Canadian Ambassador to Iran

[jdobbin]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

Iran has expelled Canada's ambassador, an act that Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier called "entirely unjustifiable."

It's unclear exactly why the ambassador, John Mundy, was asked to leave the country, but Iran's top diplomat in Canada recently complained of poor relations with Ottawa.

"Canada regrets the decision of the government of Iran to order our ambassador to leave Tehran, which is entirely unjustifiable," Bernier said in a statement Monday.

"We stand behind our ambassador, who has performed his diplomatic duties with professionalism and dedication. We will continue to monitor the well-being of the other embassy staff in Tehran."

He said the Canadian Embassy in Iran will now by run by the charge d'affaires, and "normal operations" will continue.

This past weekend, Seyed Mahdi Mohebi, Iran's charge d'affaires in Ottawa, said he lacked high-level contacts at the foreign minister level.

"It is one-sided love," Mohebi, speaking in Farsi, told The Canadian Press. "Love should be mutual."

Canada and Iran have struggled to finalize details of an exchange of ambassadors. Mundy's credentials had yet to be formally accepted, while Canada has rejected several Iranian ambassadors.

Looks like the long term battle between Canada and Iran over a host of issues has come to a head.

[August1991]

The real question is why Canada has not accepted the accreditation of the names proposed by Iran as ambassador in Ottawa. This seems to be the answer:

According to CTV's Robert Fife, the previous two candidates proposed by Iran were believed to be student radicals in the 1970s, who may have been linked to the U.S. embassy hostage-taking in 1980.

IOW, Iran is tired of proposing names and has decided to tell our Ambassador to leave Tehran - presumably before he ever presented his credentials.

I suppose we can live with a charge but the real problem is to stop Canadian businesses sniffing around Tehran for the lucrative contracts.

[capricorn]

It's interesting this would happen just as Iran is to review the circumstances surrounding Zahra Kazemi's death. The charge d'affaire apparently does not have the diplomatic contacts of the expelled Canadian Ambassador. Could it be the Iranians don't want an experienced Canadian diplomat looking over their shoulder as they conduct this investigation? Coupled with the fact their last two nominees were rejected by Canada is this a tit for tat with an edge to the Iranians, i.e. the Kazemi review?

[Topaz]

Canada is having problem with getting an ambassador to Iran and the latest , have been kicked out. Now I wonder why Canada is having so much trouble with Iran? I think the answer to this problem is what GW Bush said today to the press in this meeting with them. Bush said in one of his statements, "My VERY GOOD friend PM Harper said.... then he went to say what Harper had to say about the South America countries. Iran probably was watchig and said if PM Harper is very good friend of Bush, he's no friend to us. Bush is probably very good friends to Mulroney too no, that was Bush sr.

ADDENDUM:

This was the opening post of a redundant thread entitled: Iran

which is now merged with all of the posts intact in chronological order into this previous thread opened on the exact same topic.

Edited December 5, 2007 by Charles Anthony
merged redundant thread

[AngusThermopyle]

Holy! Thats a lot of supposition and maybe's in that post. Speculation and guessing don't foster debate.

[noahbody]

Canada is having problem with getting an ambassador to Iran and the latest , have been kicked out. Now I wonder why Canada is having so much trouble with Iran? I think the answer to this problem is what GW Bush said today to the press in this meeting with them. Bush said in one of his statements, "My VERY GOOD friend PM Harper said.... then he went to say what Harper had to say about the South America countries. Iran probably was watchig and said if PM Harper is very good friend of Bush, he's no friend to us. Bush is probably very good friends to Mulroney too no, that was Bush sr.

According to your post, were they not having trouble before the bush made his comment? This timeline proves your theory false.

[JerrySeinfeld]

Canada is having problem with getting an ambassador to Iran and the latest , have been kicked out. Now I wonder why Canada is having so much trouble with Iran? I think the answer to this problem is what GW Bush said today to the press in this meeting with them. Bush said in one of his statements, "My VERY GOOD friend PM Harper said.... then he went to say what Harper had to say about the South America countries. Iran probably was watchig and said if PM Harper is very good friend of Bush, he's no friend to us. Bush is probably very good friends to Mulroney too no, that was Bush sr.

What is this, grade 9?

[Topaz]

Come on guys, were's your Xmas spirit??? How often does the US president even mention a Canadian PM????? Where's your sense of humour? Perhaps the problem with Iran and Canada is more to do with the US new intel. source and maybe Iran may think Canada has something to do with that.