why Canada?” Participation in the rape of Iraq, by contrast, would have reinforced Canada’s position as a junior partner of US imperialism and given it a leg up on lucrative concessions and contracts in US-occupied Iraq—or so calculates much of Canada’s economic and political elite.

But it looks like the long-term stability of Canada's role is highly dependent upon events in the war on terrorism:

WASHINGTON — Canada has turned down a request from the U.S. State Department to delay withdrawing its 2,000 troops from Afghanistan this summer.

Americans, worried about potential violence during Afghan elections this fall, wanted Canadians to act as a rapid reaction force and stay put past their scheduled departure this summer.

"The picture is pretty clear. We fulfilled our commitment. As of today, there's no intention to change that position." said Darren Gibb, spokesman for the Defence Department in Ottawa.

"A determination has been made that we're going to rotate our troops back."

(http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...297&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968705899037)

 

[Professur]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

Just out of curiosity, how many of the rest of that 60,000 are on rotation to other sites? Like Crete, Turkey, Germany, Bosnia, Slovenia, etc?

 

[The Other One]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

Canada's military commitments abroad to be reduced almost 75 per cent by fall
Fri Jun 25,10:29 AM ET
KABUL (CP) - Canada will reduce it's overseas military deployments to just 1,200 personnel by fall, down from 4,500 a year ago, the chief of defence staff said on a stopover Friday in advance of next week's NATO summit in Turkey.

Is Canada recalling its' "peacekeepers" to maintain a low profile? Your population will have nothing to blame except sharing a border with the U.S. in the event of a terrorist attack in your country.

© Ipsos
Public Release Date: September 6, 2002
Toronto, ONTARIO – A new Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll released tonight indicates that 84% of Canadians believe that the United States, because of its policies and actions in the Middle East and other parts of the world, bears some of the responsibility (69%) or all of the responsibility (15%) for the terrorist attacks on them. Fourteen percent (14%) believe that the United States bears none of the responsibility for the terrorist attacks on them.

 

[catocom]

It seems often times, people lump the military, and or police/mounties in with
the general gov there in Canada. Just as they like to do with America.
I have the utmost respect for the men/?women? in uniform, but as I
am with the US also, I really don't like most of the politicians.

 

[Winky]

Canada who?

 

[Leslie]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

Is Canada recalling its' "peacekeepers" to maintain a low profile? Your population will have nothing to blame except sharing a border with the U.S. in the event of a terrorist attack in your country.

no...the story goes that it's been planned this way for a good while now...they're runnin out of 'men' to rotate in and out, the military is getting old and tired and they're doing some big restructuring dealie. some rot like that anyway.

 

[Gato_Solo]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

no...the story goes that it's been planned this way for a good while now...they're runnin out of 'men' to rotate in and out, the military is getting old and tired and they're doing some big restructuring dealie. some rot like that anyway.

Restructuring usually means downsizing. Most likely because of politicians. Some words of wisdom to politicians who like 'restructuring' their military...especially when involved in a combat operation...A people who do not respect their military wind up with an army that cannot defend them. Remember this well...

 

[MrBishop]

Re: The Axis of Weasels

Is Canada recalling its' "peacekeepers" to maintain a low profile?

Nope...I also don't think that we'll be pulling out entirely either. Perhaps moving some troops to the edge of Sudan I know that there will be at least another 2 rotations inbound. Also something about a multilateral presense in Athens ...erm ...soon.

Don't worry.... I'm sure that we'll get hit soon enough...despite being your neighbours, and being the smaller target.