U.S. can't sway Canada on Afghan pullout: Cannon
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 | 4:05 PM ET
CBC News
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon speaks to the United Nations Security Council in New York on Tuesday. (CBC)Canada will not extend its mission in Afghanistan beyond 2011, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday — despite an anticipated diplomatic push by the U.S. to get the country to stay.
"Let me be perfectly clear: Canada is abiding by the motion that was adopted in our Parliament," Cannon said at a news conference in New York. "Our position is perfectly clear — we are not going beyond 2011."
Although he has not yet received any kind of pressure from the Americans, Cannon said it would be futile.
Sources told The Canadian Press they were contacted by the White House and asked for advice on how to get Ottawa to change its mind.
Parliament voted in 2008 to set 2011 as an end date in Afghanistan and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made it clear he's not interested in extending the mission.
Cannon urges UN to expand outside Kabul
In New York, Cannon made a speech to the United Nations Security Council, urging it to bolster its presence in Afghanistan outside the capital, Kabul.
"We view the UN's role in Kandahar and throughout the country as fundamental. The UN needs to play the same coordinating and leadership role in the provinces as it plays in Kabul," Cannon said.
"Moreover, its regional presence that attracts growing numbers of partners is critical to our shared success."
Cannon also defended Canadian diplomats in Afghanistan against accusations they failed to alert Ottawa immediately when they became aware on Feb. 15 that the Afghan government was going to introduce Shia family law.
The sweeping legislation included several contentious provisions, including most notably allowing Shia Muslim men to demand sex from their wives at least every four days.
Canada protested vigorously when an international furor finally erupted in April. Cannon said no one at the time was aware of the specifics of the law because of the secretive way it was drafted.
After the worldwide pressure, President Hamid Karzai agreed to review the law before ratifying it.
With files from The Canadian Press
