Lloyd Axworthy, Director and CEO of UBC’s Liu Institute for
Global Issues will be in Amman, Jordan on Monday, January
27, where he will be available to speak to media about the
UN Report on the Iraq Weapons Inspection, scheduled to be
released by Dr. Hans Blix the same day.
Dr. Axworthy, a former Canadian foreign affairs minister,
will be in Jordan January 27-28 to address officials, diplomats
and opinion leaders at the Regional Human Security Centre
of the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy.
The Centre invited Dr. Axworthy to look at options and alternatives
to military intervention in Iraq. Jordan is a member of the
Human Security Network, launched by Dr. Axworthy on behalf
of the Canadian government in May 1999, and designed to promote
international support for UN efforts to protect civilians.
"There are serious security issues in this region. It
is important that alternatives to meet these issues, that
won’t result in a war with Iraq, be considered by the UN.
Alternatives that won’t ruin the lives of innocent Iraqi citizens
resulting from a major military action," Dr. Axworthy
said.
"In addition to meeting with officials from the Institute
of Diplomacy, I hope to get a sense of the situation next
door in Iraq. I have plans to interview a group of Canadian
citizens who are currently traveling through Iraq to provide
a humanitarian assessment on how the civilian population will
be impacted by a conflict."
The assessment is being funded by Canadian NGOs and will
attempt to report on health, gender, child psychology, humanitarian
law, food security, and disaster preparedness, among other
issues.
Dr. Axworthy will be available by cellphone on January 27
and 28. To arrange to call him, contact Brenda Argue, at the
Liu Institute at 604.822.9957.
For additional information on the humanitarian assessment,
or Dr. Axworthy’s address to the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy,
contact Julie Wagemakers, Deputy Director of the Liu Centre,
at 604.822.4288.
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