Canadian Arab Federation La Fédération Canado-Arabe

PRESS RELEASE

  January 14, 2011

Canada blamed for the failure of the Forum for the Future in Qatar

Canada's inflexibility and insistence on not including a reference to Palestine prevented the issuance of a communiqué at the end of the Forum for the Future, Qatari officials have said.
The Seventh Forum for the Future Ministerial Meeting between the G8 and Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) countries was held in Doha on January 12-13.
"There had been an agreement on the communiqué for the seventh Forum for the Future," Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Qatar's state minister for foreign affairs, said. "However, the Canadians, the co-chair of the forum, insisted on not including a paragraph on Palestine," he said, quoted by Qatar News Agency (QNA).

Salah Al Deen Jorchi, the First Vice-President of Human Rights League in Tunisia and Representative of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) at the forum, said Canada should be held accountable for hindering the progress on the final declaration.

"We were shocked because we have always believed that the Palestinian issue was clear to everyone and that there was consensus about it, especially that the previous forum in Marrakesh has agreed on it," Salah Eddine said. "The Canadian stance is a setback and Ottawa assumes the responsibility of not issuing the final communiqué," he said.

In a speech in Ottawa on November 8, 2010 Mr. Harper declared that as long as he is Prime Minister, whether it is at the United Nations, the Francophonie, or anywhere else, Canada will defend Israel whatever the cost. This explains Canada’s shameful stand in Qatar of ignoring Palestinian rights that are enshrined in international law.

 
At the Forum for the Future in Qatar, the Harper government assumes the responsibility for the immense loss suffered by the civil society organizations and the business sectors. They have lost good opportunities to secure reforms approved by all the governments for the first time following successful negotiations.


For more information, please contact:
 
Khaled Mouammar                                
CAF National President                                 
416-879-6766
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian“We find it disturbing that Mr. Harper’s commitment to Israel comes before his duty as prime minister, before his duty to represent Canada's interests abroad, and before his role of elected representative. In short his dedication to Israel supersedes his commitment to Canada,” stated Khaled Mouammar, CAF National President.