NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, PETER MACKAY TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON CANADA-ARAB RELATIONS ANNUAL DINNER
March 19,
2007
Check against delivery
Merci, Merci beaucoup,
Madame la Présidente, Good evening colleagues, Your excellencies, Ambassadors, Chers Collègues,
C’est mon grand plaisir d’être ici pour cet event spécial, et cette discussion.
Merci madame la présidente pour votre commentaire.
First of all I want to congratulate you on your new presidency and I very much look forward to working with you and your organisation
I also want to congratulate all the new members of the board, and indicate that we greatly value Canadian Arab relations. And I similarly look forward to continue a relationship with the board, and thank you as well, to the former President, Al-Shawa, for the invitation initially to be with you, and I know there were some changes in accommodation to be here, and with the budget happening today, I am delighted to be here to join you.
I really do appreciate this opportunity to tell you about my recent and very fascinating visit to the Middle-East, a very informative visit, and of course the Government of Canada’s policies and priorities with respect to the region itself and I am quick to add that I am also very interested in hearing from the council, as I have tonight. This is a great occasion to have a dialogue such as this. An open dialogue. And I am committed to creating the opportunities for future dialogue. I know that this will continue, we in fact, within the department of Foreign Affairs, as you are aware, the Muslim community working group and we continue to rely on them and other organisations such as yourself to be tacked in and to provide with information perspective needed to make important policy decisions. This past January I visited the Middle-East, and this was the first time that Canada’s foreign minister, I went there because I wanted to see first hand and to hear directly for myself about this very complex and beautiful part of the World. My visit was also a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of these complexities in the region, the conflict and the relationship between Israel and its neighbours. I think it is surprising to say and many have eluded to this, at the very epicentre of this conflict we find so much of the rational that exists for conflict in other parts of the World. And so as I was there, I met with a broad range of political and community leaders. We talked about Canada, we talked about our vision, about prosperous and peaceful middle-east, where all citizens can enjoy democratic freedoms and equality under the law. I expressed our concern about the well-being of all people in the region and described what our government has done to support of the region over the past year and beyond, and we have done, I would suggest to you, is quite a lot, and I will come back to that in a moment.
But most of all, I listened. And I absorbed a great deal, as much as I could, to help me make more informed decisions in the future, and one thing that all persons agreed upon, there was one common truth, and that was in fact that Canada could very much be and continue to be an important player in the region.
I made it clear that our foreign policy was driven by clear principles. Principles that a few have touched upon in your remarks. Principles to stand up for freedom, for democracy, for human rights, the rule of law and to stand against terrorism and intolerance, wherever we find them. These are not uniquely Canadian values, nor are they Western values, these are fundamentals principles cherished by all human beings, but sadly, many in the region and in other parts of the World, do not get to enjoy the benefits of citizenship, that we in Canada often take for granted. And so, I told them, as I tell you today, that Canada is certainly set to continue to cooperate with any committed partners in the region, who are willing to accept these principles, and more importantly to give them effect.
A commitment to a two-state solution, based on the consideration of fairness, justice and dignity for all Palestinians and Israelis alike. Also, the acceptance of Israel as a legitimate neighbour and partner in the region is an equally essential condition for peace. The Two-state solution is the goal, but at the same time, Canada has been clear on its policy of no contact and no funding to the Hamas-led Palestinian government and we have continued to provide assistance, primarily to the United Nations and NGOs, to the Palestinian people, and as I said the day that we announced this position, that the money will continue to flow. Our assistance to the Palestinians has taken many forms.
The Canadian Government has provided more than 20 million dollars to the UN and other international organisations and we are always looking for ways to do more. Improving the Palestinian border capacity is a crucial element in improving the Palestinian Israeli 2005 access of movement agreement, which was negotiated by the United States. I have spoken directly and recently to our representative, Denis De Belleval, who is a border expert. He has been working side by side with General Bateman(..) on this particular issue, this issue of improved access and movement, for humanitarian agencies and for Palestinian goods, it is urgently needed to improve these conditions in Gaza. And I visited the CARE, I visited the Cara… and Jerusalem and I saw the challenges that exist. And I heard first hand from many about the challenges that exist around movement and access. Canada is currently contributing 1.2 million for border related equipment designed specifically to enhance the physical security of the Rafah crossing at the facility in Gaza and I am glad to see my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, who is here with us tonight, and his department has been extremely cooperative on this particular effort. There is a strong and generous assistance and transfer of know how. As important as these are we realise that we can not resolve fundamental political antagonists, which will require compromise and the exercise of political will from both. High level Western Diplomatic Engagement to find a comprehensive solution, can help in this process, and yet we will do our best to make a contribution, certainly, to this objective. And we continue to urge all parties to make a concerted effort to progress on this particular area.
In his address to the United States Congress, his Highness, King Abdullah of Jordan, made a plea for peace in the Middle-East, calling on the international community to be engaged on the reality and moving the process forward. During her visit to Ottawa just a month ago, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice confirmed that the United States is also committed to that goal. I am confident that we will bear witness to the results of such a combined Arab and western effort. Progress to peace is what all parties want and all parties deserve. One extraordinary thing about the Palestinians is, even in today’s difficult context, there is still so much determination, and so many players who share an agenda of moderation, of reform and peace. And I admire that perseverance, the perseverance of the Palestinian people and their commitment to find a positive path forward. Visiting a school in the Refugee camp was one of the most moving experiences that I’ve had. And to see the contributions that Canada is making there, particularly in the area of education, is of such inspiration. And we have a real base to work from. There is potential for Palestinians to build a progressive and dynamic society. Just as is there is real potential for a successful and moderate and peaceful Palestinian state. Who must be realistic. Those of you in this room who have followed this issue with closeness, with passion, realise that there is also potential for failure.
We must continue to urge the Palestinian national unity government to clearly commit to the principles of recognition of Israel, non-violence, and the acceptance of previous agreements. Previous speakers have mentioned it and this, I would suggest, is of critical importance. When I met with President Abbas during my visit, we had a very frank and forward-looking discussion and I saw a great deal of wisdom, I saw a great deal of compassion in his eyes. He has shown leadership and when I spoke to him as recently as this Friday, he demonstrated, yet again, his commitment. I spoke to him then, and I try to speak to him quite regularly during this time, just like when I spoke with Minister Livny. These issues are live. These issues are real. And I emphasised to him and to the Palestinians that the essential step forward, the essential step, is to end the violence. And I commended them, last week, for what he should be credited for having done already. He has accomplished the lowering of temperature and decreased the unrest in inter-palestinian areas. And so, this must be accomplished at continued robusted administration and political reform is required to make the PA an effective and democratic entity. Violence by all must come to an end to build trust in the Peace Process. I encourage him to maintain his political courage, and to push the process forward for the good of his people. And he needs support from us. From his Arab brothers, and of course, he needs support from Israel. During my meeting here in Ottawa, with Foreign Minister Livny, I stressed the importance of Israel sustaining its dialogue with the President of the Palestinian Authority and I told her that Canada stands by his leadership. Some of the same themes and messages that I spoke of at the Hurtzily conference when in the region.
Peut-être un mot en français.
Pendant ma visite j’ai visité en Béthlehem aussi, et j’ai vu de mes yeux l’impact de l’assistance du Canada, nous faisons une différence dans la vie des Palestiniens, notre aide leur parvient directement, par les Nations-Unis et j’ai visité une école dans le camp de réfugiés (inaudible)…
Le dollar canadien aide à promouvoir une bonne éducations aux jeunes filles et crée donc de nouveaux espoirs pour l’avenir.
During recent discussions between Foreign Minister Livny and President Abbas, I also emphasised Canada’s serious commitment to a multilateral role and its responsibilities on the issue of Palestinian refugees. And I want to take a moment to commend my colleague the fellow Nova-Scotian the Honourable Bill Casey, specifically for his work in keeping this issue prominent, an issue that unfortunately for Canada has dormant for over ten years.
(Applause)
This was one, in fact, of the very first issues, that after being appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, that Bill came to see me about, and I know that others, including Bill Ayyad, remain committed to this process. Canada will assume its leadership role, and explore with all of interested partners, willing partners ways to prepare the ground for future negotiations. Resolution of all issues and conflict, including the Right of Return of Palestinian Refugees, must be worked out in a peace agreement resulting from negotiations between those parties. And stemming from our previous role as the gavel holder of the multilateral refugee working group, that was active in the early 90s, Canada has continued to take a special interest in the Palestinian refugee file. And we will continue to work informally with the parties and the international community to stimulate the conditions that could lead to the resumption of negotiations. The particular(inaudible) were interested in working with other governments and organisations to identify areas where progress on the refugee file might be made. Canada was also pleased to be able to respond to a request from the UNCHR, in 2006, to consider a number of cases of vulnerable Palestinian refugees, who had thought temporary refuge in Jordan, from violence, threats and attacks in Iraq. Coming from outside UNRWA areas of operations, these refugees fell within the mandate of the UN refugee agency, which felt that their protective needs, their protection, required resettlement to third countries. I visited UNRWA during my tour as well, and I saw the tremendous effort that they are putting in daily, but within this context of global burden and responsibility sharing for refugees in need, Canada was able to assist in that instance, albeit, in a small but meaningful way, approximately 60 refugees did come to Canada, and we are proud of this gesture. Canada will continue to play a constructive role, which we intend to insure is fully transparent to both sides, because clearly credibility to both is an essential ingredient(inaudible). We will not overstep our responsibilities, but we will pro-act, and, as we have been before, we will do so at the invitation of the parties.
Lebanon was referenced earlier, Lebanon is another country which has grasped the attention of all Canadians, and we support the Government of Prime Minister Siniora. Since the conflict we have contributed 30.5 million dollars to Lebanon. As support relates not only to immediate post-conflict recovery, but also relates to the stabilisation of the situation in Lebanon, over the (inaudible) term. This in turn will have an important impact on the stability of the region as a whole. In addition, at the International Conference to Support Lebanon just this past January, the Government of Canada announced a further 20 million dollars over three years to help Lebanon with its social and economic reforms.
Canadians have been profoundly affected by the conflict between Hezbollah and
Israel last summer. Individuals of whole(inaudible) communities have anxiously
awaited the safe return of their loved ones, families that grieved for the lost
of life, and all the momentum, the tremendous suffering of civilians caught in
the crossfire. Canadians of Lebanese origin appreciated the assistance of their
government in brining them home. Bringing them to safety. The evacuation of
almost 15 000 people from Lebanon is a unique and by far the largest operation
of its kind, in Canadian history. I am proud of our country’s response, and I
thank you Madame President for your, real kind wo…
Thank you very much Mrs. Samah for that kind introduction.
Mr. Chairman, Ministers, Senators, members of parliament, your Excellencies and Chargés d’Affaires, I would like first to recognize and thank our special guests and dignitaries for their presence tonight:
- The Honorable Joseph Fontana,
- The Honourable Stéphane Dion
- Mr. Rabie Masri
- Father Anthony Gabriel,
- Mr. Hussein Amery
As you might imagine, as a former politician and now as the person responsible for government relations in Nexen, I have had the pleasure of speaking at and attending many functions. I have been introduced in many different ways and I can tell you that not all of them were so kind.
I remembered being introduced in a town hall meeting in rural Saskatchewan. The Chairman who was introducing me thanked all the ladies for a wonderful meal, he complimented the musician for the great music and he thanked the organizers for a great event. Then he said ‘’now all the good things are over, Dwain Lingenfelter will speak to you’’.
It is indeed an honor and privilege to be asked to speak on this wonderful occasion – the 20th anniversary of your remarkable organization. I want to bring congratulations on behalf of the Canada Arab Business Council as Chairman. While we have a different mandate related to business matters and trade, we share many common objectives and one fundamental goal – improved relationships and linkages between the people, business interests and governments of Canada and the Arab world.
I also want to bring congratulations on behalf of my company NEXEN Inc. We are an International Canadian oil and gas company with a significant oil production in Yemen. Nexen has an office in Dubai and we are actively seeking out new opportunities in North Africa and the Middle East. We find the region an excellent place to invest and want to do more.
In fact, during the ten plus years, we have operated in Yemen. We have produced more than 1 billion bbls of oil and have never had our field shut in for a day.
I want to begin by providing some observations about the current political and economic relationships between Canada and the Arab world.
On the political front, the last few years have been characterized by enormous change:
National and regional successions have occurred in an orderly manner in the Gulf including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has indicated they will move forward with economic and social change and become more active in international diplomacy.
We must congratulate the Iraqi people for their courage and conviction that saw three elections within twelve months each with a voter participation that rivals western democracies.
In North Africa, the national reconciliation processes underway in both Morocco and Algeria are helping to build a public consensus that will support future growth.
Here in Canada, we have seen a shift in the political landscape with the election of a new government on January 23, 2006 led by Stephen Harper.
There are many other noteworthy political developments in Canada and across the Arab world spanning 17 countries and approximately 380 million people. I offer these examples as background against which I want to make an important point. Even in these changing times, the relationships between Canada and the Arab world continue to grow and strengthen. I believe that your organization has played a very important role in fostering those relationships. I am speaking here of more than just economic and political relationships. I am speaking as well about the social, educational and cultural relationships between countries and individuals. As Canadians, we recognize that all nations have a role to play in the global village. We all must strive to understand each other and work towards respect for each other and for the rule of law. Again, NCCAR has been very instrumental in helping Canadians do just that in our relationships with the Arab world.
Perhaps the clearest evidence of the strengthening relationships is in the area of trade. Let me make a few observations about the trends in this area:
Over the last five years, imports to Canada from the Arab world have grown steadily from $3.9 billion to more than $7.0 billion and total two ways trade will likely exceed $10.0 billion for 2005.
Many Canadian companies are providing engineering and design services, telecommunications, information technology, and educational services.
Others like our company are instrumental in the development of oil and gas in the region. In Canada, we are developing new sources of oil and gas using enhanced recovery technologies. The Arab world is doing the same with techniques such as horizontal drilling and LNG plants. I believe that Canadian companies could and should partner with their Arab counterparts to help serve the energy needs of the world. Strategic partnerships with the regional National Oil Companies is seen as a positive growth area.
There is also little doubt that there are great opportunities for other new markets for Canadian companies in the Arab world. Canada needs to move quickly to diversify its trade by continuing to increase trade with the Arab World.
Tonight, I also want to speak about the results that can be achieved through commitment and focus. It is always amazing to witness and to be part of change. We all know that change has become the constant in today’s world. I want to highlight the great job the NCCAR has done in changing attitudes and policies of governments and changing the public perception of the Arab world in Canada.
I know that some of the things I am about to say are already well known to many of you. However, I think they bear repeating. Twenty years ago, a group of concerned and dedicated individuals set out to give voice to their people. The voice of Canadian Arabs was not being heard in Canada. They were convinced that it was in Canada’s best interest to know and understand the Arab world much better than it had until that point in time. Moreover, they believed that through the building of better relationships at many different levels. Canadians and Arabs would begin to understand that they have many shared values and beliefs. These include fairness, respect for the rule of law, acceptance of political diversity and most importantly a desire for peace.
It is obvious that NCCAR has done an excellent job in meeting the goals it set for itself. NCCAR has grown into a very effective voice. Politicians of all political stripes have a much more balanced view on matters of policy affecting North Africa and the Middle East. The Canadian public sees this region of the world through a very different lense with a much more positive view of the Arab contribution.
The tireless work of the Council in promoting improved understanding through cultural events, trade missions, and speaking tours is paying off. Of particular note are the Parliamentary Internship Program and the Youth International Internship Program. Our company, NEXEN Inc, has borrowed a page from your book. We have undertaken a scholarship program whereby we sponsor young people from Yemen to engage in a four-year post-secondary degree at the University of Calgary or SAIT in Alberta. To date, we have awarded 80 scholarships to deserving Yemeni students and this year our alumni total will reach 37 graduates. A number of these graduates have returned to Yemen and are working in sensitive areas including the US Embassy and the United Nations.
One of the great strengths of your organization has been its ability to develop constructive relationships and mechanisms for engagement with Canadian and Arab political leadership. Representatives of the organization meet regularly with the Prime Minister and senior officials. The Prime Minister spoke to the Canada Arab Business Council as recently as last November. His remarks recognized the importance of the growing trade with the Arab world and also recognized the huge opportunity for further growth in trade in goods and services. I think there is little doubt that the work of this Council is a major contributor to that awareness of the importance of the Arab world to Canada. The groundwork you have laid will also allow you to continue this high level of engagement and dialogue with Mr. Harper’s government.
The road ahead for your organization and for the Canada Arab Business Council will not be without obstacles and challenges. We will be facing an ever changing political and economic landscape. I am confident that working together we can build even better relationships between Canada and the Arab world. I look forward to that work and the results that it will bring.
Thank you very much for the invitation to be here with you tonight.