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November 26, 2004
U.S. sees Mideast hope
American consul finds common cause with local Jews.
PAT JOHNSON
Saddam Hussein's dictatorship is gone, democracy is emerging, Iraq
now has basic freedoms, an independent judiciary, a free market,
200 newspapers and Iraqi schools that are free of hateful propaganda.
That's the good news, according to the American consul-general in
Vancouver.
Luis Arreaga spoke Saturday night to members of the Jewish National
Fund's Canadian board at the beginning of the agency's semi-annual
board meeting in Vancouver. The consul-general accentuated the positive
in his brief presentation, though he acknowledged the challenges
presented by insurgencies in Iraq and existing dictatorships, including
Iran. But the relative success of Afghanistan's transformation from
Taliban dictatorship to emergent democracy with legislated equality
for women will send a message, Arreaga said, "from Damascus
to Tehran."
Speaking to the specific concerns of the audience, Arreaga pointed
to the opportunities presented by a change in Palestinian leadership.
"The passing of Arafat placed the Palestinians at a crossroad,"
Arreaga said, adding that President George W. Bush's "roadmap
for peace" remains his country's guiding policy toward the
conflict. "President Bush is as committed as ever to the vision
he laid out in 2002." The day after Arreaga spoke, outgoing
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell flew to the Middle East for
another try at bridging the gulf between Israel and its neighbors.
Arreaga, who offered the disclaimer that he is not a Middle East
expert, said his country shares much in common with Israel, noting
that both are relatively young countries, born of struggle by people
fleeing religious persecution. He noted a difference, though.
"The United States, throughout much of our history, has been
protected by oceans to the east and west, and with friendly neighbors
to the north and south," he said.
Arreaga did not single out specifically any of the recently publicized
rifts between Canada and the United States, which include the flamboyant
behavior of now-independent former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish and,
more significantly, perceived rifts between former prime minister
Jean Chretien and the American president over Iraq and other issues.
But Arreaga emphasized the long and abiding relationship between
the two countries, saying the relationship is too big and too strong
to be affected by the behavior of any single individual.
Responding to a question from the audience, the diplomat appeared
unaware that his boss, the American ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci,
was prevented for security reasons from speaking on a Montreal university
campus last week, in what must be considered a systemic challenge
to free expression on that city's campuses. Former Israeli prime
minister Ehud Barak was recently prevented from speaking at Concordia
University, though a new university policy resulted in his being
invited back for a future engagement.
Cellucci has raised eyebrows in the diplomatic community and among
Canadians during his years of service, including wading into Canada's
debate over liberalizing marijuana possession laws. Cellucci has
warned that such policies could result in a stiffening of border
patrols between the two countries, a policy that would almost certainly
result in lost time and money for industries doing cross-border
business. Perhaps weighing the ambassador's statements with some
of the impolitic comments made by Canadian politicians, Arreaga
summed it up as a sign of bilateral fraternity.
"You speak your mind when you think we're doing something wrong
and we do the same," he said.
The Jewish National Fund's Canadian board met in Vancouver this
week. The century-old Zionist agency is the second-largest holder
of land in Israel, after the state itself. It was founded in 1901
by the fifth Zionist Congress for the purposes of fund-raising among
Diaspora communities in order to purchase land in Palestine for
an eventual Jewish national home.
Pat Johnson is a B.C. journalist and commentator.
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