Landmine Campaign Details Global Progress and Problems

(Maputo: 3 May 1999) At the opening of the First Meeting of States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) hailed the very substantial progress that has been made toward eradicating the weapon as evidenced by its Landmine Monitor Report 1999. The ICBL also condemned continued users of antipersonnel landmines since the ban treaty was signed in December 1997, including Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Yugoslavia.

The good news is that “the world is clearly embracing the new, emerging international standard against the antipersonnel mine,” said Jody Williams, co-recipient with the ICBL of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. To date, the Mine Ban Treaty has been signed by 135 nations and ratified by 77. “While the ICBL condemns any use of antipersonnel mines, it is particularly appalled at the disregard for their international commitments by treaty signatories the government of Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal,” said Williams. The ICBL also expressed alarm at the renewed use of antipersonnel mines by UNITA, the opposition force in Angola, and by the government of Yugoslavia, which has not signed the treaty. “People everywhere are sickened by reports of Yugoslav atrocities against civilians; regrettably the use of mines will mean many, many more civilians will die or be injured even after the horror of this war comes to an end,” said Williams.

“Despite these instances of continued use, overall we have seen a distinct decrease in use, production, transfer and stockpiling of antipersonnel mines globally as the norm established by the ban treaty begins to take effect,” said Williams. The number of mine victims is decreasing in high-risk places such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Mozambique, and Somaliland. Approximately 12 million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed from the stockpiles of 30 nations--mines that now can never find their way into the ground. At least 38 nations have stopped production of antipersonnel mines, while just 16 producers remain. There is no evidence of significant exports of antipersonnel mines by any nation in recent years, and Iraq is the only known past exporter that has not at least publicly declared a halt to mine shipments.

These conclusions are drawn from the ICBL’s 1,100-page Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-Free World, which was presented to governments during the opening plenary of the diplomatic conference, where the ICBL has official observer status. This unprecedented and unique book contains information on every country in the world with respect to mine use, production, trade, stockpiling, humanitarian demining and mine survivor assistance. (See separate Landmine Monitor press advisory).

The ICBL noted that there has been a significant increase in global pledges to and spending on mine action since the treaty signing in December 1997, and that a number of important new initiatives and programs are underway but it expressed concern that too little money appears to be actually reaching the field and resulting in mines being quickly detected and destroyed. The ICBL also raised concerns that too much funding is going to research and development programs for demining technologies and equipment that may have limited relevance to immediate needs on the ground and called on governments to support current methods of mine clearance and allocate more funds for proven current methods.

“More must be done to ensure demined land is used by those who really need it,” said Tun Channareth, a Cambodian landmine survivor and ICBL Ambassador. “Demined land must help the mine-affected communities, and not the politicians, police chiefs, province governors and military commanders.” Jerry White, an American landmine survivor and chair of the ICBL Working Group on Victim Assistance, said, “We need to help survivors and implement programs now. The ICBL calls on governments to provide up to $3 billion over the next ten years to support effective assistance programs in mine-affected countries.” In Maputo, the ICBL introduced its new “Guidelines for the Care and Rehabilitation of Survivors.”

“This treaty provides a comprehensive framework for solving the mine crisis, not just a political ban but also demining and victim assistance. Global cooperation and coordination in all these areas should be carried out under the umbrella of the treaty, through a new, regularized system of intersessional work,” said Williams. The ICBL expressed its hope that the week-long First Meeting of States Parties would further enhance the international norm against antipersonnel mines, and would establish some practical means of facilitating implementation of the treaty, including removal of mines in the ground within ten years, destruction of mine stockpiles within four years, and expanded mine survivor assistance programs.

The ICBL called on the recalcitrant states that have refused to join the treaty to accede to it now. “It is unconscionable for some governments to continue to insist that their militaries must use this weapon whose victims are nearly always civilians,” said Elizabeth Bernstein, ICBL Co-coordinator. While welcoming rapid progress made in ratifying the ban treaty, which resulted in entry into force on 1 March 1999 -- more quickly than any major treaty in history -- the ICBL also called on all states that have not yet ratified to do so as soon as possible, and to abide by the terms of the treaty until their ratification process is completed. The ICBL noted that only a relatively small number of the states parties (governments that have signed and ratified) have enacted domestic legislation implementing the treaty. The ICBL called on all states parties to do so quickly, including imposing penal sanctions for treaty violations.

The ICBL also expressed concern that the United States has indicated that it reserves the right to use antipersonnel mines in the Kosovo conflict. All of the NATO nations except the United States and Turkey have signed the Mine Ban Treaty. “There should be a NATO-wide policy of no use of antipersonnel mines in joint operations,” said Williams. “Treaty signatories should not have to fight alongside allied forces that use antipersonnel mines.” The Kosovo operation has heightened the ICBL’s concerns about U.S. mines that are stored in NATO countries that have signed the treaty (Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, and United Kingdom) and the possibility of U.S. transit of antipersonnel mines through those, or other signatory, countries for the purpose of war fighting. The ICBL believes such transit would constitute a treaty violation.

For more information or to schedule an interview contact the ICBL at the NGO Secretariat, +258-1-499-765

• Mary Wareham, mobile: +27-82-858-5098
• Liz Bernstein, mobile: +258-(0)82-309-195

See also special section on FMSP and ICBL general assembly.