Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is to meet with foreign policy officials, as well as personal friends including Special Envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. He isn’t attending the conference as Party Leader but as a human rights expert.
Conference On Afghanistan-Pakistan
Harvard’s Carr Centre, where Ignatieff taught has sponsored the conference on Afghanistan-Pakistan. It’s a closed-door meeting where attendees discuss strategies to deal with Afghanistan. Topics include negotiating peace with the Taliban, shutting down the drug production and closer ties with Iran and Russia.
The meeting is best-described in Foreign Policy Magazine, by Tyler Moselle with the Carr Centre: “It’s basically to get a lot of smart people in the same room and try to hash out deeper questions about Afghanistan and Pakistan Policy.”
In comments printed by the Toronto Star, his spokesperson Jill Fairbrother says Ignatieff is attending because he feels he can add something to the discussion: “He’s attending this one because he has something to say and the Canadian government hasn’t been participating in dialogue with the U.S. and he believes we should.”
Ignatieff flew went to Afghanistan in 1997, soon after the Taliban took power. He has written several articles on making the country viable. There are no plans for him to meet with President Obama.
Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke is spearheading the conference, making a keynote speech. Ignatieff is also expected to address the meeting on Canada’s role in Afghanistan beyond the proposed 2011 pullout date. Media reports say he will argue Canada should take a bigger role in Holbrooke’s efforts because of our military and financial efforts.
Ignatieff Meets With Senior Officials
Also on Ignatieff’s schedule are several private engagements with friends, who happen to be Obama Administration Officials. He is set to be a guest of honour at a dinner hosted by Foreign Policy Adviser Samantha Power; expected to be in attendance is Economic Advisor Larry Summer.
Liberal Insiders applaud the trip saying the fact Obama Administration officials reached out to Ignatieff because of his expertise, even though he isn’t Prime Minister. In remarks published by ctv.ca one insider added that Canada’s voice hasn’t been heard, and insisted the country should find it: “Canada’s voice has been muted. We should not be simply a repeat of the U.S.”
Ignatieff met with President Obama on his recent trip to Canada. The pair met for 35 minutes, and discussed the fate of Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr as well as the economic downturn. Liberal Party officials are hopeful the two can meet again in Washington later this year.
