Asked if Canada joined Russia in opposing the missile defense plan, Chretien said it was too soon to tell. Questions about whether the missile defense system will work and how the incoming administration of President-elect Bush will proceed on the matter must be answered before final decisions can be made, Chretien said. The issue dominated a 20-minute news conference that followed the signing of agreements on expanded air services between Russia and Canada. The two countries also issued joint statements on cooperation in the Arctic and other northern regions they share and on Russia's efforts to join the World Trade Organization. Canada said in the joint statement it would help Russia develop laws that conform to WTO legislation in other member countries and increase training programs for Russian officials in WTO-related areas.
Members are the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.
By playing host to Putin and a Canadian summit with the European Union on Tuesday, Chretien is seeking to position Canada as a facilitator between his guests and the United States. The Canadian leader has been in power since 1993 and was recently re-elected. Putin noted that because of its location, Canada is a natural intermediary on the missile defense issue. He noted the U.S. motivation for the plan was to intercept missiles that might be fired by rogue states, and said Russia and the United States should assess that threat together. Russia fears the missile system would spark a new arms race that would overwhelm its struggling economy.