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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">July 22, 2005 <i>(5 p.m. EDT)</i></span></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">No. 131</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">CANADA WELCOMES UN REPORT ON ZIMBABWE</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew welcomed the report issued today by UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Envoy for Human Settlement Issues in
Zimbabwe, Anna Tibaijuka. The report calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to stop
the demolition of homes and markets, pay reparations to those who have lost homes
and livelihoods and punish those who carried out the evictions of some 700,000 people.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“Canada shares the concerns of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy and again
urges the Government of Zimbabwe to definitively discontinue the Operation
Murambatsvina campaign and to put in place measures to ensure alternative housing
and employment,” stated Minister Pettigrew. “Canada will continue to work with
Zimbabwean and Canadian civil society organizations and with like-minded nations and
multilateral agencies to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided to those victims
of this campaign who are in the greatest need.”</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“We are studying the report of the UN Special Envoy to determine how Canada can
best assist the UN and work with other partners, including those in Africa, to protect the
lives and livelihoods of the people of Zimbabwe,” added the Minister.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">- 30 -</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Sébastien Théberge<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs<br>
(613) 995-1851</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070220184404/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
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