envoy@
* Canada's McCallum says Trump politicized executive's case
* Says extradition "would not be a happy outcome"
* Envoy's remarks could irritate Trump administration (Adds no comment from Huawei)
OTTAWA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - A top executive from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd being held in Canada can make "strong arguments" against extradition to the United States, in part due to President Donald Trump's politicization of the case, Canada's ambassador to China said.
Canadian envoy John McCallum's comments to Chinese-language media, which were broadcast on Wednesday, are the most explicit sign yet from a Canadian official that Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, may not be sent to the United States.
Meng was detained on Dec. 1 in Vancouver at the request of the United States https://reut.rs/2HuT3WE over alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. She is currently under house arrest and China is demanding that she be freed https://reut.rs/2CDejnG.
In a clip shown by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, McCallum said Meng had "quite good arguments on her side," the first of which was "political involvement by comments from Donald Trump in her case."
Trump told Reuters last month he would intervene in Meng's case if it served U.S. national security interests or helped close a trade deal with China. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland quickly warned Washington not to politicize extradition cases.
McCallum also said extradition "would not be a happy outcome," a comment that could irritate the Trump administration, which has generally cool relations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.
Huawei declined to comment on McCallum's remarks.
The envoy's comments, which were made in English on Tuesday, are potentially awkward for Canada's government, which insists it cannot intervene because of judicial independence.
Trudeau sidestepped questions about the matter on Wednesday, telling reporters in Saskatchewan that under Canadian law Meng would have a chance to mount a strong defense.
The Liberals may face a tough reelection fight this October against the opposition Conservative Party, which said McCallum's actions raised "questions of political interference."
David Mulroney, an ex-Canadian ambassador to China, tweeted that McCallum's comments were "almost impossible to understand."
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McCallum noted Canada has not applied the same sanctions against Iran as the United States.