Posted on 01/10/2003 11:34:00 AM PST by chance33_98
Clinton refuses Ottawa's call for apology
Lax border security made it easy to believe claim suspects came from the north, Senator says: Coderre disappointed
Sheldon Alberts, Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief National Post
Friday, January 10, 2003 ADVERTISEMENT
OTTAWA - Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democratic Senator from New York, is rejecting Canadian demands she apologize for claiming five men on the FBI's most-wanted list had crossed into the United States across the Canadian border.
Mrs. Clinton issued a statement underlining her concern that ''real deficiencies'' in security exist along the Canada-U.S. border, making it easy to believe rumours five potential terrorists had sneaked into the United States at a poorly patrolled crossing.
''While it now appears that law enforcement officials were initially deceived by an informant about the five men who supposedly infiltrated the United States from Canada, it does not change the fact that our northern border is not as secure as it should be,'' said Mrs. Clinton.
''In fact, because of the real deficiencies in security along our northern border, this hoax seemed all too believable.''
Denis Coderre, the Immigration Minister, had demanded Mrs. Clinton apologize for her Jan. 1 remarks. Law enforcement agencies in both countries had said there was no clear evidence showing the men crossed into the United States from Canada.
Mr. Coderre said yesterday he is disappointed by Mrs. Clinton's response.
''Hillary Clinton doesn't get it. If she doesn't want to apologize to Canadians for tarnishing the country's image, that's fine. I have said what I have to say,'' Mr. Coderre said in a statement to the National Post.
''The issue is this -- we need to be sure we are dealing with facts and not spinning our wheels chasing down speculation. These kinds of incidents feed the misperception that Canada is the weak link in what is truly a complex international problem.''
A Canadian-based informant, Michael John Hamdani, sparked a continent-wide manhunt by allegedly telling the FBI that five foreign-born men had entered the United States illegally from Canada on or around Christmas Eve.
The FBI issued an appeal on Dec. 29 asking for help tracking the men down, and released photographs and names of the purported suspects on the bureau's Web site.
The search for the men, however, was called off this week after the FBI concluded the information provided to them was unreliable.
''The time has come to stop fuelling myths about Canada,'' Mr. Coderre said.
Mrs. Clinton had first angered Canadian officials in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when she alleged some of the 19 hijackers entered the United States illegally from Canada.
But Mrs. Clinton, rather than back down for her most recent statements, repeated her call for the United States to increase security along the northern border.
She also renewed a request for the Bush administration to appoint a co-ordinator for northern border security.
''As a member of the U.S. Senate representing New York, I take very seriously my responsibility to speak out about the U.S. government's responsibility to allocate increased resources to the protection of our northern border, and I will continue to do so.''
Mrs. Clinton has also criticized Canadian immigration policies as ''pretty liberal'' and told reporters ''we can't afford that any more.''
Mr. Coderre said Mrs. Clinton's call for a northern border security co-ordinator is pointless because Tom Ridge, the secretary-designate for U.S. Homeland Security, already works closely with John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister, on the issue.
Val Meredith, a Canadian Alliance immigration critic, said Mr. Coderre looked silly asking Mrs. Clinton to say she was sorry, especially since federal law enforcement officials have confirmed the existence of terrorist cells operating in Canada.
''We can deny that there is this perceived problem, but we are not going to get anywhere by doing that,'' Ms. Meredith said.
She said Canada has not done enough to co-ordinate with U.S. border officials, and is calling for the creation of a central database that can exchange information about cross-border travellers in real time.
''It would be a much easier way of dealing with this, instead of complaining that the Americans' actions are inappropriate, or that they are picking on us.''
This is a sad day.
Do you really think any of the Clintons would say anything truthful?
They talk and talk and NEVER BACK it UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She has said it only to get her numbers up.
Just another poll inspired speech!
I seem to recall that Hillary! actually did make an apology during her White Water deposition. I believe her exact words were, "I'm sorry. I don't remember."
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