AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI'S FAREWELL VISIT TO

UNCLAS MONTREAL 000221

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR WHA/CAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ETRD CA
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI'S FAREWELL VISIT TO
MONTREAL

1.SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI HAD A FULL ITINERARY OF PUBLIC
AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES FOR HIS FEBRUARY 17 FAREWELL VISIT TO
MONTREAL. A KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT MCGILL'S HIGH-PROFILE "CANADA IN
THE WORLD" CONFERENCE, THE AMBASSADOR ALSO MET WITH SCHOLARS AND
BOARD MEMBERS AT THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY
(IRPP),AND WAS GUEST OF HONOR AT CONSUL GENERAL BERNADETTE
ALLEN'S RECEPTION FOR CONTACTS IN BORDER SECURITY AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT FIELDS. WHILE MEDIA INTEREST IN THE STORY OF THE DAY
- SECURITY BREACHES AT HYDRO QUEBEC INSTALLATIONS IN JAMES BAY -
SPARKED COVERAGE OF THE AMBASSADOR'S PRESENCE, HE DELIVERED A
LASTING MESSAGE ON ENDURING U.S.-CANADA FRIENDSHIP, AND THE MANY
VALUES AND GOALS THAT CANADIANS AND AMERICANS SHARE. END SUMMARY.


2. THE MCGILL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CANADA TIMED ITS "CANADA
IN THE WORLD CONFERENCE" TO OCCUR AS THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT WAS
RELEASING ITS FIRST FOREIGN POLICY REVIEW STATEMENT SINCE 1995.
HOWEVER, THE STATEMENT WAS STILL BEING PRODUCED AS THE CONFERENCE
TOOK PLACE (REPORTEDLY, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SHEILA WALSH
HAS BEEN CONTRACTED TO EDIT THE DOCUMENT AND GIVE IT GREATER
COHERENCE). THE CONFERENCE ATTRACTED SOME 375 PARTICIPANTS FROM
INSTITUTIONS ALL OVER CANADA AND INCLUDED ACADEMICS, WONKS AND A
WELL-KNOWN CAST OF CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY OFFICIALS, INCLUDING
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS PETTIGREW AND GRAHAM, ALAN
GOTTLIEB, RAYMOND CHRETIEN, DAVID MALONE, AND ROBERT GREENHILL,
AMONG OTHERS.

(COMMENT: THE IRPP PRESIDENT HUGH SEGAL, WHO INTRODUCED THE
AMBASSADOR AT THE MCGILL CONFERENCE AND HOSTED HIM LATER IN THE
DAY AT A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION, PAID THE ULTIMATE CANADIAN
COMPLIMENT: HE COMPARED AMBASSADOR CELLUCCI TO JEAN BELLIVEAU,
THE FAMED MONTREAL CANADIENS HOCKEY PLAYER WHO IS REMEMBERED AS A
"GRAND GENTILHOMME" BUT ALSO AS SOMEONE WHO KNEW HOW TO USE HIS
ELBOWS AND KNEES TO DEFEND HIS TEAM AND BE EFFECTIVE ON THE ICE.
SEGAL'S POINT WAS WELL UNDERSTOOD AND WARMLY APPRECIATED BY THE
AUDIENCE THAT DAY. END COMMENT.)


3. UPON THE AMBASSADOR'S ARRIVAL, MISC DIRECTOR ANTONIA MAIONI
INFORMED US THAT CONFEREES HAD HEARD SEVERAL HEATED AND CRITICAL
SESSIONS ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF CANADIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND THE
STATE OF THE CANADIAN MILITARY. THE AUDIENCE APPEARED TO FULLY
APPRECIATE THE AMBASSADOR'S REFLECTIONS ON U.S.-CANADA RELATIONS,
HIS RESPECTFUL SUGGESTIONS RELATED TO CANADA'S INTERNATIONAL
ASPIRATIONS AND HIS HEARTFELT THANKS FOR THE FRIENDSHIP EXTENDED
BY CANADIANS TO AMERICANS AFTER 9/11.


4. FOLLOWING THE AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH, THERE WAS A PRESS SCRUM
HUNGRY FOR COMMENTS ON SECURITY VULNERABILITIES AT HYDRO QUEBEC
INSTALLATIONS IN NORTHERN QUEBEC. THE AMBASSADOR REPEATED THE
COMMENTS HE HAD MADE IN HIS SPEECH -- THAT THE SECURITY BREACHES
UNDERSCORED THE NEED TO BE VIGILANT, BUT THAT HE WAS CONFIDENT
CORRECTIVE MEASURES WOULD BE TAKEN - AND THEN TOOK A FEW MORE
QUESTIONS ON IRAQ, SOFTWOOD LUMBER AND MISSILE DEFENSE. RICHARD
LATENDRESSE OF TVA, QUEBEC'S FRANCOPHONE TV RATINGS LEADER, AND
IAN MACDONALD, COLUMNIST FOR THE GAZETTE, WERE GIVEN INTERVIEWS
AS WELL. MACDONALD'S PIECE, PUBLISHED 2/21, WAS VERY
COMPLIMENTARY OF THE AMBASSADOR ("CELLUCCI HAS BEEN ONE OF THE
MOST EFFECTIVE U.S. ENVOYS TO CANADA DURING THE LAST 25 YEARS.").
WE WERE TOLD TO EXPECT THE LATENDRESSE INTERVIEW LATER THIS WEEK.


5. THE AMBASSADOR WAS THE FEATURED GUEST AT BOTH AN IRPP
ROUNDTABLE AND CG ALLEN'S RECEPTION FOR BORDER AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT CONTACTS. A NUMBER OF GUESTS PAID TRIBUTE TO HIM AT
THE RECEPTION: EX-QUEBEC PREMIER PIERRE MARC JOHNSON (NOW
QUEBEC'S SOFTWOOD LUMBER NEGOTIATOR) THANKED THE AMBASSADOR FOR
HIS ABILITY TO LISTEN, AND HIS CANDOR, ESPECIALLY RECENTLY, ON
THE NATURE OF THE SOFTWOOD DISPUTE; RCMP AND SURETE DU QUEBEC
OFFICERS THANKED HIM PROFUSELY FOR HIS SUPPORT OF U.S.-CANADA LAW
ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION.
ALLEN