United Nations, United States: The United Nations on Friday applauded Canada's decision to commit 600 troops and funding to peacekeeping, saying it will have a big impact.
UN officials will quickly begin talks with Ottawa to nail down the specific details of the contribution, which could also include helicopters, desperately needed for the UN mission in Mali.
"This will have a big impact," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
"We have no doubt the Canadian armed forces can help us bolster our capabilities across the globe."
The government announced the commitment of 600 troops and $450 million (US $350 million) over three years, with Foreign Minister Stephane Dion saying the move will give Canada "a stronger voice on the world stage."
Canada has not yet decided which missions it will support, but the 600 personnel include troops and commanders with engineering and medical expertise.
Military transport aircraft will also be deployed and training provided for UN troops and police, according to Canadian officials.
In the coming days, UN officials "will actively engage with the government of Canada to explore when and when the broad range of services and troops they have offered can be best deployed to best meet the needs of our missions," said Dujarric.
This could include helicopters for the UN mission in Mali after Dutch forces said they were planning to withdraw seven helicopters from the west African operation.
"We would look towards those countries who have the capacity to replace those helicopters," said Dujarric.
"We are going to have a discussion with the Canadians to see where and how their contributions can be best put to use."
The announcement came ahead of a meeting in London on September 6 aimed at boosting UN peacekeeping, following US President Barack Obama's pledging conference in September.
At that conference, more than 50 countries pledged more than 40,000 troops for deployment in UN missions worldwide.
The pledges represent a major boost to UN peacekeeping, which relies on voluntary contributions from UN member states to run its 16 missions worldwide.
Once a major player in peacekeeping, Canada kept a low profile under former prime minister Stephen Harper and saw its presence in peace missions dwindle from a peak of 3,000 blue helmets in the 1990s to just 31.
AFP
