Terry Glavin's recent post on Ottawa's 'consensus of silence' on Afghanistan prompted a reply from New Democrat MP Paul Dewar. It is posted below, with Terry Glavin's response.
Dear Terry,
In reaction to your commentary in the National Post today, Paul Dewar wishes to share the following information with you.
New Democrats have consistently advocated for an end to the war in Afghanistan and the initiation of a peace process in the region. I'm sending you some notes regarding the work that we've been doing on the file.
In March 2009, Paul attended a conference organized by British RUSI and Germany's FES in London, England. I'm sending you the following from the report of the meeting which I only have in paper:
"Against this background [of presentations by NATO and other countries engaged in Afghanistan], Paul Dewar suggested that the gap in resources was coming most prominently from the diplomatic side, believing the militaries to have substantially filled the void to date because politicians and diplomats had failed to provide the necessary leadership. As a result of this, a more intense diplomatic coordination was now needed, and the Canadian MP outlined what he believed the Canadian effort should be as the country shifts the emphasis of its contribution from a military to a more diplomatic one post-2011.
"Paul Dewar felt that the growing international will to turn the page and adopt a real strategy in Afghanistan should be accompanied by renewed calls for a peace process. Paul Dewar argued that the Canadian government should seek to establish a group of eminent persons composed of influential international figures, which could heed the complex tribal, as well as regional dimensions of the conflict, especially regarding the border region with Pakistan. Such a strategy would signal a new approach and play a part in the ‘Political Surge' being called for by Kai Eide, the United Nation's Senior Envoy to Afghanistan.
"Discussion amongst participants raised the outstanding question as to what military approach would be required in order to complement such diplomatic overtures, with the suggestion put forward that a reduced US and Allied military activity could be employed as leverage in any political negotiations and thus be refocused on a purely defensive role. Arguing that preparations for a military reorientation should be engaged at the same time as a debate over a new political approach, Paul Dewar called for more diplomatic creativity in the international community's approach".
You can also take a look at this Embassy Magazine story which details Paul's idea for the establishment of an eminent-persons group to prepare the ground for peace building
You may recall that Paul requested a take-note debate on Afghanistan prior to the international conference in March. You can review that night's debate where he put forward proposals for enhancing Canada's role in preparing the ground for an eventual peace process in Afghanistan
I'm also sending you this CBC The Current interview three weeks ago where he criticized the other parties for their silence on Afghanistan
From uncovering the cost of war (as reported by the Parliamentary Budget Officer) to raising human rights issues such as the Afghan rape law, Afghanistan Human Rights Commission's report regarding the widespread use of torture and mistreatment by Afghan law enforcement officials, New Democrats have been vocal critiques of the management of the war. Just in the past three days, New Democrat Defence Critic Jack Harris has called for an independent inquiry in the issue of abuse of children which was witnessed and reported by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.
I hope you find this information useful.
All the best,
Kiavash Najafi
Legislative and communications assistant
Paul Dewar MP
Dear Kiavash:
Thank you for taking the time to send me this note, and thanks as well for the references.
I am well aware of these initiatives, and I wish the NDP all the best as it tries to articulate a sensible position on the question of Canada's role in Afghanistan. As you must be aware, however, the NDP's position -- withdraw troops, then send a diplomatic mission back to Afghanistan in the hope of drumming up interest in some kind of "peace process" -- is precisely the reason why the NDP has been dealt out of any serious discussions about the way forward. Augmenting the proposition with the innovation of an "eminent persons" group is unlikely to improve the NDP's prospects.
Neither the Haqqani Taliban, nor the Islamic Emirate (Mullah Omar's Taliban), nor Hezb-e-Islami (Gulbaddin Kekmatyar's forces) want to talk peace with you. They want to kill you.
All the best,
TG
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