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<title>STATEMENT BY THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER</title>
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<p><font size="+1"></font><font size="+1"><strong>November 15, 2002 <em>(2:20 p.m. EST)</em> No. 147</strong></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font size="+1"><strong>STATEMENT BY THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER</strong></font></p>
<p>Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham today issued a joint statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand on the
successful conclusion of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Review Conference.</p>
<p>- 30 -</p>
<p>The joint statement is attached.</p>
<p>For further information, media representatives may contact:</p>
<p>Media Relations Office</p>
<p>Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</p>
<p>(613) 995-1874</p>
<p><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221020507/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/">http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</a></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font size="+1"><strong>JOINT STATEMENT</strong></font></p>
<p>We, the foreign ministers of Canada and Australia and the Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control of New Zealand,
welcome the successful conclusion of the Fifth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
(BTWC) in Geneva. </p>
<p>In particular, we welcome the decision to convene more frequent meetings of States Parties to work together to promote
common understanding and effective action on a number of key issues. We believe that these multilateral efforts will help
us to achieve our common goal of strengthening the effectiveness and implementation of the Convention. </p>
<p>We also reaffirm our shared conviction that:</p>
<p>• biological weapons are repugnant;</p>
<p>• the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention remains a relevant and vital pillar of the global disarmament and non-proliferation framework, essential both to the campaign to rid the world of the scourge of biological weapons and to the
pursuit of international peace and security;</p>
<p>• biological weapons must not be developed, produced, retained, stockpiled, otherwise acquired, used or transferred by
States or any non-State entities under any circumstances whatsoever;</p>
<p>• bio-terrorism, in any of its manifestations, is abhorrent and unacceptable.</p>
<p>Canada, Australia and New Zealand look forward to continuing to work within and to strengthen the BTWC. We commit
our governments to participate actively in all BTWC meetings leading up to the next Review Conference in 2006 and to
accelerate the universalization of the Convention.</p>
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