NEWS RELEASES

May 23, 2001 (10:30 a.m. EDT) No. 64

MANLEY AND KILGOUR EXPRESS CONCERN OVER SITUATION

IN SUDAN

John Manley, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and David Kilgour, Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa), today expressed concern over the tragic situation in Sudan and restated the urgent need to re-energize the peace process under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

"Without an end to the war, there can be no sustainable progress in Sudan on important questions of human rights, development, and good governance," said Minister Manley, who announced that Canada's Special Envoy for Sudan, Senator Lois Wilson, will be travelling to the region next month to demonstrate Canada's strong support for the peace process. "We will seek every appropriate opportunity to press for a more active search for peace in Sudan. I support Senator Wilson in her efforts to promote a negotiated resolution to this conflict."

Mr. Kilgour commended Kenya's decision to convene a summit of IGAD heads of government on June 2 and pledged continued Canadian funding support for the IGAD Secretariat should the summit generate much-needed forward momentum. He stated, "We call on both parties to the conflict to engage genuinely in the IGAD peace process and we look forward to Senator Wilson's assessment of the results of the summit."

Sudan has been mired in civil war for most of the last 45 years, in a conflict that pits the Government of Sudan against the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and which also involves fighting between ethnic militias. Two million Sudanese have died from war-related causes and four million have been displaced from their homes. Since 1990, Canada has contributed over $110 million in humanitarian assistance, and this year alone, almost $7 million has been allocated.

Canada has been a strong supporter of the IGAD peace process since its inception in 1993, as a member of the donor group, the IGAD Partners Forum (IPF). In 1994, IGAD brokered an agreement between the Government of Sudan and the SPLA on a Declaration of Principles, which provided a framework for reconciliation. "Progress toward a negotiated peace has been far too slow, and Canada has recently joined its IPF colleagues in stressing the need for urgent compromise by the parties to the conflict and for stronger political involvement by IGAD's members," said Mr. Kilgour.

Canada condemns the continued suffering of the Sudanese population inflicted by both parties to the conflict and the persistent violation and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law and principles, including the continued aerial bombing of civilian targets by the Government of Sudan. Minister Manley specifically cited the failure by both sides to ensure full, safe, and unhindered access of humanitarian organizations to populations in need, tragically illustrated by the killing on May 9 of a Danish pilot working for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Mr. Manley said, "My views have been conveyed strongly to Sudan's Chargé d'affaires in Ottawa, and at the United Nations. Canada recently co-sponsored the UN Commission on Human Rights resolution condemning abusive practices by all parties to the conflict, and this year we will provide $100 000 in financial support for the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Sudan."

The Government of Canada calls on all Canadian companies active in Sudan to be transparent about their activities and to ensure that their operations are conducted according to international principles and best practices of corporate social responsibility. Canada will continue to press the Government of Sudan to ensure that revenues generated from foreign investment are used to promote peace and development. "We expect companies to take every precaution to ensure they will not contribute to the suffering of the civilian population in Sudan," said Mr. Manley. "To this end, I have asked Senator Wilson to discuss strategies for ensuring transparency in the use of these resources with the Government of Sudan and with our colleagues in the IGAD Partners Forum. We ask all companies active in Sudan to support this approach."

In the case of Talisman Energy Inc., Mr. Manley welcomed the company's designation of a field co-ordinator to monitor the human rights situation in its area of operation, and its stated intention to record more stringently the use of oilfield installations. "In the spirit of transparency, however, I call on Talisman Energy to ensure that, beyond its public Corporate Social Responsibility materials, its field-level reports are disseminated to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Sudan," said Mr. Manley.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sanjeev Chowdhury

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Tasha Stefanis

Office of the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa)

(613) 944-2162

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874