NEWS RELEASES
AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO SUMMITAND MEETING OF COMMONWEALTHMINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP
July 4, 1997 No. 112
AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO SUMMIT
AND MEETING OF COMMONWEALTH
MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy will take part in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in Madrid on
July 8 and 9. Mr. Axworthy will also attend the Commonwealth Ministerial Action
Group (CMAG) meeting on July 10 and 11 in London, where he will be accompanied by
Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) David Kilgour.
The leaders of the 16 NATO member countries will meet to discuss NATO enlargement,
partnerships with non-NATO countries and internal reform of the Alliance. While in
Madrid, Minister Axworthy will also meet with the new Chair of the European Union
(EU) Council of Ministers, Jacques Poos, who is also the Minister of Foreign
Affairs for Luxembourg, and Sir Leon Brittan, Vice President of the European
Commission, for a Canada-EU Ministerial Meeting on July 7.
The CMAG meeting will hear representations from a number of Nigerian, pan-Commonwealth and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the
situation in Nigeria. CMAG members will also discuss conditions in Sierra Leone
and the Gambia.
"Canada has consistently promoted CMAG consultation with non-governmental
organizations to gain a balanced understanding of the situation in Nigeria," said
Mr. Axworthy. "These NGOs will provide us with valuable insight through their
frontline knowledge and work on human rights in Nigeria."
Representations at the meeting will be made by Nigerian NGOs such as the National
Democratic Coalition of Nigeria, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni
People, the Democratic Alliance of Women of Nigeria and the Civil Liberties
Organization.
Sierra Leone, like all members of the Commonwealth, has undertaken to uphold the
fundamentals of the Harare Declaration: the promotion of democracy, respect for
human rights and good governance. The forcible overthrow of President Kabbah's
elected government is unacceptable and even more tragic in light of the progress
made in Sierra Leone toward democracy, peace and economic reconstruction since
early 1996.
CMAG was created in 1995 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
in New Zealand, following an initiative by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to
increase the Commonwealth's effectiveness in promoting democracy. It will meet
again in September to discuss these issues and will prepare a report to submit to
Commonwealth leaders at CHOGM 1997 in Edinburgh, October 24-27.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Catherine Lappe
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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