Mr. Speaker, it is with great relief that we learned this morning that the 55 Canadian peacekeepers taken hostage by Bosnian Serb forces two weeks ago had been released. However, we are still extremely concerned about the eventual pull-out of all peacekeepers from Bosnia, at a time when NATO is speeding up preparations for such a move.
If the humiliation the Bosnian Serb forces are inflicting on the international community were to lead to the withdrawal of peacekeepers from Bosnia, it is quite certain that we will face a significant upsurge in fighting. Consequently, we have every reason to fear the impact of such a decision on the Bosnian civilian population which would be completely left to its fate. It is high time for Canada to show leadership and push for the United Nations to be reformed as quickly as possible in order to recover the credibility the UN lost in this horrible conflict.