Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank the hon. members of this House for allowing me to make this statement at this time.
I would like to inform the House of a decision the government made in this morning's Cabinet meeting regarding the presence of Canadian troops in the former Yugoslavia.
You will recall, Mr. Speaker, that last January, the government consulted the House on the future of our troops in that part of the world. During the debate, a majority of hon. members stated that they were in favour of maintaining a Canadian presence within the United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia. The House decided that Canada was making an important contribution to the objectives of preventing the war from escalating and getting out of hand, trying to negotiate an end to the conflict and participating in the humanitarian effort. The House also reaffirmed Canada's commitment to its traditional role of peacekeeper, the promotion of stability and security in Europe, and the quest for a negotiated solution to the situation in the Balkans.
I am pleased to announce today that in light of that debate and the developments that have taken place in recent weeks, the government has decided that the Canadian troops, whose mandate was set to end on March 31, will remain in the area for another six months.