Posted on 08/22/2006 6:02:08 PM PDT by NorthOf45
Kenney jumps on Liberals for Mideast comments
CTV.ca News Staff
August 22, 2006
The Conservative government is lashing out at comments made by Liberal MPs who were on a fact-finding mission in Lebanon and suggested Canada should be more open to talking to Hezbollah.
Tory MP Jason Kenney, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, said the comments are nothing less than a sign of support for terrorist groups.
"Their idea of a balanced approach is one where Israel is always wrong," Kenney told a news conference on Tuesday.
"This represents a totally irresponsible approach to foreign security policy."
Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, who is among three MPs on the fact-finding mission, said Monday he favours changing a Canadian law that forbids contact with known terrorist organizations.
He said the law undermines efforts to obtain lasting peace between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.
Wrzesnewskyj is also quoted in some newspapers as saying Hezbollah should be taken off Ottawa's official list of terrorist organizations.
However, Wrzesnewskyj later denied those reports.
"I've said all along that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and will continue to be,'' he said. "Where I have difficulty is with the legislation that says a group on the list cannot be communicated with.''
In a statement, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said there is "no way we will delist a terrorist group."
On Tuesday, Kenney compared the terror group Hezbollah to the German Nazi party of the 1930s, which had candidates that ran in elections but also made violence against Jewish people its chief aim.
He said just because Hezbollah has a political wing doesn't mean it isn't a terrorist group.
Kenney said there is nothing to negotiate with an organization motivated by hate, and decried the Liberal MPs for even suggesting it.
"The Liberal Party of Canada cannot claim to be prepared to be ready to govern Canada if they can't establish a coherent position on such a clear cut issue as the terrorist nature of Hezbollah."
Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham issued a statement late Monday that did not refer directly to the Wrzesnewskyj controversy, but affirmed his party's commitment to keeping Hezbollah on the official terror list.
"The Liberal Party of Canada ... originally listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization under Canadian law and ... we still strongly support keeping Hezbollah on that list.
"Any suggestion to the contrary does not reflect the official position of our party.''
Wrzesnewskyj is in Lebanon with New Democrat MP Peggy Nash, who suggested over the weekend that Canada could follow the lead of other political parties who are in contact with Hezbollah despite opposition to their tactics.
The visit by MPs, including Bloc Quebecois Maria Mourani, was organized by the National Council on Canada Arab-Relations.
It was supposed to be an all-party affair until Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro backed out, citing security reasons.
The MPs visited the hard-hit towns of Qana, Bint Jbeil and Aytaroun. Qana was the scene of the single deadliest attack. An Israeli missile destroyed a building where civilians had been hiding, killing 28.
The fighting killed hundreds and saw tens of thousands displaced in Lebanon. Israel launched the offensive in mid-July, after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers.
There is now a fragile ceasefire in place in the region, and some progress is being made on the deployment of an international stabilization force to the region.
At the beginning of the offensive, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was criticized by some MPs for saying Israel's response to the kidnapping was "measured."
With files from The Canadian Press
Ping
Tory MP says Hezbollah reminiscent of Nazi party in 1930s (Canada)
And for the Sun Media article, see my reply 9 in the above thread.
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True Canadian MP tells it like it t-i-s ping!
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