[加拿大新聞] Harper to face Obama on Keystong XL issue face, afternoon, following, critical, Stephen

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Harper to face Obama on Keystone XL issue

Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/Harper+face+Obama+Keystone+issue/5702609/story.html#ixzz1db5xJ39a

HONOLULU — Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a key bilateral meeting Sunday afternoon following the APEC summit in Hawaii, at a critical juncture in the Canada-U.S. relationship.
It was uncertain whether Harper would score some coveted face time with Obama after the North American leaders’ summit — to be held this weekend in Honolulu with Mexican President Felipe Calderon — was cancelled due to the tragic death of a Mexican minister in a helicopter crash in that country.
A helicopter crash Friday, in bad weather, approximately 70 kilometres south of Mexico City killed Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora, and other Mexican government officials.
In a statement, Harper said he was profoundly saddened to learn of the death and that he and his wife Laureen “offer their heartfelt condolences to the families of Secretary Mora and the other officials killed today, to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and to all citizens of Mexico.”
The accident, while a huge blow to Mexico, threatened to scrap any private meeting time Harper might have had with Obama this weekend, as the prime minister looks to address a growing number of irritants in the cross-border relationship.
The Obama administration’s decision on Thursday to delay a final ruling on the Keystone XL oilsands pipeline until after the November 2012 presidential election is just the latest in a series of prickly issues in the threadbare Canada-U.S. relationship.
The U.S. president held bilateral talks with a number of global leaders on the sidelines of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, which wraps up Sunday.
Obama is slated to hold tete-a-tetes with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Harper originally didn’t have a separate bilateral meeting planned with Obama before the so-called Three Amigos summit was cancelled.
Harper will need a deft diplomatic touch to address a growing number of cross-border issues that are sparking more questions about the strength of Canada-U.S. ties.
The U.S. government’s decision to examine rerouting the Keystone XL pipeline — which would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from northern Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas — could postpone a final ruling for 12 to 18 months, and potentially longer if a new environmental assessment is needed.