|
Prime Minister to Visit Senegal and Nigeria, and Attend Commonwealth and OSCE Meetings
November 4, 1999
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, November 12 to 15 in Durban, South Africa, following bilateral visits to Senegal and Nigeria, November 7 to 10. The Prime Minister will also attend the Summit of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Istanbul, Turkey, November 18 to 19.
In Durban and at their retreat in George, South Africa, Commonwealth heads of government will discuss the theme of this year's meeting: "People-Centred Development: the Challenge of Globalization." They will also review global developments, consider a number of reports on Commonwealth functional cooperation and select a new Secretary-General. Among the global issues they will consider, will be a report from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which will address the recent military coup in Pakistan and CMAG's future role and composition. Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, who led a CMAG delegation to Pakistan last week, will be in Durban on November 11 to report to the Group.
On November 11, the Prime Minister will attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at the site of the grave of Flying Officer David Alexander Tasker, a Canadian who lost his life in South Africa during the Second World War.
While in Senegal November 7 to 9, the Prime Minister will address the National Assembly, meet with President Abdou Diouf, attend the inauguration of a natural gas turbine built by Hydro-Quebec International and visit Gorée Island, from where many Africans were sent into slavery in North and South America.
During his visit to Nigeria November 9-10, the Prime Minister will address a joint session of Nigeria's Senate and House of Representatives. He will hold discussions with President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose attendance at the Commonwealth meeting later in the week marks Nigeria's return to full participation in the Commonwealth after the lifting of its suspension last May.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied on his African visits by David Kilgour, Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa). Mr. Kilgour will also attend the Commonwealth Business Forum in Johannesburg and meet representatives of South African civil society.
The OSCE Summit, which involves the nations of Europe, the now-independent Asian states of the former Soviet Union, the United States and Canada, will discuss European security issues. At the Summit, the Prime Minister and other leaders will sign the Charter for European Security, as well as major revisions to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
-30-
PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
|
