FAIT Committee Report

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
has the Honour to present its

 

SECOND REPORT

 

In accordance with its mandate under Standing Order 108(2), your Committee has considered Canada’s future participation in the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia, and has agreed to report the following:

  

OBSERVATIONS FOLLOWING THE VISIT TO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND ITALY BY A JOINT DELEGATION OF MEMBERS FROM THE STANDING COMMITTEES ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND NATIONAL DEFENCE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, NOVEMBER 1997

 

Recent events in Bosnia and Herzegovina show clearly the close link between broader foreign and defence policies. In order to fully appreciate these links and contribute to the Government of Canada’s decision concerning its continued participation in Bosnia, eight members of the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and National Defence and Veterans Affairs travelled to the region in November 1997 and saw first-hand the elements of Canada’s Peacebuilding policy there: Peacemaking through our military participation in the NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR); Reconstruction projects assisted by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canadian NGOs and the military; and Democratization carried out in co-operation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the International Police Task Force (IPTF) and others.

Members found general agreement among all concerned that significant progress has been achieved in Bosnia in the almost two years since the signature of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (Dayton), and that Canada has played an important role in both the military and civilian aspects of this progress. SFOR’s mandate ends in June 1998, but given the significant effort already expended and the progress made, there was also consensus that an international military presence will remain necessary in Bosnia after that date, and that Canada should participate in it.

 

MILITARY SITUATION IN BOSNIA

 

The first goal of Dayton was to end the fighting in Bosnia, and examination of this element and Canada’s contribution to it was the focus of the first several days of the trip. At all locations Members both received formal briefings and participated in informal meetings with Canadian military personnel and others. Members found a high level of professionalism and pride among the Canadian military personnel serving in the region, and were impressed by the understanding they all displayed of the overall mission and progress thus far. Members were convinced that all Canadians should be proud of the work carried on by Canadian military forces in the region, and that with proper support the Canadian Forces are capable of and will carry out any mission given to them by the Government of Canada. The delegation began its meetings at the U.S. airforce base in Aviano, Italy, from which six Canadian CF-18 fighter aircraft equipped with a new precision guided munitions capability have flown over 250 operational missions enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia since mid-August 1997. Ground forces comprise the bulk of Canada’s military contribution in the region, but the detailed briefings Members received at Aviano proved that other forces can make a significant contribution as well. A major element of the mission of the CF-18s was to provide an increased air capability during the important municipal elections held in Bosnia in September 1997. These elections were held successfully and were free of the organized violence many had feared, and the Canadian personnel and aircraft returned to Canada as planned in mid-November 1997.

From Aviano, Members proceeded to Bosnia, where over the next three days they visited all four major Canadian military facilities: Black Bear Caserne in Velika Kladusa, Camp Holopina in Coralici, Camp Maple Leaf in Zgon, and the yet-unnamed camp in Drvar. Like all SFOR personnel, the primary mission of the 1,240 Canadian military personnel in Bosnia is to enforce adherence to Dayton, maintaining the secure environment necessary to allow the reconstruction and democratization of the country.

At Velika Kladusa, Members received detailed briefings on military operations in the Canadian Area of Responsibility in Bosnia, an area approximately the size of Prince Edward Island. While at Velika Kladusa, Members were extensively briefed on the support functions (food and materiel supply, vehicle repair, mail, etc.) carried out there on behalf of all Canadian military forces in theatre. Members also received their first mine awareness briefings here, which explained the form and function of various anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, recommended procedures for avoiding or dealing with them when necessary, and explained the labour-intensive nature of de-mining activities. At Zgon the following day, Members saw virtually undetectable mines buried in a small "minefield" used for training purposes, and were shown equipment worn by military engineers engaged in de-mining activities. These briefings were of particular importance, both because landmines currently represent the greatest threat to Canadian and other SFOR troops in Bosnia, but also because they gave Members a new perspective on the Ottawa Process to ban anti-personnel landmines.

From Velika Kladusa, Members proceeded to Canadian camps at Coralici (Holopina, named in honour of a young Canadian military engineer killed while attempting to assist SFOR troops caught in a minefield) and Zgon. From Zgon they travelled to Drvar, where they saw a sobering example of the types of problems facing Bosnia. Traditionally a Bosnian Serb town, following its capture during the war, Drvar is now almost totally non-Serb. Since refugees were allowed to vote in their pre-war homes, a Serb-dominated municipal council was elected in Drvar in the municipal elections in September 1997; the difficult process of installing this and other such councils throughout Bosnia will be a major focus of SFOR and Canadian concern in the coming months.

Members also received their first introduction to Canadian reconstruction efforts in Bosnia in Drvar, visiting a school which Canadian military engineers had helped rebuild as one of their Civil/Military Co-operation (CIMIC) projects. From Drvar they proceeded to an electrical substation at Bihac, repaired with CIDA contributions as part of a larger project to stabilize the electricity network in the whole of the former Yugoslavia. Members then travelled to another CIMIC project, a hospital in Cazin. At all of these locations local Bosniac politicians emphasized the importance of these projects to their people, and asked Members to relay thanks to the people of Canada. The evening ended with a working dinner hosted by the Commander of the Canadian Battle Group, at which Members discussed their impressions with representatives of the International Police Task Force (IPTF), the OSCE and others.

Canadian military personnel in Bosnia operate within the British area of responsibility. In the Republika Srpska the following day, Members met and were briefed by Canadians serving in important positions in the Headquarters of Multi-national Division Southwest, and met briefly with the Commander of the Division, British Major General Angus Ramsay. Due to leave Bosnia shortly for another assignment, General Ramsay praised the work of the Canadians in MND Southwest. Based on his previous experience in Bosnia and elsewhere, General Ramsay also explained the doctrinal difference between earlier "peacekeeping" efforts in the region and the "peacemaking" efforts currently underway with SFOR. He agreed with others that significant progress had been made in Bosnia since Dayton, adding that events were proceeding faster here than in other comparable regions he had seen.

 

POLITICAL SITUATION IN BOSNIA

 

The military aspects of Dayton have been a clear success, but progress in reconstructing and democratizing Bosnia has been slower. The political and economic situation in Bosnia was therefore the focus of the second half of the visit. Key outstanding issues are the inability of hundreds of thousands of Displaced Persons and Refugees to return to their homes, and the presence at large of influential Persons Indicted for War Crimes.

Members travelled to Banja Luka in the Republika Srpska (RS), where they met with RS President Dr. Biljana Plavsic, currently engaged in a bitter power struggle with forces loyal to indicted war criminal Radovan Karadicz, based in Pale. Parliamentary elections scheduled for 22-23 November will hopefully resolve this situation. Members were direct in their questions to President Plavsic, who admitted that she remains a Serb nationalist, explaining that in her view nationalism meant "patriotism" on behalf of one group rather than "chauvinism" against others. The discussion was wide-ranging, but the key messages from President Plavsic were probably that while Dayton is not perfect, it is the only practical and available solution for Bosnia. According to her, the lack of economic development in the Republika Srpska and elsewhere is delaying the implementation of the civilian aspects of Dayton, and she hoped the upcoming Parliamentary (and later Presidential) elections in the RS would allow the formation of a legitimate and effective government there. At this meeting Canadian Ambassador Serge Marcoux also announced a Canadian contribution to judicial reform in the RS, and presented President Plavsic with the first box of a shipment of pharmaceuticals donated by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada, one third of which would go to the Republika Srpska.

Poor weather necessitated a change in the itinerary the next day, but the resulting drive from Banja Luka to Sarajevo allowed Members to see the mainly rural Bosnian countryside. Small-scale reconstruction is beginning in some areas, but the countryside remains dominated by destroyed houses, some a result of shelling during the war, others destroyed deliberately to prevent their inhabitants from returning. Since it was November 11, the delegation held a small private roadside ceremony to commemorate Remembrance Day.

In Sarajevo, Members visited the Office of the High Representative (OHR), charged with the overall implementation of the civilian aspects of Dayton. The international community is currently considering strengthening the powers of the OHR, and during this meeting Members discussed the key role of independent and objective media in the long-term democratization of Bosnia. They then met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Jadranko Prlic, who responded to their questions on a range of issues concerning Dayton and the foreign policy priorities of Bosnia. Mr. Prlic was frank about the lack of political will in Bosnia, and the difficulty of formulating and carrying out a foreign policy without an effective central government. At the UN’s Mine Action Centre (MAC), the senior United Nations representative in Bosnia praised Canada’s contribution thus far to the success of Dayton, and made a plea for it to continue. Members were then briefed on the work of military engineers in the armies of the former warring factions and civilian de-miners under contract to address the outstanding landmine problem (up to one million remain) in Bosnia. Members ended the day with Canadians active in NGOs and international organizations.

On the last day of the visit, some Members visited representatives of Queen’s University, who explained their contribution to enhancing community-based rehabilitation in Bosnia. They then visited rehabilitation clinics and a hospital. At the damaged Medical Faculty of the University of Sarajevo, Ambassador Marcoux presented the Federation Health Minister with a share of the donated Canadian pharmaceuticals, and announced that Canada would assist in repairing the Medical Faculty.

Members ended their visit with Canadian personnel working at SFOR Headquarters outside Sarajevo. They also received SFOR briefings on the current military and political situations in Bosnia, as well as future prospects. With regard to the future, SFOR officers repeated that the decision as to whether or how to replace SFOR after June 1998 was a political rather than a military one; at the same time, while the military will do what it is told, if there is eventually to be some sort of follow-on force, it makes sense to begin developing options as soon as possible.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 

Based on these and other observations, the Committee recommends: 

1. While the CF-18s deployed in the region over the past three months made a significant contribution to the Stabilization Force (SFOR), there is no need at present for the Government of Canada to offer another similar air contribution; 
2. In light of the progress made in Bosnia in the two years since the signature of Dayton, and the continued high professionalism and morale of Canadian military personnel serving in the region, Canada should participate in SFOR until the end of its mandate in June 1998; 
3. Canada should monitor the evolving situation in Bosnia and discuss with allies the question of a follow-on force after SFOR. In the event that such a force proves necessary, permission should now be given to allow NATO planners to begin considering alternative arrangements. In the event of any further extension of the mandate, there should be a precise definition of that mandate, with provision for regular review. The review should consider the exact terms of the mandate, the costs and the ability to deliver on the mandate. Any debate thereon should take place in the House; and 
4. Canada should continue its reconstruction activities, with particular emphasis on progress to constitutional government, reconstruction and maximization of civilian peace implementation in all parts of Bosnia, and with due account for ethnic and cultural differences.

  

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings n^os 10,12 and 13) is tabled.

  

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

 

Bill Graham

Chair