THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES

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Canada Lays Down Limits on Joining Missile Defense

Fri May 30, 8:18 AM ET

By David Ljunggren

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Jean
Chretien, under fire for planned talks with Washington over joining a
U.S. missile defense system, on Friday said Canada would not sign up if
it became clear the Americans wanted to put weapons into space.

After months of hesitation Ottawa announced on Thursday it would open
talks about whether to participate in missile defense, which is designed
to shoot down rockets fired from so-called rogue states such as North
Korea.

The Canadian military had strongly backed the idea of starting the talks
since, if Ottawa joined up, the system would be run through the existing
bilateral North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado (NORAD).
But critics say missile defense could trigger an arms race, especially
if Washington broadens the current concept of ground-based interceptors
and starts on the weaponization of space -- an idea Ottawa has always
opposed.

Chretien, making his first public comments about the decision to start
talks, said Canada needed to discuss with the United States the best
ways of defending the North American continent but made clear there were
limits.
"We want to participate -- hopefully through NORAD -- to the defense of
North America against missiles. We will not participate in a program if
it is to be the weaponization of space," he told a news conference in St
Petersburg.

Chretien said Canada needed to be at the table with the Americans
because missiles heading for U.S. targets would first pass over Canadian
territory.

"You can't tell a missile 'Stop, you have to show your papers before
proceeding'. You have to be very realistic. This is the defense of the
continent (we are talking about) and we have participated with America
through NORAD for 50 years," he said.

Canadian officials say the government will have to take a final decision
within the next few months. If Ottawa did join it could well dissipate
some of the anger the White House expressed after Chretien refused to
send troops into what he called the "unjustified" Iraq war.

Russia initially opposed U.S. missile defense plans adamantly. In a
first step toward setting up a missile defense umbrella, the U.S. last
year unilaterally withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM)
treaty which banned such systems.

In recent Russia has however reluctantly softened its stand, instead
asking Washington to give it a role in missile defense.

Chretien also told reporters Canada would be giving C$149 million ($110
million) to a series of projects to help manage spent nuclear fuel from
submarines in northern Russia as well as help find jobs for thousands of
former weapons scientists.

The contribution is part of the C$1 billion Canada has committed to the
Global Partnership project, under which the United States and the Group
of Eight leading nations have vowed to spend $20 billion over 10 years
to cut the chances of Russia's vast nuclear arsenal ending up in the
wrong hands.