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All European Union now on board -- the United States a lone hold out among NATO states
On 27 December at the United Nations in New York, Poland became the 161st nation to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. "We warmly welcome Poland as a full member of the mine ban community. This ratification shows that all countries can and should renounce antipersonnel landmines forever. We hope other countries will now follow in Poland's footsteps, particularly the US." said Kasia Derlicka, ICBL Director.
During a recent ICBL mission to the country, Aung San Suu Kyi gave the organisation a video statement calling on all combatants in Burma to "cease the way of mines".
The ICBL strongly condemns the reported use of antipersonnel mines by the Libyan Armed Forces in recent fighting with rebels in eastern Libya. On 28 March, over 50 antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were discovered near power pylons outside the town of Ajdabiya by electrical technicians. A Human Rights Watch investigation reported that the mines had recently been laid. The Libyan Armed Forces controlled the area from 17–27 March.
I lead one of world's largest national demining organizations. I have visited almost all contaminated areas in Afghanistan. Having spent half of my life taking landmines out of the ground, I believe I have the moral right if not duty to urge the United States to join the Mine Ban Treaty. This will push the big producers to give up the weapon and enable Afghans and other affected nations to put a real end to their landmine tragedy. -- Prof. Shohab Hakimi, Director, Mine Detection Center
Geneva, 16 March 2011 -- The landmine hazard in Israel will remain until all mined areas are cleared and the government bans any new use of mines, said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) today. The Knesset adopted on 14 March 2011 legislation that plans for Israel's "non-operational" mined areas to be cleared, while "operational" mined areas will be kept. The ICBL welcomes this legislation as a first step, but notes that any landmine is a potential threat for civilians, be it in an operational minefield or not.
Geneva, 1 March 2011 - Civil society groups worldwide are calling on the United States to ban antipersonnel landmines immediately, said the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) today, as the Mine Ban Treaty turned twelve. Campaign members will meet today and throughout the month with U.S. representatives in dozens of countries to urge the U.S. to join the Mine Ban Treaty. "It is absurd that the U.S. continues to cling to a weapon that is so horrific that only a country like Myanmar still uses it," said Sylvie Brigot, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Governments Urged to Eliminate Landmines Within Years, Not Decades - ICBL Press Release with information on China, 1 December 2010 (English)
Governments Urged to Eliminate Landmines Within Years, Not Decades - ICBL Press Release, 1 December 2010 - Chinese (Simplified)
Governments Urged to Eliminate Landmines Within Years, Not Decades - ICBL Press Release, 1 December 2010 - Chinese (Traditional)
Geneva, 30 November 2010 - US President Barack Obama should heed the call from 15 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and join the 1997 treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, said the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) today. The Nobel Laureates' call was made in a letter sent to President Obama today as more than 100 governments-including the US-are meeting in Geneva to assess the significant progress to date in implementing the Mine Ban Treaty and to plan for the future.
The ICBL is concerned about reports of a landmine incident that cost the life of a South Korean man and injured another, in early August, on the border with North Korea. According to several media reports, dozens of North Korean landmines have drifted south along streams that connect with South Korea due to heavy rain falls.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions took effect on 1 August 2010. "Our experience in over a decade of Mine Ban Treaty implementation shows that the hard work must start right now if states are to overcome the major humanitarian challenge posed by cluster munitions," said Nobel Peace Laureate and ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams.
Governments at a global conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions from 7-9 June in Santiago, Chile should develop a strong plan of action that leads to the swift implementation of treaty obligations, says the Cluster Munition Coalition. The Convention enters into force on 1 August, less than two years after it opened for signature in Oslo in December 2008.
On 14 May 2010, the Sessions Court in Kupwara District, Jammu and Kashmir, directed the government of India to pay Rs 1.2 million (US$26,199) to Gulzar Mir, a double amputee who lost his legs to an Indian Army laid antipersonnel mine in 2002 while grazing livestock near his home village. It is not known yet if the state will appeal the judgement.
Avaaz.org has launched a petition calling on the United States to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Add your voice to those of the tens of thousands of persons who have already signed! The United States is the world's largest individual contributor for mine action and mine victim assistance programs, and it should match its financial commitment with a political commitment to end the threat of the use of landmines.
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