ICBL deplores continued obstruction of the ban on antipersonnel minesin Egypt

Cairo, Egypt: 11 April 2000) The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate today deplored the manipulation of the Final Declaration of the regional conference on landmines and called on Egypt and all non-signatory countries to follow the true path to the ban on antipersonnel mines by joining the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

"Today democracy did not prevail when the main conference organizer, the National Center for Middle East Studies, issued the Final Conference Declaration which conformed completely with Egyptian Government's current policy against the ban and refused to include any of the many positive and constructive recommendations and suggestions made by participants," said Belkacem Elomari, ICBL campaigner from Morocco. ICBL campaigners from the region participated as well as government representatives of the Arab League. The Conference was held in the building of the Arab League.

When the Final Declaration was read to the Conference no debate or even adoption of the Declaration was allowed. The National Center for Middle East Studies told participants they could make suggestions in writing when the conference was over. ICBL participants gave a written statement that read:

"The ICBL wishes to disassociate itself from this conference and its recommendations which included approval of the continued use of antipersonnel mines and which called for negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament. It did not include the call for the ban on antipersonnel mines nor did it call upon the non-signatory Arab states to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty as requested by the ICBL. Join Now!"

Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia and Yemen have signed and ratified the ban treaty, while Algeria, Mauritania and Sudan have signed but not yet ratified. Thirteen countries in the region have not yet signed: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Globally, 137 countries have signed and 94 have ratified.

"This is one more sad incident in a growing number of examples in which Egypt has obstructed any reference to the ban on antipersonnel mines or the Mine Ban Treaty," said Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch, a member of the ICBL, 1997 Nobel Peace Laureate. Egypt has abstained from the 1999 UN General Assembly resolution supporting the ban on antipersonnel mines and last week succeeded in deleting any reference to the mine ban in the Africa/Europe Summit which was held in Cairo. "The Africa/Europe Summit Declaration contains no reference to the need for its universalization nor does it link its call for demining and mine victim assistance to the framework provided by this unique treaty.

"Throughout this meeting, we listened as Egypt's pleaded over and over again for international assistance to deal with its mine problem," said Wareham. "Egypt frequently raises the need for funding for clearance of mines laid in its Western desert but neglects to discuss mines it has laid in the Suez and Sinai which also hurt and maim innocent civilians. As long as Egypt refuses to join the ban treaty, no donors will be willing to donate to the Government's mine clearance efforts," she said.

Egypt continues to produce antipersonnel mines. Egyptian- manufactured mines are known to have been used in countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan. Nearly every national of the region has stockpiled antipersonnel mines. Egyptian officials occasionally state that Egypt no longer exports mines, but no official statement or policy is in place.

For further information contact:

• Belkacem Elomari, CDRPC, Mobile tel. +33 6 07 40 70 37
• Mary Wareham, Human Rights Watch, El Safir Hotel +20 2 348 2424 x 615
• or Liz Bernstein, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Tel: +1 202 547 2667, e-mail: banemnow-at-icbl-org