Canadian military leaving Dubai base: MacKay
The Canadian Press
KANDAHAR—A plane carrying two cabinet ministers and the head of the Canadian military was denied the right to land in the United Arab Emirates on Monday in a diplomatic rebuke from the wealthy Gulf country.
The UAE closed its airspace to Defence Minister Peter MacKay, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Walt Natynczyk, who were on their way from a three-day visit to Afghanistan, a military source in Ottawa confirmed to The Canadian Press.
It was unclear where the plane was headed, but media reports suggest a location in Europe.
Just hours earlier in Kandahar, MacKay had confirmed that Canada was being forced to vacate its military base in the UAE following the failure of negotiations to expand aviation links between the two countries.
“There have been discussion going on between the minister of foreign affairs and his counterpart. These discussions have been going on for some time,” MacKay just a short time before he boarded the re-routed plane.
“And at this point, we will abide by the wishes of the Emirates, and... we will be leaving the base.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told CBC News he was not aware of the airspace closure.
“I know that, I heard Peter’s comments before coming going on air and coming to me. And obviously these are operational matters,” Cannon said.
“I’m sure minister MacKay, as well as the chief of defence staff, are looking at all of the options available, and we will be able to continue and carry on our engagement in Afghanistan.”
The UAE has been seeking more landing rights in Canada for its national airlines, Emirates and Etihad. Amid strenuous objections by Air Canada, the talks stalled recently.
The UAE has blamed Canada for the failure of the years-long negotiations.
UAE’s ambassador to Ottawa, Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ghafli, had warned Sunday that the failure to clinch a deal will “undoubtedly affect” bilateral relations.
By forcing Canada to vacate its base in Dubai, a once-secret installation known as Camp Mirage, the UAE will disrupt the Canadian military’s principal supply line to Afghanistan.
Camp Mirage is Canada’s only logistical hub in the Middle East. It was to play a major role in the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan following the July 2011 end to the combat mission.
Its impending closure has left officials scrambling for an alternative.
“We’ll always act in Canada’s best interests and one thing I know about the Canadian forces, they’re very adaptable,” MacKay said.
“They have alternative plans, they have contingency plans. With that in mind we’re going through the various options that are before us right now.
“And we’ll continue to do our mission here in Afghanistan... and we’ll find other ways to support this mission through other hubs in the region,” he added.
Canada had a years-old right to operate out of Camp Mirage under an agreement that expired in June. But each party was also allowed to give a one-month notice to end the agreement.
Media reports have suggested the UAE invoked that right last week.
Prior to denying his plane the right to land — which will likely be considered a major diplomatic snub — MacKay even struck a conciliatory note to the Emirians.
“We are very grateful for what the United Arab Emirates have allowed us to do within their country,” MacKay said.
“They have been very supportive of the Canadian mission, supportive of the mission writ large, and for that we thank them.”
At the heart of the dispute are demands by the two UAE airlines to increase the frequency and locations of their flights to Canada. They currently operate a total of six flights a week to Toronto from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Air Canada has argued against increasing the flights, saying there is very little passenger traffic originating from the UAE and the airlines are merely taking Canadians to third countries with stopovers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
But Ambassador Al-Ghafli said with 27,000 Canadians living in the UAE, six flights per week do not service the economic needs of both countries.
“It is unfortunate that this process has been so protracted and frustrating,” he said.
“The UAE entered negotiations in good faith on the understanding that a solution would be reached and that constructive ideas would be brought to the negotiating table. The fact that this has not come about undoubtedly affects the bilateral relationship.”
The UAE is Canada’s largest trade partner in the Middle East and North Africa with bilateral trade of over $1.5 billion.
