Mr. Speaker, I first want to say how very much we welcome the decision of the Prime Minister to enter this important debate today. It has been very much in the spirit that we intended in introducing the NDP opposition motion today that we have this forum to discuss further what we are going to do to intensify and accelerate our commitment, as a nation, to find a speedy, peaceful, diplomatic solution to the Kosovo crisis.
I want to say again, what we have expressed publicly and on the record, that we think having an opportunity to vote is an important issue. I have some difficulty in understanding where the Prime Minister is coming from because when we were in the gulf war we had six votes in the House and no one saw that as an erosion of the government's confidence or ability to do its job.
My question today does not focus on any votes around any possible escalation of military effort. It is our urgent hope that the point that we have now reached means that we will not be talking about escalating the military effort but rather we will be focusing on escalating the diplomatic effort.
The Prime Minister's statement today about the deployment of troops for peaceful purposes only is very much in the spirit of the position we have set out in our motion. We will of course be very vigilant in making sure that we are only talking about peaceful deployment.
My question focuses on the motion that we put before the House because that is the debate we are having. In relation to the Prime Minister's assertion about the critical importance of Russia's participation in advancing a peaceful solution, the Prime Minister knows that Russia has said that under no circumstances will its participation be possible if NATO proceeds with an oil embargo and the possibility of a naval blockade.
In that spirit, will the Prime Minister assure Canadians today that he, on behalf of Canada, and the foreign affairs minister and the defence minister, will stake out clear, unequivocal opposition to any such course of action?
We have a golden opportunity here to advance peace. We have an opportunity with the foreign affairs minister going to Moscow in what I think is increasingly an opening up of diplomatic opportunity to say that we will provide leadership in ensuring that Russia's position on this issue is respected and that we will not do anything to jeopardize the possibility of being able to continue to involve Russia in advancing a speedy, peaceful, diplomatic solution to this situation.