Archives - Jean Chrétien

Speech by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe

I am delighted to welcome to our nation's capital the fourth annual Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is rare for us in Canada to have the opportunity to host such an impressive representation of European leadership. I am particularly pleased to welcome you to Ottawa so close to our National Day. This past Saturday, Canada celebrated its 128th birthday - and our 128 years of parliamentary democracy based on the principle of "peace, order and good government".

But this has not been our only celebration of 1995. Like you, we have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of World War Two. And the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

In less than a month we will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act. These events are of great significance to Canada.

Many thousands of Canadians died in the cause of preserving democracy through two World Wars. And we were at the lead of efforts to establish collective security in the nuclear shadow of the Cold War.

We must ensure that History will not repeat itself.

Canada is committed to working with others to guarantee our continued security and prosperity. Your presence in Ottawa today is an indication of our on-going commitment to security through international cooperation. The end of the Cold War has brought in a new era - an era filled with challenge and opportunity.

In this new era, we need to rethink our links. That includes our links across the Atlantic.

The East-West division is a thing of the past. But we must be sure that we do not replace the old security blocs with new economic ones. The challenge is to face change and to turn it to our advantage by building new links rather than using change as an excuse for Europe and the Western Hemisphere being allowed to drift apart.

One of the top priorities of this government has been increasing liberalized, multilateral trade.

Knocking down barriers for goods, for services, and for individuals who travel between countries to deliver services. That is why we are playing a leading role in working toward free trade zones throughout the Americas and in the Pacific. Collectively, the nations involved have made real progress and have set concrete goals and deadlines.

At the same time, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are increasing their economic integration with Western Europe. Not only will these links bring the promise of higher living standards, but they will also contribute greatly to security and the values to which the OSCE is dedicated.

But these positive developments on both sides of the Atlantic should not take place in isolation. Unless we work to bridge these successes, the Atlantic relationship will be diminished. And like all good, long-standing relationships it must be nurtured and sustained.

Canada is working for closer economic ties and greater trade liberalization between the two sides of the Atlantic. We will pursue these efforts with determination. But governments can only be the facilitators, not the principal actors on the economic field.

That is why the real challenge will be left to non-governmental actors in consolidating the trans-Atlantic relationship. And here there is good news to report. Because Canada opened its doors in the post-World War II era to the captive peoples of Central and Eastern Europe, we have a population now with the interest, the linguistic capabilities, the knowledge and the personal contacts necessary to achieve those links.

Through new partnerships in the private sector and with non-governmental organizations, we are building stronger bridges with Central and Eastern European countries every day.

But stronger links are not just a matter of trade or economics. Our security remains indivisible from your security. In fact, greater economic integration makes preserving international peace and security even more important.

That is why we have the third largest number of peacekeepers in the Former Yugoslavia of any NATO country.

And that is why the renewed ethnic, nationalist and sectarian conflicts we have seen in that region are so troubling. In the former Yugoslavia and some other regions, global integration seems to be have developed at the same rate as local disintegration.

The international community is being called upon to address conflicts which have traditionally been considered internal matters. It can not be the case anymore. These conflicts are posing threats to security that cannot go unchallenged.

Let me say a few words about the conflict in the former Yugoslavia which is undermining our multilateral institutions. The Bosnian conflict is questioning our ability to address serious threat to our security. Why is that? The world community has committed very impressive resources to this conflict. Over 40,000 UN troops. Significant amounts of humanitarian aid. The UN Security Council adopted tens of resolutions on this issue. Regional organisations such as NATO and the WEU have been involved. Several groups of negotiators have attempted without success to conclude a negotiated settlement agreed by all parties.

The international community did invest time and energy in attempting to address this conflict.

Despite all these efforts, we are all frustrated by three years of what seems to be an unsolvable and endless conflict.

Obviously, this has not been due to lack of resources. We have at our disposal a series of multilateral institutions. But countries have too often used these institutions to defend and advance national interests instead of building genuine consensus. This led to a lack of coordination in the actions taken by various players. Important lessons must be learned by all of us. Most important of all, we can not expect our multilateral institutions to perform if they are still dominated by national interests.

We must prevent new Bosnia-style conflicts from happening. For this, we must expand both our definition and our response to new challenges to security. There is still a need to strengthen our international institutions and arrangements. Our institutions have not proven that they can prevent the repetition of a Bosnian scenario.

We must promote global order. And encourage states to enter into broad frameworks which encourage peaceful cooperation.

Canada is committed to reform international institutions to meet the new realities of today. Formal regional organizations, like yours, and other informal or ad-hoc arrangements help to build confidence among potential adversaries.

These efforts must truly be comprehensive, and address political, military, social, and economic issues.

But international institutions works only when countries are willing to make them work. We cannot lose sight of the fact that the continuing responsibility for the maintenance of security falls primarily on states.

Each state bears first and foremost the responsibility for its own population's well being. Each state is accountable to its entire population for its actions.

That is why the best guarantee of stability - at home and abroad - are governments which have been democratically elected. Governments that are responsive to their populations. That are transparent and accountable. That respect the rule of law. That display a fundamental respect for human rights and a commitment to good governance. That are able to promote and ensure the security of their citizens. That promote tolerance, and the respect of national minorities. Because there can be no real security if there is no security for individuals.

The success or failure of international security arrangements, in whatever form, is dependent on the commitment of each member state to these principles.

We all have a stake in the stability and security of our OSCE region.

I know that you will keep these principles in mind during this conference. As the representatives of your national parliaments, you have a key role to play in ensuring a more stable and secure OSCE region, from Vancouver through to Vladivostok.

Good luck in your discussions.