OTTAWA, Sept 12: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has linked the Sept 11 suicide attacks to the perceived arrogance and selfishness of the United States and the West.

Chretien is the first leader of a western major nation to suggest that the suicide hijackers might have been motivated by what he describes as the misguided policies of a rich and powerful West that did not understand the need for restraint.

The veteran prime minister, who has been in power for nine years, told the CBC in an interview aired late on Wednesday that there was “a lot of resentment” about the way in which powerful nations treated the increasing number of poor and dispossessed people in the world.

“You know, you cannot exercise your powers to the point of humiliation for others. That is what the Western world — not only the Americans, the Western world — has to realize. Because they (the have-nots) are human beings too. There are long-term consequences if you don’t look hard at the reality in 10 or 20 (or) 30 years from now,” he said.

Chretien continued: “And I do think the Western world is getting too rich in relation to the poor world and necessarily, you know, we’re looked upon as being arrogant, self-satisfied greedy and with no limits. And Sept. 11 is an occasion for me to realize it even more.”

Chretien comes from the moderate left of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, which has sometimes looked upon Republican administrations with suspicion.

Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette — also on the left of the party — went further in an interview with the CBC that was broadcast in the same Sept. 11 package as the prime minister’s. He likened some leading players in the United States to bullies on an ice hockey rink.

Chretien’s relations with US President George W. Bush have always been cool and his criticism of Washington’s increasingly unilateral foreign policy is unlikely to win him fresh friends in the White House.

The leader of the right-wing Canadian Alliance party, which is generally more favorably inclined toward the United States, quickly branded Chretien’s musings as a disgrace.

“(His) comments — particularly coming on the anniversary of Sept. 11 — blaming the victim are shameful. What was behind the events of Sept. 11 are the forces of evil and hatred,” said Stephen Harper.

“These must be resisted by free and democratic societies and their leaders. His comments are unacceptable, and he should apologize to the United States and to the families of the Canadian victims.”

The local CBC radio station in Ottawa was flooded with calls on Thursday morning from listeners backing Chretien.

Chretien’s reflective comments were highly unusual for a man known as a down-to-earth politician with little time for the deeper philosophy of governance.

The one skill the West and the United States seemed to lack was that of knowing when to exercise some restraint, he said.

“It’s always the problem when you read history — (no one) knows when to stop. There’s a moment, you know, when you have to stop,” he told the CBC, saying he had made this point to a group of Wall Street executives unhappy that Canada had full diplomatic relations with arch US foe Cuba.

“And I said that day...’When you’re (as) powerful (as) you are, you guys, it’s the time to be nice’.”—Reuters