Bush, Canada’s Chretien Share a Get-Acquainted Dinner

In his first official foray into foreign policy, President Bush held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien at the White House on Monday in a meeting that was largely a get-acquainted session.

But the working dinner with the leader of America’s neighbor and largest trading partner underscored the widening gap between the new administration and its closest ally on key economic and defense issues, from drilling for oil in the Arctic to a national missile shield.

It also exposed the shifting winds of U.S. interests, since Chretien’s visit was hastily organized after Bush announced that his first foreign trip will be to Mexico--ending the recent tradition of the inaugural presidential visit being to Canada.

White House officials sought to emphasize the solid U.S. relationship with Canada. “Frankly, all our discussions with the Canadians have been nothing but positive,” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Monday.

At a photo session before dinner, Chretien said that because of the shared 5,500-mile border, he felt like a cousin coming to visit, and told Bush: “When you need us, we’ll be there. And when we need you, we hope you’ll be there.”

Bush called Chretien “a good man” and said he looked forward to “developing a friendship.”

Bush said the toughest challenge he faces regarding the relationship will be convincing Congress to promote free trade throughout the hemisphere. “A free trading hemisphere is going to benefit Canada and will benefit the United States, and we’ve got a lot of work to do for me to get fast-track negotiating authority,” he told reporters.

In April, Canada will host the third Summit of the Americas, at which the central issue will be expanding the North American Free Trade Agreement to most of the hemisphere by 2005.

But Canada is deeply concerned about the Bush administration’s determination to pursue a national missile defense. Ottawa fears it will trigger renewed arms proliferation as well as tension with Russia, to which Canada is bound via the Arctic region.

Despite an appeal from Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, Chretien has so far held back from publicly opposing the defense system. But Canadian officials privately say that the government stands with Europe in questioning the need, cost, technology and wisdom of missile defense.

The Chretien government has been more open about its opposition to oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a move Bush supports on the grounds that the U.S. Geological Survey estimates the region could yield nearly 12 billion barrels of oil. That would be comparable to nearby Prudhoe Bay.

Canada, backed by U.S. environmentalists, is concerned about the impact of drilling on an array of wildlife, from polar bears and caribou to more than 130 species of migratory birds.

Canada and the United States also have profound differences over how to deal with Cuba. Washington insists that the only Communist country in the hemisphere must be isolated. Canada favors pressuring Havana diplomatically and constructively engaging the regime of President Fidel Castro to foster political change.

The first summit between the two leaders was designed to outline positions rather than come to any formal agreements.

The invitation was organized as a face-saving gesture to Canadians increasingly concerned about being edged aside by Mexico. Chretien came to Washington on Monday to try to win over Bush, who has focused more southward to Mexico than north to Canada.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell underscored Mexico’s new prominence when he made the trip announcement. “President Bush’s decision to travel to Mexico as his first foreign visit is powerful evidence of the special place Mexico holds in our national priorities,” he said.

Canadian officials claim that ties between the two countries are too deep to sour. The nations share a common history and culture as well as the largest bilateral trade in the world--an average of $1.3 billion a day, almost double the two-way trade with Mexico.

“The relationship is far too complex, far too important, to let party interests, party politics, involve themselves in the relationship,” a Canadian official told reporters.

At their meeting, Bush denied a preference for Mexico. “I’ve got a preference for friends, and Canadians are long-standing friends of the United States. Mexico is an important country as well,” he said.

Yet the differences also play out in party and personal relationships. Chretien leads Canada’s Liberal Party and had close political ties to former President Clinton. His hope that then-Vice President Al Gore would win the 2000 election was widely noted in the Canadian media. During his 1993 campaign, Chretien railed against the close relationship between his Progressive Conservative Party predecessor Brian Mulroney and former President George Bush.