No means no, (Canadian) PM tells Clinton

[Newsjock]

Source: The Globe and Mail

Prime Minister Stephen Harper told U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this morning that Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan ends in 2011.

Mr. Harper and Mrs. Clinton met for 20 minutes at a hotel in Aylmer, Que., across the river from Ottawa where G8 foreign ministers are meeting today.

Mrs. Clinton did not ask that Canada keep troops in Afghanistan past the 2011 deadline, a Harper official told The Globe. Rather, the issue came up as the two were speaking about issues in Iran and Afghanistan.

“In the discussion on Iran and Afghanistan the Prime Minister reiterated (Canada’s position),” a senior Harper official said.

Mrs. Clinton made headlines across the country yesterday when she said in an interview with CTV that the United States wanted Canada’s military to stay beyond its deadline.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/bureau-blog/no-means-no-pm-tells-clinton/article1517001/

[golddigger]

1. You tell them Canada!

[midnight]

2. Good.... It's time to end this...

[Oregone]

3. Great News!

I was thinking maybe a backroom deal traded more support for the "Buy American" exclusion. I guess I was wrong.

Though, there is a lot of talk about keeping 1/4 there as trainers, so that could still happen.

[DCKit]

4. Thus ends yet another "special relationship".

[semillama]

5. Are we sure that he wasn't referring to Canada's greatest rock trio?

[Toasterlad]

9. What Does Rush Have To Do With This?

[semillama]

13. I didn't say SECOND greatest rock trio! n/t

[Toasterlad]

6. How Refreshing: A Government That Keeps Its Word

Harper might be right wing asshole of a nightmare of a PM, but at least he has sense enough to not blindly committ his country's resources to a bottomless, bloody, financial sinkhole.

[Heywood J]

8. Oh, that makes me laugh!

http://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/508758
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/30_09_08_harper_howard_e.pdf

He tried to do exactly that in Iraq, but he wasn't in power at the time.

[Toasterlad]

10. Then He's Apparently Learned Something When He Became PM.

[Heywood J]

11. Yes, that a minority government means you can't govern

like a tyrant. Joe Clark's example has taught him that.

[Posteritatis]

18. Joe Who?

As he's often known in Canada as a result of that. ;)

[Posteritatis]

17. LOL, you implied Harper keeps his word. (nt)

[Kolesar]

7. Not good news

We replaced the bush-horror, but they still won't play with us. Or fight with us, which ever it is.

[Rage Inc.]

12. C'mon, you know they WANT it!

Canada always says "no!" They want to be taken! :evilgrin:

[tedk_355]

14. Good for Canada

[earth mom]

15. Up Next: War with Canada because they said "NO" to the U.S.

How dare Canada! :sarcasm:

[harun]

16. Thank you Canada for not being an enabler.

[daleo]

19. Harper's a slippery one

Don't count on anything he says.