WASHINGTON, May 11, 2004 - Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, said that significant agreement and progress have been realized at the meeting of G8 Ministers responsible for Justice and Home Affairs this week in Washington, in four core areas as set forth in the G8 communiqué:

• the prevention of terrorist and criminal acts;
  
• strengthening border and transportation safety;
  
• combating cyber-crime including cyber-hate; and
  
• fighting corruption and recovering stolen national assets.

"Agreement and progress in these areas are themselves anchored in four basic principles. There is no contradiction between the commitment to security and the commitment to human rights. The struggle against terrorism and crime cannot be fought - or won - by one country acting alone. Mutual legal assistance, information sharing and international co-operation is essential. And there must be a zero-tolerance policy for hate, as there is a zero-tolerance policy for terrorism," said the Minister.

Minister Cotler also shared with his G8 counterparts what he called Canada's
significant - even historic - initiative, the first ever comprehensive and integrated National Security Policy organized around three principle security interests:

• protecting Canada and Canadians;
  
• ensuring that Canada is not used as a base to threaten our allies; and
  
• protecting and promoting international peace and security.

In addition, Minister Cotler said he felt it was important to "sound the alarm" regarding grave human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis now taking place in Darfur, Sudan. He asked his G8 colleagues to appreciate the gravity of the situation and the need to take appropriate action.

The Minister also held bilateral meetings with each of his G8 counterparts. The G8 brings together leaders of the world's major industrial democracies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge hosted the meeting. A series of documents from the meeting will be available online at: http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/events/g82004/index.html

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Ref.:

Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621