Chretien says inquiry not right way to go in Mulroney-Schreiber affair

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien doesn't think a public inquiry into the matter between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karlheinz Schreiber is the right way to get to the bottom of things.

"Inquiries are not the best way to solve problems," Chrétien said. "We have police to deal with these things, but there will be an inquiry and so we will have an inquiry."

Chrétien made the comments during a public appearance for his new book, My Years as Prime Minister, at the Salon du Livre, Montreal's annual book fair.

When asked about the recent controversy over the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, Chrétien said when his Liberal government settled a libel case out of court with Mulroney in 1997 for $2.1 million over allegations of kickbacks in the sale of Airbus planes to Air Canada, Chrétien said the decision was the right one.

Mulroney had denied an association with Schreiber and "we could not prove the contrary and the RCMP looked like they'd made a mistake and we settled out of court," Chrétien told reporters.

Schreiber sparked the public inquiry this month by alleging, in an affidavit filed in Ontario Superior Court, that he negotiated a $300,000 cash payment to Mulroney before he left office in 1993.

None of the allegations againstMulroneyhave been proven in court.

Chretien'sattendance at the book event on Sundaymarkedhis first public appearancesince he underwent emergency heart bypass surgery in October.

"I feel very good —lots of good plumbing done," he joked. "My heart is in good shape."

Mulroney, who was expected to be just a few booths away from Chrétien at theevent, peddling his own memoirs, cancelledhis Sunday appearanceafter signing autographs a day earlier.

Peppered with questions about former prime minister Paul Martin's track record as the country's leader and his waffling on whether to send troops to Afghanistan, Chrétien told reporters to buy and read his bookto getthat information.