CANADA’S DIPLOMATS SLOW TO ADAPT TO NEW GOVT: PM

Reuters Canada
June 25 2007

(Corrects attribution of comments in lead)

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian diplomats are finding it tough to adapt
to the Conservative government, which changed some long-standing
policies after taking power early last year, Prime Minister Stephen
Harper said in comments released by his office on Monday.

The Toronto Star newspaper, citing a closed meeting between Harper
and the ethnic media this month, reported on Monday that the prime
minister had complained that officials in his foreign ministry were
undermining the government’s overseas agenda.

But a partial transcript of the meeting by government officials,
made available to Reuters, showed Harper to be sympathetic toward
the diplomats who had served the previous Liberal government, which
had been in power for more than 12 years.

"It’s not easy for them when a new government comes along and says,
well, guess what? We now want you to go and tell another government
that our position is not what you’ve been arguing for the last 10
years," he said.

Harper added: "All the leaders I talked to complain to me that their
foreign service wants to do what they believe is foreign policy, not
what the government of the day’s foreign policy is. It’s a universal
phenomenon."

The Star had cited him as saying, "It’s a universal problem."

The general impression in Ottawa is that Harper has little time for
the foreign ministry, run by political rival Peter MacKay. Harper
replaced the ministry’s top bureaucrat in March.

The Conservatives have taken a more pro-Israeli and pro-U.S. stance,
as well as rapping China and Russia over their human rights records.

Harper made his comments when asked why he had last year described
the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey during World War One
as genocide — a significant departure from usual Canadian practice.

Turkey, which denies the charge, temporarily withdrew its ambassador
in protest. Harper made similar comments this year and the Star said
he had overruled the advice of diplomats.

Asked by a participant at the meeting how Ottawa could ensure
bureaucrats followed the official line, Harper said, "What is not
acceptable, and it does happen on occasion, (is) for a public servant
… to say ‘Well, that may be the position of the elected guys,
but that’s not the position of the government."’

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress