Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies

Once again it is an honour for me to represent Canada at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference. It is a special honour this year as it marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the 20th anniversary of the launching of the ASEAN-Canada Dialogue, Canada congratulates ASEAN on its achievements of the past thirty years and commends the contribution that ASEAN has made and continues to make to peace and prosperity both in the region and beyond. Through our own Dialogue with ASEAN over the past twenty years and through our rich and varied programmes of commercial, industrial and development cooperation with ASEAN and its member countries for even longer, Canada is proud of the part it is playing in the region.

The 30th anniversary of ASEAN is not only an occasion for celebration but also a time for reflection as the Association contemplates the challenges of embracing a region of "the Ten", and thus fulfilling the vision of ASEAN's founders. Reactions to the recent violent events in Cambodia have underlined the impact that domestic upheavals in one country can have beyond its borders. Canada welcomes the lead that ASEAN has taken in addressing the issues raised by the violence in Cambodia. We supported the ASEAN initiative to send a mission to consult Cambodia's leaders. We remain hopeful that there will be an end to further violence-with a peaceful resolution of the differences between the Cambodian parties, the maintenance of Cambodia's constitutional framework and the creation of conditions for free and fair elections as soon as possible. Canada recalls the enormous investment that the United Nations and the international community made in Cambodia only four years ago to ensure that the 1993 elections that led to the creation of the coalition government were free and fair-

Unfortunately Cambodia is not the only country where the domestic situation has implications for the region as a whole. The military regime in Burma continues to pursue policies of repression in flagrant disregard of universal norms and despite clear and repeated expressions of concern from the United Nations and the UN Commission on Human Rights. Burma's membership of ASEAN imposes a special responsibility on the Association and Canada hopes that ASEAN will use its influence to encourage a real commitment to political reform and national, reconciliation in Burma. This hope which Canada shares with the rest of the international community was reflected in the statement issued by the Foreign Ministers participating in the Denver Summit.

The flourishing bilateral relationship we enjoy with our partners in Asia Pacific are made possible by a peaceful and stable region. I attach great value to Canada's membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum, the only multilateral venue in which governments engage in a discussion of the region's security issues. I also welcome the opportunity this forum provides for me to consult my colleagues on the regional security situation. This is very helpful in assessing the implications for Canada of developments on key issues. As an active participant in the ARF, Canada makes a significant contribution to its cooperative and confidence-building activities in a variety of ways. Our role as co-chair, with Malaysia, of the Inter-sessional Meeting on Peacekeeping Operations, provides opportunities, to share our experiences and expertise in this field.

One of Canada's top foreign policy priorities is the rapid achievement of a global ban on antipersonnel mines. The "Ottawa Process" is now well Underway, with 155 countries attending a recent meeting in Brussels, 100 of whom signed the "Brussels Declaration" indicating their intention to negotiate a treaty in Oslo in September. I have invited all states to come to Ottawa from 2-4 December to sign this treaty, and I hope that all PMC states will be able to participate.

I encourage those PMC states which do not yet support a ban on anti-personnel mines to consider the problem seriously, I hope you will come to the same conclusions that I did: there is no simple way to lessen the humanitarian consequences of AP mine use. This region is fully aware of the horrors of anti-personnel mines and other unexploded ordnance, as is evidenced by the tragic situation in Cambodia and to a lesser extent in Laos. Banning anti-personnel mines is the only way to ensure that this nightmare is never repeated.

Canada's push to ban anti-personnel mines is driven by humanitarian concerns. We must act now to help affected populations as much as we can. Mine clearance will be an ongoing challenge. We also need to provide assistance to victims of mines, and to educate those living in mine-affected areas about their consequences. But first of all, we must ensure that no new mines find their way into the ground. Once a ban is in place, it will make the other facets of the global AP mine problem that much easier to deal with. In fact, it is my hope that a ban will serve to catalyse our efforts in demining and draw attention to the work that still needs to be done.

I am pleased that several PMC states have already decided to fully support the Ottawa Process. I hope that in the months to come, more will be able to take that same step, and I look forward to welcoming you all to Ottawa in December.

As chair of the APEC forum in 1997, Canada is also emphasizing issues that contribute to the achievement of sustainable economic growth and equitable development in the region. We believe that if trade liberalization is to bring benefits to people across the region, it must be reinforced by broader cooperation on challenges such as infrastructure development and sustainable growth. In developing the agenda for the Vancouver meetings, Canada is chairing five APEC sectoral Ministerial meetings throughout 1997, (trade, environment, transportation, energy, small-and medium-sized enterprises), involving business people, women and youth (the leaders of the future). Building on the legacy of the Philippines 1996 chair, in the lead-up to Vancouver we are seeking to encourage the broader involvement of Canadians in our preparations, through colloquial, internet website and Canada's Year of Asia Pacific, thus ensuring that the broader issues of Canadian civil society are taken into account. ASEAN members have a long history of leadership in APEC. We are honoured to have the opportunity to build on the bold vision of Bogor in 1994, and the important progress made in Subic last year. We look forward to working with our Malaysian colleagues, who will carry on the APEC tradition in 1998.