Mr. Speaker, peace in the Balkans, here at last, thank God.
All members of the House and Canadians everywhere most enthusiastically welcome the signing of a peace accord in Kosovo and its approval by the United Nations security council. The pathway of peace will lead to the safe return to their homes of nearly one million Kosovar Albanians.
The international community now faces the formidable challenge of reconstruction of a war-scarred, devastated land; of ensuring a secure, democratic and self-governing Kosovo; and of stabilizing the entire situation in southeast Europe. It will be the most complex peace implementation operation in modern times.
We acknowledge, with pride, the contributions of our Canadian Armed Forces in this theatre of war and wish them well as they enter into a perilous peacekeeping deployment.
Peace in the Balkans is here at last, thank God.