Mr. Lambros kyrlakakos AcLlng Chalrperson CoallLlon of LrlLrean Canadlan CommunlLles and CrganlzaLlons (CLCCC) legalaffalrs[erlLreacanada.org
uear Mr. kyrlakakos:
lease flnd my revlew of your complalnL abouL a C8Cnews.ca arLlcle abouL Canadlan-LrlLrean relaLlons.
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?ou are Lhe acLlng chalr of Lhe CoallLlon of LrlLrean Canadlan CommunlLles and CrganlzaLlons. ln LhaL capaclLy, you wroLe Lo complaln abouL a C8Cnews.ca arLlcle, enLlLled uesplLe sancLlons, uepuLy Mayor celebraLes confllcL-prone sLaLe of LrlLrea." 1he arLlcle noLed LhaL 1oronLo's depuLy mayor, norm kelly, had senL a leLLer Lo Lhe consulaLe of LrlLrea, locaLed ln 1oronLo, Lo congraLulaLe LhaL counLry on lLs lndependence day, May 24. lL conLrasLs Lhe sendlng of Lhe leLLer wlLh Lhe sLralned" relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles.
?ou Look lssue wlLh many aspecLs of Lhls reporL. ?ou LhoughL lL was full of lnaccuracles, was selecLlve ln Lhe facLs lL presenLed, lacked conLexL, and unnecessarlly creaLes conLroversy around Mr. kelly's proLocol leLLer." ?ou Look lssue wlLh Lhls negaLlve porLrayal of relaLlons beLween Canada and LrlLrea. ?ou sald, We are dlsappolnLed and dlsmayed LhaL whlle your naLlonal wrlLlng sLaff had readlly avallable facLs Lo help wrlLe an accuraLe and balanced sLory, Lhey chose noL Lo seek Lhem ouL."
?ou polnL Lo many examples of Lhls dlsLorLlon. 1he arLlcle sLaLes LhaL Canada's ambassador ls noL ln Lhe counLry, buL operaLes from kharLoum. ?ou Lhlnk Lhls creaLes a false lmpresslon because Canada has never had an embassy ln LrlLrea, and Lhls ls noL Lhe only counLry where Lhls ls Lhe case. lor varlous reasons, Canadlan ambassadors serve counLrles where Lhey are noL 2
resldenL. ?ou also Lake lssue wlLh Lhe facL LhaL Lhere was no menLlon LhaL Canada malnLalns a consulaLe ln Lhe LrlLrean clLy of Asmara.
?ou noLe LhaL Lhe LrlLrean consul ln 1oronLo ls referred Lo as Lhe head of consular servlces aL Lhe LrlLrean embassy ln Canada" whlch ls clearly noL Lhe case because Lhere ls no embassy. ?ou also sLaLed LhaL Ahmed lman, Lhe LrlLrean consul, dld noL make a sLaLemenL aLLrlbuLed Lo hlm ln Lhe arLlcle.
?ou sald LhaL whlle Lhe arLlcle menLloned LhaL LrlLrea has llmlLed relaLlons wlLh oLher counLrles, Lhls was noL balanced by Lhe facL LhaL many oLher world leaders also senL messages of congraLulaLlon on lndependence uay. Slmllarly, whlle Lhe arLlcle menLloned LhaL Canada does noL provlde humanlLarlan ald Lo Lhe counLy, lL dld noL provlde balance by menLlonlng Lhe offlclal pollcy of Lhe LrlLrean governmenL ls one of self-rellance. And you felL LhaL Lhere also should have been menLlon LhaL Lhe number of vlsas granLed Lo Lravel Lo LrlLrea ls lncreaslng as a balance Lo Lhe sLaLemenL LhaL Lhe CovernmenL of Canada urges Canadlans noL Lo go Lo LrlLrea."
And, flnally, you Look lssue wlLh Lhe parLlal and lmbalanced chronology" of slgnlflcanL evenLs slnce LrlLrean lndependence. ?ou felL Lhe arLlcle blamed LrlLrea for clashes wlLh nelghbourlng counLrles when lL sLaLed: LrlLrea has a vlolenL recenL hlsLory wlLh lLs nelghbourlng counLrles, wlLh baLLles agalnsL ?emen and LLhlopla."
1he lssue ls more complex, and you clLe a reporL from Lhe lnLernaLlonal Crlsls Croup LhaL sLaLes Lhe lnLernaLlonal communlLy should have done more Lo pressure LLhlopla Lo lmplemenL a recommendaLlon from Lhe lnLernaLlonal 8oundary Commlsslon Lo hand some dlspuLed LerrlLory Lo LrlLrea. 1hls parLlcularly concerns you because you Lhlnk 1hls facL ls lmporLanL because LrlLrea's forelgn pollcy ls largely affecLed by Lhe resulLlng percepLlon LhaL Canada and lLs lnLernaLlonal parLners are behlnd LLhlopla, no maLLer whaL lL does."
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1he managlng edlLor of news for 1oronLo, CaLhy erry, responded Lo your concerns. She explalned LhaL Lhe arLlcle had a llmlLed scope and could noL address Lhe lnLrlcacles and background on LrlLrea you see as crlLlcal Lo brlng balance Lo Lhe plece. She Lold you LhaL Lhere was a llmlLed naLure and purpose Lo Lhe sLory." She added LhaL lL compared Lhe congraLulaLory lndependence message senL by 1oronLo uepuLy Mayor norm kelly wlLh Lhe Canadlan CovernmenL's on-Lhe-record concerns over Lhe governance of Lhe counLry." lL dld noL geL lnLo hlsLory or causes buL narrowly focused on Lhe currenL sLaLe of governmenL relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles. She polnLed ouL LhaL Lhe orlglnal sLory had a quoLe from Lhe consul sLaLlng LhaL LrlLreans were deLermlned Lo reslsL exLernal consplracles." She felL Lhls addressed some of Lhe negaLlve lnformaLlon clLed ln Lhe sLory.
She addressed all Lhe polnLs you ralsed: She acknowledged LhaL Lhe quoLe abouL exLernal consplracles could noL be dlrecLly aLLrlbuLed Lo Lhe consul." 1he wrlLer had read Lhe phrase ln 3
an accounL of lndependence uay observance ln 1oronLo on an LrlLrea MlnlsLry of lnformaLlon web slLe. Slnce Lhe consul, Mr. lman, had spoken aL Lhe evenL, Lhe wrlLer made Lhe lnference. When you wroLe Lo say lL had noL been ln hls speech, Lhe sLory was amended and LhaL phrase was Laken ouL. She also lnformed you Lhe wrlLer had Lrled for Lwo days Lo reach Lhe consul, buL was noL able Lo speak Lo hlm. She also acknowledged Lhe lnadverLenL" error of referrlng Lo Lhe consulaLe as an embassy.
She Lold you LhaL Lhere was no blas ln sLaLlng LhaL Lhe Canadlan Ambassador Lo LrlLrea llves ln kharLoum because LhaL ls slmply Lhe facL. She polnLed ouL LhaL Lhe sLory nexL sLaLes LhaL Lhe LrlLrean Ambassador Lo Canada acLually resldes ln WashlngLon, and LhaL Lhese sLaLemenLs [usLlfy Lhe concluslon: 8elaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles are sLralned."
Ms. erry Lold you LhaL Lhe polnL you ralsed abouL Lhe lncreased Lrade beLween Canadlan and LrlLrean flrms was beyond Lhe scope of Lhe arLlcle, as was Lhe need Lo menLlon LhaL oLher counLrles and noLable world leaders senL lndependence uay greeLlngs, slnce Lhe focus was a comparlson of 1oronLo and Canada's poslLlons.
She also sald LhaL Lhe arLlcle accuraLely reflecLs Lhe poslLlon of Lhe CovernmenL of Canada regardlng humanlLarlan ald and lLs poslLlon Lo dlscourage Canadlans from Lravelllng Lo LrlLrea. Cn Lhe quesLlon of ald she quoLed from Lhe ueparLmenL of lorelgn Affalrs and lnLernaLlonal 1rade webslLe whlch sLaLes:
Canada has noL provlded any humanlLarlan fundlng for LrlLrea slnce 2003, when Lhe World lood rogramme was forced Lo redlrecL Canadlan fundlng Lo reglonal programmlng followlng CovernmenL of LrlLrea lnLerference ln lLs monlLorlng process."
She responded Lo your concern abouL Lhe selecLlve use of facLs ln Lhe chronology of evenLs ln LrlLrea by explalnlng lL focused on Lhose areas LhaL hlghllghLed Lhe dlvergence beLween uepuLy Mayor norm kelly's leLLer and Lhe way ln whlch lL conLradlcLed forelgn pollcy." lL was noL meanL Lo glve a comprehenslve hlsLory of LrlLrea."
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!"! $%&'()*+,-+. /-)(0)'0, )(0 1').-+.2, has accuracy, balance and falrness aL Lhe core of lLs values and guldellnes. 1here were Lwo errors of facL ln Lhe orlglnal arLlcle, whlch ls a vlolaLlon of pollcy. Powever, when news sLaff became aware of Lhe errors, Lhe arLlcle was amended and Lhe change noLed. lL was a lapse ln [udgemenL Lo dlrecLly aLLrlbuLe a quoLe Lo someone wlLhouL knowlng for cerLaln he sald lL. 1he second error, Lhe reference Lo Lhe consulaLe as an embassy, was cerLalnly a mlnor one.
?our larger concerns wlLh Lhls arLlcle cenLer on lLs balance and falrness. Cne example you clLe abouL a lack of falrness ls Lhe menLlon of Lhe facL LhaL Canada's ambassador Lo LrlLrea resldes ln kharLoum, ouLslde Lhe counLry. ?ou rlghLly polnL ouL LhaL Lhere are oLher counLrles covered 4
dlplomaLlcally from ouLslde lLs borders. 1he wrlLer makes an assumpLlon wlLh no aLLrlbuLlon, and furLher Lrles Lo make Lhe case by phraslng lL Lhls way:
1he Canadlan ambassador Lo LrlLrea ls noL even ln LrlLrea, buL ln a dlplomaLlc ouLposL ln kharLoum, Sudan."
1hls may well be a reflecLlon of Lhe sLaLe of relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles, buL Lhere ls no aLLrlbuLlon or evldence provlded. l don'L belleve Ms. erry ls correcL when she says LhaL clLlng Lhe resldence of Lhe Lwo ambassadors effecLlvely lllusLraLed or explalned Lhe sLaLe of relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles. l agree lL does noL serve balance ln Lhe plece.
?ou clLe a range of oLher facLs you felL should have been presenL. ?ou re[ecLed Ms. erry's explanaLlon LhaL Lhe arLlcle was llmlLed ln scope and could noL address many of Lhe deLalls you ralse. ln facL, scope does maLLer. 1hls was noL a deflnlLlve look aL LrlLrea, or LrlLrean-Canadlan relaLlons. lL was wrlLLen Lo polnL ouL a percelved anomaly beLween Canadlan forelgn pollcy and Lhe acLlons of a local mayor. lL ls leglLlmaLe Lo narrow Lhe scope of an arLlcle. Lven wlLhln LhaL scope, Lhere ls a pollcy requlremenL Lo provlde facLs Lo enable a member of Lhe publlc Lo form an oplnlon, and Lo do LhaL by ensurlng a range of perspecLlves.
1here ls noLhlng lnaccuraLe ln palnLlng a porLralL of sLralned relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles. 1here ls a challenge ln Laklng on someLhlng as complex as forelgn relaLlons ln an arLlcle Lhls shorL, and compresslng Lhe facLs as lL does. l Lake Ms. erry's polnL LhaL Lhe purpose of Lhe arLlcle was Lo show LhaL 1oronLo's depuLy mayor was ouL of sLep wlLh Canadlan forelgn pollcy. 1o do so effecLlvely requlres explalnlng whaL LhaL forelgn pollcy ls, and why lL has come Lo be LhaL way. And LhaL ls where Lhere ls dlfflculLy.
1here ls noLhlng wrong wlLh Lhe facLs as presenLed ln Lhe correcLed arLlcle. 1he quesLlon ls, ls Lhere enough of Lhem and glven LhaL lL ls crlLlcal of LrlLrea, does Lhe plece provlde enough perspecLlve. 1he facLs would have been beLLer served wlLh some more deLalled explanaLlon or daLa Lo back Lhem up. Ms. erry provlded one such example when she quoLed from Lhe ueparLmenL of lorelgn Affalrs webslLe.
Also lacklng ls aL leasL some reference Lo LrlLrea's poslLlon and lLs world vlew - whlle unlversally seen as LoLallLarlan and aggresslve, some conLexL on why lL mlghL see Lhe world ln LhaL way mlghL have lncreased Canadlan undersLandlng and provlded balance. 1he facLs LhaL you ralse were for Lhe mosL parL well beyond Lhe scope of Lhe plece. WheLher Lhe consul ls lssulng more vlsas or bllaLeral Lrade ls growlng does noL change offlclal Canadlan governmenL pollcy, Lhe focus of Lhe arLlcle. 1helr absence does noL vlolaLe pollcy.
1he arLlcle does provlde some conLexL for Lhe Canadlan governmenL poslLlon ln Lhe chronology of evenLs glven slnce lndependence. 1hey are accuraLe, and backed up by Canadlan governmenL documenLs, SLaLe ueparLmenL reporLs, and counLless human rlghLs organlzaLlons. Lven Lhe reporL you clLed Lo show a dlfferenL perspecLlve, LhaL of Lhe lnLernaLlonal Crlsls Croup 3
ln 2010, ls hlghly crlLlcal of LrlLrea. ?ou quoLed lL Lo explaln LrlLrea's confllcLs wlLh oLher sLaLes ln Lhe reglon. 1he reporL, enLlLled LrlLrea: 1he Slege SLaLe, sLaLes more Lhan once:
MlllLarlsed pollLlcs has spllled lnLo forelgn pollcy, Lhe laLLer frequenLly lnvolvlng armed responses and aggresslve advenLurlsm aL Lhe expense of convenLlonal dlplomacy. 1o daLe, LrlLrea has foughL, dlrecLly or lndlrecLly, wlLh LLhlopla, ?emen, u[lbouLl and Sudan and lnvolved lLself ln varlous ways ln Lhe confllcLs ln easLern Sudan, uarfur and Somalla. Whlle lL asserLs LhaL lL ls pursulng leglLlmaLe naLlonal securlLy lnLeresLs and lambasLs Lhe u.S. ln parLlcular for lnLervenlng ln Lhe affalrs of oLhers, Lhe aggresslve approach and abraslve Lone have lefL lL lncreaslngly lsolaLed. 1he wllllngness of poLenLlal frlends Lo conslder Lhe leglLlmacy of aL leasL some of lLs concerns ls dlmlnlshed by LrlLrea's unwllllngness Lo demlllLarlse lLs forelgn pollcy and Lo make concesslons on any level.
1he purpose of Lhe reporL ls Lo encourage engagemenL, raLher Lhan lsolaLlon, Lo solve some of Lhe lnLernal and reglonal lssues. lL polnLs ouL LrlLrea's world vlew LhaL mosL wesLern counLrles supporL LLhlopla no maLLer whaL. lL ls Lrue lL does say LrlLrea has a grlevance ln LhaL Lhe boundarles agreed upon were never acLed on by LLhlopla, buL lL also very clearly sLaLes LhaL Lhe counLry ls deflned by a culLure of mlllLarlsm. lL ln no way conLradlcLs Lhe facLs as sLaLed ln Lhe C8C news arLlcle. 1o have gone lnLo Lhls klnd of deLall ls well beyond Lhe scope of Lhe news plece. lL would have been beLLer served however, lf lL had found a way, when Lhe consul was noL avallable for commenL, Lo provlde some LrlLrean response and perspecLlve Lo Lhe sLaLe of relaLlons beLween Lhe Lwo counLrles.
Slncerely,
LsLher Lnkln C8C Cmbudsman
cc: CaLhy erry, Managlng LdlLor, C8C news 1oronLo !ennlfer McCulre, Ceneral Manager and LdlLor ln Chlef, C8C news PuberL 1. Lacrolx, resldenL and CLC, C8C norm kelly, uepuLy Mayor, ClLy of 1oronLo Pon. Shelly Clover, MlnlsLer of Canadlan PerlLage and Cfflclal Languages