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FAIT Committee News Release

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Coats-of-Arms


STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE  

NEWS RELEASE

 

HOUSE OF COMMONS STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE TABLES REPORT ON KOSOVO

Ottawa, June 14, 2000 - On the first anniversary of Canadian and other international forces entering Kosovo, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade today tabled a concise forward-looking majority report on Canada's role in the Kosovo conflict and its aftermath.

Noting that "…despite Canada's efforts, its preferred option of an endorsement by the United Nations Security Council of military action to end the crisis was not possible…," the report concludes "…that NATO member states had no other effective option to prevent the pursuit of ethnic cleansing but to respond to events in Kosovo with military action."

While acknowledging that an important debate continues over the legal and other aspects of NATO's air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Committee also notes the conclusion of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Carla Del Ponte, who announced on 2 June that there was "no basis" for opening an investigation into allegations that war crimes had been committed by NATO personnel and leaders during the air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Committee also acknowledges Amnesty International's highly critical June 2000 report on the legality of NATO actions in Kosovo, without accepting its major conclusions. Nevertheless, all members do endorse its argument that:

Waging a coalition war is a complex endeavour and the judgements required of military planners and soldiers engaged in combat are particularly difficult. NATO must draw lessons from Operation Allied Force that go beyond what new weapons their arsenals require and provide guidance on how to maximize the protection of civilians, as required by international humanitarian law. The most powerful military alliance in the world cannot afford but to set the highest standard of protection in this regard.

Notwithstanding the importance of the debate on the conduct of last year's air campaign, the Committee focused its recommendations for Canadian government policy mainly on the need to both reform the United Nations to increase its capacity to prevent conflicts and respond to complex humanitarian emergencies, and to continue to support ongoing international efforts in Kosovo. In the words of the Chair of the Committee, Liberal M.P. Bill Graham, "NATO actions in Kosovo may have prevented ethnic cleansing, but unless countries live up to their commitments in terms of money and personnel, it will be very difficult to achieve the shared objective of a secure, multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo. While NATO may have won the war, the international community may still lose the peace."

Between February and June 2000, the Committee held eight public meetings on Kosovo, in which it heard from government officials, academics and others reflecting a wide variety of views on Canada's role both during and after the Kosovo campaign.

For more information on these hearings or for copies of the report, please communicate with the Clerk of the Committee, Marie Danielle Vachon at 996-1540 or by e-mail at vachom@parl.gc.ca.

 

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