503-503 Canada to build peacekeeper training centre

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BY STEPHEN HANDELMAN
FOREIGN AFFAIRS WRITER

UNITED NAIIONS - Warning the United Nations is begining to "drift," Canada has proposed a sweeping shake-up of the organization's peacekeeping and economic assisstance activities.

Foreign Affair Minister André OueHet announced that Canada will sponsor a feasibility study on a permanent U.N. military force, as part of a five-point reform plan to give the U.N "a second wind" for the 21st century.

"Too often, the intervention of the United Nations comes too late, iS too slow and is carried out under inadequate conditions," Ouellet said in a speech to the General Assembly.

"We invest too much energy in activities of marginal use and in unimportant quarrels when there is an emergency right under our noses.

"As a result of our extreme reluctance to implement administrative reform we are handicapping the only institution on which we can depend."

The idea is a military force comprising troops permanently asssigned to the United Nations has won increasing support in the past year from top UN officials and who argue it would have saved lives and avoided bureaucratic snafus in Rwanda and Somalia.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin is the latest national leader to indicate his support during this week's General Assembly debate.

But the United States and several other Western powers have opposed any structure that would control over their peacekeeping troops in the field.

The open support of Canada - one of the U.N.'s foundingding natioris - is bound to place the question on the agenda for next year,s 50th celebration of the world body.

Ouellet said the idea is one of several reforms that could "restore the relevence and leadership of the United Nations system" in the 21st century. Tunning to the U.N.'s system of financing, Ouellet said the organization needs to put in place "sound management" practices.

Our taxpayers do not question the need to coontribute to the U.N, but they quite rightly expect that their contributions will be spent judiciously," he said.

He called for a review of the methods by which individual member contributions are assessed.

Critics have argued that while the United States annually pays more than 30 per cent of the cost of peacekeeping, other wealthy nation contribute far less than they are able to afford.

Canada is among the few nations that have completely paid their U.N. bills.

Toronto Star (30 September 1994). Again Orwell is right: for "peace" substitute "war".