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<title>AXWORTHY TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL NGO MEETING ON MILITARY SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS</title>
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<p><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">August 17, 1998 No. 191</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">AXWORTHY TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL NGO MEETING ON
MILITARY SMALL ARMS </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">AND LIGHT WEAPONS </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced that he will address the
International NGO Consultations on Small Arms Action, to take place August 17-19,
1998, in Orillia, Ontario.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">At the Orillia meeting, Canadian and international NGOs will discuss opportunities
for co-operative and co-ordinated action in support of the control of military
small arms and light weapons. Minister Axworthy will suggest ways in which Canada
and other countries can best contribute to this process. He will also discuss
Canada's recent proposal that consideration be given to a global convention that
would place tighter restrictions on the legal trade and export of military small
arms and light weapons.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"Canada is very concerned about the proliferation and transfer of military small
arms and light weapons," said Mr. Axworthy. "These deadly instruments have a
dramatic impact on international peace and security and cause considerable human
suffering in many parts of the world. Canada has been actively examining options
to address this complex and multifaceted problem, and this meeting offers an
opportunity to share ideas with the NGO community, benefit from their experience
and listen to their concerns."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada maintains that weapons designed and manufactured to military
specifications, such as automatic assault rifles, machine guns, grenades and
rocket launchers, should be restricted to military and police organizations only.
As well, Canada continues to stress the need for progress in combatting the
illegal trafficking and smuggling of military small arms and light weapons. These
efforts are intended to proceed in parallel with others aimed at disarmament and
peacebuilding in post-conflict situations.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is contributing up to
$60 000 to the Canadian Peacebuilding Co-ordinating Committee and its newly
created Small Arms Working Group to organize and host the Orillia meeting. Funding
for this program initiative was provided for in the February 1998 federal budget
and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Courier">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">A backgrounder is attached.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><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">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>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+1"><strong>Backgrounder</strong></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+1"><strong>CANADA'S PROPOSAL FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSFER OF MILITARY SMALL ARMS
AND LIGHT WEAPONS</strong></font><font face="Courier"></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy raised the issue of the proliferation of
small arms and light weapons in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in
September 1997, noting that resolving this issue is essential to building and
protecting international peace and security and human rights and democracy. Since
that time, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has been
exploring how Canada, other governments and the global NGO community might address
the situation.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">At the invitation of the Norwegian foreign ministry, a group of 21 like-minded
countries met in Oslo, Norway, on July 13 to 14, 1998, to take stock of
international interest and initiatives to control small arms and light weapons and
to reach a common understanding on government action to address the issue. The
participating countries were Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia,
France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, the Netherlands,
Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom,
the United States and Zimbabwe.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">At the Oslo meeting, Canada proposed that consideration be given to a global
convention that would prohibit the international transfer of military small arms
and light weapons to "non-state actors" (i.e. any person or organization other
than legitimate military and police authorities).</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The Canadian proposal is not directed at firearms that are permitted for
legitimate use by civilians and does not affect the Firearms Act (Bill C-68)
governing civilian ownership of guns in Canada. It addresses military small arms
such as automatic assault rifles, machine guns, grenades and rocket launchers.
These weapons are designed and manufactured to military specifications and are
legitimately required by military and security organizations for defence and
police purposes. All too often, however, these weapons end up in the hands of
terrorists, criminals and guerillas who use them to kill, maim and terrorize, as
well as to destabilize regions and inhibit the peaceful reconstruction of
countries and communities emerging from conflict. In Canada, civilians have long
been prohibited from possessing automatic weapons.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada believes that the following arms and weapons-related challenges must also
be addressed: </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"> the need for better enforcement of existing laws and procedures governing the
export and import of military weapons by or on behalf of governments;</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"> the need for progress in combatting illegal trafficking and smuggling of small
arms and light weapons; and</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"> the continuing need to help countries and regions cope with both the past
accumulation and new inflow of these weapons.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada, in co-operation with other countries and the NGO community, will attend
the International Conference on Sustainable Disarmament and Sustainable
Development, which will take place in Brussels, October 11 to 12, 1998, to build
on the current international momentum to address the proliferation of these
weapons.</font></p>
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