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Monday 06 November 2000. Origin/Author:

More than twelve millions of antipersonnel mines are still stockpiled in the Americas, posing a threat to the inhabitants of the continent. We are here to turn that number to zero. During the following days we will lay down the strategies to achieve this major challenge.

Nonetheless, this road will also be mined until we guarantee the clearance of the following obstacles:

The United States and Cuba, two countries where mines are stockpiled, have not yet joined the group of nations that have made the commitment of eradicating landmines at once and for ever. The goal of a regional and glbal universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty will not be completed until these countries join the ban movement. Our message is clear: governments of Cuba and the United States we strongly urge you to accede the Mine Ban Treaty.
Three State Parties in the Americas –Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela have not yet started the destruction of the stockpiles of mines in their countries. Argentina will start on the next Wednesday, and we are looking forward to witness this historical moment. To all the rest, please keep in mind that this task is both necessary and urgent in order to demonstrate serious commitment toward the Mine Ban Treaty, and the menace will not be over until governments guarantee a total destruction.
The existence of huge AP mines stockpiles. The situation is of great concern in the case of the United States, that has nearly twelve millions of AP mines stockpiled, by far the greatest in the Americas. Nevertheless, the cases of Peru and Ecuador are also critical, amounting to a total of more than half a million AP mines: three times as much as the estimated number of AP mines used during the Cenepa conflict in 1995.
There is still a lack of clarity of governments regarding the exact amount of mines they keep in stockpiles. The cases of Colombia and Venezuela as State Parties, Chile and Guyana as signatories and also Cuba worry the international community committed to the total eradication of landmines. Here we urge governments to report thoroughly, on time and in a transparent way on Article 7. Not doing so is also a violation to the Treaty.
The amount of AP mines planned to be retained by governments for training purposes is one of the major concerns of the Americas region. The decisions made by the governments of Brazil, retaining seventeen thousand mines, Ecuador, retaining sixteen thousands and Peru, retaining more than nine thousands, while being among the highest numbers retained by any State Party globally, maintain a climate of uncertainty. In the case of Ecuador and Peru, the decision of destroying ALL their mines, not even retaining a small amount for training purposes, will surely strengthen the new born peace between the two nations.
The existence of non-conventional stockpiles by Non-State Actors in Colombia represents a threat to the ongoing peace process in a country involved in a conflict where mines are still seen as useful weapons in a growing detriment for civilians. Concrete acts on the way of destroying the mines stockpiled by the government of that country, will surely represent a challenge for others keeping landmines, and will represent a way of finding humanitarian agreements regarding the ongoing peace process.

Having in mind these preoccupations, we expect that by the end of this meeting we will have:

First: a strengthened commitment of governments for the destruction of AP mine stockpiles in all the countries in the Americas. Those of you representing your governments will acquire the necessary technical mechanisms and tools to achieve this goal. It is your duty to transmit this knowledge to the relevant instances.
Second: a prepared group of campaigners and researchers to account in the name of the civil society of the achievement of this goal.
Third: New and strong relations between governments and civil society, here represented by campaigners and researchers from all the Americas, in order to build transparent processes through the goodwill observation and monitoring of the stockpiles destruction.
Fourth: A commitment to improve the transparency and precision on reporting to both Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty and Landmine Monitor Report. These documents are the memory of advance of the contribution of the entire Americas toward a mine-free world.
Fifth: A renewed and responsible effort for the achievement of the OAS reiterative objective of making the Americas a mine-free territory. We here challenge the government of the Americas to build a hemisphere free of stockpiled landmines before Managua, on September 2001. We are convinced that this is possible, counting with the political will and the support of all nations.

Finally we would like to extend our felicitation to Honduras, who announced the destruction of all the mines that were stockpiled in that country. Your acts are both challenging and inspiring, and gives us a chance to face a reality that now seems more optimistic than ever. To those nations in the Americas that have bet for mine-free countries in favour of the people, we extent our gratitude and admiration. And once again we request the governments of Chile, Guyana, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Uruguay to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty before the Third Meeting of States Parties to be held in Managua, Nicaragua on September 2001. Our task will not be completed until we achieve our main goal: a world where all nations are fully covered and committed in a global ban and eradication of landmines.

The American continent has set the examples to follow for the rest of the world. This, off course is not only something to be proud of, but also a great and powerful responsibility. Governments and people of the Americas, let us not rest until transforming this in a mine-free continent.

Related Information

Mine Ban Treaty

REMARKS TO THE OPENING OF THE STOCKPILE DESTRUCTION SEMINAR