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BENZ-LGB · #1 03-20-2003, 07:30 PM

From Reuters....

Stop Criticizing US Over Iraq, Canadian PM Says

Reuters
Thursday, March 20, 2003; 4:40 PM

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Jean Chretien, trying to clamp down on a wave of anti-American comments by his administration, urged Canadians on Thursday not to criticize the United States for attacking Iraq because this could be construed as supporting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

In recent days several members of the ruling Liberal Party -- including Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal -- have blasted the United States, which is by far Canada's closest ally and trading partner.

Canadian business executives are increasingly worried that the lucrative trade relationship between the two countries could be hurt if the criticisms do not stop. In particular, they say any clampdown on the border could be crippling.

Chretien, who said on Tuesday that an attack would be unjustified, did not criticize Washington on Thursday and said he hoped the war would be short with a minimum of casualties.

"At this point I think there is no use debating the reasons why some people think war is necessary and some people think it is not. We should not say anything that would comfort Saddam Hussein," he told reporters.

A government official said Chretien was "asking people to cool down the rhetoric" and added: "That is the time not to step up any personal attack."

Dhaliwal said on Wednesday that President Bush had let Americans and the world down by not acting as a statesman. He later issued a statement saying he had not intended to be disrespectful of the president.

Chretien came under fire from both Washington and right-wing opposition parties this week after saying Ottawa would not commit troops to the Iraq war because it had not been authorized by the U.N. Security Council. Opinion polls show that 75 percent of Canadians support his view.

"I want to assure everyone that we are continuing to take all necessary measures to protect Canadians and ensure our security. We are working closely with American authorities to ensure that our border and crossings remain safe and efficient," Chretien said on Thursday.

Transport Minister David Collenette said that security had been tightened at airports, ports and major railway stations.

The main opposition Canadian Alliance party, which has long insisted Ottawa should back Washington over Iraq, said the government's "embarrassing and gutless decision" not to send troops could damage Canada-U.S. relations.

"This government's position...has been guided simply by its reading of polls and a juvenile anti-Americanism," Alliance leader Stephen Harper told reporters.

Chretien's top spokeswoman resigned in November after calling Bush "a moron." Liberal Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish blasted the U.S. administration last month saying she hated "damned Americans" and calling them "bastards."

Some 87 percent of Canadian exports go to the United States and Canada's economy is uniquely vulnerable to delays at the border, prompting some executives to rap Ottawa's Iraq stance.

Derek Burney, the head of flight simulator firm CAE Inc., said on Tuesday that the relationship was "too important for vacillation and too vital for detachment" and expressed frustration that Canada had not joined the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq.

The chairman of gold mining company Goldcorp Inc. sent Chretien a letter on Wednesday saying his stance on Iraq would "transform our once longest undefended border in the world into a formidable barrier to trade, capital, travel and friendship with our largest trading partner."

Trading relations are already strained in the wake of U.S. decisions to impose punitive duties on shipments of Canadian softwood lumber and wheat.

© 2003 Reuters