June 22, 2005
No. 113
Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today issued the following statement on the
International Conference on Iraq:
“I am pleased that Canada is participating in this important international discussion on
Iraq. The participation of so many countries testifies to the broad desire to support a
democratic, prosperous and stable Iraq. At today’s conference, Canada speaks both as
a strong supporter of Iraq’s reconstruction and democratic transition, and as Chair of
the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq.
“This conference occurs at a critical juncture. A new, democratically elected
government has taken up its duties and a permanent constitution is to be drafted and
put to the people for their assent.
“Iraqis have already demonstrated an impressive commitment to a democratic future.
Their courage and resolve needs to be sustained as they take on the challenge of
drafting a constitution. We expect Iraqis to be guided by the principles of respect,
reconciliation and compromise in the weeks ahead, and we welcome the recent
agreement to reinforce the participation of Sunni Arabs in the constitutional process.
We pledge our support to help build the capacities and institutions that will help Iraqis to
sustain their democracy. Canada has already committed $300 million to Iraqi
reconstruction efforts, supporting programming to train Iraqi police, to develop Iraqi
electoral capacities and to strengthen human rights. We are now exploring how we
might provide technical expertise to support the constitutional process.
“The democratically elected parliament and representative government deserve
support and recognition. To this end, we are working actively to enhance our bilateral
relations with Iraq. We are committed to deepening our engagement with the new Iraq,
and are moving to re-open our embassy in Baghdad as quickly as possible, security
permitting.
“As important as each donor country’s bilateral efforts are, we can multiply our impact
by working together more effectively. Central to Canada’s engagement in Iraq is the
belief that the multilateral system offers an excellent channel for reconstruction funding.
Our actions reflect this conviction. Early on, we committed $100 million—one third of
our total contribution—to the support of the multilateral trust funds, the International
Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, in order to make the multilateral effort in Iraq more
effective.
“Earlier this year, Canada assumed the role of Chair of the Donor Committee
overseeing the multilateral trust funds. We bring a number of important goals to this
task, and we are pleased to see many of these priorities reflected in the statement
endorsed by participants at this conference.
“As Chair, we want to build on the work done by the UN, the World Bank and our
predecessor, Japan. Now that Iraq has a sovereign and representative government,
which is soon to be underpinned by a permanent constitution, we want to enhance Iraqi
ownership of the reconstruction process. We need to move toward a model where
reconstruction efforts are centred in Iraq, led by Iraqis, and based on clearly articulated,
country-wide Iraqi priorities.
“We want to strengthen donor coordination and demonstrate accountability for the
multilateral effort both to the Iraqis and also to the donor community. We also hope to
mobilize more support from the donor community for Iraq’s reconstruction through the
International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq.
“I hope that we can build on the success of today’s discussion next month in Amman,
Jordan, at the Donor Committee meeting. This meeting will provide a valuable
opportunity to move the reconstruction agenda forward, and to capitalize on the
momentum we have generated today.
“At this meeting, we want to show that progress has been made. We will receive reports
from the UN and World Bank and we will discuss the review of operations by the UN.
We also want to address concerns about the pace of implementation through an
examination of lessons learned from both bilateral and multilateral channels.
Understanding what has worked and what can be improved upon will help us to better
address the pressing needs of Iraqis and the priorities set by the Iraqi government.
“We have confidence that these discussions will show that the trust funds are working
and deserve the confidence of donors.
“Canada is strongly committed to a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Iraq, one that
is responsible to both its citizens and its neighbours. We reflect this conviction through
our engagement with Iraqis, through our bilateral reconstruction program, and through
our support for multilateral efforts.”
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
