Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday reiterated Canada’s support for US and Israeli efforts to eliminate Iran’s nuclear and terrorist threats, but suggested it was a “regrettable” position and the decision to attack Iran was “inconsistent with international law.”
Speaking to reporters in Canberra, Australia during his three-country international tour, Carney warned in a widely watched speech in Davos in January that the growing Middle East conflict is “another example of the failure of the international order.”
“We support efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” he said. “Because Canada is taking on the world as it is, we are not passively waiting for the world we want to be.
“However, we take this position with regret because the current conflict is yet another example of the failure of the international order,” Carney continued.
He specifically noted the failure of the US and Israel to engage with the United Nations or allies “including Canada” before attacking Iran on Saturday.
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“We were not informed in advance. We were not asked to participate. Prima facie, these actions seem inconsistent with international law,” he said.
“We took a position because we believe the nuclear threat and Iran’s export of terrorism for decades is one of the greatest threats to international peace and security. … In a limited sense, we supported that point.
“That’s not a blank check,” Carney continued. “That we’re not participating in, that we’re not asking for something in return — none of that is true. That’s just a straightforward position.”
Carney later confirmed that he did not consider Iran’s nuclear program an “imminent threat”, but said a nuclear-armed Iran was “a far greater threat” and again referred to the administration’s support for terrorism and several failed international efforts to end the program.
“Nobody has a civilian nuclear program that’s buried a mile under the desert. So that’s a threat,” he said. “The exact timing of it, the exact point of it, I’m not privy to all the information on that.”
Although he condemned Iran’s attacks on neighboring Gulf states that hit civilian infrastructure and killed civilians, he did not similarly criticize the US and Israeli attacks, instead appealing to “all parties” to “respect international rules of engagement”.
“Canada calls for a swift de-escalation of hostilities and stands ready to help achieve this goal,” he said.
“The solution to this crisis requires a commitment to a broad political solution, and diplomatic engagement is essential to avoid a wider and deeper conflict. All parties must be committed to protecting innocent civilians and finding lasting agreements to end both nuclear proliferation and terrorist extremism. Canada follows this approach with like-minded countries and participants in the conflict.”
More to come…
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