<strong>Written By:</strong> Sgt_ShockNAwe
<strong>Date:</strong> 2007-09-26 10:07:58
<a href="/article/125718842-dnd-is-karzais-speech-writer">Article Link</a>

<a href="http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2007/09/25/4524816-cp.html">http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2007/09/25/4524816-cp.html</a>

   

Afghanistan's ambassador to Canada, Omar Samad, lashed out at the NDP, and said top Afghan officials, including Mr. Karzai himself, crafted drafts of the speech.<br />
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Mr. Samad said government officials from both countries shared information over several weeks as Mr. Karzai's trip was being planned.<br />
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"As is customary in diplomatic arrangements and co-ordination, they shared information about protocol, agenda, discussion items and other relevant bilateral issues," he said in a statement.<br />
<br />
"To suggest otherwise is not only ludicrous and insulting, it is also sadly diverting attention away from the real issues we face as two nations."<br />
<br />
A spokesman for Peter Mac-Kay, the Minister of National Defence, said there is nothing nefarious in a host government providing input for a speech by a foreign visitor.<br />
<br />
"The NDP's attempt to undermine President Karzai's integrity shows once again its willingness to say anything as it opposes Canada's commitment to the United Nations and NATO to help Afghanistan," Dan Dugas said.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=57c75e80-fe96-420d-806f-a69982239935&k=14387">http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=57c75e80-fe96-420d-806f-a69982239935&k=14387</a><br />
<br />
Ambassador to Canada Omar Samad, speaking on CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday, denied that was the case and said he himself helped write Karzai's speech.<br />
<br />
"I was one of those who spent hours, along with other Afghan officials, with the president himself working on the speech, and the president himself was the last person who edited and finalized it, as is his style," Samad said.<br />
<br />
"He's a president who, for the past six years, either gets up and speaks without notes or occasionally uses notes or has a mixture of notes and spontaneous talk. And as you saw in Parliament there were times when he spoke spontaneously without notes."<br />
<br />
Samad said it is common for bilateral diplomatic talks, negotiations and preparations to occur between the officials from both countries leading up to such an address, but that's as far as it went.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070926/afghan_ambassador_070926/20070926?hub=TopStories">http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070926/afghan_ambassador_070926/20070926?hub=TopStories</a><br />
<p>---<br>The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.<br />

   

"To suggest otherwise is not only ludicrous and insulting, it is also sadly diverting attention away from the real issues we face as two nations."

In other words, they've been caught red handed with no other defense than to stomp their feet and make a childish rant.

"A spokesman for Peter Mac-Kay, the Minister of National Defence, said there is nothing nefarious in a host government providing input for a speech by a foreign visitor."

HA HA HA HA HA! At least Mac-Kay has a sense of humor, albeit a very dry one.

   

"In other words, they've been caught red handed with no other defense than to stomp their feet and make a childish rant."

Or, the NDP are once again making molehills out of mountains.

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The preceding comment deals with mature subject matter, however immaturely presented. Viewer discretion is advised.

   

"..it is also sadly diverting attention away from the real issues we face as two nations"

I wonder what two nations he's talking about? Canada with a nation within a nation, or Canada and annexed Afghanistan?