February 4, 2003
The best way to avoid war is to be
tough. Canada needs to work with
its allies to present a united front to ensure the disarmament of Saddam
Hussein’s outlaw regime as spelled out by existing UN resolutions. If Saddam refuses to disarm, Canada needs to be at the table
with its allies to determine what Saddam’s consequences should be.
Saddam’s pursuit of weapons of mass
destruction poses a grave threat to international peace and security. He could use the weapons for mass terror or transfer them to
terrorist allies. The Iraqi regime
has harboured and supported international terrorist organizations by providing
safe havens, training bases, and financing to them.
Ever since Saddam refused to allow
weapons inspectors to return to Iraq after 1998, his weapons program has gone
unchecked. The Iraqi regime has
developed weapons of mass destruction, defying numerous UN Security Council
resolutions. British Intelligence
reports state that Iraq has continued to produce chemical and biological weapons
with the capacity to use them within 45 minutes notice.
They have also significantly advanced their medium and long-range missile
development program.
Saddam must immediately and fully
cooperate with the UN arms inspectors or face the consequences.
So far Saddam has not done this. Dr.
Blix pointed out that Saddam has provided inadequate information on his
production of deadly VX nerve gas, anthrax, chemical bombs and rocket warheads,
and long-range missiles and has obstructed U-2 surveillance flights.
Chemical and biological weapons were produced and now have mysteriously
disappeared.
The goal of all the UN resolutions on
Iraq since the Gulf War has been for Iraq to disarm peacefully.
This currently remains the goal for the weapons inspection team.
Canada already has the UN’s
authorization to confront Saddam. There
has never been an armistice to end the last Gulf War, but merely a ceasefire.
If Iraq continues to violate the ceasefire’s disarmament resolutions,
the ceasefire will not longer exist. International
law is made clear on this fact.
Our own Prime Minister said, “Make no
mistake; Saddam’s behaviour to date indicates that he will not honour
diplomatic solutions so long as they are not accompanied by a threat of
intervention. The least sign of
weakness or hesitation on our part will be interpreted as incitement.
We believe that Canada cannot stand on the sidelines in such a moment …
Canada will be counted.” However,
the Prime Minister is no longer going through with his word, but actually doing
the exact opposite. Canada is
standing on the sidelines.
Our Prime Minister needs to make a clear
decision on where Canada stands on this issue.
The government’s inability to make a clear decision has five serious
consequences. (1) The Prime
Minister’s indecision is misleading Canadians. (2) The Prime Minister’s
indecision is weakening the United Nations’ pressure on Saddam Hussein to
comply. (3) The Prime Minister’s indecision is undermining
Canada’s standing with its allies. (4)
The Prime Minister’s indecision is foreclosing Canada’s ability to influence
the course of any possible conflict. (5)
The Prime Minister’s indecision has actually undermined the sovereignty of
Canadian foreign policy.
If the Canadian government kept true to
the Prime Minister’s words, then we would stand a better chance of avoiding
war. Only with a credible threat of
force behind resolution 1441 (resolution 1441 sets a strict timetable for Iraq
to declare any weapons of mass destruction in its possession and allowed UN
inspectors unfettered access to all sites throughout the country) does the world
stand a chance of avoiding war. Canada
and Canadians do not want to see war, they do want to see Canada’s national
security interests and international values upheld.
If Saddam fails to disarm, the UN must forcefully disarm him. Canada must stand with its allies to ensure that a multilateral coalition enforces UN resolutions to disarm Iraq.