Prime Minister Chrétien to Participate in Sarajevo Stability Pact Summit


July 27, 1999
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today announced that he will attend the Stability Pact Summit on Southeastern Europe, July 29-30, in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. The meeting will bring together leaders from 28 countries and senior representatives of 12 international institutions to demonstrate a continued commitment of world leaders to stability throughout the Balkans.

The summit is a follow-up to the June G-8 Cologne Summit. Its goal is to address political and economic instability in the countries of the Balkans by providing a road map for their deeper integration into European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Three main themes will be discussed: democratization and human rights; economic reconstruction, development and cooperation; and security issues.

"Canada has provided significant military, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian assistance to the Balkans throughout the past decade. We have contributed soldiers to peacekeeping missions in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and now in Kosovo," said the Prime Minister. "We see the Stability Pact Summit as an important opportunity to generate momentum and support for the people of Southeastern Europe as they tackle the difficult work of building a peaceful and democratic future together."

In Sarajevo, leaders from European Union and G-8 countries will join representatives of organizations such as the United Nations, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Commission, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International Monetary Fund.

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