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<title>AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO MEETINGS</title>
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<p><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1"></font><font face="Arial" size="+1">December 4, 1998 <em>(2:30 p.m. EST)</em> No. 286</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Arial" size="+1">AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO MEETINGS</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced today that he will attend the autumn Foreign Ministers
meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, December 8 to 9. The meeting will
include sessions of various NATO bodies including the North Atlantic Council, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership
Council, the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Minister Axworthy will
also hold bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts over the course of the two days.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The North Atlantic Council meeting will focus on preparations for the April 1999 Washington Summit including
the enlargement of the Alliance to include Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and the revision of the 1991
Strategic Concept, which provides guidance to the Alliance. NATO's ongoing involvement in Bosnia and in
international efforts to resolve the conflict in Kosovo will also be discussed. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">"Canada believes that the revision of the Strategic Concept is essential given the radical changes that have
taken place in the international security environment over the past seven years," said Mr. Axworthy. "NATO
continues to play a crucial role in conflict prevention and crisis management in the Euro-Atlantic area, as the
Alliance's response to the conflict in Kosovo has demonstrated."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">In Brussels, Minister Axworthy will address the vital question of the security of the 2000 verifiers participating in
the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Kosovo Verification Mission. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">NATO plays a role in the air verification mission over Kosovo and in the Extraction Force, which is being
assembled to evacuate the OSCE verifiers in the event of an </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">emergency.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">It is anticipated that the revised Strategic Concept will be endorsed by heads of state and government when
they meet in Washington in April 1999. The Washington Summit will be the starting point for celebration of the
50th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><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>
<p><font face="Arial">This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font></p>
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