OTTAWA (AP) -- He is sitting down with a leading Quebec separatist, but President Clinton also hopes to use his one-day visit to assure Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien that he holds fast to the notion of a united Canada.
Clinton arrived in Ottawa late Thursday night for a brief visit to address a conference on federalism and dedicate a new U.S. Embassy -- benign activity that the White House says reflects the placid nature of U.S.-Canadian relations."Our two nations, the harmony we seek to promote within, the friendship we seek to promote between us, has shown the world a better way and given ourselves a great responsibility for the new millennium," Clinton said at the embassy dedication.
But Clinton also was meeting Friday with Lucien Bouchard, separatist premier of Quebec, which has held two referendums on independence. The White House played down the significance of the meeting and took pains to point out that it does not signify an official embrace of independence for the French-speaking province.
"Our position on this issue is long-standing. It is an internal issue for Canadians to resolve," said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart. "A strong and united Canada is a great model for the world and a great partner for the United States."
Lockhart cast Clinton's session with Bouchard as rather routine in nature. "It is traditional that we pay a courtesy call on provincial leaders. We do that every place," Lockhart said.
Chretien told reporters Thursday that he is comfortable that there has been no shift in U.S. policy regarding Quebec.
"I know the position of Mr. Clinton," Chretien said. "He was very clear when he came to Canada. Remember, he said, 'Vive le Canada."'
Chretien was referring to a comment Clinton made during his last official visit in 1995.
Chretien said the new embassy, with its view of the Canadian Parliament headquarters, is "a lasting symbol of the abiding warmth of our relationship." He called Clinton's visit "a sign to Canadians of the respect you have for our nation and the values you place on our friendship."
"The cornerstone of the Canada-U.S. partnership remains firm. ... This is a day to celebrate a new beginning in an old friendship," the prime minister said.
Clinton opened his fifth visit to Canada by inaugurating the new $37 million embassy, then meeting with Chretien in his office at Parliament. Their agenda includes discussing agriculture, and more than $1 billion in trade that flows daily across the U.S.-Canadian border.
The president was to fly by helicopter to Mont Tremblant, a Quebec resort north of Montreal, to address the federalism conference. The three-day meeting, which drew about 600 delegates, was billed as a nonpartisan exchange of ideas among academics and decision-makers.
It is at Mont Tremblant that Clinton was meeting Bouchard, who managed to buttonhole another conference participant, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, on Wednesday. Clinton and Bouchard met on a previous Clinton visit, when Bouchard served as leader of the official opposition in Parliament.
Quebec, an enclave of 7 million, is largely dissatisfied with the Canadian federal system. Less than a year ago, its residents re-elected a government dedicated to splitting off from Canada.
Bouchard told conference participants Wednesday to "pay attention not only to federalism's successes, which are undeniable, but also to its failures."
Though Bouchard and his Parti Quebecois promised a third referendum on independence before the end of his current mandate in 2003, enthusiasm for the idea seems to be waning. Recent polls show support for Quebec sovereignty has fallen as low as 41 percent.
After addressing the federalism conference, Clinton was flying to Chicago, where he was addressing U.S. Hispanic leaders on Saturday before returning to Washington.