VZCZCXRO0578
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHQU RUEHVC RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #2322/01 3612313
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 272313Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7081
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0152
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 0859
RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1327
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0365
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0108

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002322 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS MARR AF CA
SUBJECT: CANADIAN PM AND DEFMIN PRAISE AFGHAN MISSION, 
ADMONISH IRAN 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, 
Chief of Defense Staff Rick Hillier, and U.S. Ambassador 
David Wilkins visited Canadian troops in Kandahar on 
Christmas day.  MacKay underscored the "remarkable progress" 
in Afghanistan, while the Ambassador praised Canada's 
contribution to securing and rebuilding Afghanistan.  MacKay 
also used the occasion to urge Iran and Pakistan to stop the 
flow of weapons and explosives from their countries to 
terrorist forces in Afghanistan.  Meanwhile, in Ottawa, Prime 
Minister Harper took advantage of end-of-year interviews to 
encourage Canadians to support the extension of Canadian 
participation in the ISAF mission in Kandahar.  He also 
pressed opposition parties to resist the temptation to 
exploit popular concerns about Canadian casualties and NATO 
burden-sharing in Afghanistan for short-term political gain. 
End summary. 
 
DEFMIN MACKAY EMPHASIZES PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN... 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶2. (U) Speaking to reporters on December 25 just after having 
served Canadian troops Christmas dinner, Defense Minister 
Peter MacKay emphasized that, while Parliament will 
ultimately decide whether Canadian troops remain in 
Afghanistan past their February 2009 mandate, the Canadian 
government does "not want to leave work undone." Canada 
should stick with Afghanistan until it is a "functional, 
secure, self-sustaining country," he said.  MacKay noted that 
"remarkable progress" had been made in the country, stressing 
that five or six years is a "relatively short time, in the 
grand scheme of things, to build a country that has been 
under such difficult circumstances for so many years." 
 
¶3. (U) Canadian media quoted U.S. Ambassador to Canada David 
Wilkins, who participated in the visit at MacKay's request, 
as calling Canada's contribution in Afghanistan "a great 
example of what a freedom-loving people can do to help other 
people gain freedom and democracy." 
 
...URGES IRAN, PAKISTAN TO INTERDICT WEAPONS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) MacKay also used the visit to publicly urge Iran and 
Pakistan to stop the flow of weapons and explosives, 
particularly IEDs, to terrorist groups that are targeting 
NATO forces in Afghanistan.  MacKay said that Canada has 
registered its concerns with Iran and Pakistan, and that 
Canada is "very concerned" that weapons are entering 
Afghanistan from Iran. 
 
PM HARPER CALLS ON CANADIANS TO SUPPORT ISAF MISSION 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5. (U) In his year-end interview with the Canadian Press, PM 
Harper said his government would ask Parliament to vote by 
spring on what kind of mission Canada should undertake in 
Afghanistan after the current mandate expires in February 
¶2009.  But Harper acknowledged the political complexity of 
the issue.  Asked if he believed Canadians truly appreciated 
what was at stake in deciding whether to extend the mandate 
to 2011, Harper responded, "I don't know.  The short answer 
is I don't know."  He said that Canada had taken on an 
important international commitment that would directly impact 
Qimportant international commitment that would directly impact 
Canada in the long run, but was not sure this understanding 
was shared by the Canadian people, who he believed are 
"deeply troubled" by the casualties.  Harper urged the 
opposition parties to resist the temptation to use the issue 
for short-term political advantage rather than taking a 
decision that is in "the long run interest of the country, 
its international reputation, and the sacrifice our men and 
women have made to secure it." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) With the Manley Panel report due to be released 
within the next month, the Canadian government will need to 
make a tough decision on whether to call a parliamentary vote 
on the mission this winter, or to delay the vote until the 
spring in hopes that Canada's NATO allies will commit more 
 
OTTAWA 00002322  002 OF 002 
 
 
troops at the April NATO meeting.  PM Harper's government is 
working hard to increase support for extending the mission, 
with MacKay's trip to Afghanistan playing well in the press, 
especially as it fell on the heels of visits to Afghanistan 
by the French and Australian leaders, who raised hopes that 
those two countries might contribute additional combat forces 
to the effort in southern Afghanistan. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
BREESE