NEWS RELEASES
AXWORTHY DEMANDS IMMEDIATE CONSULAR ACCESSTO DETAINED CANADIANS IN YUGOSLAVIA
August 4, 2000 ( 3:25 p.m. EDT) No. 192
AXWORTHY DEMANDS IMMEDIATE CONSULAR ACCESS
TO DETAINED CANADIANS IN YUGOSLAVIA
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today repeated demands for immediate consular access to two
Canadian citizens currently being detained in Andrijevica, Montenegro by Yugoslav authorities.
"Senior officials in Ottawa have called in the Yugoslav Ambassador today to reiterate our expectation for
immediate consular access to these individuals. As we have stressed to the Yugoslav Foreign Ministry, their
government is obliged, under the Vienna Convention, to grant Canadian officials immediate consular access to
the detainees," said Mr. Axworthy. "Our Chargé d'affaires has also met today with a senior military official in
Montenegro to repeat this message and to seek assurances about the well being of the detainees. The manner
in which they have been put on display is completely unacceptable."
Shaun Going, Liam Hall and two British citizens were arrested by the Yugoslav army on Tuesday, August 1
while returning to Kosovo from a holiday weekend on the Montenegrin coast. Mr. Going is a businessman
working in construction in Kosovo, where he is based. Mr. Hall, his nephew, had joined him in Kosovo for the
summer. No charges have yet been laid against the men by Yugoslav authorities. Since learning of the incident
Canadian officials have established regular contact with family members in Canada and continue to work
closely with British, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other officials to resolve
the situation quickly.
There has recently been an increase in tension between the Yugoslav and Montenegrin authorities in advance
of September elections. Belgrade has launched a campaign of intimidation against members of the reform
movement in Serbia, as well as against foreigners. In view of the current political environment in Yugoslavia,
any allegations against these individuals must be treated with a very high degree of skepticism.
Canadians intending to visit the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including both the Republic of Serbia and the
Republic of Montenegro, must be in possession of a visa and a valid passport. Yugoslav authorities have
recently exercised increased control over the border crossings into the Republic of Montenegro and have
arrested foreign citizens who did not have valid visas to enter the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
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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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