Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

France is back

by Aaron Wherry on Monday, February 9, 2009 1:56pm - 34 Comments

French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. And you’ll never guess what he wanted to talk about.

During their first official meeting, U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Bernard Kouchner had a wide-ranging discussion of the major global challenges, and most particularly, important international issues such as the Mideast, on which they issued a joint call for the opening of crossing points. They also discussed Afghanistan, Iran, certain African subjects such as Darfur, and the closing of Guantanamo.

Mr. Kouchner also drew Ms. Clinton’s attention to the case of Omar Khadr, the Canadian child who, as you know, was enrolled by al-Qaeda as a pre-teen. We wanted to draw the attention of the American and Canadian authorities to his case.

Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Bernard Kouchner, Guantanamo, Hillary Clinton, Omar Khadr, Stephen Harper

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http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

Now that, Aaron, was a good find.

Critical Reasoning

After all, he’s nothing if not observant, right Olaf?

J@ck M!tchell

When foreign governments start raising the issue of how your own citizens are treated by other foreign powers, you know you’ve officially reached Hungary-in-the-1960′s levels of servitude.

http://macleans.ca kc

Yep, they’ll trade him to France for more help in Afganistan. And we’ll get him back for financal considerations. Hang on a minute, we’ve already had that scandal. Better make it help in Afganistan; do i see a hitch here?Oh well, i’m sure they can sort it all out in a couple of days.
JPD

Painfully true J@ck.

Austin So

A truly and utterly pathetic country we have become…
http://carnewsandviews.com jwl

“We wanted to draw the attention of the American and Canadian authorities to his case.”

Where would we be without Mr Kouchner? I am sure American/Canadian authorities would be entirely ignorant of Khadr if it wasn’t for Kouchner ‘drawing attention’ to the case.I have no idea how diplomats and other foreign affairs people do their jobs. Listening to French guy getting all sanctimonious about torture would test my patience when the French police are notorious for their interrogation ‘techniques’, shall we say. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, Mr Kouchner.

Ti-Guy

Where would we be without the insight of the common (and I do mean common) man?

Dot

Another profound commont.

Ti-Guy

I’ve said everything I’ve needed to say about this (and I’ve been bitching about it for years now). Now I’m just mocking the tendency of wingnuts to go completely overboard in dismissing, out-of-hand, people who are, to put it bluntly, their betters.

Critical Reasoning

I’m just mocking the tendency of wingnuts to go completely overboard in dismissing, out-of-hand, people who are, to put it bluntly, their betters.

Can I infer that you consider yourself one of jwl’s betters? Or would I be assuming too much?
Dot

Well, frankly, just ignore them then. I

i’ve noticed and appreciated some interesting comments you’ve made more recently (I am only saying since I have criticized you in the past). These one liners are not pleasant to read, and detract from your more substantive arguments.
Ti-Guy

Or would I be assuming too much?

It depends, I suppose. When it comes to diplomacy and the foreign service, I can safely say these guys are my betters. I don’t have a problem with that at all.

M@

Of course, we just _act_ like we’re entirely ignorant of Khadr. Which is far more defensible.
Dije

Are you suggesting we continue to turn a blind eye to child soldiers tortured into false confessions and illegal detainment because it is the French suggesting we address such situations?

I’d rather investigate the sad, pathetic sequence of events that saw us reject international law in favour of American Exceptionism.

Once you start enforcing two sets of laws for citizens, it only takes a generation or two until you have rioting in the suburbs of your largest cities or training grounds for home-grown terrorists.

I hope we learn from the lessons being taught in Europe right now so we can avoid the same or simialr mistakes. Unfortunately, the governments we have had for decades aren’t the listening or learning kind…
Sisyphus

Well, the great minds of France do have a colourful way of telling the rest of the world how they should be living.

Then again , sometimes they are right.

JPD

Breaking: as of this moment, Omar Khadr is the top story on CNN.com

“Teenage terrorist or confused kid — Gitmo’s youngest prisoner”

LeslieE

How embarrassing (for Canada) … CNN!!!

Jenn

Oh, God. I feel very small right about now.

http://macleans.ca kc

Who get’s the interview? The Wolfman or Lou – i’m insane but don’t mind me – Dobbs? Hasn’t the kid been tortured enough already?

Sisyphus

I vote for Rick Sanchez in hip waders.

http://macleans.ca kc

What about that other credit to the profession [ forgot his name thank god ] the one who started an in studio brawl between skinheads/ neo-natzis and jews[ ?] He got struck by a flying chair? Mavybe he and Omar can tunnel to the land of the free on live tv? Should only take them a decade or so.

http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

Walter Cronkite?
Dot

Geraldo Riviera
http://macleans.ca kc

Thanks Dot. Now i need to forget it again.

Dot

Anderson Cooper swimming offshore toward Gitmo in shark infested waters.

http://macleans.ca kc

i wish Rather was still around. He would have parachuted into Gitmo by now and accidentally set the most dangerous ones free.

Critical Reasoning

You’re wrong, kc. Rather would never have parachuted anywhere… it would have messed up his hair and makeup.
http://macleans.ca kc

I heard that Rather was once seen flying around Washinton with his head out of a taxi window, yelling that he was being abducted. Turns out he was cheaping out on the fare. That’s the kind of reporting we need arond this place.

http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com Scott Tribe

Note that this is the French “conservative” government of Sarkozy asking about Khadr’s status.

http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

And Kouchner is a “socialist”. You wouldn’t by chance have a point, would you Scott?
Ti-Guy

Scott’s harking back to the good old days, when Sarkozy’s ascent represented yet more proof that The World was embracing glorious conservatism. Just like the ADQ”s “victory” was proof of that as well in Québec.

It’s no one’s fault, though. Just like Dubya, all these conservatives were/are just secret liberals anyway.

http://prairiewrangler.wordpress.com/ Olaf

Oh, how I miss the early to mid 2000s. The forces of conservatism even won in Sweden, if I remember correctly. We’ll roll back the social advances made by the wildly successful, educated and healthy scandanavians if its the last thing we do!