Quebec Separatist Asks Private Meeting With Clinton : Canada: President may find himself in middle of independence debate when he visits Ottawa this month.

President Clinton was placed in the middle of Canada’s struggle over Quebec independence Monday with a request by a leading separatist for a private meeting during the President’s visit to Ottawa this month.

Lucien Bouchard, leader of the opposition in Parliament, requested the session in a Friday letter to Clinton. The President is scheduled to arrive Feb. 23 for two days of meetings with Prime Minister Jean Chretien and other leaders.

It would not be unusual for a Canadian opposition leader to meet with the President--when Chretien was opposition leader to then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, he met with George Bush at the White House--but this would be the first time the opposition leader is someone dedicated to breaking up Canada. Bouchard is leader of the Bloc Quebecois, the separatist party in the federal Parliament.

The White House said Monday that no meeting has been scheduled but that the Clinton Administration had no objection in principle.

Analysts said that in a meeting with Clinton, Bouchard would probably outline the aspirations of Quebec separatists and stress their desire for a good relationship with the United States should voters in the mainly French-speaking province endorse independence in a referendum expected later this year. He would not be expected to seek any commitments from Clinton about diplomatic recognition for an independent Quebec.

A Bouchard-Clinton meeting would mark a dramatic re-entry into public life for the Canadian following his December infection with a muscle-destroying disease, which forced amputation of his left leg and nearly killed him. He is undergoing physical rehabilitation and training with a prosthesis in Montreal, where he lives.

U.S. policy toward Quebec separatism has remained the same since the Jimmy Carter Administration. It has been repeated so often that diplomats refer to it as “the mantra,” and it goes: “The United States has enjoyed a good relationship with a united Canada. The future of the country is something for Canadians to decide.”

There has been no indication of a change in policy by the Clinton Administration, and Vice President Al Gore reiterated it during a visit to Ottawa last year.

Joseph T. Jockel, head of the Canada project for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, however, noted that a presidential visit automatically leads to a re-examination of such policies and that given the United States’ interest in political and economic stability in Canada, some in the government might press for a more assertive endorsement of Canadian national unity.

“If the United States government is going to change policy, this would be the moment,” Jockel said. He added that it could be done subtly, with a suggestion by Clinton that an independent Quebec’s entry into the North American Free Trade Agreement would be far from automatic. Quebec separatists have repeatedly stressed their interest in immediate membership in NAFTA.

Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner, and some financial analysts have suggested that Quebec separation would spell economic disaster for both the province and the rest of Canada. An affirmative referendum vote could contribute to economic instability by sending the Canadian dollar plunging.

Polls in Quebec continue to show a majority of voters opposed to independence. No date for the referendum has been set, but current speculation places it in May or June.

The separatists, led by Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau and Bouchard, argue that a simple majority vote is enough to declare independence from the rest of Canada. Chretien, however, has not said how he would react to an affirmative vote, and it is not certain that the Canadian government would recognize Quebec’s right to secede.

Chretien initially appeared rattled over the weekend by Bouchard’s letter to Clinton and suggested that he might try to veto a meeting.

“We don’t want anybody to use the presence of President Clinton for political reasons,” he said. “He’s coming to talk economic discussions and international discussions with us, so we’ll see.”

But Foreign Minister Andre Ouellet later said that the decision would be up to the White House. “The American authorities have (Bouchard’s) request. I’m sure they will study it and respond to it.”