October 8, 1998 (1:45 p.m. EDT) No. 238

AXWORTHY AND KILGOUR TO ATTEND COMMONWEALTH MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP MEETING

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy will attend the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting in London, England, on October 9, with Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) David Kilgour attending on October 8 and 9.

This will be the first CMAG meeting since the decision of Nigeria's Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, to free political prisoners and commit his government to free elections in 1999. Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Ignatius Olisemeka, will participate in a special session on October 9 to discuss Nigeria's current transition plan with CMAG members. CMAG members will also review recent developments in Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

"Canada is greatly encouraged by the progress made under Nigeria's program for transition to democracy and economic reform," said Mr. Axworthy. "We also welcome the presence of Nigeria's Foreign Minister, which further attests to Nigeria's commitment to change."

Last August, Canada decided to implement the following bilateral activities in response to Nigeria's constructive movement toward democracy: the re-establishment of a Canadian diplomatic presence in Nigeria; financial and technical aid in support of Nigeria's transition to democracy; and a visit to Nigeria in early September by Secretary of State Kilgour.

"The mission to Nigeria enabled me to review and discuss current developments with the new Nigerian government as well as with a broad cross-section of Nigerian society," said Mr. Kilgour. "Furthermore, I was able to see for myself the positive impact of the changes in Nigeria."

The decision to suspend Nigeria's full membership in the Commonwealth was made at the 1995 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), held in New Zealand. The decision followed two separate occasions on which Nigeria's military-led government disregarded basic principles of democracy: the abrogation of the results of the 1993 presidential election and the execution of Nobel Laureate Ken Saro-Wiwa, which was carried out during the 1995 CHOGM.

CMAG was created in 1995, following the events in Nigeria, with a mandate to recommend collective Commonwealth responses to serious or persistent violations of the principles contained in the Commonwealth's Harare Declaration on human rights and democracy. CMAG consists of the eight member countries of Barbados, Botswana, Canada, Ghana, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Debora Brown

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Sara Mohsin

Office of the Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa)

(613) 992-9404

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