MINISTER OF JUSTICE TO VISIT ITALY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

OTTAWA , January 11, 2005 – The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Irwin Cotler, today announced that he will undertake an official visit to Rome, Italy and London, England from January 12 to January 16, 2005.

In Rome on January 12, Minister Cotler will deliver a speech on the 60^th anniversary of the United Nations. The speech, entitled Building a New International Law: what has to be done is part of a conference hosted by The Magna Carta Foundation. This Foundation is dedicated to the research, examination and definition of proposals on four major thematic areas: foreign policy; state reform; innovation, research and education; reform of the welfare state and market regulations.

Minister Cotler is also expected to sign a new Canada-Italy Extradition Treaty, with the Minister of Justice of Italy, Roberto Castelli. The new agreement with Italy should improve and enhance cooperation between Canada and Italy in the extradition process by simplifying some of the procedural requirements, thereby making it a much more effective crime-fighting mechanism.

The Minister plans to meet with Monsigneur Giovanni Lajolo, Secretary for the Relations with States at the Vatican to discuss a variety of issues such as measures to promote better relations among ethnic groups affected by terrorism.

Minister Cotler will then travel to London to meet with several key legal officials in the U.K. He will meet with The Rt Hon the Lord Falconer, QC, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor; The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, The Rt Hon The Lord Woolf; The Rt Hon the Lord Goldsmith, QC, Attorney General; and The Rt Hon the Baroness Scotland, QC, Home Office Minister of State for the Criminal Justice System and Law Reform. These meetings will provide the Minister with the opportunity to discuss justice issues of common concern and to build on existing international relationships.

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Ref.:

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

Mylène Dupéré
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621