Security officials yesterday refused to confirm reports that Saudi visitors to Canada faced extra airport arrival checks demanded by the US Secret Service ahead of next week's visit by President George W Bush.
| Gee, and here I thought Bush and the Saudies were such good friends. |
The report, in the Toronto Sun newspaper, said the extra checks were mandated by a confidential alert, which said immigration officers should conduct background checks on Saudi visitors using Canadian and US police databases. A spokesman for Canada's Border Services Agency said he was "flabbergasted" that such sensitive information had made its way into the press, but refused to comment on its veracity. "We basically don't comment on any news regarding national security," said spokesman Michel Proulx." Another agency official, Patrizia Giolti, added: "Even if such a document exists, we wouldn't be able to discuss it."
Saudi Arabia's embassy in Ottawa did not immediately return calls for comment. The Sun story quoted unnamed airport officials as saying that the alert resulted from increased "intelligence chatter" and that the bulletin ordered immigration agents to "refer all holders of Saudi passports for further inspection." Officers were also told to verify the identity of each traveller, establish the purpose of their trip and ensure travel documents were in order as a "precautionary measure," the report said. Bush was due to arrive in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, on November 30, for a two-day visit intended to patch up relations between the two giant neighbours bruised when Canada refused to join the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. |