NEWS RELEASES
MINISTER AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO AND OSCE MEETINGS
December 11, 1997 No. 206
MINISTER AXWORTHY TO ATTEND
NATO AND OSCE MEETINGS
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced today that he will attend NATO
meetings in Brussels on December 16 to 17, and the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Copenhagen December 18
to 19.
While in Brussels, Mr. Axworthy will participate in the meeting of the North
Atlantic Council, the ceremony marking the Signing of Protocols of Accession for
the Enlargement of the Alliance, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the NATO-Ukraine Commission and the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council, which he will
co-chair. The OSCE meeting will review the work of the Organization and its future
direction.
"We are pleased to be signing the Protocols for the accession of Hungary, Poland
and the Czech Republic as new members in NATO, and we look forward to welcoming
them as full members in 1999," said Mr. Axworthy. "Our meetings with Russia and
Ukraine, and with other partners, demonstrate the key role that NATO continues to
play in building transatlantic security."
"Canada places great importance on OSCE commitments, the political character of
which links them directly to peace and stability in our region," added Mr.
Axworthy. "Just as we must work to strengthen the OSCE, so its members must
continue to make progress on human rights, good governance and economic reform.
In Brussels, at the North Atlantic Council, Mr. Axworthy will address the future
of the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia's peace process, as well as the
continuing internal and external adaptation of the Alliance. In addition to
attending the Plenary Meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers' Meeting in
Copenhagen, the Minister will deliver an address on the challenges that the
Organization is facing in such regions as the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central
Asia.
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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
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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