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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MINISTER MANLEY TO THE 2001 DIPLOMATIC FORUM, VICTORIA, B.C.</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> 2001/N/A CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE JOHN MANLEY, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO THE 2001 DIPLOMATIC FORUM VICTORIA, British Columbia November 23, 2001 I am pleased to be here with you all today -- live and in person. Some of you may recall that one of the very first speeches I gave as Foreign Minister was to the 2000 Diplomatic Forum via video-conference -- on my third day on the job. I must admit that it feels a little like I'm here for my one-year evaluation with you all! I trust that you will be kind. Year one has been full, challenging and productive -- but tough at times, particularly in recent times. We've had the highs of a very successful Summit of the Americas hosted by Prime Minister Chrétien in Quebec City last April, as well as the recent G20 meeting in Ottawa. We concluded a very successful two year stint on the UN Security Council. There have been further advances in the campaign against anti-personnel mines under the Ottawa Treaty; and we are now a mere 14 ratifications away from the entry into force of the International Criminal Court. As you heard from Minister Pettigrew earlier, we also recently obtained an agreement to launch a new world trade round with a growth and development agenda that will, if successful, provide opportunities and benefits for all countries, and all peoples of the world. These are just a few examples of what we have accomplished together. The lows, however, are notable as well. More than anything else in our recent memory, the events of September 11 have brought together the world community, and united us not only in sorrow or outrage, but also in commitment and in resolve. I will speak more on this in a moment. On a more personal level -- because we are a community here -- we have also shared in the tragedy of the loss of our friend, High Commissioner Tariq Altaf of Pakistan, in a terrible accident last September. The year began, of course, with the tragic occurrence which led to the death of Catherine MacLean and the terrible injuries to Catherine Doré. I would like to take the opportunity right now, at the outset of my remarks, to thank those missions and Ambassadors who have given the Canadian government their full support as we implemented a new policy designed to better safeguard the lives of Canadians and members of the foreign and diplomatic community alike. Safety and security are, of course, the order of the day for all of us. I would like to use our time today to speak about just that in the context of Canada's two major foreign policy priorities over the coming year -- in particular, our specific response to the threat of terrorism, and the wider global agenda for stability and development that we will address under our G8 chairmanship in 2002. The global campaign against terrorism has taken on the highest priority in Canada's domestic and foreign policy agendas. Canada has been, and continues to be deeply affected by the crisis. As close observers of this country, you know well the depth and breadth of measures that we have undertaken since September 11 -- from our military commitments and humanitarian aid abroad, to new legislation, the freezing of terrorist assets, and major new investments to bolster our security framework at home. The issue of how we will manage the Canada-U.S. border -- to ensure both personal security and our economic security by continuing to facilitate trade -- is also one that will preoccupy many Canadians in government, business and amongst the general public for some time to come. We will also be reviewing with our U.S. partners the bilateral defence and security relationship, to take into account the changed environment post September 11. Canada and the U.S. work side by side in defending North America and in numerous peacekeeping missions overseas. As some of you know, NORAD, with its unique binational command structure, protects Canadian and U.S. airspace. NORAD plays a key role in defending the continent. In initiating this review of our bilateral security cooperation programmes we will, as always, be sensitive to sovereignty issues on both sides of the border. The work of combatting terrorism and managing its aftershocks is far from over. At the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly, it was gratifying to hear such resounding condemnation of terrorism from member states. But Canada's message there, shared by others, was that outrage alone will not defeat terrorism; sentiment must translate into commitment, and commitment into action. To achieve this, and to fulfill the promises that we have made to each other and to our citizens, we cannot go on as before, or be diverted from a common course by diplomatic gamesmanship or limited self-interest. Simply put, in the "realpolitik" of the post-September 11 world, there can be no more 'business as usual' for our international community. Universal implementation of landmark UN Security Council resolution 1373 is only a first step. In Canada, we have already put in place many of its provisions, and we stand ready -- through capacity building -- to assist other states for whom implementation may pose a great challenge. Canada will shortly provide its report card to the UN Security Council Committee responsible for monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373. We also urge UN member states to support an early conclusion to negotiations on the 13th global counterterrorism convention -- the Comprehensive Convention Against International Terrorism -- at the UN. We also believe that our collective security must be supported by greater adhesion to, and more effective implementation of our international non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament regime. In this vein, Canada has strongly welcomed the recent historic agreement between the United States and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals to their lowest levels in four decades. We look forward to seeing how these reductions are to be codified. Canada likewise appreciates the recent announcement by the U.S. that it will continue its voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing, and urge them -- and other non-States Parties -- to proceed with ratification of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty as soon as possible. The situation in Afghanistan also demands our full and immediate attention. We have entered -- much faster than anticipated -- a crucial phase in the determination of the future of this long-troubled state. Canada is pleased that UN Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi will meet next week in Bonn with the Northern Alliance, and other factions and stakeholders, to seek an agreement on how a new, effective and representative system of governance -- inclusive of women -- can be instituted in a post-conflict, post-Taleban, Afghanistan. We are urging all the parties to play constructive roles and to come to the table determined to avoid the power struggles that have proven to be so destructive to Afghanistan in the past. Afghanistan has suffered decades of under-development, foreign occupation and civil conflict. Since 1996, the repression and brutality of the Taleban regime -- especially its exclusion of women, its summary executions and scorched earth policies -- has severely aggravated the hardships endured by the Afghan people. Poverty, dislocation, human rights abuses and ongoing civil strife have been compounded by a three year drought. Now, some 5 million people in Afghanistan are vulnerable to famine, while some 3.5 million are refugees and 1 million are internally displaced. The removal of the Taleban regime is a first, and absolutely critical step towards stability in Afghanistan, but there is a great deal more that must be done to safeguard the welfare of the Afghan people. The response to the UN's initial humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan was impressive; Canada joined, too, adding $16 million to the $150 million in aid that we have provided over the past 10 years. But the plight of Afghan civilians, including refugees, remains acute. News stories of the last week -- executions, the murder of journalists, warlords battling for territory -- have underscored how dangerous and volatile conditions now are in that country. As you know, 1000 Canadian troops from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry are on standby and ready to travel to the region on 48 hours' notice. The aim of their mission would be to bring stability into the area and thereby facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. As you know, the situation on the ground is very fluid, and changing by the hour. Our troops will move after the appropriate operational planning and coordination with our coalition partners. Security and development cannot be separated -- each supports and must coexist with the other. Poverty, the denial of human rights, the spread of HIV/AIDS, unchecked environmental degradation, and the blights of drugs and crime all undermine stability, reduce human potential and obstruct social and economic progress. When a field cannot be tilled because anti-personnel mines may lie under its soil (and I would note that, by today's statistics, one third of all landmine victims now recorded in the world come from Afghanistan), or when a village lacks an educated, able workforce because AIDS has killed a tenth of its population, there can be no sustainable development of societies or of economies -- no stability, no progress, no hope. We must renew our collective commitment to creating a strong, equitable global community that can neither be attacked nor exploited by terrorists or others seeking to do harm. These issues will naturally be on my mind as I chair the G8 Foreign Ministers' process next year. As you know, Canada will assume the Chair of the G8 in 2002, and fighting terrorism will be a key priority. The Prime Minister has announced that Kananaskis will be a small, informal Summit, focused on addressing a few global challenges. In addition to fighting terrorism, these challenges include: strengthening growth in the global economy, with a focus on a more stable and more inclusive economy in the interest of all countries; and developing a new partnership for Africa's development whereby donors recognize that Africans themselves are, and must be, fully responsible for Africa. We will also be following up on the commitments made in Genoa, notably working with developed and developing country partners towards the establishment of the Global AIDS and Health Fund to which Canada has committed US$100 million; implementing the Genoa Action Plan to bridge the digital divide; and working with G8 partners, developing countries and the best minds outside government on how to reach important goals in the Dakar Framework for Action on education for all. I met recently with other G8 Foreign Ministers in New York , where we followed through on the instructions of Leaders to develop a concrete and comprehensive G8 action plan on counterterrorism. Progress on the plan -- which includes expanded uses of financial measures and sanctions (similar to the undertakings of the G20 group last weekend), tighter aviation security, controls on arms exports and other areas of enhanced cooperation -- is very good; we have now asked our experts to now finalize this plan and forward it to Leaders as soon as possible. One of the principal tasks of Canada's presidency will be to coordinate G8 implementation of this action plan. Well before September 11 placed a renewed focus on fighting terrorism, however, G8 Leaders, at the initiative of Prime Minister Chrétien, had agreed to focus on another priority in 2002: Africa. The events of September 11 have in no way lessened the G8's determination that Africa remain a principal focus of the Kananaskis Summit. Nelson Mandela, on receiving his honorary Canadian citizenship earlier this week, spoke of work now underway towards an "African renaissance." Through the political will and committed efforts demonstrated by African leaders under the New Partnerships for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiative, the opportunity for progress on that continent has never been so great. G8 Leaders have undertaken to adopt an action plan for Africa in support of NEPAD, which will, we hope, provide the basis for a broad and sustained partnership in support of the people of Africa, involving other key development partners, as well as business and civil society. The global economy and prospects for expanded and sustained prosperity have always been at the centre of the G8 agenda and -- in the wake of the global slowdown of the last year and post-September 11 stresses -- remain of key concern. G8 Leaders will need to focus attention on how their governments can strengthen growth and bolster confidence in the global economic outlook -- and how to ensure that the benefits of future growth in a globalized world economy are available to all countries and all peoples. The Montreal Consensus that G20 Ministers and Central Bank Governors recently reaffirmed in Ottawa suggests our philosophy for this discussion -- that sound economic policy and sound social policy go hand in hand in support of economic growth, equity and well-being. In this vein, Canada sees the Doha agreement on a new world trade round as very good news; these agreements place the developing world at the heart of the negotiations. All World Trade Organization (WTO) members can see this agreement as a positive step in support of their growth and development, and indeed that of the global community as a whole. Conclusion The opportunities for progress towards a more secure, prosperous and peaceful future have always been before us. As much as the events of September 11 brought on new challenges and heightened some of our anxieties about that future, they also offered us a new clarity and unity of purpose within our international community. The unprecedented solidarity and resolve which has been so evident in recent times within the United Nations, NATO, APEC, the OIC and the OAS, the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, and in the G20 and now the WTO, as well as within the coalition of states that have taken a clear stand against terrorism and terrorists -- notably in Asia, North Africa and the Middle East -- must be sustained. The Taleban are nearly gone, and I believe it is only a matter of time before Osama bin Laden meets justice, but these are only the most immediate of a long list of goals. We must also take responsibility for ensuring that their crimes cannot be repeated by others who might seek to exploit differences or disparities for their own selfish aims. It is a large, but ever urgent agenda that will require all of us to play a part. The month of Ramadan is now upon us -- and I wish to thank, incidentally, those Ambassadors of the Muslim faith who are here and have kindly consented to participate in our Forum during this time of religious observance. This is the time of year when peoples of many faiths and different nationalities begin to look forward to a season of peace. We are closer to it than we were two and a half months ago, and by maintaining a clear vision and a sustained commitment, we may yet achieve this ultimate goal. Maybe not in time for my next scheduled evaluation with all of you, but someday. Thank you. </body> </html>

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