# Canadian takes command of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai



## McG (5 Mar 2014)

Good luck wished for MGen Thompson in his two year command of this mission.


> *Canadian Denis Thompson leads Sinai peacekeeping force
> Major-General will lead team of about 1,600 army, air and naval troops for next 2 years*
> CBC News
> 04 March 2014
> ...


 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/canadian-denis-thompson-leads-sinai-peacekeeping-force-1.2558925


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## vonGarvin (5 Mar 2014)

The CBC is inept. That the reporter was the only Canadian there isn't news, nor is it relevant to it. It only shows their arrogance and vanity.
And MGen Thompson  commanded SOFCOM, IIRC.

Anyway,  congratulations to him and his staff!


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## Journeyman (5 Mar 2014)

My thoughts exactly!  



> The CBC's Sasa Petricic was the only Canadian reporter ......


  Big F'ing Deal.   

Petricic manages to get his name in there _several_ times. :


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## vonGarvin (5 Mar 2014)

I'm so hipster, I remember when he spelled his name "Sasha".   ;D


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## dapaterson (5 Mar 2014)

On the other hand, he is highlighting the lack of Canadian media coverage - something this board would jump all over were we not so reflexively spewing vitriol at the CBC.






(...and I'm so hipster I remember when the TechnoViking was Mortarman Rockpainter...)


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## Edward Campbell (5 Mar 2014)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> On the other hand, he is highlighting the lack of Canadian media coverage - something this board would jump all over were we not so reflexively spewing vitriol at the CBC.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




 :goodpost:


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## GAP (5 Mar 2014)

After that last bit of conversation,.....why do I keep thinking bobble heads......


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## Journeyman (5 Mar 2014)

For the record, I was "reflexively spewing vitriol" at 'journalists' who believe that they are somehow entitled to rock star status, not at CBC.


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## Transporter (5 Mar 2014)

I'm surprised even he was there given the logistics involved in travelling to the MFO.


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## Journeyman (5 Mar 2014)

To further my point (and continue the derail), in the Ukraine thread, there's a link  


> *
> Government to send military observers to Ukraine*
> 
> PM Stephen Harper says assets of ousted Ukraine regime held in Canada will be frozen
> ...


Yep, way down in that tiny font, it names the journalist -- clearly she doesn't believe she's a rock star; her name doesn't appear multiple times in the story, because the word-count is tied up with passing along details.


According to her bio, she's neither a 'visible minority' nor handicapped by a sense of entitlement:


> Leslie MacKinnon has been working in news and current affairs since newsrooms used teletype, televison was shot on film and radio tape was edited with a razor blade. She saw through The Journal's long run on CBC-TV, and since then has worked in Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa in the CBC's various permutations. Right now, she's a TV news reporter in the political bureau, and likes certain parts of Ottawa - the canal, the Hill - a lot.




If a Mod is house-cleaning and wants to move this to a media bias thread or elsewhere, I've no heartache.


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## DAA (5 Mar 2014)

Transporter said:
			
		

> I'm surprised even he was there given the logistics involved in travelling to the MFO.



If my thoughts are correct, Mr Petricic was only present in the area to report on the deterioriating conditions in the Middle-East and for lack of anything better to do, may have contacted the MFO HQ in Cairo and got an invite or maybe they invited him.

Besides, I think that position is not part of the CF mandate and the MFO canvasses supporting nations for appropriate candidates for the job.  I believe the last Canadian to hold that post was MGen Meating (Armd) and that was in the mid 2000's.


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## Transporter (5 Mar 2014)

DAA said:
			
		

> If my thoughts are correct, Mr Petricic was only present in the area to report on the deterioriating conditions in the Middle-East and for lack of anything better to do, may have contacted the MFO HQ in Cairo and got an invite or maybe they invited him.
> 
> Besides, I think that position is not part of the CF mandate and the MFO canvasses supporting nations for appropriate candidates for the job.  I believe the last Canadian to hold that post was MGen Meating (Armd) and that was in the mid 2000's.



Even being "present in the area", it's still quite a logistical challenge to get to North Camp. Had to have been escorted somehow. As Force Comd, MGen Thompson reports to MFO HQ in Rome, not to Comd CJOC. The Comd TF El Gorah (a Col) reports to Comd CJOC.


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## DAA (5 Mar 2014)

Transporter said:
			
		

> Even being "present in the area", it's still quite a logistical challenge to get to North Camp. Had to have been escorted somehow. As Force Comd, MGen Thompson reports to MFO HQ in Rome, not to Comd CJOC. The Comd TF El Gorah (a Col) reports to Comd CJOC.



It's a mere "taxi" ride to El Arish and not that hard to do.  The only logistical challenge, is obtaining permissions to enter North Camp.  And your right, he does report to HQ in Rome but they also have a HQ in Cairo and the Comd TF El Gorah (Cdn Col) is commonly referred to within the MFO as "Chief of Liaison".  South Camp in the southern Sinai is just as easy to get to.  So I think the Force Comd deals more with Rome and the CLO deals more with Cairo.

Been to both and know them well.


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## Transporter (5 Mar 2014)

DAA said:
			
		

> It's a mere "taxi" ride to El Arish and not that hard to do.  The only logistical challenge, is obtaining permissions to enter North Camp.  And your right, he does report to HQ in Rome but they also have a HQ in Cairo and the Comd TF El Gorah (Cdn Col) is commonly referred to within the MFO as "Chief of Liaison".  South Camp in the southern Sinai is just as easy to get to.  So I think the Force Comd deals more with Rome and the CLO deals more with Cairo.
> 
> Been to both and know them well.



A mere "taxi" ride to El Arish in the old days was not that hard to do at all I agree. However, the security situation in the Sinai is nothing like it used to be pre-2011. It's the wild, wild west now. I wouldn't travel there without armed escort, certainly not as a westerner, and certainly not just to get this story (no offence to MGen Thompson). Been there as well and fairly recently. Haven't been to South Camp though, but visited Tabah and Eilat.


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