Jan 10, 2003
Letter to Foreign Minister Bill Graham regarding comments by Lebanese Ambassador and antisemitism in Arab countries
Keith Landy

CLICK HERE TO READ NATIONAL POST ARTICLE

Hon. Bill Graham, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Foreign Affairs
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G2

Dear Minister:

I write on behalf of Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) respectfully to request that you call in the Ambassador of the Lebanese Republic to Canada, H.E. Raymond Baaklini, to protest in the strongest terms his reported remarks regarding the alleged motivation behind Canada’s inclusion of Hezbollah on the list of banned terrorist entities. In our view, his outrageous comments are wholly incompatible with Canadian values, violative of Canadian law in spirit if not in letter, and contribute only to social discord in Canadian society. His conduct is unbecoming a diplomatic guest in our country and we ask that an appropriate reprimand be administered.

While we are deeply troubled by the hateful conspiracy theories of this particular ambassador, our concern is also with the much larger issue of systemic antisemitism in the Arab world. CJC worked with your predecessor in the autumn of 2001 when the Saudi Arabian Ambassador made antisemitic remarks of his own, and you will recall, of course, that last November you and I exchanged views on the Egyptian television production of Horseman Without a Horse. In your much-appreciated response to us of December 10, 2002, you stated that you were “committed to continuing to research and implement constructive methods of engaging the Arab world on anti-Semitism and we look forward to working with the Canadian Jewish Congress on this issue which is of such importance for us all.”

We would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these issues at your earliest convenience. In the meantime, we hope that the matter of Ambassador Baaklini will receive appropriate attention befitting a foreign representative who oversteps the boundaries of Canadian values and first principles.

Sincerely,

Keith M. Landy
National President


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