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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">July 5, 2006 <i>(10:45 a.m. EDT)</i><br>
No. 74</span></span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">CANADA CONDEMNS NORTH KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCH</span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">The Honourable Peter MacKay, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Minister of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt">Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, today condemned the launch of several ballistic
missiles, including what appears to have been a long-range missile, by the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea.<span> </span></span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“These missile launches represent a major threat to peace and stability in Northeast
Asia and seriously undermine global efforts at halting the development and spread of
the means of delivery for weapons of mass destruction,” said Minister MacKay. “Such
actions can only diminish North Korea’s security, not enhance it.”</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">This series of launches break North Korea’s self-imposed moratorium on long-range
ballistic missile testing, instituted in 1999 following a missile test on August 31, 1998.
Canadian officials have long urged North Korea to maintain this unilateral moratorium,
as well as to permanently halt the development and export of missile-related goods and
technologies and to subscribe to the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile
Proliferation.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">“This is not the first time the North Korean government has used brinkmanship in an
attempt to improve its leverage with the international community,” said Minister MacKay.
“Canada believes that such tactics are counterproductive and ultimately destined to
fail.”</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Since 2003, North Korea has been a member of the Six-Party Talks (China, Japan,
North Korea, South Korea, Russia and the United States) convened to address its
nuclear program. </span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">While all parties agree that the objective of the talks is to denuclearize the Korean
peninsula, North Korea has refused to return to the table since the last round was held
in November 2005, citing U.S. financial measures against its companies suspected of
involvement in money laundering and counterfeiting.</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Canada established diplomatic relations with North Korea in February 2001 but placed
relations on a “not business as usual” footing in October 2002, following the admission
by North Korean officials that their country was pursuing a clandestine uranium
enrichment program.</span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">- 30 -</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221012539/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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