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International Trade committee  In your question you've actually captured some of the critical political benefits of this agreement. It is an entree into the region. It's one of the first free trade agreements that we have in the region, of course Israel being the other one that we currently have. But this is a

March 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

International Trade committee  Thank you for that question. It is indeed an important one in the context of this consideration of the FTA. King Abdullah indeed represents a monarchy. A prime minister was appointed in October. The government has been undertaking a number of reforms in order to open, in partic

March 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

International Trade committee  I don't have that specific information with me, but I can provide it to you later.

March 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  I can give a very quick response to that. Our ambassador in Cairo, where the Arab League has its headquarters, has met with the head of the Arab League. We continue our conversations at various levels, but dialogue has occurred right at the top.

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  The Syrian army is large and extremely well equipped. It is also, in general, very loyal. It is a formidable force.

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  You've highlighted exactly the concern. If there is sectarian tension in Syria, it will likely spill over the border into Lebanon, where the same sectarian groups are represented, so there is a risk. There's also a risk of refugee flows, of people who are afraid of the mounting v

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  We've been among the earliest among our allies to impose sanctions on the Syrian regime, including the sanctions on the petroleum sector. Those sanctions, because they are done by a group of significant traders with Syria, are starting to have bite. Syria relies heavily on oil re

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  Our current commercial exposure in Syria is quite low. The largest commercial engagement pulled out of Syria a number of months ago. Actually, they operated through European offices, and it was largely as a consequence of the sanctions the European Union imposed that they were co

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  I'll defer to my colleague, Mr. Dubeau.

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  That is potentially quite a good analysis. I can't say with any certainty either yes or no, but I think it reveals your understanding of the complexity of the situation.

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  I think that's a legitimate concern. The Assad regime is from the Alawite minority, which actually represents only 12% of the population. Christians represent 10% and the Jewish group makes up 3%. The Alawites, the Christians, and the Sunni elites support the Assad regime. The

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  There is a great deal of engagement, not just through our embassy in Ankara, but with a number of embassies around the world. The Syrian National Council is primarily made up of expatriate Syrians, and one of the challenges it faces is developing its base of support inside. The

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  I'll answer the easy part of the question first: no, the U.S. has not suspended its diplomatic relations. It has simply closed its embassy at this time. It has been reported in the media that the reasons for closing the embassy were related to the security situation in Damascus,

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  Iran is a concern to Canada for three reasons. One is the serious human rights violations and the repression of any kind of political dissent within the regime. The second is the impact that Iran is having regionally through its support of Hamas and Hezbollah, which is destabiliz

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin

Foreign Affairs committee  I can't give a great deal of detail about the actual dependence of Syria on Iranian oil. However, the situation in Syria vis-à-vis its economic environment as a consequence of sanctions is becoming extremely difficult. The currency is falling, and there is inflation. There are br

February 8th, 2012Committee meeting

Barbara Martin