Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty traveled to Israel and the Palestinian Authority this week, where they engaged in a series of high-level meetings on the Middle East peace process, regional security and economic cooperation.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird. Photo by: johnbaird.ca
On Monday, the two met Israeli President Shimon Peres at his Jerusalem Residence. At the start of the meeting, Peres thanked Canada for its support and friendship and said, “Israel is very lucky to have your friendship which we appreciate very much.”
Foreign Minister Baird told Peres, “You have no better friend in the world than Canada, no stronger ally who will stand up [for you.]. We won’t stand behind you; we will stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel.”
President Peres and the two ministers discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of science and advanced technologies. Minister Baird said that while “Israel is currently cooperating in these fields with Ontario and Nova Scotia,” Canada is “interested in broadening this cooperation to a federal level.”
In response Peres said, “There is much potential to enhance our collaboration in the fields of Science and Technology. Israel and Canada complete each other; Israel is small and lacks in natural resources whereas Canada is spacious and has been blessed with many of them. Our two countries have much to benefit from collaborating in those areas.”
Also on Monday, Baird met PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in his office in Ramallah. According to a report in the WAFA news agency, Abbas told Baird that the Palestinian leadership is currently examining the results of the talks that were held with Israel in Amman in recent weeks and the courses of action available to the Palestinians in their wake.
Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty. Photo by: Wikipedia
Baird and Flaherty also met with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. WAFA reported that Fayyad briefed the Canadian ministers about the implications of Israel’s policy in the West Bank and complained over the restrictions imposed by Israel on the development of PA projects.
The report said that Fayyad stressed the importance of intervention by the international community to force the Israeli government to cease infringing upon Palestinians’ rights, implement international law and enable the PA to realize its full responsibility towards the Palestinian people, including the deployment of security forces in the West Bank. He urged the international community to end the “Israeli occupation” and work to establish a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders whose capital is Jerusalem.
Fayyad also reviewed the PA’s efforts to overcome the financial crisis which it has been experiencing in the last two years because of the failure of foreign countries to transfer financial aid. According to WAFA news agency, Baird expressed the Canadian government’s support for the PA’s efforts to build the institutions of the future Palestinian state and the infrastructure required for it.
