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<title>CANADA WELCOMES SUDAN PEACE TALKS</title>
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<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1">July 19, 1999 <em>(4:40 p.m. EDT)</em> No. 162</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial" size="+1">CANADA WELCOMES SUDAN</font><font face="Arial" size="+1"> PEACE TALKS</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today welcomed the resumption of the peace talks on Sudan
and urged the parties to come to a negotiated settlement. The Minister also announced that David Pratt,
Member of Parliament, Nepean-Carleton, will attend the regionally mediated talks on July 20 to 23, in
Nairobi, Kenya, on behalf of the Government of Canada.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"Civilians are the principal casualties of Sudan's civil war, and children in particular are the most
vulnerable. The international community must increase its efforts to end this conflict," said Mr.
Axworthy. "Canada urges the parties to show flexibility and to commit themselves to a timetable for
ongoing negotiations."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The negotiations will be mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which
aims to promote peace and development in the Horn of Africa and whose members include Djibouti,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. Kenya chairs the IGAD committee, which is
seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Army. This peace process has been accepted by all parties to the conflict and represents the
best opportunity to end the conflict.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Mr. Pratt represents Canada as an observer and as a member of the IGAD Partner Forum (IPF) in support
of the talks. The IPF includes donor countries that are providing support for the IGAD's peace and
development efforts. Mr. Pratt recently travelled to Sierra Leone as special envoy to assess the
humanitarian and security situation.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"> </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Minister for International Co-operation and Minister responsible for la Francophonie Diane Marleau
announced a contribution of $400 000 from the Peace Building Fund in June of this year to support the
Sudan peace negotiations. The funds will be disbursed through a Canadian non-governmental
organization, Project Ploughshares, which seeks to link humanitarian, development and security
concerns in a multidimensional response to the conflict. The project also aims to engage members of
Sudanese civil society in supporting the IGAD.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial"> </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The civil war that has afflicted Sudan for most of the period since 1956 is one of the most intractable
conflicts in the world today. Over 1.9 million people have died and more than 4 million people are
displaced. Canada has provided over $100 million since 1990 in humanitarian aid to Sudan.</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
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