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<title>MINISTER AXWORTHY ACKNOWLEDGES CANADIAN ROLEIN HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS</title>
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<p><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">December 18, 1996 No. 252</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">MINISTER AXWORTHY ACKNOWLEDGES CANADIAN ROLE</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">IN HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy this evening confirmed that Canada's
Ambassador to Peru, Anthony Vincent, together with three other diplomats, has
accepted the dangerous responsibility of attempting to bring about a peaceful
conclusion to the ongoing hostage crisis in Lima.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The crisis began when hostages, including members of the Peruvian government, the
diplomatic corps and the business and aid communities, were seized at gunpoint by
the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), which attacked the residence of the
Japanese Ambassador during a reception on Tuesday evening. While nearly two
hundred hostages, mostly women and the elderly, were subsequently released,
several hundred hostages still remain.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"I sincerely hope that the courageous action these four diplomats have accepted to
take will provide hope for a quick and constructive end to the crisis," said the
Minister. "Canada sees this development as a sign that the terrorists are
considering non-violent measures and that this may facilitate a negotiated
solution."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada's Ambassador heads a diplomatic delegation that includes the Ambassadors of
Germany and Greece, as well as the French Cultural Attaché. The delegation was
formed earlier this evening by the MRTA to convey messages between the hostage
takers and the Peruvian authorities. It has already met with Peru's official
mediator in the crisis, Minister of Education Domingo Palermo Cabrejos, to
transmit a letter containing the MRTA's demands. The delegation was then expected
to call on Prime Minister Pandolfi and President Fujimori and finally to visit
imprisoned MRTA leader Victor Polay before reporting back to the MRTA at the
Japanese residence.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">- 30 -</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Catherine Lappe</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">This document is also available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font></p>
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