NEWS RELEASESDecember 4, 1998 (2:30 p.m. EST) No. 286 AXWORTHY TO ATTEND NATO MEETINGS Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced today that he will attend the autumn Foreign Ministers meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, December 8 to 9. The meeting will include sessions of various NATO bodies including the North Atlantic Council, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Minister Axworthy will also hold bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts over the course of the two days. The North Atlantic Council meeting will focus on preparations for the April 1999 Washington Summit including the enlargement of the Alliance to include Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and the revision of the 1991 Strategic Concept, which provides guidance to the Alliance. NATO's ongoing involvement in Bosnia and in international efforts to resolve the conflict in Kosovo will also be discussed. "Canada believes that the revision of the Strategic Concept is essential given the radical changes that have taken place in the international security environment over the past seven years," said Mr. Axworthy. "NATO continues to play a crucial role in conflict prevention and crisis management in the Euro-Atlantic area, as the Alliance's response to the conflict in Kosovo has demonstrated." In Brussels, Minister Axworthy will address the vital question of the security of the 2000 verifiers participating in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Kosovo Verification Mission. NATO plays a role in the air verification mission over Kosovo and in the Extraction Force, which is being assembled to evacuate the OSCE verifiers in the event of an emergency. It is anticipated that the revised Strategic Concept will be endorsed by heads of state and government when they meet in Washington in April 1999. The Washington Summit will be the starting point for celebration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. - 30 - 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 |