Mckinnon To Visit East Africia

Foreign Minister Don McKinnon departs today on a visit to Sydney and Africa, where he will be visiting, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mauritius and the Seychelles, returning to NZ on 20 March.

In Sydney, Mr McKinnon will represent New Zealand at a meeting convened by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. The meeting will consider how donor countries can best use their development assistance to address the underlying causes and effects of the Asian economic crisis.

Mr McKinnon will then go on to conduct an extensive bilateral tour of East African and Indian Ocean countries, including Uganda where he will seek an update from senior Government representatives on the tragic death of two New Zealanders held hostage by Hutu rebels

"Accounts so far indicate that the Hutu captors were solely responsible for these appalling killings. I want to convey New Zealanders' sense of outrage at these deaths, and our strong desire to see the local authorities bring the killers to justice. I will do this when I meet with Ugandan President Museveni,"

Mr McKinnon said. In Kenya, Mr McKinnon will give a keynote address celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Commonwealth, and will also meet with Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi.

"It has been more than a decade since a New Zealand Foreign Minister has visited some of these countries, and it is important that we continue to cement our good relations with countries in the African Continent, especially in the context of our Commonwealth relationship," Mr McKinnon said.

Mr McKinnon's itinerary is as follows:

4-6 March Sydney
7-9 March Nairobi, Kenya
9-10 March: Kampala, Uganda
10-12 March: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
12-13 March: Blantyre, Malawi
14-16 March: Mauritius
16-18 March: Seychelles