Thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you tonight. I am honoured to be the guest of the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations. And I would like to express my warm greetings to those of you who are now celebrating Eid El-Adha, in honour of the Muslim pilgrimage.

As you all know, this is a crucial time for the Middle East and North Africa, for Canada, and indeed for the world. We are faced with important decisions about the region's security and the threat of weapons of mass destruction--all issues that deeply affect the Arab world as well as all Canadians.

It is therefore an especially suitable time to be here to speak about the important role of Canadians of Arab origin in our country, about the efforts that my colleagues in government and I are exerting to deal with the crucial international questions before us today, and about the role that your community can play in strengthening our relations with the Arab world.

The Arab community is a vibrant and valued member of Canada's multicultural society. The first Arab immigrants landed in Canada in 1882, and today there are Canadians of Arab origin in all walks of life: professionals, academics, artists and small business owners abound, contributing greatly to our country. There are no fewer than seven Canadians of Arab origin who are deans of Engineering faculties in Canadian universities, including two in Ottawa; and there are currently several members of Parliament of Arab descent. Let us not forget that the late former Premier of P.E.I., Joe Ghiz, was also of Arab descent. And Arab Canadians greatly add to the vitality of the cultural and economic spheres in cities such as Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary.

Turning now to a more sober topic, we all know that since September 11, 2001, there has been much concern about patterns of racial profiling and problems that Arab Canadians have experienced at borders. The singling out or stereotyping of any ethnic, religious or cultural community within Canada is unacceptable. Equally unacceptable is any other country's differential treatment of Canadians based on their ethnic background. While our American colleagues will make decisions based on their security concerns, I want to assure you that my colleagues and I in this Government will continue working both at home and with the United States to ensure that Canadians of all origins can live without fear and anxiety. We speak of fighting terrorism in the name of freedom. When we do so, we must remind ourselves that among the freedoms we must preserve are those guaranteeing freedom from discrimination and equality before the law. These fundamental civil and political rights must not be compromised in the name of preserving them.

In light of the continuing tensions associated with September 11, 2001, and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, we must all be concerned with protecting the societal freedoms and values we cherish here in Canada. As Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, I am all too aware of the conflicts abroad that are due to ethnic and religious strife. Fortunately for all of us, we live in a land that accepts and welcomes people of all origins. We benefit enormously from their talents and their full contribution to our society. By and large, we have what others often seek: tolerance and respect for our neighbours. But we know that we are not immune from seeing the world's tensions mirrored here Canada, a fact that has been shown in recent months by episodes of discrimination against Arabs, Muslims and Jews. It is up to all of us, in all our communities, to keep Canada free of the terrible conflicts that beset so many other countries. This means that we must be prepared to teach respect for diversity to our youth, and to confront those within our communities who would teach them otherwise; for as the English author George Eliot wrote, "the responsibility of tolerance lies in those who have the wider vision."

And in doing this, your organizations can make valuable contributions to the national consultation process underway, called A Dialogue on Foreign Policy. These consultations, which will continue until May 1, are asking Canadians to consider questions and challenges regarding our priorities on the international scene. Over the next few months, there will be town hall meetings led my myself and other members of Parliament, as well as expert round tables and on-line discussions. As individuals or as members of organizations, I hope all of you will participate in these consultations by attending town hall meetings, sending in written submissions, or by giving your views on our Dialogue Web site.

Besides the two elements or pillars of security and prosperity that shape our country's foreign policy, an equally important third element of our foreign policy is the projection of Canadian values and culture abroad. Our country's commitment to intercultural dialogue and understanding is one of those values that we believe in sharing with other nations, for their own benefit and that of the world community as a whole. But our consideration of this value within our foreign policy cannot be separated from our consideration of how it works here at home. That is why all of you have such an important role to play in helping to encourage dialogue, both within and beyond your communities, about how core Canadian values can be fostered here at home as well as abroad. In trying times such as these, moderation and a respect for the legitimate aspirations of others are particularly difficult to champion. Yet now is when it is most important to do so, both for the sake of preserving peace and respect for diversity within our borders, and of enabling Canada to do what it can to realize these ideals around the world as well.

Let me turn now to some of the very difficult, and painful, international issues we are facing. These days present very real challenges to Canadian policy and to the world's ability to maintain international security and stability; and of course they raise acute concerns for everyone with interests in the Middle East. I know some of these matters are very close to your hearts, affecting friends and family in the region.

The issue of Iraq presents an enormous challenge for the international community and for multilateral institutions. Canada has consistently held that the international community must respond to this crisis through the UN system, since upholding the integrity of a rules-based international system is our best hope for resolving conflicts justly and peacefully, in this crisis and in future ones. But Iraq must comply with all its international obligations by disarming itself of weapons of mass destruction. We believe that UN inspectors should be given the time they need to do their work, but in order for that time to be useful for the inspectors, Iraq must cooperate actively and fully. Unfortunately, that full cooperation has not been demonstrated so far.

Iraq's disarmament, and the means of achieving it, are issues of paramount concern for the Middle East and the Arab world. The Arab world needs Iraq to be a peaceful and constructive member of the region, rather than a force of intolerance, aggression and instability, as it has been under Saddam Hussein's rule. We are also deeply concerned about the fate of Iraqi civilians, whose situation is already dire after years of war with Iran and ten years of sanctions due to the intransigence of their government. With the possibility of another conflict on the horizon, it is essential that humanitarian considerations be taken into account at all stages of the current debate.

But Iraq is not the only critical issue that faces us today in the Middle East. The terrible conflict between Israelis and Palestinians demands the world's renewed attention. Too many lives have been lost, and the violence in that region is terribly counterproductive for both Palestinians and Israelis. Suicide bombs and other acts of terror undermine the very goals of the Palestinian people. Such actions are inimical to Canadian values and everything Canada stands for. They prevent everyone--leaders and citizens alike-- from getting to the true matter at hand: finding a peaceful and just compromise, and an end to the suffering of millions of innocent people.

I want to stress Canada's policies on this issue with you today: We have always supported a negotiated two-state solution to this problem, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in security and peace. Canada's support of Israel's right to exist within secure boundaries is fundamental to our policy. That is why we welcomed the peace proposal advanced by Prince Faisal, which recognizes Israel's existence and thereby removes a fundamental obstacle to prospects for peace in the region.

But I also want to emphasize that Canada continues to call on Israel to meet its international human rights obligations. We are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories and we have urged Israel to ensure that Palestinians have access to food, water, medical supplies and social and educational services. We also urge Israel to freeze all settlement activity in the Occupied Territories. This would be a key step in rebuilding confidence among Palestinians in the viability of a peace process, and its ability to deliver tangible results for them.

At the moment, Canada is contributing where we can to the peace efforts. We support projects such as training in human rights law for jurists, lawyers, journalists and police in several Arab countries; programs strengthening media ethics and legal protection for Arab journalists; an interfaith dialogue and documentary film series; and cooperation between Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian medical experts. Our embassies in the region meet regularly with business people and opinion leaders from both sides, who are striving to renew cooperation as the situation permits. We will continue to seek out and support these efforts aimed at promoting understanding among individuals and communities in the Middle East, however difficult the climate may be at this time.

Part of this responsibility for promoting understanding falls on the Government, and this is a responsibility I take very seriously. I have visited the Middle East, and I am in regular phone contact with my Foreign Minister counterparts in the region, whose views inform my own perspective. Secretaries of State Knutson and Paradis are regular visitors to the region, building our commercial and cultural ties; and my colleague, Minister Coderre, has just returned from highly successful visits to Egypt and Algeria. In 2003, Canada looks forward to an active year of visits here from prominent Arab figures.

And as we look to coming years, we see a new generation of Arab thinkers reflecting on their culture and their society's place in the world. The UNDP [United Nations Development Program] Arab Human Development Report of last year reflects their views, citing the need for improved governance systems, an increased role for women and a revolution in education as essential steps in the healthy rebirth of the Middle Eastern region.

I believe that Canada can offer much assistance to Arab countries in pursuing these goals. We have expertise in education, in human rights, in building civil society and community dialogue, and in constitutional reform; and we believe that our experience in these areas might help Arab countries in managing the relationships between governments and citizens, in bridging differences between ethnic and religious groups, and in ensuring a full and productive role in society for women. Canada's foreign assistance program, through the Canadian International Development Agency, is already supporting a range of programs in the Middle East and North Africa aimed toward these goals.

But building bridges between Canada and Arab countries is not just a matter for government. An even greater component of this effort will come through the efforts of organizations such as this Council and the Canadian-Arab Federation, and from individuals fostering academic, cultural and professional links with Arab countries. In these times of acute global tension, we must do much more to overcome intellectual and cultural gulfs between the West and Muslim and Arab countries. Your insights and cultural understanding, combined with your experience of living in Canada, can help take Canada and the Arab world to new levels of cooperation and understanding. This hope represents the vital third pillar of our foreign policy, and in realizing it there are enormous benefits to be gained by us, by your countries of origin, and by all the countries of the world. The best way I know of to explain your role in this effort is to share this remark by the former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said: "If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships--the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."