August 7, 1998 No. 185

AXWORTHY CONDEMNS LATEST VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO

AND CALLS FOR UNITED NATIONS ACTION

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today condemned the continuing bloodshed in Kosovo after the latest offensive by Serbian interior and Yugoslav forces.

"The cycle of violence in Kosovo is a threat to international peace and security. The growing humanitarian tragedy in which hundreds of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, must be stopped," said Minister Axworthy.

Canada is approaching the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council to urge them to address immediately the security and humanitarian dimension of the Kosovo crisis.

"It is incumbent on the United Nations Security Council to become fully engaged on the Kosovo issue. It must demonstrate the will to act, otherwise, the Kosovo crisis could spiral out of control," said Mr. Axworthy. In this regard, the Minister called on the Contact Group countries to set aside their differences. The same message was conveyed to the 16-member NATO Council meeting in Brussels today.

Canada was one of the first countries to respond to appeals for humanitarian assistance in Kosovo. In light of the worsening human tragedy in this troubled area of the world, Canada is presently working with international organizations on further measures to address the crisis. Additional Canadian assistance is expected to be announced in the next few days.

Axworthy reiterated his call for all parties in the conflict to put down their arms and negotiate a peaceful settlement that would provide increased autonomy for Kosovo within the territorial boundaries of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). He noted that the FRY government bears particular responsibility for finding a peaceful solution and must be held accountable for the excessive and indiscriminate use of force against its own civilian population.

In July, Canada imposed a number of sanctions on the FRY government. Economic measures included a ban on new investments in the Republic of Serbia and a freeze of the funds and financial resources of the FRY and Serbian governments in Canada. Pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1160, Canada also adopted amendments to its UN Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Regulations to prohibit the export, sale, supply or shipment of arms or related materiel to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

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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