Prime Minister Witnesses Signing of Agreements with Colombia

"I am very pleased to see these tangible signs of the evolution of our relations with Colombia and with its neighbours," said the Prime Minister. "Co-operation in the wide range of activities that we are addressing today will be beneficial to both our populations. We are particularly interested in helping Colombia in its efforts to protect human rights and to support President Pastrana's peace initiative."

The following documents were signed at the Ottawa ceremony:

Canada-Andean Community Trade and Investment Cooperation Arrangement(TICA) between Canada and the Andean Community, whose members include Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela. Signing for Canada was International TradeMinister Sergio Marchi; for Bolivia, Rene A. Soria Galvarro Haensel, Ambassador to Canada; for Colombia, Martha Lucia Ramirez, Minister of International Trade; for Ecuador, Manuel A. Pesantes, Ambassador to Canada; for Peru, Hernan A. Couturier- Mariategui, Ambassador to Canada, and for Venezuela, Simon A. Faraco, Chargé d'affaires. The TICA establishes a framework for enhanced cooperation in economic and commercial matters.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Combatting Narcotics Trafficking and Preventing Drug Abuse, signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy and his Colombian counterpart, Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernandez de Soto. The MOU promotes cooperation between Canada and Colombia on drug and narcotics-related matters.

Declaration of Intent for a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters(MLAT), signed by Ministers Axworthy and Fernandez de Soto. This Declaration signals both countries' commitment to enter into negotiations toward a treaty on co- operation in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Development and Application of Information and Communication Technologies in Colombia, signed by Minister Marchi, and Minister Fernandez de Soto. The MOU relates to co-operation on the development and application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Colombia.

Declaration of Intent for a Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA) and Double Taxation Agreement(DTA), signed by Minister Marchi and Colombia's Minister for International Trade, Martha Lucia Ramirez. These Agreements commit both countries to continue to support negotiations on investment and income-related matters.

The Prime Minister also announced the following initiatives to assist efforts to end the civil conflict in Colombia:

A Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Peacebuilding Fund contribution of $360 000 to promote a peace process project to be implemented by two Colombian institutions, Javeriana University and the National Conciliation Commission.

Humanitarian Assistance for Victims of Armed Conflict totalling $850 000 to separate projects run by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins sans frontières.

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The TICA between Canada and the Andean Community — Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela — is designed to intensify and strengthen economic relations among the signatories, especially in areas concerning trade in goods and services, investment and technology transfer.

Objectives of the TICA are the promotion of trade liberalization measures, the development of ways to enhance trade and investment and to facilitate private sector participation in strengthening trade and commercial co-operation. The TICA also encourages collaboration on Free Trade Area of the Americas and World Trade Organization programs and promoting regular sharing of information on trade and investment opportunities and other promotional initiatives.

Canada already has a TICA with the MERCOSUR — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — and a similar arrangement with Central America.

This MOU is designed to facilitate the exchange of information in a number of areas, including suspected illegal traffic in narcotics and psychotropic substances and the illegal diversion of chemical precursors and essential chemicals destined for either Colombia or Canada. It deals with the means of concealment used by traffickers as well as the routing of their trade.

The MOU also addresses the exchange of legislative experience in dealing with illegal trafficking and the prevention of drug use, as well as ways to deal with drug dependency through prevention, treatment and rehabilitation activities. The training, practices and policies of prosecutors of drug offences are other components of this agreement.

Both governments commit themselves to pursuing international co-operation in criminal matters. Among other activities, the assistance envisaged includes the gathering of evidence in one country for use in the prosecution of crimes in the other, and the identification of proceeds of crime that may then be confiscated. The MLAT will build on the extensive co-operation that already exists between Canadian and Colombian law enforcement authorities on criminal cases.

Canada is widely acknowledged as a world leader in ICT and in providing systems and services that meet the needs of various sectors of the economy. The MOU commits the Office of International Partnerships at Industry Canada/ SchoolNet and National Planning Department of Colombia (Departamento Nacional de Planeación de Colombia) to the development and application of ICT in Colombia. The transfer of knowledge that is represented by the MOU will allow Colombia to develop its capacity in areas of Canadian ICT expertise, including learning, community access, health, justice, training and the export sector.

Both initiatives are designed to promote and strengthen bilateral trade and investment between Canada and Colombia. The FIPA is a reciprocal agreement that, once signed, will promote and protect foreign investments through legally binding, reciprocal rights and obligations and will serve to promote investment by interests in both countries.

The DTA, once signed, will ensure that income derived from dividends, interest and royalties are taxed by mutual agreement at an acceptable rate. It is expected to stimulate economic relations between Canada and Colombia. Taxpayers will be reassured by measures such as the elimination of double taxation through a reciprocal guarantee of foreign tax credits or some similar mechanism; by the bilateral tax dispute resolution system to which taxpayers can turn and the facilitation of information exchange between governments with respect to tax evasion.

Colombia's Javeriana University and the National Conciliation Commission, a neutral body dedicated to a negotiated peace, will bring together people from the private sector, unions, universities and non-governmental organizations to develop solutions to problems that are part of the violent conflict. For example, they will address agrarian reform, the role of armed forces in a peaceful democratic society, and natural resources and energy policy. CIDA will contribute $360,000 to this initiative.

The assistance will be provided from two grants, totalling $850 000 from CIDA's International Humanitarian Assistance budget. The first grant, $500 000, will be channelled to the International Committee of the Red Cross program in Colombia to provide medical, food and relief assistance to the wounded and displaced. The remaining $350 000 will fund an emergency health project for people in Urabá displaced by the civil conflict. These two grants represent the second phase of their activities.

In 1998, Doctors without Borders trained people who are now able to go out into the communities to provide emergency surgical support, medication and immunization. In addition to health care, they also helped protect those internally displaced people by having an international presence in the country. CIDA provided $300,000 for the first phase.

In 1998, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in partnership with the Colombian Red Cross, began providing medical and relief assistance to the wounded and displaced people. In addition the ICRC began raising awareness about international humanitarian law to all parties involved in the conflict. They also started visiting detainees and acting as a neutral intermediary. CIDA provided $500,000 to this first phase.