For Immediate Release
Toronto, June 28, 2001… Following Minister of Foreign Affairs John Manley’s announcement of the intention of Canada to open an embassy in Tripoli, B’nai Brith Canada called upon the Ministry to exercise vigilance in dealings with Libya.
Rochelle Wilner, President of B’nai Brith Canada, said, “Canada must tread very carefully in dealings with Libya’s current government. The proliferation of arms in Northern and Central Africa, the belligerent posturing of Mr. Gadaffi towards western democracies, and the opaque wall around Libya’s human rights record should give the Minister and Canada’s newly appointed Chargé d’affaires pause.”
Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President, added, “We are surprised that Canada has chosen to upgrade its relations with Libya at this time. That state is still ruled by Moammar Gadaffi - a brutal dictator and well known sponsor of terrorism. One should not forget that it was a Libyan agent who was recently convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Also, Libya’s interference in the affairs of neighbouring countries like Chad is common knowledge.”
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B’nai Brith has been active since 1875 as the country’s senior advocacy and volunteer agency. Its Institute for International Affairs was established to monitor human rights issues around the world.
For more information, please contact:
Rochelle Wilner or Frank Dimant at (416) 633-6224
Institute for International Affairs
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