August 24, 2000
The United Nations will face more peacekeeping failures in the 21st century without a major overhaul, said an international panel that called yesterday for the equivalent of a U.N. defense ministry to bolster the world body.
The Canadian government praised the panel's call for changes which could have far-reaching implications for the thousands of Canadians troops who serve on peacekeeping missions.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien said the country will do its part and will carefully consider any requests for an increased Canadian presence in future peacekeeping forces, The Star's Caroline Mallan reports from Lindsay, Ont., where he was attending a function.
"For peace, Canadians are always happy to contribute because we know that it is important for us to do our contribution to maintaining peace around the world."
More than 220 Canadian Forces personnel are currently participating in various U.N. missions.
The panel of experts was appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to look at peacekeeping operations after highly critical reports on U.N. performance in connection with the 1994 Rwanda genocide of 800,000 people that followed a slaughter of U.N. troops from Belgium and the 1995 fall of the U.N. enclave of Srebrenica, which led to a massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims.
The 10-member panel did not endorse a United Nations army but it did encourage the 188 member states to form several brigade-size forces of 5,000 troops each that could deploy in 30 to 90 days, depending on the complexity of the peacekeeping operation.
The United Nations must have "the tools" to address any conflict situation - from prevention to actual enforcement - and at the moment it doesn't have the headquarters staff, troops, money, or data to analyze and plan properly, said former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi, who led the panel.
Annan asked the panel to recommend ways to improve prospects for peace in the 21st century, which he wants world leaders to consider during the Sept. 6- 8 Millennium Summit at the U.N. His deputy, Canadian Louise Frechette, is to draw up an implementation plan for leaders to consider.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Defence Minister Art Eggleton praised the recommendations.
"Canada was consulted during this comprehensive peacekeeping review and we are pleased that ideas we have been advocating for some time have been included in the recommendations," Axworthy said in a statement.
Eggleton said Canada is already developing many of the initiatives, including a standing brigade on call for immediate deployment.
At present, only 32 officers in U.N. headquarters are responsible for 27, 000 troops from 20 countries on 14 peacekeeping operations; just nine civilian police at the U.N. direct more than 8,600 civilian police - including Mounties and other Canadian officers - on U.N. missions.
