Toronto Star: Canadian-Arab relations sink to an all-time low

[marmar]

By Haroon Siddiqui
Editorial Page


CAIRO—The sizeable Arab and Muslim bloc at the United Nations did play a big role last month in Canada’s humiliating failure to get elected to the Security Council.

This is the assessment of Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, which represents 22 nations with 280 million people. These states are also members of the Organization of Islamic Conference, which represents 57 nations with 1.4 billion people worldwide.

When Canada failed for the first time in the history of the UN to win a council seat, it was speculated that Europe had voted as a bloc for Portugal, the winner.

Or that many African states may also have done so, because Stephen Harper had reduced foreign aid to parts of that continent.

Or that the Arab-Muslim states, the biggest UN bloc, may have retaliated for Harper abandoning Canada’s long-standing neutrality in the Middle East and making Ottawa an apologist for Israel. Moussa confirmed this in an interview here.

Without naming Harper, and while maintaining that he did not know how each of the 57 states voted in the secret balloting, Moussa made clear what transpired:

“Yes, the Arab world and the Muslim world are not really satisfied with the positions taken by Canada. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/888872--siddiqui-canadian-arab-relations-sink-to-an-all-time-low