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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. GRAHAM - ADDRESS AT THE PEACEKEEPING MEDAL CEREMONY - OTTAWA, ONTARIO</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE PEACEKEEPING MEDAL CEREMONY OTTAWA, Ontario October 20, 2002 We are here today to pay tribute to those whose dedication and bravery helped form a peacekeeping legacy of which all Canadians are proud. For many Canadians, and in the eyes of the world, peacekeeping is fundamental to who we are as a nation, and I am proud to affirm that the maintenance of peace remains our highest international aspiration. Since the successful resolution of the Suez Crisis, peacekeepers have demonstrated beyond a doubt that moral force can be a bulwark against aggression. It is Milton who noted, "Peace hath her victories/No less renowned than war." Every mission that is etched into this monument is testament to his words. This ceremony underlines the responsibilities that we have inherited with this legacy. All Canadians have a responsibility for honouring those who chose to serve for peace and freedom--our service personnel, police forces, and the civilians who served alongside them. And the government has a responsibility for preventing war and conflict, whenever possible. Where we do not first exhaust all diplomatic means, we abdicate our responsibility and require our military to shoulder grave and potentially avoidable burdens. Lester Pearson understood this responsibility, and elevated it to the highest level of Canadian priorities. In fact, the very idea of peacekeeping was born of his refusal to relinquish hope for peace, even in the very midst of war. Pearson saw a responsibility to maintain a role for those seeking to build the structures of peace even as a conflict raged. In looking for the first possible chance to persuade combatants to lay down arms, our role has been transformed from observer to engaged stakeholder. All who are honoured today could tell us of the day-to-day realities of peacekeeping. John F. Kennedy said: "Arms alone are not enough to keep the peace--it must be kept by men." Today, of course, as we are reminded by looking around here, it is being kept by Canadian men and women. Today we are honouring, among others, those Canadians who, with their Indian and Polish colleagues, formed the International Commission for Supervision and Control that went into Indochina in 1954. This was the first time we had set out on a peacekeeping operation outside the UN mandate. A full quarter of our contingent were civilians--largely drawn, I might point out, from External Affairs--who were willing to take their place whether it was intermingling with the military on inspection sites, or keeping vital lines of communication open between the field and headquarters. On the ground, in the face of danger, they all brought their talents to bear, whether it be military skills or negotiating expertise. The cooperation between our military and civilian peacekeepers set a pattern that continues today. While the military can observe and report on violations of treaty negotiations and police forces can be used to investigate crimes, the diplomatic and political components of such missions can coordinate, communicate and ultimately, help resolve conflict through negotiation. The credibility of our peacekeeping forces today stems from the success of the men and women who carried out those earliest efforts. We are proud of them, and of all the outstanding Canadians who followed. It is fitting that we gather on United Nations Day to celebrate peacekeeping. Though not every mission we pay tribute to here today was carried out under the UN mandate, from the beginning that organization made peacekeeping possible. Indeed, whenever it was possible, Lester Pearson saw the United Nations as the best hope for peace. He worked his whole career to enable the UN to operate as effectively as possible, under the international rule of law, based on shared values and beliefs. He stated his vision thus: "The life of states cannot, any more than the life of individuals, be conditioned by the force and the will of a unit, however powerful, but by the consensus of a group, which must one day include all states." His words are echoed today by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who stated in his address to the General Assembly: "When states decide to use force to deal with broader threats to international peace and security, there is no substitute for the unique legitimacy provided by the United Nations." These words are particularly appropriate to invoke today as we celebrate United Nations Day and look for the role that the UN must play in dealing with the Iraq crisis. Each and every person here has had a hand in creating that legitimacy of which the Secretary-General spoke. By putting into action our peacekeeping ideals, you have strengthened the resolve of the international community to fulfill that most noble goal: "Nation shall speak peace unto nation." We give these medals today as tribute to the best of our nation's achievements, to your accomplishments. And I can pledge to you today that we will carry on our tribute by continuing to make it the highest goal of our government to have confidence in our common humanity, and to make the United Nations our principal instrument for peace. Thank you. </body> </html>

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