(No. 383 - December 19, 2011 - Noon ET) Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the death of Kim Jong-il:
“We note this passing and hope the important transition it signals will allow the people of North Korea to emerge from six decades of isolation, oppression and misery.
“It is past due for North Korea to change its ways and for those who lead it to meet the real needs of the North Korean people.
“Canada remains committed to a secure Korean peninsula and a peaceful, prosperous broader region; we will work with our allies to those ends.”
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