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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For further information, media representatives may contact:

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

This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca