Author/Origin: Mary Wareham wareham@hrw.org

(Monday 28 June 2004 Geneva, Switzerland) The Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention is Co-Chaired by Mexico & the Netherlands. The Co-Rappoteurs are New Zealand & South Africa.

ICBL Presentations

Interventions by Steve Goose (HRW) various articles (1, 2, 3, 8, & 9)

Key discussions

• Debate on a nonpaper on articles 1, 2, and 3 issued by the Dutch co-chair, Ambassador Chris Saunders.
• Updates from contact groups on the activities during the week: resource mobilization (Norway), article 7 (Belgium), and universalisation (Canada)
.
• Statements on national implementation measures by ten States Parties (Algeria, Belarus, Rep. Congo, France, Germany, Jordan, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, and Thailand).

Highlights for ICBL

• Several States Parties provided Article 7 transparency reports during the course of the week, including Belarus, Guinea, Nigeria, and Timor Leste. A total of 101 States Parties (75%) have been presented their 2004 reports.
• Non-States Parties Nepal and Vanuatu spoke for the first time and indicated they both plan to attend the Nairobi Conference. Vanuatu said it hopes to accede to the treaty before then.
• Turkmenistan reported on its progress destroying almost 70,000 antipersonnel mines retained for training. It also announced that it will not retain any mines after this destruction is completed.

Concerns for ICBL

• ICBL urged States Parties to comply with Article 9 of the Ottawa Convention, stressing that it is necessary to be ready to take all necessary measures so as to give full implementation of the Convention.
• Three States Parties spoke against considering the non-paper on Articles 1, 2, and 3: France, Germany, and Japan. Both the ICRC and ICBL indicated their disappointment that some key provisions have been weakened, but urged States Parties to reach use the paper as the basis for further discussions, so that States Parties reach conclusions on these articles by the Review Conference. The following States Parties also commented on the paper: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK.

Quote of the Day

• We believe it is not appropriate at this juncture to get involved in esoteric, legalistic arguments. (Japan delegation on the non/paper)
• This effort [to reach common understandings] is in keeping with the purpose of review conferences, in fact this is their raison d'être [reason for being]. (Peter Herby, ICRC)