Clinton rebuke overshadows Arctic meeting
The world’s headline writers had some fun yesterday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s complaint that a meeting of five Arctic powers, held in Canada ahead of a G-8 pre-summit gathering of foreign ministers, wasn’t inclusive enough. Yahoo! Canada: "Icy Clinton leaves Arctic summit, says ‘legitimate interests’ frozen out" The Canadian Press: "Icy words for ...
The world's headline writers had some fun yesterday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's complaint that a meeting of five Arctic powers, held in Canada ahead of a G-8 pre-summit gathering of foreign ministers, wasn't inclusive enough.
The world’s headline writers had some fun yesterday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s complaint that a meeting of five Arctic powers, held in Canada ahead of a G-8 pre-summit gathering of foreign ministers, wasn’t inclusive enough.
Yahoo! Canada: "Icy Clinton leaves Arctic summit, says ‘legitimate interests’ frozen out"
The Canadian Press: "Icy words for Canada from Clinton at Arctic summit"
Even the Washington Post, whose parent company owns FP, got into the act, saying the meeting of "polar pals" had turned "chilly." Ha, ha.
The Canwest news service called her comments a "bombshell." But what did Clinton actually say?
"Significant international discussions on Arctic issues should include those who have legitimate interests in the region," said Clinton, "and I hope the Arctic will always showcase our ability to work together, not create new divisions."
Brrr! I guess that’s what passes for a bombshell in Canada.
Clinton was speaking on behalf of indigenous groups, who complained of being excluded from the meeting, as well as Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. Those three countries are represented in the eight-nation Arctic Council, which since its establishment in 1996 (in Ottawa, no less) has been the preferred forum for discussing Arctic issues.
The aim of the meeting, according to State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, was to "focus on long-term trends in the Arctic and pursue discussion of potential cooperation in the area of science, natural resource development, public safety, and extended continental shelves."
It’s not clear why Clinton chose to attend a gathering she thought was too exclusive. She later called the meeting "excellent" in an appearance on a Canadian television network.
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon spent much of his news conference — which his U.S. counterpart pointedly skipped — responding to Clinton’s comments, explaining that the five countries at the meeting were chosen because they are "coastal" states with significant oil and gas claims in the region. "This meeting was not (designed) to replace or undermine the Arctic Council," he reportedly said. "This forum is not meant to become a permanent institution."
Norway’s Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store also spoke up for the excluded Nordic states. Er, sort of. "It’s not a good thing that the three who are not here are unhappy about it," he said.
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