WESTERN EUROPE

RICE TO CANADA: U.S. DISAPPOINTED OVER MISSILE SHIELD PROGRAM

Secretary of State Rice yesterday told Canadian diplomats of her disappointment over Ottawa’s decision to opt out of an American-led anti-ballistic missile shield program. American officials have made no secret of their unhappiness with Canada’s stance. Last week Ms. Rice deferred plans to visit America’s northern neighbor early in her tenure at the State Department, although her spokesman said the change was not a sign of Ms. Rice’s displeasure.

Canadian diplomats requested a short meeting yesterday with Ms. Rice on the sidelines of an international conference on Palestinian reform. She met for 10 to 15 minutes with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, said a Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said Ms. Rice made clear her disappointment with Canada’s stance. Canada announced its decision on the missile defense system last week, setting off a prickly exchange between the American ambassador to Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Martin. U.S.-Canada relations were already clouded by strong Canadian opposition to the American-led war in Iraq.

– Associated Press

NORTH AMERICA

HOLOCAUST DENIER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN GERMANY

TORONTO – A white supremacist was deported from Canada yesterday and immediately taken into custody by authorities in his native Germany, where he faces charges of denying the Holocaust and inciting hatred via the Internet, immigration officials said.

Ernst Zundel, 65, author of “The Hitler We Loved and Why,” was turned over to German authorities, said Helen Leslie, a spokeswoman for Canadian Border Services Agency in Ottawa. “We are committed to removing people who are found to be a security threat as soon as practical,” she said.

German authorities had said he would be arrested for decades of anti-Semitic activities, including repeated denials of the Holocaust, which is a crime in Germany. Mr. Zundel was arrested by German police at Frankfurt airport and taken to the southwestern city of Mannheim, where he was to spend his first night back in his homeland in police custody, local police spokesman Elmar Ludwig said. His arraignment was set for today.

Mr. Zundel’s attorney, Peter Lindsay, said his client was held in near-solitary confinement for two years while authorities determined whether he posed a security risk to Canadians.

– Associated Press