NEWS RELEASES
CANADA CONDEMNS CUBA'S DOWNING OF U.S. AIRCRAFT
February 26, 1996 No. 24
CANADA CONDEMNS CUBA'S DOWNING OF U.S. AIRCRAFT
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today condemned the shooting down by Cuban
authorities of two civilian U.S. aircraft on February 24, and the tragic loss of
life resulting from this incident.
"The action taken by the Cuban government was an excessive and inappropriate use
of force, which violated internationally accepted rules for the interception of
civil aircraft," said Mr. Axworthy.
Hours after the incident, Canada's Ambassador in Havana met with a senior official
of the Cuban Department of Foreign Affairs to convey the Canadian government's
deep concern about the event and to seek further clarification.
Minister Axworthy noted that the matter is before the UN Security Council. He
indicated that Canada supports a strong statement by the President of the Security
Council on the matter, including a call for a full investigation by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of the circumstances leading to
the tragedy.
Following the shooting down of a Korean airliner (KAL 007) in 1983, Canada called
for a major review of ICAO's guidelines to avoid such tragedies in future. This
review resulted in an important amendment of the Chicago Convention, codifying
customary international law that sets out the practices and principles for the
interception of civil aircraft. Although Canada ratified this new article in
1986, it has yet to come into force. Mr. Axworthy urged all states that have not
yet done so to ratify the article and to respect these undertakings.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Catherine Lappe Media Relations Office
Office of the Minister Department of Foreign Affairs
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1851 (613) 995-1874
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