Rice postpones Canadian visit because of missile decision
LONDON (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice deferred plans to visit Canada next month because of U.S. displeasure that Canada has opted out of a U.S.-led anti-ballistic missile shield program, a Bush administration official said.
There is no new date for the trip, which had been planned for mid-April.
Rice, in London for a British-sponsored conference on ways to help Palestinians achieve peace and stability, arranged to meet briefly with Canadian officials outside the conference Tuesday afternoon. The Canadians requested the meeting.
"We look forward to seeing the Canadians soon, and are looking for a date when we can make that happen," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday through an aide.
"We were in fact looking at a date, but the schedules didn't work out."
Boucher did not expressly link the delay to the missile decision, but a Bush administration official travelling with Rice in London did so Monday on condition of anonymity.
Canada announced its decision on the missile defence system last week, setting off a prickly exchange between the U.S. ambassador to Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. U.S.-Canada relations were already clouded by strong Canadian opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
An early visit to Canada had been among Rice's early priorities as secretary of state. She plans to visit the United States' southern neighbour, Mexico, next week.
Martin said last Friday that the United States must get permission before firing on any incoming missiles over Canada.
"This is our airspace, we're a sovereign nation and you don't intrude on a sovereign nation's airspace without seeking permission," Martin said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that it was the Americans who would ultimately determine whether to shoot down an incoming missile from a terrorist or a rogue state.
"I don't think that anybody else expected that there would be any other finger on the button other than an American," he said.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day ridiculed Martin's position that Washington would have to alert Ottawa before shooting down a missile.
"These missiles are coming in at four kilometres a second, and if the president calls the 1-800 line and gets: 'Press 1 if you want English, press 2 if you want French, press 0 if nobody's there . . .' I mean, it's crazy."
After the decision was made not to allow Americans to fire missles over Canada Bush responded that he's do it anyway. Then Rice picks up her ball and goes home because we don't like the missle plan? Excellent diplomatic skills, "If you don't let us do what we want, we won't talk to you"!