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<title>AXWORTHY TO VISIT HUNGARY, BOSNIA AND THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENEVA</title>
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<p><font size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">March 18, 1998 No. 58</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">AXWORTHY TO VISIT HUNGARY, BOSNIA AND THE </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENEVA</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy will visit Budapest, Hungary, Banja Luka
and Sarajevo in Bosnia, and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in
Geneva from March 26 to 30. His visit will focus on the issues of anti-personnel
(AP) mines, peacebuilding, and human rights.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">While in Budapest, on March 26, Minister Axworthy will meet with Foreign Minister
Lazlo Kovacs, and is expected to meet with President Arpad Goncz, Prime Minister
Gyula Horn, and President of the National Assembly Zoltan Gal. Mr. Axworthy will
also address the Budapest Regional Conference on anti-personnel mines organized
by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Committee
to Ban Landmines, with the support of the host Hungarian government and
Parliament.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Representatives from Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Estonia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the
Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine are expected to attend the
conference. Experts from a number of non-governmental organizations will also
participate. Conference discussions will focus on the key issue of military
effectiveness versus the humanitarian impact of AP mines.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"As a number of the conference's participant countries are not signatories to the
Ottawa Treaty, it is crucial that we maintain an ongoing dialogue with them on
the landmines issue in forums like this conference," Minister Axworthy said.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Minister Axworthy will then travel to Bosnia to reinforce Canada's commitment to
the Dayton Accords and to focus on demining issues. Mr. Axworthy is expected to
meet with Republika Srpska President Biljana Plavsic and Prime Minister Milorad
Dodik, and tour the Canadian area of operations of the NATO-led Stabilization
Force on March 27. On March 28, Mr. Axworthy will meet with Bosnian Foreign
Minister Jadranko Prlic, Muslim-Croat Federation President Ejup Ganic, and Deputy
High Representative Hanns Schumacher, and visit the United Nations Mine Action
Centre.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">In Geneva, on March 30, Minister Axworthy will address the 54th session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). The Commission, which this year meets from
March 16 to April 24, has an extensive mandate that allows it to examine the
whole spectrum of human rights issues. The 53 Member States of the Commission
will scrutinize human rights conditions in at least 16 states and territories at
this year's Commission, and consider a number of issues such as the rights of
national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and Indigenous Peoples.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"This year's 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights marks
a crossroads for Canada and the international community," said Mr. Axworthy.
"Over the last 50 years, an impressive array of international human rights
instruments have been developed. It is now time that Commission members move
beyond setting standards and into implementing our human rights commitments."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">While in Geneva, Minister Axworthy will also meet with Mary Robinson, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights. </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Courier">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"><strike></strike></font><font face="Courier">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1851 </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"><strike></strike></font><font face="Courier">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font></p>
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