NEWS RELEASES
CANADA URGES U.S. TO RETURN TOSALMON NEGOTIATIONS WITH MANDATE TO TALK
May 23, 1997 No. 93
CANADA URGES U.S. TO RETURN TO
SALMON NEGOTIATIONS WITH MANDATE TO TALK
The Government of Canada today called upon the United States to return in good
faith to negotiations aimed at settling the Pacific salmon dispute.
Canada suspended talks on May 21 when the U.S. negotiator was unable to advance a
position on one of the key southern issues, Fraser River sockeye. Until then talks
had been fairly positive.
"I am contacting U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today to urge that the
United States send its chief negotiator back to the table with a mandate to reach
agreement on the dispute," said Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy. "Barring
an immediate return to negotiations, we will consider further options. Any further
steps we take must be aimed at resuming negotiations -- not detracting from them."
Raymond Chrétien, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., has also made representations
to the U.S. Administration and the Governors of Oregon and Washington to clear the
way for an immediate resumption of negotiations.
"On May 21, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans stepped up enforcement of
measures requiring foreign vessels to contact Canadian authorities as they pass
through Canadian waters," said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Fred Mifflin. "We
will assess the impact of these measures in the near future to determine their
effectiveness."
Under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans regulations, vessels that violate the
regulations can be inspected, required to go to a Canadian port or face arrest,
depending on circumstances.
"We will not risk our B.C. salmon stocks or the jobs and communities in this
province which depend on them," said Transport Minister David Anderson, senior
federal minister for British Columbia. "We are taking immediate action so that
this critical B.C. issue goes to the top of the American agenda."
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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
Bonnie Mewdell
Office of the Minister of
Fisheries and Oceans
(613) 992-1474
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
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