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<title>CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES STRENGTHEN CROSS-BORDER PARTNERSHIP</title>
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<p><font face="Courier New"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">March 10, 1998 No. 50</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES STRENGTHEN </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">CROSS-BORDER PARTNERSHIP</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright today announced a number of joint initiatives with the U.S. designed to
strengthen the way Canada and the U.S. co-operate on issues directly affecting
the citizens of both countries. The announcements were made during the Secretary
of State's first official visit to Canada.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">"Last April, Prime Minister Chrétien and President Clinton tasked our two
governments with reinvigorating bilateral relations, especially with respect to
what we do across the border," Minister Axworthy said. "We have a relationship
that is already a model for the world, but it requires constant care, imagination
and commitment to find ways to make it work even better. Secretary Albright and I
have agreed on a number of forward-looking proposals that will help ensure that
our relationship remains the envy of the world."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Minister Axworthy and Secretary Albright welcomed the recommendations of the
report by the International Joint Commission (IJC), <em>The IJC and the 21st Century</em>,
which redefines how the Commission might help Canada and the U.S. in managing the
environmental relationship for the future. Specifically, they accepted in
principle the recommendation to establish new binational watershed boards that
would adopt an integrative ecosystem approach to the full range of water-related
issues in the transboundary environment. They requested that the IJC, in
consultation with the governments, identify a location for the first such board.
The IJC is a binational, independent organization established under the Boundary
Waters Treaty of 1909.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">They welcomed the IJC Interim Report on the Red River Flood, which recommends
ways to strengthen the mutual capacity for dealing with future crises in the Red
River basin. They tasked the IJC to develop a framework for a flood emergency
agreement </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">for the Red River basin, and to define the way in which the proposed Red River
basin-wide flood forecasting committee would operate.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">They further agreed to conduct a review of "lessons learned" from the Red River
flood, the ice storm and other natural disasters to better prepare for future
disasters on both sides of the border. This review is to be conducted under the
Agreement governing co-operation between Emergency Preparedness Canada (EPC) and
the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">"I was very pleased with the level of co-operation shown by U.S. agencies,
especially by the U.S. Department of Defence and FEMA, during the last two
natural disasters. In undertaking a review, both our governments want to benefit
from these experiences and further improve our response mechanisms for future
emergencies," said the Honourable Art Eggleton, Minister of National Defence and
Minister responsible for Emergency Preparedness Canada. </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Secretary Albright and Minister Axworthy also announced an increase of US$150,000
in annual funding by both governments to US$350,000.00, beginning in 1999, for
the Fulbright Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United
States. Created in 1990, the Fulbright Foundation has also received more than
US$4 million in financial support from the private sector.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Finally, they agreed to develop a new Canada-U.S. Youth Co-op Training Exchange
program to encourage private sector exchanges enabling U.S. and Canadian
university students to receive training at private businesses in Canada and the
United States. </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font></p>
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