U.S. Department of State
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Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
June 15, 1998
We are announcing today the Secretary's intention, following consultations with Congress, to create within the Department of State a Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs. The bureau will combine the Office of Canadian Affairs with the existing offices of the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs.
This decision, taken after long and careful consideration within the Department, reflects our intention to continue and deepen political and economic integration in our hemisphere from Tierra del Fuego to the Canadian Arctic. As we move into the new century, it is imperative that we organize our foreign policy structures to best guarantee democracy, prosperity and peace. The creation of this new bureau reflects the emphasis the United States is putting on multilateral hemispheric action and coordination as the road to a better life for all our citizens. By having Canada within a Western Hemispheric Affairs Bureau we should be able to deepen our cooperation in the Americas.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has already joined the U.S., Mexican, and Canadian economies to the benefit of all, and our need to work together in the NAFTA partnership is not limited to trade but extends to such other areas as labor, border issues and the environment. Canada's key role in the Summit of the Americas process, where it now co-chairs the Summit Implementation Review Group and will host the next Summit, the Organization of American States, and its chairmanship of the negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), underscore how important that nation is to the future of the hemisphere. Indeed, it is impossible for me to conceive of hemispheric integration without Canada playing a strong and guiding role.
Canada and the United States are partners worldwide and will continue to be so. This change, already discussed in depth with Canadian officials, will in no way diminish our long-standing and vital partnership with Ottawa in transatlantic and global affairs including in NATO, NORAD, the G-8, APEC, the OSCE and the UN. The new Western Hemispheric Affairs Bureau will work in close conjunction with the Bureau of European Affairs to ensure that cooperation with Canada on vital transatlantic issues is maintained and strengthened.
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