Foreign policy the world over

[Gentle Giant]

Incredible assortment of world news briefs in the Boston Globe today.

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday that Ottawa would not tone down its strong criticism of China's human rights record to cash in on trade with the Asian superpower. Although Harper's Conservatives have frequently criticized Beijing over human rights since winning power in January, his comments were remarkably blunt. Canadian firms doing business with China contend that such criticism makes their life harder. "I don't think Canadians want us to sell out important Canadian values -- our belief in democracy, freedom, human rights. They don't want to sell that out to the almighty dollar," he told reporters en route to a summit of Asian nations in Hanoi. (Reuters)
GG comment: I hate China, and I'm glad one country has the balls to say they don't care about their fucking money until they stop being fascist assholes.

TURKEY
Military ties with France suspended
ANKARA -- Turkey has suspended military relations with France in a dispute over whether the mass killings of Armenians early in the last century amounted to genocide, a top army commander said yesterday. The move was the latest backlash against French legislation that, if approved by the Senate and president, would criminalize the denial that the killings of Armenians in Turkey were genocide. "Relations with France in the military field have been suspended," General Ilker Basbug said in Ankara, according to the state-owned Anatolia news agency. France's Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry had no immediate comment. (AP)
What the fuck is wrong with Turkey? Admit it and get past it already. They probably still think the world is flat, too.

UNITED NATIONS
Iranians allege Israeli threats
Iran, whose president has vowed to wipe Israel off the map, complained to the United Nations yesterday that Israel was repeatedly threatening to bomb it. The threats were "matters of extreme gravity," and the UN Security Council should condemn them and demand that Israel "cease and desist immediately from the threat of the use of force against members of the United Nations," said Iran's UN ambassador, Javad Zarif. (Reuters)
Cry me a fucking river, you stupid twat.

[Jeffrey Wozniak]

I agree with all three of your comments.

[patricia]

To update the Canada/China story. Stephen Harper is on a trade trip to China right now. There was talk that the Chinese officials would snub Harper because of his condemnation of their human rights record. The news outlets here were all in a flap about it.
Then, wouldn't you know it? Harper and his contingeant stepped off the plane and were greeted by the Chinese trade minister and a large welcoming committee. Trade always trumps political differences.
And no, there was no back-tracking, or reversals of comments made earlier, or apologies from our Prime Minister.

[claude]

The drama continues...

I don't often agree with old Stevie boy, but on this issue he's got my support.

Although, looking at this cynically, this could all be a ploy to distract people from our dismal failure to come up with any meaningful environmental policies and the government turning its back on Kyoto.

Chinese diplomat sent packing; Harper meeting still up in air
BRIAN LAGHI

Globe and Mail Update

Hanoi — The federal government has forced out of Canada a Chinese diplomat amid reports that he was spying on Falun Gong members while working for the Chinese embassy.

Officials confirmed the move Friday as Canada and China are embroiled in controversy over an on-again, off-again meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Sandra Buckler, a spokesperson for the prime minister, said that the government recently refused to extend the visa of Wang Pengfei, an embassy official. Although she would not say why, a report from the Epoch Times, a newspaper that reports extensively on persecutions in China -- especially of Falun Gong practitioners -- said Mr. Wang had been gathering information on Canadians of Chinese descent who take part in the meditative practice.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...nletter_newsUp