Canadians Won’t Join ‘Coalition of the Willing’

After months of hesitation, Canada said Tuesday that it has no intention of contributing to a U.S.-led attack on Iraq that has not been endorsed by the U.N. Security Council.

President Bush has said that if the U.N. does not authorize the use of force against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the U.S. is prepared to wage war with the help of like-minded allies in what he calls a “coalition of the willing.”

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, wary of antagonizing his country’s most important military ally and trading partner, has, until now, consistently declined to rule out contributing forces to such a coalition.

But on Tuesday, he told Parliament that Canada would not join an unsanctioned campaign.

“We have not been asked, and we do not intend to participate in a ‘group of the willing,’ ” he said in reply to a question. “The policy of the government is very clear. If there has to be military activity in Iraq, we want it to be approved by the U.N. Security Council.”

Chretien and his senior ministers have consistently said that if the United Nations does sanction an assault on Iraq, Canada will take part.

How much Canada’s armed forces could contribute is questionable. Last week, Ottawa announced that it will send up to 2,000 troops to Afghanistan for a year to take part in a U.N. peacekeeping mission.