August 17, 1998 No. 191

AXWORTHY TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL NGO MEETING ON MILITARY SMALL ARMS

AND LIGHT WEAPONS

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced that he will address the International NGO Consultations on Small Arms Action, to take place August 17-19, 1998, in Orillia, Ontario.

At the Orillia meeting, Canadian and international NGOs will discuss opportunities for co-operative and co-ordinated action in support of the control of military small arms and light weapons. Minister Axworthy will suggest ways in which Canada and other countries can best contribute to this process. He will also discuss Canada's recent proposal that consideration be given to a global convention that would place tighter restrictions on the legal trade and export of military small arms and light weapons.

"Canada is very concerned about the proliferation and transfer of military small arms and light weapons," said Mr. Axworthy. "These deadly instruments have a dramatic impact on international peace and security and cause considerable human suffering in many parts of the world. Canada has been actively examining options to address this complex and multifaceted problem, and this meeting offers an opportunity to share ideas with the NGO community, benefit from their experience and listen to their concerns."

Canada maintains that weapons designed and manufactured to military specifications, such as automatic assault rifles, machine guns, grenades and rocket launchers, should be restricted to military and police organizations only. As well, Canada continues to stress the need for progress in combatting the illegal trafficking and smuggling of military small arms and light weapons. These efforts are intended to proceed in parallel with others aimed at disarmament and peacebuilding in post-conflict situations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is contributing up to $60 000 to the Canadian Peacebuilding Co-ordinating Committee and its newly created Small Arms Working Group to organize and host the Orillia meeting. Funding for this program initiative was provided for in the February 1998 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

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A backgrounder is attached.

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

Backgrounder

CANADA'S PROPOSAL FOR CONTROLLING THE TRANSFER OF MILITARY SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy raised the issue of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September 1997, noting that resolving this issue is essential to building and protecting international peace and security and human rights and democracy. Since that time, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has been exploring how Canada, other governments and the global NGO community might address the situation.

At the invitation of the Norwegian foreign ministry, a group of 21 like-minded countries met in Oslo, Norway, on July 13 to 14, 1998, to take stock of international interest and initiatives to control small arms and light weapons and to reach a common understanding on government action to address the issue. The participating countries were Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe.

At the Oslo meeting, Canada proposed that consideration be given to a global convention that would prohibit the international transfer of military small arms and light weapons to "non-state actors" (i.e. any person or organization other than legitimate military and police authorities).

The Canadian proposal is not directed at firearms that are permitted for legitimate use by civilians and does not affect the Firearms Act (Bill C-68) governing civilian ownership of guns in Canada. It addresses military small arms such as automatic assault rifles, machine guns, grenades and rocket launchers. These weapons are designed and manufactured to military specifications and are legitimately required by military and security organizations for defence and police purposes. All too often, however, these weapons end up in the hands of terrorists, criminals and guerillas who use them to kill, maim and terrorize, as well as to destabilize regions and inhibit the peaceful reconstruction of countries and communities emerging from conflict. In Canada, civilians have long been prohibited from possessing automatic weapons.

Canada believes that the following arms and weapons-related challenges must also be addressed:

the need for better enforcement of existing laws and procedures governing the export and import of military weapons by or on behalf of governments;

the need for progress in combatting illegal trafficking and smuggling of small arms and light weapons; and

the continuing need to help countries and regions cope with both the past accumulation and new inflow of these weapons.

Canada, in co-operation with other countries and the NGO community, will attend the International Conference on Sustainable Disarmament and Sustainable Development, which will take place in Brussels, October 11 to 12, 1998, to build on the current international momentum to address the proliferation of these weapons.