UAE closes airspace to MacKay, Natynczyk

[Spazito]

A military source in Ottawa says the United Arab Emirates closed its airspace Monday to Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Walt Natynczyk in an escalating diplomatic row over aviation rights.

MacKay and Natynczyk were on their way back from a three-day visit to Afghanistan.

Just hours earlier, MacKay had confirmed that talks with the UAE had failed, and that Canada would abide by the country's wishes and vacate the base. MacKay made the comments while visiting Canadian soldiers in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

"There have been discussions going on between the minister of foreign affairs and his counterpart. These discussions have been going on for some time," MacKay said. "And at this point we will abide by the wishes of the Emirates, and ... we will be leaving the base."


more

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/10/11/military-dubai011.html

Wow, to close the airspace like this says to me there is more going on than merely a failure to come to agreement over a base in the UAE, especially as the failure occurred very recently it seems.

The harper cabal continues to win friends and influence people as usual, lol.

[daleo]

1. It really makes you wonder about the so called war on terror

You might think the UAE would do everything in its power to aid countries like Canada in this war, given their much greater physical and cultural proximity to Al Quada and all that. This implies that they are not really very concerned. If that's the case, why are we sacrificing troops and money for this cause?

[Spazito]

2. Good point!

Maybe it's partly because we are pulling out, mostly pulling out anyway, in 2011? I have to say for them to actually close the airspace when a key cabinet minister, MacKay, is onboard, seems to indicate our ever 'tactful' government did/said something to REALLY piss them off.