June 9, 1998 No. 151

CANADA ANNOUNCES CONTRIBUTION TO

LANDMINE CLEARANCE EFFORTS IN MOZAMBIQUE

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie Diane Marleau today announced Canadian support to strengthen the Mine Action Program in Mozambique -- one of the world's most heavily-mined countries, with an estimated 1 to

2 million landmines.

"Canada continues to urge countries to sign and ratify the Ottawa Convention banning landmines, but at the same time we need to help countries like Mozambique alleviate the social and economic burden that landmines pose," said Minister Axworthy, speaking at the Organization of African Unity Summit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. "Mozambique achieved peace in 1992, but sustained peace depends on reconstruction, the resettlement of displaced people and economic development. Mine clearance is an essential part of that equation."

The Canadian International Development Agency will manage this $10.5 million three-year project. It will include the gathering of information on the location of mines and how to establish priority areas for mine clearance. Canadian technical specialists will help train local personnel to survey and manage a national computer database on mine location and clearance activities. They will also provide support for mine surveying and digitized mapping using Canadian technology. The training component of Canada's contribution is particularly critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the mine action program.

"Landmines are not only a serious threat to human life, but they also derail economic and social development," said Madame Marleau. "People who no longer venture into the fields to grow crops go hungry. People who fear travelling on mined roads are cut off from markets. By providing assistance for mine location and clearance in Mozambique, Canada is helping restore people's lives and livelihoods."

Canadian experts will join the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Accelerated Demining Program; the UNDP has assumed the lead role for UN mine action in Mozambique. The provision of Canadian technical assistance and training will strengthen existing mine action activities through an improved definition of the problem and can help lead to minefields being cleared in years rather than decades.

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Landmines were deployed by all parties during three decades of war, often in a random and indiscriminate manner, and few accurate records were kept. The expense of medical care and rehabilitation for mine victims adds further burden to the economy. Women and children are most vulnerable, since they are most often responsible for agriculture, fuel and water gathering.

Canada's financial contribution is part of its commitment to implementing Ottawa Process II and comes from the $100 million landmine fund announced by the Prime Minister at the Ottawa Treaty Signing Conference in December 1997.

Funding for the projects announced today was provided for in the February 1998 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

- 30 -

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Debora Brown

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

André Doren

Office of the Minister for International Cooperation and

Minister responsible for La Francophonie

(819) 997-6919

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

Media Relations Office

Canadian International Development Agency

(819) 953-6534

This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca