NEWS RELEASES

August 12, 2000 (6:45 p.m. EDT) No. 199

TRILATERAL MINISTERIAL MEETING COMMUNIQUÉ

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright of the United States, Foreign Secretary Rosario Green of Mexico and Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy of Canada met in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on August 11 and12, for their third annual Trilateral Ministerial Meeting. The first two meetings took place in September 1998 and September 1999, in New York City.

The ministers reviewed the development of the North American Partnership to date and discussed ways in which the people of Canada, Mexico and the United States can benefit even more from the growing trilateral relationship as the new century unfolds. The ministers also stated their conviction that the three North American nations should deepen and widen their relationship, and should seek to play a constructive international role, particularly within the Hemisphere.

Trilateral co-operation has already increased significantly since the three ministers released the Framework Statement last year. The ministers identified civil society as an area where much more can be done to take advantage of the growing synergies that North American interconnectedness has generated.

With the objective of providing the latest information about the growing relationship, the ministers unveiled a trilateral Web page, attached to each of the Web sites of the three foreign ministries. The Web page will serve as the repository for information related to the North American Partnership. The ministers welcomed the inclusion on the Web site of an extensive inventory of governmental and non-governmental organizations working on a wide range of issues in the trilateral arena. The Web page will be a valuable resource tool for individuals seeking information on North America. The three ministry sites are www.sre.gob.mx (Mexico), www.state.gov (United States) and www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca (Canada).

The ministers supported a Youth Conference on the future of North America, at which exceptional young individuals will examine issues such as culture, sustainable development and governance. Foreign Affairs Minister Axworthy will deliver a joint statement from all three ministers to the Conference, which is taking place in Ottawa and Montreal on August 18 and 19.

In the area of co-operation on development assistance, the three ministers noted that the Memorandum of Understanding they signed in September 1999 has led to important exchanges of information and methodologies, as well as policy sharing on key development issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this regard, they discussed the possibility of identifying a joint pilot project.

The three ministers underlined the importance of trilateral approaches to disaster preparedness. They noted the need to increase communications and information sharing among the three countries' agencies tasked with handling natural disasters, and eventually to enhance their ability to provide complementary third-country assistance in this field. The three countries will prepare an inventory of resources available to respond to natural disasters, and of recipient-nation agencies working in the field of emergency preparedness. They will seek to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding on Disaster Preparedness as soon as possible.

Important progress has also been achieved in the fields of culture and education. The three ministers announced their governments' sponsorship of the first virtual museum art exhibit in the world, Pan-American Perspectives: The Land in Art, which will be launched in 2001, and in which landscape art will be used to compare and contrast the cultural histories and outlooks of the three countries.

The three governments are improving opportunities for artistic and educational collaboration and exchange by supporting a regional network of museum directors and by upgrading the Educational Leadership Network (EL Net) trilateral on-line database and electronic information exchange services. EL Net provides a dynamic, collaborative environment and gathering space for individuals and organizations to access information and develop joint partnerships between students, faculty and administrators in the three countries. The ministers noted as well the possibility of encouraging the formation of a network of universities engaged in the field of international relations studies.

On environmental issues, the three ministers welcomed studies regarding the potential for enhanced co-operation along green transportation corridors.

The ministers agreed that there is great merit in further developing the North American vision. They agreed to produce a road map on the status of the North American Partnership and to suggest future directions by the time of their next meeting at the United Nations General Assembly. They also agreed on the importance of expanding the government-to-government and people-to-people networks. In this regard, they supported the idea of convening a conference of diverse leaders in different fields from the three countries to examine ways of advancing this important partnership in the coming years.

In addition, the three ministers addressed trilateral co-operation on regional and global issues within the framework of international forums, such as the upcoming UN General Assembly and next year's Summit of the Americas. They also discussed other issues, such as the ongoing Organization of American States Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism against drugs, recent developments in the Western Hemisphere, the Middle East peace process, and efforts to deepen and strengthen democracy.

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Background information on Pan-American Perspectives: The Land in Art is attached.

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

Backgrounder

PAN-AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES ON-LINE

Foreign Affairs Minister Axworthy, Mexican Foreign Secretary Green and U.S. Secretary of State Albright today announced their governments' sponsorship of a virtual exhibition, Pan-American Perspectives: The Land in Art, in which landscape art will be used to compare and contrast the cultural histories and outlooks of the three countries. The initiative is aimed at increasing cultural understanding and appreciation among the peoples of North America, and providing citizens of the Americas and around the world with access to the collections of museums in the three countries.

The exhibition will be designed for use in distance education, both in classroom settings and by individuals in each country. All text will be accessible in English, French and Spanish. This is the first official collaboration between the three countries on original digitized content.

Pan-American Perspectives: The Land in Art will be launched on Heritage Day, February 18, 2001, in conjunction with the inauguration of the Virtual Museum of Canada.

The Department of Canadian Heritage, led by Minister Sheila Copps, will provide funding for the Canadian Heritage Information Network to co-ordinate the initiative, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Winnipeg Art Gallery will supply Canadian content to the exhibition. Mexico's National Council for Culture and the Arts will provide funding for the National Institute of Fine Arts to supply Mexican content, and the Department of State will provide funding for the Smithsonian Museum of American Art to contribute U.S. content.