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Key developments since May 2000: There were twenty deaths and injuries due to mines and unexploded ordnance in 2000. In June 2000, a Demining Center was established. Estonia became a State Party to the CCW Amended Protocol II on 20 October 2000.
The Republic of Estonia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty and, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “is not going to sign...in the immediate future.”[1] Estonia has previously expressed general support for the treaty. In September 2000 Estonia attended the Second Meeting of States Parties as an observer. A member of the Defense General Staff attended the December 2000 intersessional Standing Committee meetings, but Estonia did not attend the Standing Committee meetings in May 2001. Estonia voted for the November 2000 UN General Assembly resolution in support of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it had in previous years.
On 20 April 2000, Estonia acceded to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), including Amended Protocol II on landmines, and became a State Party to the Convention on 20 October 2000.[2] Estonia attended the Second Annual Conference of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II in Geneva in December 2000. The delegation made a statement aligning Estonia with that made on behalf of the European Union, which called for a rapid start of discussions on amending the CCW to deal with “explosive remnants of war.” Estonia’s statement also said that Estonia considers the protocol “an important contribution to international efforts to limit suffering in armed conflict caused by the indiscriminate use of mines, booby-traps and other devices.... We remain interested in further advancing of this process also with regard to anti-personnel landmines, especially through seeking the viable alternatives to them.”[3] At the Conference, Estonia submitted its first annual report as required by Article 13 of CCW Amended Protocol II. This includes details of legislation concerning ratification of the CCW, mine clearance and technical assistance.[4]
Estonia also considers that the Conference on Disarmament “has a clear mandate to address conventional disarmament issues” which includes “strengthening the existing international regime against anti-personnel landmines...[through] an APL transfer ban and regrets that during several sessions the Conference has not been able to establish an appropriate mechanism to deal with this issue.”[5]
Estonia’s first CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 report states, “Estonia does not possess anti-personnel landmines (maintaining only a limited number of mines for training purposes).”[6] The Foreign Ministry’s previous estimate of 1,000 mines was repeated by the Ministry of Defense in April 2001.[7] The Article 13 report does not make it clear whether Estonia possesses other mines to which the CCW Amended Protocol II may apply.
The Article 13 report states that, “Estonia is not a mine-affected country, but some old munitions left from the World War II can be found.... In these areas, de-mining activities are carried out by the Estonian Defense Forces and/or Rescue Board.” In June 2000, a Demining Center was established in the Defense General Staff, with the support of the United States of America, to collect information on mines and unexploded ordnance, create a database, provide training, coordinate demining, draft legislation and inform the civilian population.[8] The Demining Center has since been transferred to the Rescue Board of the Ministry of the Interior. The Rescue Board is responsible for demining activities within Estonia, with the exception of military areas, which are the responsibility of the Defense Forces. Cooperation on demining activities (mainly training) has been organized with Denmark, Finland and the US.[9]
According to the representative of the Estonian Rescue Board, there were two casualties in separate incidents during operations in eastern Estonia in 2000—one an off-duty soldier, the other civilian; both were killed while handling UXO. In addition, 18 other civilians were injured by UXO and mines in 2000. The Rescue Board made 1,437 detonations of explosives found, including five antitank mines and one antipersonnel mine.[10]
To increase awareness of the dangers, an Estonian website has organized a competition among Estonian schoolchildren to set up a website on the danger of mines and UXO.[11]
The United States, in its fiscal year 2000 (1 October 1999-30 September 2000), provided $2.2 million to Estonia. This included $1.9 million from the Department of Defense for clearance equipment and training for 27 deminers, and $300,000 from the State Department’s Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs.[12]
In 2000, Estonia contributed US$1,985 to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund.[13] It is planned that by the end of 2001 an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team of nine deminers will be available for participation in international operations (mainly for NATO Partnership for Peace operations, but also for UN and European Union operations). [14]
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[1] Interview with Malle Talvet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tallinn, 9 April 2001.
[2] Published in the State Gazette Riigi Teataja, II 2000, 8, 44.
[3] Statement by Estonian delegation, Second Annual Conference of States Parties to CCW Amended Protocol II, Geneva, 11-13 December 2000, and Landmine Monitor notes.
[4] CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 report, 3 November 2000.
[5] Report of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Estonia to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 15 December 2000, p. 2.
[6] Article 13 report, 3 November 2000, Form C. For previous production and transfer, see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 811-812.
[7] Interview with Hestrid Tedder, Ministry of Defense, Tallinn, 9 April 2001.
[8] Article 13 report, 3 November 2000, Forms B and F. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 812.
[9] Email from Hestrid Tedder, Ministry of Defense, 1 April 2001.
[10] Telephone interview with Mr Margus Kurvits, Director, Demining Center, Rescue Board, 14 May 2001.
[11] See: <www.vabrik.ee/Lohkehad/default.htm>.
[12] US Department of State, “Demining Program Financing History,” 24 October 2000.
[13] Report to the OSCE, 15 December 2000, p. 3.
[14] Email from Hestrid Tedder, Ministry of Defense, 1 April 2001.
