NEWS RELEASES
CANADA ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY RESPONSE INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS MINE SITUATION IN KOSOVO
June 28, 1999 (2:00 p.m. EDT) No. 153
CANADA ANNOUNCES EMERGENCY RESPONSE INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS MINE
SITUATION IN KOSOVO
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced emergency response initiatives to address the threat of
landmines in Kosovo to assist in the safe return of refugees. Canada is sending two organizations to take part in
the initial mine clearance response. The Minister also announced that Jill Sinclair, Canada's Mine Action
Ambassador, will travel to Skopje and Pristina June 29 and 30 to further assess Canada's role and to better inform
refugees of the dangers of mines.
"Anti-personnel mines are strewn by the tens of thousands across the countryside, poisoning the land from which
Kosovo's people derived their sustenance. They are at once the cruel instrument and the bitter legacy of conflict
and hatred," said Mr. Axworthy. "Rapid action, such as these Canadian initiatives, is therefore needed to clear
these mines to allow for the safe return of refugees and to help prevent future landmine victims."
Earlier this month, Canada and Belgium co-funded a UN mine action assessment mission to Kosovo, which has
led to the establishment of the Kosovo Mine Action Co-ordination Centre (KMACC). The KMACC, expected to be
operational within days, will co-ordinate mine action efforts. One of its first priorities will be to co-ordinate
emergency humanitarian demining to enable the safe return of refugees.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade will provide $200 000 to send Wolf's Flat Ordnance
Disposal Corporation and the Canadian International Demining Centre (CIDC) to Kosovo to take part in this initial
emergency response. Wolf's Flat, a company owned by the Tsuu T'ina Nation near Calgary, has recently
completed an unexploded ordnance removal project in Panama. CIDC, a Sydney-based non-governmental
organization, is currently clearing mines in Bosnia.
Ambassador Sinclair will be accompanied to Kosovo by Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams. With the
support of UNICEF, they will visit refugee camps around Skopje, and in Pristina will discuss the prospects for mine
clearance with UN, military and local officials, as well as mine action NGOs. They will also meet with Canadian
Forces engineers currently clearing mines in Kosovo.
The Minister also welcomed the establishment of the Canadian Landmine Foundation, a non-profit organization
that is dedicated to raising funds for international mine action. The Foundation will give Canadians an opportunity to
contribute to ongoing mine action programs in Kosovo and elsewhere. Canada is contributing $1 million in initial
seed money for the Foundation.
Funding for this initiative comes from the Canadian Landmine Fund, which was established in December 1997
following the signing of the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines. The $1 million contribution will be
equally financed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International
Development Agency.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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