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December 21, 2001
Liberals defend Mideast role
MP Stephen Owen says Canada was in Geneva as an honest broker.
PAT JOHNSON REPORTER
Canadian government officials are defending their decision to send
a delegation to a Geneva conference that perpetuated an anti-Israel
bias. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which was held earlier this
month, was officially boycotted by Israel, the United States and
Australia. It was also unofficially snubbed by numerous other countries
that simply did not show up. But Liberal spokespersons say that
Canadian attendance at the conference provided an opportunity to
register disapproval with the Arab bloc's commandeering of the meeting.
The Fourth Geneva Convention was intended as an international
gathering to set universal rules for the protection of civilians
and acceptable actions during wartime.
In the House of Commons Dec. 6, Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray
defended Canada's presence at the conference and said Canada was
not party to any anti-Israeli statements.
On the public record, however, any attendees of such a conference
are perceived to be in accord with the declaration. The Geneva conference
issued a declaration regarding Gaza and the West Bank that called
on "the occupying power to immediately refrain from ... willful
killing, torture and unlawful deportation."
The one-sided terms were particularly offensive in light of the
fact that the conference came just days after a spate of Palestinian
terrorist attacks killed Israeli civilians.
Nevertheless, Gray told the House, Canada registered its disapproval
through a statement of its own. Among the comments issued by Canada
was a rebuke of the Palestinians for their use of terror.
"Canadians were outraged by the recent, indiscriminate attacks
in Jerusalem and Haifa, and offer their sympathy to the victims
and their families," read the statement. "There can be no justification
for these horrific acts. They serve only to demonstrate contempt
for the universal humanitarian principles which have brought us
all into this room today."
Opposition critics and some Jewish leaders complained that Canada's
presence there suggested support for the anti-Israeli majority.
Stephen Owen, Liberal member of Parliament for Vancouver-Quadra,
defended his government's position in an interview with the Bulletin.
He said the perception that Canada was supportive of an anti-Israeli
conference shows the effort that his government needs to go to in
order to prevent misunderstandings. He said Canada's policy is to
attend such meetings in an effort to moderate the discussion.
"Canada has a multilateral approach," said Owen. "It goes to these
multilateral meetings because, as a middle power - and we're seen
as an honest broker - this is the only way we can have an impact
on moderating language, speaking out against declarations, having
reservations."
The United States can make a statement by boycotting a conference,
he said, but Canada does not have that luxury.
"The U.S. can boycott it, but it's a large enough force that it
can have an impact by boycotting. Canada, as a middle power, [might]
boycott and nobody pays any attention." Owen said Canada's intentions
are misunderstood.
"Where we're not cautious enough is in clearly, expressly and
pre-emptively declaring why we're there and what we're trying to
achieve," he said. "We would hope that the policy over time would
be understood, but it isn't.... We have to be more sensitive and
clear about the mediating, moderating role that we play."
Owen said there should be no doubt where Canada stands. "The government
policy is, and it has been since 1948, to be wholeheartedly in support
[of Israel]," he said.
Owen has become a frequent spokesperson on Middle East relations,
perhaps because he represents a riding with a relatively large Jewish
population. But he said Middle East peace has always been a concern
for him. He was a consultant with the Israel-Palestine Centre for
Research and Information, which he described as a Bethlehem-based
think-tank dedicated to finding innovative approaches to peace.
"I'm very interested in peace studies and conflict negotiations,"
said the first-term MP. "But I also have a great admiration and
sympathy for the struggles that Israel has been under and also a
great concern for what I see as the abandonment by the Palestinian
people by Arab countries over the last 50 years, without absorbing
them into their own countries, without meaningfully dealing with
the horrible conditions in refugee camps. I think there's a lot
of responsibility to be shared around."
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