AXWORTHY SENDS SPECIAL ENVOY TO ALGERIA
January 6, 1998 No. 1
AXWORTHY SENDS SPECIAL ENVOY TO ALGERIA
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced that Mr. Claude Laverdure,
Assistant Deputy Minister (Europe, Middle East and North Africa), will travel to
Algeria as a special envoy to assess the situation there.
"I hope that during the mission, expected to take place shortly, my special envoy
will have the opportunity to meet with the most senior Algerian authorities," said
the Minister. "I wish to convey to the Algerian authorities my deep concern and
that of Canada with respect to the renewal of attacks against hundreds of innocent
civilians, and to reiterate to the responsible authorities the need for greater
transparency."
In a recent letter to his Algerian counterpart, Minister Axworthy suggested that
the former take appropriate measures to improve the international community's
understanding of the situation in Algeria, in particular through greater
transparency, especially with the media, to throw light on these appalling events.
In addition, Mr. Axworthy announced that he is also studying the possibility of
increasing humanitarian assistance to survivors and other victims such as
displaced populations.
The Minister recently met with a group of non-governmental organizations to
discuss Canada's concerns regarding the gravity of the situation in Algeria.
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Debora Brown
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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