Out of the Mirage

The United Arab Emirates have decided to kick Canada out of Camp Mirage, a stopover point for Canadian troops going in and out of Afghanistan. After no agreement was made on the issue UAE decided to ban Defence Minister MacKay and General Natynczyk from ever flying through UAE airspace. This is an insult towards our country. It's not like the minister poses a threat to their country. This act will just cause more tension between the two countries.

However, as a Liberal MP suggested, there might be a last minute solution. Canada should persuade UAE to accept a "six-month cooling-off period." After tempers on both sides have cooled down, we could enter negotiations without hot heads. The government should try really hard to keep this base.

The United Arab Emirates abruptly ended years of collaboration with the Canadian Forces on Monday, forbidding Defence Minister Peter MacKay and his top general from even flying over the country on a return trip from Afghanistan.

The public rebuke flowed from a spat over Canadian landing rights for airlines based in the Gulf and will complicate the Canadian Forces’ exit from Afghanistan next year, officials and experts said.

Read more at the Globe and Mail.

Related articles

• Canada troops to leave UAE base (bbc.co.uk)
• Canadian military leaving Dubai base: MacKay (thestar.com)