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LM Report 2001

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	Table of Contents
	Select a chapter ... About LM 2001 Introduction Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe/Central Asia Middle East/North Africa ICBL Appendices Exec. Summary Maps
	Select a country ... -STATES PARTIES- Australia Bangladesh Cambodia Fiji Japan Kiribati Malaysia Maldives Nauru New Zealand Niue Philippines Samoa Solomon Islands Thailand -SIGNATORIES- Brunei Darussalam Cook Islands Indonesia Marshall Islands Vanuatu -NON-SIGNATORIES- Afghanistan Bhutan Burma (Myanmar) China India DPR Korea Rep. of Korea Lao PDR Fed. Stat. of Micronesia Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Singapore Sri Lanka Tonga Tuvalu Vietnam -OTHER- East Timor Taiwan

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty and the status of accession efforts remains uncertain. In June 2000, a Department of Foreign Affairs representative told Landmine Monitor that it “supports the aim of this treaty” and “is already in the process of formalising documents for Papua New Guinea accession to the signing and ratification of this treaty.”^[1] But in March 2001, the Papua New Guinea delegate to the UN Asia-Pacific Regional Disarmament Conference in Wellington, New Zealand, told Landmine Monitor that while he did not see a problem with Papua New Guinea joining the treaty, he was uncertain of the status of accession and indicated that it was a question of “necessity and priority.” ^[2] Papua New Guinea voted in support of UN General Assembly Resolution 55/33V in November 2000, as it had done on similar resolutions in the past.

During the regional meeting, Papua New Guinea confirmed its mine–free status; it has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled antipersonnel mines.^[3] Papua New Guinea has a problem with UXO dating from World War II. While it is possible that the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) may have manufactured and used improvised explosive devices during the armed insurgency of the past decade, the island of Bougainville is not believed to be mine or UXO-affected.

^[1] Letter from Joseph K. Assaigo, Director Multilateral, Legal and Treaties Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs, Papua New Guinea, to Neil Mander, Convenor, New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines, 2 June 2000.
^[2] Interview with David Anere, Politics and Security Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Papua New Guinea, Wellington, 27 March 2001.
^[3] Ibid.