CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE BILL GRAHAM, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO THE OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISCUSSION ON A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO HEMISPHERIC SECURITY

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados

June 3, 2002

I would like to thank our Barbados colleagues for their hospitality and comprehensive discussion paper. As you all know, we discussed these issues yesterday, but I would like to take this occasion to reiterate the Canadian perspective.

At one point, hemispheric security was defined solely in terms of borders and international conflict and armed forces. There has been a growing recognition by the Organization of American States [OAS] and by its member states that in addition to resolution of disputes and territorial claims, hemispheric security today involves counterterrorism, narcotrafficking, disaster relief and preparedness, small arms and light weapons, landmines and human rights.

This clearly illustrates the need for a holistic approach if we are to meet the challenge successfully. For that reason, we hope that the Special Conference on Security, which the Government of Mexico has graciously offered to host next year, will consider the Rio Treaty, the Inter-American Defence Board, and the Defence Ministerial of the Americas process to ensure that they reflect the changing realities of the Americas--not only in terms of the new threats to our security but also in terms of our more solid commitment to democracy. For we all recognize that it is democratic societies with a strong commitment to human rights that provide the strongest, indeed the only, effective bulwark to the asymmetric threat that modern terrorism represents.

In that context, we must also recognize, as has been observed by many colleagues, that hemispheric security issues affect small states differently than they do other countries of the Americas:

• The small size and relatively limited resources of Caribbean countries, for example, and their proximity to smuggling routes, make for greater vulnerability to such problems as the trafficking of drugs and illegal arms.

• Natural disasters such as hurricanes and volcanoes, and longer-term ecological trends such as climate change, have a disproportionate impact on island states in comparison to their mainland neighbours.

• Many Caribbean states have smaller and less diversified economies, which can suffer badly from market fluctuations. This makes it difficult for them to have the necessary resources to face many modern security threats.

In some respects, the inter-American system does demonstrate an increasing recognition of the special security concerns of small island states. Progress is being made at the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security.

That is why we are supportive of the Statute of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction. As is evident, however, from the points raised at this conference, much work remains to be done in this important area; in the end, collective responses to security issues must become truly collective if they are to be effective.

In that respect, the spread of drugs is a threat to all, but particularly to small states that do not have the resources to deal with this scourge. That is why Canada is strongly supportive of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism [MEM] as a means to enhance domestic and regional coordination and cooperation efforts against illicit drugs in the hemisphere. We have made significant financial contributions to the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission, as we feel that this mechanism can have a significant impact upon the use, abuse and trafficking of drugs.

In time, the MEM will allow us to better identify the technical assistance needs of countries in the hemisphere in addressing the drug problem. We are pleased that the second round of MEM evaluations has begun.

Another threat is the spread of transnational organized crime. This has many complex dimensions, but I would especially refer to the problem of small arms and light weapons.

We believe the OAS must be a leader in dealing with issues related to small arms and light weapons. The Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials has stimulated global efforts to combat the illicit trafficking in firearms. We fully support the Convention and the Model Regulations, and we hope to be in a position to ratify the Convention next year once amendments to domestic legislation pass.

Having said this, however, we also believe that there are a number of other issues related to small arms and light weapons that are not dealt with in the Convention. Like our Jamaican colleague who spoke eloquently about this issue yesterday, we would encourage the OAS to begin work on the development of norms and principles to govern responsible small arms and light weapons transfers and on the development of norms and measures to address the collection and destruction of existing stocks, which can be destabilizing.

Terrorism

We are all aware of and have spoken about the threat that the modern face of terrorism brings to our societies and to the stability of our region. September 11 brought this home to us all, first and foremost because it was an unprovoked and cowardly attack on innocent civilians in a country that is our close ally and friend. As has been noted by other colleagues, many of our nationals as well perished in that attack, bringing home to us all in the most terrible way just how we have a collective vulnerability to terrorism and why we must develop collective responses to it.

That is why it is of utmost importance that we, as a hemisphere, pool our knowledge and resources so that:

• we are in a strong position to detect possible terrorist activities before they occur; and

• if the unimaginable should happen, we are able to react quickly to minimize damage of any kind--to our populations, to our infrastructure and to our environment.

The Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism [CICTE] is to be commended for the work it has undertaken since September 11. An assessment of the capacity of member states to address terrorist threats was rapidly undertaken with a view to strengthening inter-American cooperation to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism in the hemisphere.

But, in order to ensure that the hemispheric fight against terrorism is successful, it is imperative that member states provide the resources required for CICTE to carry out its activities. Information is key to this fight, and that is why Canada has provided a voluntary contribution to CICTE for development of a counterterrorism Web site and information network. We urge other member states to make similar contributions.

Attention must be given to the practical implementation of counter-terrorism measures. One example is with respect to Caribbean island states, many of which are dependent on tourism and have felt the effects of the decline in the civil aviation industry since September 11.

For that reason, I am pleased that we have, in support of CICTE objectives, made a financial contribution toward the provision of airport security training and technical expertise to develop rational and affordable airport security plans in the Caribbean.

We also welcome the creation of the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism. Great efforts were made by OAS member states to complete a solid draft in such a short period of time. We will continue this work as we believe that it adds value to already existing international anti-terrorism conventions and will further strengthen cooperation in the hemisphere.

Finally, in the fight against terrorism, let us not forget other equally important priorities. Large sections of our populations live in poverty and do not have access to the tools that will enable them to better their conditions. While we do not accept the argument that terrorism necessarily is driven by poverty and unjust social conditions, it is undeniable that poverty, discrimination, lack of good governance and abuses of human rights are all factors that contribute to the appeal of radical groups. Terrorist groups are often able to exploit issues such as poverty or discrimination to mobilize popular support and to find a safe haven for their activities. That is why we support the measures the OAS has undertaken to address the problems of economic disenfranchisement, poverty and social exclusion. This is also our priority, and we are therefore engaged in both multilateral and bilateral activities to help foster change in these areas. We hope this will contribute to the greater security of us all.

Thank you.