Canada and Peace in the Middle East

Canada is a strong supporter of the Middle East Peace Process, an active participant in the multilateral negotiations and a significant contributor to assistance programs in the region. Canada's involvement in international efforts

to secure peace in the Middle East dates back almost 50 years, and includes Lester B. Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize-winning efforts during the Suez Crisis in 1956.

The Madrid Peace Process

i) Bilateral Negotiations

The Madrid Peace Process was launched by the United States and the (former) Soviet Union in October 1991, in an effort to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

For the first time since the creation of Israel, Arab, Israeli and Palestinian representatives were brought together to address the question of peace. This process also produced a series of bilateral negotiations between Israel and its neighbours — Jordan, Syria and Lebanon — and the Palestinians.

These negotiations have been long and difficult, reflecting the complexity of the issues and the compromises that must be made to ensure a durable peace. The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles, signed in Washington in September 1993, the subsequent Interim Agreements extending Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza, signed in May 1994 and September 1995, and the Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty, signed in October 1994, were momentous breakthroughs, launching a new beginning for the Middle East. Although the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Rabin in November 1995 and the recent terrorist bombings in Israel constitute a threat to the peace process, all parties have reiterated their commitment to finding a lasting peace in the region.

ii) Multilateral Negotiations

The second phase of the Madrid Peace Process was launched by the United States and Russia in Moscow, in January 1992. Foreign ministers and delegates from 36 countries — including representatives from the Middle East, Europe, Japan, China and Canada — were involved.

The purpose of the multilateral negotiations is to complement the bilateral negotiations and not to substitute for them in any way. The multilateral track plays a key role in broadening the structure of peace, encouraging people-to-people contacts, and building regional institutions to buttress and support peace in the future. To date, Syria and Lebanon have chosen not to participate in the multilateral track until greater progress has been made in their respective bilateral negotiations.

As part of the multilateral negotiations, five working groups have been establishedto deal with areas of pressing concern: Arms Control and Regional Security; Regional Economic Development; Refugees; Water Resources; and Environment.

Canada's Role and Contributions

i) Refugee Working Group

As part of the multilateral negotiations, Canada holds the important role of chair or "gavel holder" of the Refugee Working Group (RWG). Canada also is one of only 11 members of the Steering Group, which oversees the activity of the five working groups, and is a member of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which co-ordinates international assistance to the Palestinian Authority. In acknowledgement of our ongoing commitment to the peace process, Canada was invited to witness the historic signing of both the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles in 1993, and the 1995 Interim Agreement, in Washington, D.C..

The RWG's mandate is to complement and support the process of achieving a viable and comprehensive solution to the refugee issue, to improve the living conditions of refugees and displaced persons without prejudice to their rights and future status, and to ease and extend access to family reunification. The refugee issue is recognized to be a difficult and delicate one, so much so that the Palestinians and Israelis have agreed to defer discussion of it, along with the issues of boundaries, settlements and Jerusalem, to the permanent status negotiations, due to begin later this year.

The RWG operates by consensus, in accordance with rules set by the group as a whole. The main subjects under discussion are databases, human resource development (including manpower training and job creation), family reunification, development of economic and social resources, child welfare, and public health. Canada has hosted two of the eight meetings held to date. The most recent meeting, held in Geneva in December 1995, had over 40 participating delegations and was characterized by an unprecedented spirit of co-operation between Israelis and Palestinians.

ii) Other Multilateral Working Groups

Canada is also an active participant in the Arms Control and Regional Security Working Group, playing a key role as the facilitator or "mentor" for Maritime Confidence-Building Measures and hosting four events in Canada to date. In September 1993, Canada hosted a special workshop on Maritime Confidence-Building Measures in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Similar workshops for officers of Middle Eastern naval forces were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from August to September 1994, and in Kingston, Ontario, in July 1995. In July 1994, at the request of the Working Group, Canada led a demonstration of practical Maritime Confidence-Building Measures near Venice, off the coast of Italy.

Canada also contributes significant expertise and development assistance to the working groups on Water Resources, the Environment and Regional EconomicDevelopment.

iii) Middle East and North Africa Summit Process

Canada has been a visible and high-level supporter of the Middle East and North Africa Economic Summit process since the first summit convened in Casablanca in 1994. This process focusses on fostering business between the Arab world and Israel, and on highlighting the Middle East and North Africa as a place to do business. Through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canada was a strong supporter of Jordan's preparations for the Amman Economic Summit, October-November, 1995. Further, Canada was an official sponsor of that Summit, which saw the participation of more than 25 Canadian private-sector companies.

Canada will participate fully in the next summit, in Cairo, at a date yet to be finalized. With growing interest from the Canadian private sector, a delegation of approximately 40 Canadian firms, led by a federal minister, is expected to take part in the Cairo Summit. The anticipated increase in commerce anticipated will generate wealth and create employment, thereby demonstrating the tangible benefits of peace.

iv) Middle East Development Bank

A visible achievement of the Amman Economic Summit was the creation of the Bank for Economic Co-operation and Development in the Middle East and North Africa, with an initial capitalization of $5 billion. Better known as the Middle East Development Bank, the MEDB is a regional development bank that will provide non-concessional loans to support private-sector development and regional infrastructure projects. It will include both regional and non-regional participation. Canada is a founding member of the Bank, and will be on the board of governors.

Canada's Approach

As one of the principal non-regional parties participating in the multilateral process and its off-shoots, Canada's principal aim has been to keep the peace process moving forward and to help construct the new regional architecture.

While responsibility for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict rests ultimately with the parties involved in the bilateral negotiations, Canada considers multilateral negotiations as a way to buttress bilateral negotiations and to help to make the process irreversible. They offer an opportunity for the regional parties to understand the tangible benefits to be gained from an eventual overall political settlement. The multilateral negotiations have also offered a unique opportunity for the parties in conflict to make the personal contacts needed, away from the limelight of bilateral negotiations, to reinforce and develop their bilateral talks. Indeed, it was through such contacts that Israelis and Palestinians initiated the discussions that led to the ground-breaking Oslo Accord.