Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I would like to welcome you all. You made very good presentations and provided us with quite impressive documentation that we are going to have to consider.
At the moment, my concern is with the whole question of the UN and NATO. Would you not agree that a major reform of the UN is absolutely needed? My impression is that the organization had some merit. We know the circumstances under which it was created. The wish was for the clash of weapons to be replaced by diplomacy. But, after a number of years, and because of the complexity of the conflicts, I feel that the UN no longer has what it takes to react adequately. I would like to hear your comments about that.
In terms of operational theatres like Afghanistan, I often ask UN people, such as the Secretary General's representative in theatre, whether he or General McChrystal is in charge. There seems to be no coordination and the UN looks very weak. When there are problems, the Security Council accommodates the various views of the countries around the table. This makes it hard to reach agreement and consensus. What do you think of the idea of a major reform of the UN?
Mr. Samson, I could ask you questions about CIDA's accountability, which seems to be greatly lacking at the moment. You have been to Afghanistan, but do you ask people to be accountable to you? I have seen road builders charging $90 per tonne for stone that normally sells for $10 per tonne. They said that the international forces were going to pay. When CIDA is paying, they ask for an outrageous price. Why is that?
The question about the major reform of the UN goes to Mr. Hampson and Mr. Regehr.