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 free trade agreement with an Arab country, so it's an important first step, albeit our bilateral trade with Jordan is, relatively speaking, small.

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 particular, the trade regime of the country, and also to try to improve the social and human rights environment within the country.

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

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

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.

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 violence fleeing over the border towards Lebanon.

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 revenue to support government revenue.

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 compelled to pull out; our trade relations with Syria, which were small, will now be diminished even further.

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

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.

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 majority Sunni are in opposition to the regime; this is why there is tremendous concern about the evolution of a sectarian war within Syria, and about the considerable vulnerability that the Alawite minority or even the Christian minority might feel if a Sunni majority is able to take over power in the country.

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 conversations with them are similar to the conversations that we've had in headquarters as well, urging them towards a peaceful solution but also trying to find unity within the opposition itself, trying to map out a strategic plan for how they would handle it, and of course continually urging the fundamentals of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights, including women and minorities.

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, which was particular to the U.S. embassy and to certain threats they felt they were exposed to; the media also reported that the Syrian regime could not give assurances that it would be able to provide sufficient security for the embassy, so the closure of the American embassy was based on a rationale that applies to the particular U.S. situation in Damascus.

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 destabilizing in Syria itself and also in Lebanon.

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 breadlines forming.