Canada seeks new bases in Pakistan: source
The government of Pakistan is entertaining a Canadian request to use its military bases during next year's scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Canada made the request several months ago, prior to its sudden eviction from its principal logistics base in the United Arab Emirates.
"They want to use our military infrastructure to remove their troops and supplies from Afghanistan," said a source in Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the issue.
The source said the decision will be taken in conjunction with the country's military leadership, but could not provide a timeline for when it would be made.
Mian Gul Akbar Zab, the Pakistani high commissioner in Ottawa, said Wednesday that talks have been ongoing to use ports in Karachi to ship out thousands of containers of non-sensitive material.
The containers would have to be transported over land, making security an issue. An agreement was to be reached when the details are hammered out, he added.
"I don't see a hitch there," Zab said. "Nothing has been finalized as of yet."
Dubai base set to close
Canada's desire to use Pakistani military bases takes on new significance, given the Canadian mission will lose its central supply line into Afghanistan next month.
The UAE abruptly terminated an agreement last week that had allowed the Canadian military to use a base in Dubai, known as Camp Mirage, to supply its troops in Kandahar.
After Canada balked at demands to increase landing rights for Emirian airlines, the wealthy Gulf nation informed Ottawa it had a month to clear out of Mirage.
That has complicated the military's plans to return troops and equipment now in Kandahar back to Canada come July 2011, when the combat mission ends.
Government documents obtained by The Canadian Press indicate that Camp Mirage was to play a central role in the pullout. Its imminent closure has triggered intense efforts to locate a new supply hub for the mission in Afghanistan.
Aside from Dubai, the military also makes use of a NATO base in Germany.
Military officials in Kandahar say they plan to continue using Mirage until the clear-out date, which is believed to be sometime in early November.
The termination forced Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, who is visiting four Arab countries this week on a trade mission, to avoid the UAE altogether. He will not be paying a call to the top recipient of Canadian exports in the Arab world.
Asked why, Van Loan said it was because he needed to get back to Ottawa for the resumption of Parliament on Monday.
At the heart of the dispute between Canada and the UAE are demands by airlines Emirates and Etihad to increase the frequency and destinations of their flights to Canada.
They currently operate a total of six flights a week to Toronto from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Air Canada has argued against increasing the flights, saying there is very little passenger traffic originating from the Middle Eastern country and the two airlines are instead ferrying Canadians to and from third countries with stopovers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.