Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for the Bloc Quebecois to welcome to Parliament today the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan. In his well-prepared speech, he reminded us that considerable work will be required to reach the millennium objectives and that that is the minimum we should be striving for.
I also want to say just how much the Bloc Quebecois shares the principles behind the United Nations. We demonstrated as much, during the war on Iraq. We know too that reforms are needed, as the Secretary-General mentioned.
Based on these fundamental principles, the Bloc Quebecois supports the UN intervention in Haiti but insists that, without disarmament, the reconstruction of Haiti will not be possible. However, the UN has extensive experience in this field.
Mr. Annan, we are counting on you.