Africa

Canada’s intervention in Mali against intl. law: Iran MP

shamseddin20130102213403753An Iranian lawmaker has denounced Canada’s planned deployment of military troops to Mali as an expansionist attempt and a “flagrant violation of international law.”

“Canada is seeking to promote its international status from a former UK colony to a first-class country, thus it is trying to expand the scope of its influence trough acts of intervention,” Seyyed Mohammad-Mehdi Pourfatemi said on Wednesday.

On Monday, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Ottawa was considering sending forces to Mali to “train” government soldiers battling the militants controlling the northern part of the West African country.

“We are not at a point where we can be making an announcement. As you know training is something that the Canadian forces are particularly adept at doing,” he said.

Pourfatemi blamed the West for pursuing meddlesome policies in Africa, sowing discord among African ethnicities and supporting rebels in the region. He said colonialist powers attempt to “institutionalize” unrest in Africa to facilitate their exploitation of these countries.

The lawmaker also recalled the role of Canada in the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and condemned Ottawa as Washington’s “accomplice in all its crimes.”

“Instead of sending troops to independent countries, the Canadian government had better think of the critical situation regarding basic human rights in the country,” he urged, criticizing the violation of the rights of indigenous people in Canada.

Back to top button