Draft letter to Polish defense minister

(Wednesday 14 July 2004 ) Copy and paste the text below to Microsoft Word or another word processor and then adapt to your liking.

Mr Jerzy Szmajdzinski
Minister of National Defence
Ul. Klonowa 1
00-909 Warsaw
Poland

Fax: +48 22 845 5378

Dear Minister Szmajdzinski,

I am writing to you to urge you to take all necessary steps to enable Poland’s ratification of the Mine Ban Convention ahead of its First Review Conference which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 29 November to 3 December 2004.

Poland was among the first countries to sign, on 4 December 1997, the Ottawa Convention banning the use, production, stockpile and transfer of anti-personnel mines and ever since your country has shown, on numerous occasions, its commitment to the mine ban.

Five years on from its entry into force, 143 countries around the world have joined the Convention. These include all but three members of the European Union and most of Poland’s neighbours: Lithuania, Estonia and Belarus are already State parties while others such as Ukraine and Latvia are taking steps to join soon.

As a country tremendously affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war, as a result of the first and second world wars, Poland knows first hand the devastating effects of the presence of these weapons on its territory, and the threat that they pose, claiming the lives and limbs of Polish people every year until today. Moreover, for years Polish deminers have actively participated in mine clearance operations abroad.

It is for these reasons that we hope Poland will show the leadership and vision to finally abandon the use of landmines and announce its decision to ratify the Ottawa Convention by the Review Conference. This would send a strong signal to the international community that there is no turning back on the road to a world that is truly mine-free and safer for its inhabitants.

Thank-you for your consideration.

Sincerely,