Canada Puts US, Israel on Torture List-But Then Apologizes
Harper Regime Are Traitorous Cowards | 19.01.2008 22:26 | Repression | World
The Neo-Conservative Canadian (Alliance) Government has placed both the US and Israel, which are known to engage in routine torture, on a list of countries known to engage in torture. However, when pressed by the countries' Lobby groups, they relented, apologized, and vowed to alter the lists.
I guess they don't want their siplomats acting in accordance with the facts afterall ...
I guess they don't want their siplomats acting in accordance with the facts afterall ...
Canada puts U.S. on torture watch list: CTV
Updated Wed. Jan. 16 2008 11:02 PM ET
CTV.ca News
Omar Khadr's lawyers say they can't understand why Canada is not doing more to help their client in light of new evidence that Ottawa has put the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on a watch list for torture.
Khadr -- a Canadian citizen who was just 15-years-old when he was captured in Afghanistan more than five years ago and taken to Guantanamo -- has claimed that he has been tortured at the prison. Now, CTV News has obtained documents that put Guantanamo Bay on a torture watch list.
Khadr's U.S. military lawyer says the new documents contradict Harper's assurances that his client is receiving fair treatment.
"Omar has certainly been abused, his rights have been violated under international law, and apparently the Canadian government has reason to believe that's true, and yet, they've acted not at all to assist him," William Kuebler told CTV News.
Khadr's lawyers say suspicions of torture undermine claims that he can get a fair trial from the military commission in Guantanamo Bay. They want him sent back to Canada to face justice here. But the government has said he's charged with serious crimes and they are waiting for the U.S. judicial process to play itself out.
Canada's new focus on torture was ordered by the inquiry into Maher Arar's nightmare in Syria. U.S. authorities sent Arar -- a Canadian of Syrian ancestory -- to Syria after he made a brief stopover in New York in 2002. They wrongly accused him of having links to terrorism in large part because of information provided by the RCMP.
Arar was sent to a Syrian prison where he was tortured for nearly a year. An inquiry into the Arar affair ordered a new focus on torture, and CTV News has learned that, as part of a "torture awareness workshop," diplomats are now being told where to watch for abuse.
The aim of the workshop: to teach diplomats who visit Canadians in foreign jails how to tell if they've been tortured. It also listed countries and places with greater risks of torture. The list includes Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and China. But surprisingly, it also included the United States, Guantanamo Bay, and Israel.
It notes specific "U.S. interrogation techniquies," which include "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation." The U.S. has repeatedly denied allegations by international groups that it tortures prisoners captured in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. However, U.S. officials have refused to comment on the Canadian list.
But international observers say they are heartened by the specificity of the Canadian list. Alex Neve of Amnesty International says he is surprised that Canada would risk offending allies by naming countries that potentially torture prisoners.
"These are countries where, sadly, the record is clear -- torture and ill treatment happens," said Neve.
But it appears that Ottawa may have had second thoughts about being so explicit. After the documents were released as evidence in a court case relating to Afghan detainees, the government tried to get them back. Sources say that Ottawa apparently wanted to black out sensitive parts that may anger allies.
Khadr -- who was born in Toronto -- was captured in 2002 after a battle with U.S. forces in which an American soldier died. He's accused of war crimes, but critics have alleged the U.S. military court that is trying him violates U.S. and international law. Khadr is the only Western citizen remaining at Guantanamo Bay.
A war crimes trial has never been held against anyone under the age of 18. International observers have questioned Ottawa's decision not to help Khadr, who many believe is no different than child soldiers victimized in Africa.
With a report from CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080116/khadr_torture_080116/20080116?hub=TopStories
US, Israel on Canadian torture watch list: report
Thu Jan 17, 7:00 PM
OTTAWA (AFP) - The United States and Israel are on a Canadian Foreign Affairs Department watch list of countries where prisoners risk being tortured, CTV television reported Thursday.
The document cited the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a place where prisoners could be tortured. Guantanamo holds Omar Khadr, a Canadian accused of killing a US soldier with a hand grenade in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old.
CTV said the document is used in a workshop to teach Canadian diplomats how to tell if a Canadian held in a foreign jail has been tortured, CTV reported.
The document lists a series of countries where the possibility of torture is high, including Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and China. But it also includes the United States and Israel.
It highlights US torture techniques including forced nudity, isolation and sleep deprivation, CTV said. (Beatings, electrocutions, etc. are not listed?)
Questioned by email by AFP on the reported document, Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Neil Hrab said "the training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the views or policies of this government."
In an interview with CTV, Khadr's lawyer, Bill Kuebler, said he was surprised the Canadian government has done nothing to protect his client if there are suspicions he may have been mistreated in Guantanamo.
Kuebler said other western countries have successfully pressed for the release of their citizens held at Guantanamo.
Human rights groups and prominent Canadian citizens are calling for 21-year-old Khadr's repatriation so he can benefit from normal due process of law.
(A group of prominent British jurists also just condemned Stephen Harper's inaction.)
Training diplomats to make them more aware of torture began after Syrian-Canadian Maher Arar in 2002 was deported by the United States to Syria, where he was imprisoned for nearly a year and said he was tortured.
A Canadian inquiry cleared Arar of all suspicions of terrorism and the Canadian government issued an apology and awarded him a substantial compensation.
(But no real investigation was conducted to probe Canadian collusion with US crminal actions.)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080118/canada/canada_us_israel_torture_rights
Torture watchlist 'wrongly' names Canadian allies: Bernier
Last Updated: Saturday, January 19, 2008 | 12:38 PM ET
CBC News
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has issued a statement in an effort to pacify allies angry over a training manual for Canadian diplomats that lists the U.S. and Israel as countries where prisoners risk torture and abuse.
Bernier said the manual "contains a list that wrongly includes some of our closest allies."
(Wrongly how, exactly? Just because Harper has decided to ally himself with these criminals doesn't change the fact that they routinely engage in torture.)
"I regret the embarrassment caused by the public disclosure of the manual used in the department's torture awareness training," he said in a statement released Saturday.
"The manual is neither a policy document nor a statement of policy," he said. "As such, it does not convey the government's views or positions."
(Sure it does. These are manuals to be used by prospective diplomats.)
Bernier said he has directed the manual to be reviewed and rewritten, but he did not provide details.
The torture awareness training manual was inadvertently released on Friday to lawyers working on a lawsuit involving allegations that detainees were abused in Afghanistan.
The document singles out the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay as a site of possible abuse. It also names Israel, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria as places where inmates could face torture.
U.S. ambassador to Canada David Wilkins told the Associated Press that it's "absurd" and "offensive" to place the United States on the same list along with countries like Iran and China.
(Why? They do less harm than the US?)
Michael Mendel, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Ottawa, said Israel's Supreme Court "is on record as expressly prohibiting any type of torture."
(So is the US. But both countries still practice torture.)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/01/19/torture-manual.html
Foreign Affairs Minister Bernier meets with top Palestinian, Israeli officials
Published: Sunday, January 13, 2008 | 4:09 PM ET
Canadian Press: Yehonathan Tommer, THE CANADIAN PRESS
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Canadian aid and the Mideast peace process were front and centre Sunday as Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier met with President Mahmoud Abbas and other top Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
Bernier, who wrapped up a two-day trip to India on Saturday, also met later Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
In his talks with the Palestinians, Bernier said he emphasized that the Canadian pledge of $300 million for Palestinian nation building over the next five years is "not unconditional."
"We will need to see demonstrable progress in (peace) negotiations by both sides, as well as progress in Palestinian democratic reforms," Bernier said after meeting with the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, Riad Malki.
Bernier said he also noted that part of the aid was earmarked for educational programs "to help combat hatred and incitement" against Israel.
Details of exactly how the aid will be used will be worked out later, but Abbas and Prime Minister Salim Fayyad have given assurances that Canada's concerns would be met, Bernier added.
Unlike President George W. Bush's high-profile visit that virtually shut down Ramallah last week, Bernier's presence went mostly unnoticed by ordinary Palestinians.
The only evidence was the billowing Canadian flags and several embassy vehicles unobtrusively parked outside the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, far from the downtown.
Malki said that the two men had a "good meeting" and "a frank, open and constructive dialogue" in their followup to the Bush-hosted conference in Annapolis, Md., in November that jump-started the long-dormant peace talks.
Israel and the Palestinians had pledged to try to reach a peace deal by the end of this year.
'While ambitious, I believe this is attainable," Bernier said of the deadline.
Malki said he discussed with Bernier "the obstacles to progress in the peace process, especially Israeli settlements," as well as ways of co-ordinating bilateral ties.
He also thanked Canada for its aid and stressed the "good, working relationship" with Ottawa.
However, Malki also alluded to differences as well, saying "issues between them would be raised in quiet diplomacy."
He did not elaborate.
There were no handshakes and no smiles and the two men showed no visible warmth, either during their news conference or as they left the room.
Only three questions were taken from reporters, all related to Israeli settlements activity.
During their private meeting, Malki had asked his Canadian counterpart to press the Israelis into fulfilling their commitment to the first stage of the road map peace process by imposing a total freeze on all Israeli settlement building activity in the West Bank .
The Palestinians, he said, draw no distinction between east Jerusalem, where they hope to establish the capital of a future Palestinian state, and the rest of the West Bank.
Bernier was noncommittal, saying only that "new Israeli settlement activity was contrary to the peace process."
In his meeting with Olmert, Bernier "reiterated Canada's strong support for Israel and for Israel's right to assure its own security," a Foreign Affairs official said on condition of anonymity.
The two also spoke about regional security matters, such as Iran, and Bernier expressed Canada's concerns regarding worrying statements made by Iran's president on Israel and the Holocaust, the official said.
On Monday, Bernier meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, as well as with Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. security co-ordinator.
He later visits Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, Holocaust Memorial and Heroes' Remembrance Authority.
-With files from The Associated Press
Bernier meets with Israeli, Palestinian leaders; discusses regional issues
Last Updated: Sunday, January 13, 2008 | 9:43 PM ET
CBC News
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier met Sunday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to discuss regional issues of mutual concern as part of his first tour of the Middle East.
At his meeting with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Bernier said he emphasized that Canada's $300 million commitment over five years for Palestinian nation building is "not unconditional."
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, right, speaks Sunday at a news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
(Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press) "We will need to see demonstrable progress in [peace] negotiations by both sides, as well as progress in Palestinian democratic reforms," Bernier said, after his meeting with Malki.
Israelis and Palestinians have pledged to try to reach a peace deal by the end of this year, which Bernier believes is an "ambitious," but "attainable" deadline.
Bernier said he also stressed that the aid was earmarked partly for educational programs "to help combat hatred and incitement" against Israel.
Details of how the money will be used will be ironed out later, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have given assurances that Canada's concerns will be met, Bernier added.
Malki said that the two men had a "good meeting" and "a frank, open and constructive dialogue" in their follow-up to the U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Md., in November that jump-started the long-dormant peace talks.
During their private meeting, Malki had asked Bernier to press the Israelis into fulfilling their commitment to the first stage of the road map peace process by imposing a total freeze on all Israeli settlement building activity in the West Bank.
The Palestinians, he said, draw no distinction between east Jerusalem, where they hope to establish the capital of a future Palestinian state, and the rest of the West Bank.
Bernier was noncommittal, saying only that "new Israeli settlement activity was contrary to the peace process."
Canada can have constructive role: Fayyad
Bernier also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who told CBC News that Canada can play a constructive role in the region.
But when pressed for specifics, he'd only say that "Canada enjoys very good international standing and in this way it can make a contribution which others may not be able to make."
Bernier also met later Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A Foreign Affairs official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Bernier reiterated at the meeting "Canada's strong support for Israel and for Israel's right to assure its own security."
The two politicians also spoke about regional security matters, such as Iran, and Bernier expressed Canada's concerns regarding worrying statements made by Iran's president on Israel and the Holocaust, the official said.
On Monday, Bernier will meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak as well as Lt.-Gen Keith Dayton, U.S. security co-ordinator.
He will also visit Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority.
With files from the Canadian Press
Updated Wed. Jan. 16 2008 11:02 PM ET
CTV.ca News
Omar Khadr's lawyers say they can't understand why Canada is not doing more to help their client in light of new evidence that Ottawa has put the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on a watch list for torture.
Khadr -- a Canadian citizen who was just 15-years-old when he was captured in Afghanistan more than five years ago and taken to Guantanamo -- has claimed that he has been tortured at the prison. Now, CTV News has obtained documents that put Guantanamo Bay on a torture watch list.
Khadr's U.S. military lawyer says the new documents contradict Harper's assurances that his client is receiving fair treatment.
"Omar has certainly been abused, his rights have been violated under international law, and apparently the Canadian government has reason to believe that's true, and yet, they've acted not at all to assist him," William Kuebler told CTV News.
Khadr's lawyers say suspicions of torture undermine claims that he can get a fair trial from the military commission in Guantanamo Bay. They want him sent back to Canada to face justice here. But the government has said he's charged with serious crimes and they are waiting for the U.S. judicial process to play itself out.
Canada's new focus on torture was ordered by the inquiry into Maher Arar's nightmare in Syria. U.S. authorities sent Arar -- a Canadian of Syrian ancestory -- to Syria after he made a brief stopover in New York in 2002. They wrongly accused him of having links to terrorism in large part because of information provided by the RCMP.
Arar was sent to a Syrian prison where he was tortured for nearly a year. An inquiry into the Arar affair ordered a new focus on torture, and CTV News has learned that, as part of a "torture awareness workshop," diplomats are now being told where to watch for abuse.
The aim of the workshop: to teach diplomats who visit Canadians in foreign jails how to tell if they've been tortured. It also listed countries and places with greater risks of torture. The list includes Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and China. But surprisingly, it also included the United States, Guantanamo Bay, and Israel.
It notes specific "U.S. interrogation techniquies," which include "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation." The U.S. has repeatedly denied allegations by international groups that it tortures prisoners captured in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. However, U.S. officials have refused to comment on the Canadian list.
But international observers say they are heartened by the specificity of the Canadian list. Alex Neve of Amnesty International says he is surprised that Canada would risk offending allies by naming countries that potentially torture prisoners.
"These are countries where, sadly, the record is clear -- torture and ill treatment happens," said Neve.
But it appears that Ottawa may have had second thoughts about being so explicit. After the documents were released as evidence in a court case relating to Afghan detainees, the government tried to get them back. Sources say that Ottawa apparently wanted to black out sensitive parts that may anger allies.
Khadr -- who was born in Toronto -- was captured in 2002 after a battle with U.S. forces in which an American soldier died. He's accused of war crimes, but critics have alleged the U.S. military court that is trying him violates U.S. and international law. Khadr is the only Western citizen remaining at Guantanamo Bay.
A war crimes trial has never been held against anyone under the age of 18. International observers have questioned Ottawa's decision not to help Khadr, who many believe is no different than child soldiers victimized in Africa.
With a report from CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080116/khadr_torture_080116/20080116?hub=TopStories US, Israel on Canadian torture watch list: report
Thu Jan 17, 7:00 PM
OTTAWA (AFP) - The United States and Israel are on a Canadian Foreign Affairs Department watch list of countries where prisoners risk being tortured, CTV television reported Thursday.
The document cited the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a place where prisoners could be tortured. Guantanamo holds Omar Khadr, a Canadian accused of killing a US soldier with a hand grenade in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old.
CTV said the document is used in a workshop to teach Canadian diplomats how to tell if a Canadian held in a foreign jail has been tortured, CTV reported.
The document lists a series of countries where the possibility of torture is high, including Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and China. But it also includes the United States and Israel.
It highlights US torture techniques including forced nudity, isolation and sleep deprivation, CTV said. (Beatings, electrocutions, etc. are not listed?)
Questioned by email by AFP on the reported document, Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Neil Hrab said "the training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the views or policies of this government."
In an interview with CTV, Khadr's lawyer, Bill Kuebler, said he was surprised the Canadian government has done nothing to protect his client if there are suspicions he may have been mistreated in Guantanamo.
Kuebler said other western countries have successfully pressed for the release of their citizens held at Guantanamo.
Human rights groups and prominent Canadian citizens are calling for 21-year-old Khadr's repatriation so he can benefit from normal due process of law.
(A group of prominent British jurists also just condemned Stephen Harper's inaction.)
Training diplomats to make them more aware of torture began after Syrian-Canadian Maher Arar in 2002 was deported by the United States to Syria, where he was imprisoned for nearly a year and said he was tortured.
A Canadian inquiry cleared Arar of all suspicions of terrorism and the Canadian government issued an apology and awarded him a substantial compensation.
(But no real investigation was conducted to probe Canadian collusion with US crminal actions.)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080118/canada/canada_us_israel_torture_rights Torture watchlist 'wrongly' names Canadian allies: Bernier
Last Updated: Saturday, January 19, 2008 | 12:38 PM ET
CBC News
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has issued a statement in an effort to pacify allies angry over a training manual for Canadian diplomats that lists the U.S. and Israel as countries where prisoners risk torture and abuse.
Bernier said the manual "contains a list that wrongly includes some of our closest allies."
(Wrongly how, exactly? Just because Harper has decided to ally himself with these criminals doesn't change the fact that they routinely engage in torture.)
"I regret the embarrassment caused by the public disclosure of the manual used in the department's torture awareness training," he said in a statement released Saturday.
"The manual is neither a policy document nor a statement of policy," he said. "As such, it does not convey the government's views or positions."
(Sure it does. These are manuals to be used by prospective diplomats.)
Bernier said he has directed the manual to be reviewed and rewritten, but he did not provide details.
The torture awareness training manual was inadvertently released on Friday to lawyers working on a lawsuit involving allegations that detainees were abused in Afghanistan.
The document singles out the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay as a site of possible abuse. It also names Israel, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria as places where inmates could face torture.
U.S. ambassador to Canada David Wilkins told the Associated Press that it's "absurd" and "offensive" to place the United States on the same list along with countries like Iran and China.
(Why? They do less harm than the US?)
Michael Mendel, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Ottawa, said Israel's Supreme Court "is on record as expressly prohibiting any type of torture."
(So is the US. But both countries still practice torture.)
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/01/19/torture-manual.html Foreign Affairs Minister Bernier meets with top Palestinian, Israeli officials
Published: Sunday, January 13, 2008 | 4:09 PM ET
Canadian Press: Yehonathan Tommer, THE CANADIAN PRESS
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Canadian aid and the Mideast peace process were front and centre Sunday as Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier met with President Mahmoud Abbas and other top Palestinian officials in Ramallah.
Bernier, who wrapped up a two-day trip to India on Saturday, also met later Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
In his talks with the Palestinians, Bernier said he emphasized that the Canadian pledge of $300 million for Palestinian nation building over the next five years is "not unconditional."
"We will need to see demonstrable progress in (peace) negotiations by both sides, as well as progress in Palestinian democratic reforms," Bernier said after meeting with the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, Riad Malki.
Bernier said he also noted that part of the aid was earmarked for educational programs "to help combat hatred and incitement" against Israel.
Details of exactly how the aid will be used will be worked out later, but Abbas and Prime Minister Salim Fayyad have given assurances that Canada's concerns would be met, Bernier added.
Unlike President George W. Bush's high-profile visit that virtually shut down Ramallah last week, Bernier's presence went mostly unnoticed by ordinary Palestinians.
The only evidence was the billowing Canadian flags and several embassy vehicles unobtrusively parked outside the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, far from the downtown.
Malki said that the two men had a "good meeting" and "a frank, open and constructive dialogue" in their followup to the Bush-hosted conference in Annapolis, Md., in November that jump-started the long-dormant peace talks.
Israel and the Palestinians had pledged to try to reach a peace deal by the end of this year.
'While ambitious, I believe this is attainable," Bernier said of the deadline.
Malki said he discussed with Bernier "the obstacles to progress in the peace process, especially Israeli settlements," as well as ways of co-ordinating bilateral ties.
He also thanked Canada for its aid and stressed the "good, working relationship" with Ottawa.
However, Malki also alluded to differences as well, saying "issues between them would be raised in quiet diplomacy."
He did not elaborate.
There were no handshakes and no smiles and the two men showed no visible warmth, either during their news conference or as they left the room.
Only three questions were taken from reporters, all related to Israeli settlements activity.
During their private meeting, Malki had asked his Canadian counterpart to press the Israelis into fulfilling their commitment to the first stage of the road map peace process by imposing a total freeze on all Israeli settlement building activity in the West Bank .
The Palestinians, he said, draw no distinction between east Jerusalem, where they hope to establish the capital of a future Palestinian state, and the rest of the West Bank.
Bernier was noncommittal, saying only that "new Israeli settlement activity was contrary to the peace process."
In his meeting with Olmert, Bernier "reiterated Canada's strong support for Israel and for Israel's right to assure its own security," a Foreign Affairs official said on condition of anonymity.
The two also spoke about regional security matters, such as Iran, and Bernier expressed Canada's concerns regarding worrying statements made by Iran's president on Israel and the Holocaust, the official said.
On Monday, Bernier meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, as well as with Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. security co-ordinator.
He later visits Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, Holocaust Memorial and Heroes' Remembrance Authority.
-With files from The Associated Press
Bernier meets with Israeli, Palestinian leaders; discusses regional issues
Last Updated: Sunday, January 13, 2008 | 9:43 PM ET
CBC News
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier met Sunday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to discuss regional issues of mutual concern as part of his first tour of the Middle East.
At his meeting with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Bernier said he emphasized that Canada's $300 million commitment over five years for Palestinian nation building is "not unconditional."
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, right, speaks Sunday at a news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
(Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press) "We will need to see demonstrable progress in [peace] negotiations by both sides, as well as progress in Palestinian democratic reforms," Bernier said, after his meeting with Malki.
Israelis and Palestinians have pledged to try to reach a peace deal by the end of this year, which Bernier believes is an "ambitious," but "attainable" deadline.
Bernier said he also stressed that the aid was earmarked partly for educational programs "to help combat hatred and incitement" against Israel.
Details of how the money will be used will be ironed out later, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have given assurances that Canada's concerns will be met, Bernier added.
Malki said that the two men had a "good meeting" and "a frank, open and constructive dialogue" in their follow-up to the U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Md., in November that jump-started the long-dormant peace talks.
During their private meeting, Malki had asked Bernier to press the Israelis into fulfilling their commitment to the first stage of the road map peace process by imposing a total freeze on all Israeli settlement building activity in the West Bank.
The Palestinians, he said, draw no distinction between east Jerusalem, where they hope to establish the capital of a future Palestinian state, and the rest of the West Bank.
Bernier was noncommittal, saying only that "new Israeli settlement activity was contrary to the peace process."
Canada can have constructive role: Fayyad
Bernier also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who told CBC News that Canada can play a constructive role in the region.
But when pressed for specifics, he'd only say that "Canada enjoys very good international standing and in this way it can make a contribution which others may not be able to make."
Bernier also met later Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A Foreign Affairs official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Bernier reiterated at the meeting "Canada's strong support for Israel and for Israel's right to assure its own security."
The two politicians also spoke about regional security matters, such as Iran, and Bernier expressed Canada's concerns regarding worrying statements made by Iran's president on Israel and the Holocaust, the official said.
On Monday, Bernier will meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak as well as Lt.-Gen Keith Dayton, U.S. security co-ordinator.
He will also visit Jerusalem's Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority.
With files from the Canadian Press
Harper Regime Are Traitorous Cowards
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20.01.2008 21:56
Torture awareness manual 'wrongly' lists Cdn allies, to be rewritten: Bernier
at 14:27 on January 19, 2008, EST.
By Pat Hewitt, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier found himself backtracking Saturday over his department's training manual that lists the U.S. and Guantanamo Bay as sites of possible torture - alongside such countries as Iran and Syria (and Israel).
In a statement, Bernier said he regretted the embarrassment caused by the public disclosure of the manual, adding that it contains a list that "wrongly" includes some of Canada's closest allies.
(But not because they don't use torture, 'wrong' as in we're not allowed to talk about them doing it.)
Bernier said the manual is neither a policy document, nor a statement of policy, and that he has directed it to be reviewed and rewritten.
(Even though it is, because it's a training manual for diplomats.)
Along with the U.S. prison camp in Cuba and the United States, the list includes Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Mexico and Syria.
The workshop manual, which was used in the Foreign Affairs department's torture awareness training, was produced about two years ago while Justice Dennis O'Connor was investigating the case of Maher Arar.
Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian engineer, was imprisoned and tortured in Syria for almost a year after he was detained and sent there by U.S. authorities in 2002 after he was wrongfully accused of having terrorist ties. A Canadian judicial inquiry, led by O'Connor, later cleared him. Ottawa awarded Arar $10.5 million in compensation after the inquiry concluded faulty information passed by the RCMP to American officials likely led to his deportation to Syria.
William Sampson, who holds a dual British-Canadian citizenship, was imprisoned and tortured in Saudi Arabia where he was arrested in 2001, accused of involvement in a string of bombings in Riyadh. He was among seven foreigners granted amnesty and freed in 2003.
(None of the criminals who passed false information to the Americans, however, have been held responsible for their crimes.)
The workshop manual offers a section on laws prohibiting torture and what to do when cases are suspected.
The Canadian Press first reported the manual's existence on Wednesday after it had been inadvertently released to lawyers working on a lawsuit involving allegations of abuse of detainees in Afghanistan when they asked the federal government what kind of training is available for its employees on torture.
"I regret the embarrassment caused by the public disclosure of the manual used in the department's torture awareness training," Bernier said in the statement.
"It contains a list that wrongly includes some of our closest allies. I have directed that the manual be reviewed and rewritten. The manual is neither a policy document nor a statement of policy. As such, it does not convey the government's views or positions," the statement added.
('Positions and views' that include looking the other way when 'allies' of the Neo-Conservative Harper Regime violate international law ...)
In Toronto, Liberal foreign affairs critic, Bob Rae, told The Canadian Press the government is in damage control.
"There's a question of competence. I mean, to me, I don't think I've ever seen a situation, or a government where the management of the foreign policy was handled in such an amateurish way on a number of fronts," said Rae.
(And directed by foreign Governments, and their ability to silence legitimate, legal criticisms.)
"The minister goes to the Middle East and can't answer any questions when he's in Israel because, you know, he's not allowed to answer any questions, " Rae added. "They attempt to control everything from central casting but sometimes things happen and then they immediately try to do the damage control on a Saturday morning."
(In other words, he can't answer questions, because he's not allowed to speak to the reality of the situation.)
"This is a very strange way to run a government," he suggested, adding any list of this kind can't be politically controlled.
"It's a list that has to be based on the evidence from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, agencies of the United Nations and so on."
Rae said he hopes the government gets on with the review quickly and reveals the criteria that will be used to determine which countries should be on the list.
"The idea that you would equate the government of the United States with the government of Iran with respect to the treatment of prisoners is a little hard to fathom," said Rae.
(Why? Because the US does much more damage and violates the law more than Iran ... ?)
"But the fact that both Senator (John) McCain and Senator (Barack) Obama had to speak so strongly on the issue of torture during the questioning of the former attorney general of the United States shows that the question of the treatment of prisoners in the United States is a live question," said Rae.
"But it is impossible to justify comparing it to what is going on in a country like Iran, where we have documented evidence of systematic torture of prisoners," said Rae.
(Evidence also proves systematic torture of prisoners by the US and Israel. On a much grander scale. Not suprised that Rae would also be so cowed on the issue ...)
U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins said the U.S. found it offensive to be on the same list with countries such as Iran and China. He said the U.S. requested it be removed from the list and added the U.S. does not condone torture.
(Actions speak louder than words.)
An Israeli Embassy spokesman said the ambassador of Israel would expect his country to be removed from the list.
(Then we 'expect' Israel to forego the practice of torturing prisoners, political or otherwise.)
(With files from The Associated Press)
Sad