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Key developments since May 2000: Turkey announced on 6 April 2001 that it was starting the process of accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. Turkey has confirmed that it has ceased production of antipersonnel mines. In late 2000, Turkey announced a project to demine the border with Syria. In January 2001, Turkey signed a joint declaration with Georgia that includes a commitment to demine the border and foreswear future use. A Turkish NGO campaign against landmines was formed in September 2000.
The Republic of Turkey announced on 6 April 2001 that it would start the process of accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. The announcement was made jointly by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ysmail Cem, and his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, during the Greek Minister’s visit to Ankara. The joint statement said that the two countries “have decided to concurrently start the procedures that will make both sides parties to the Ottawa Convention [Mine Ban Treaty]. For this purpose, while Greece initiates the ratification process, Turkey will start accession procedures. It is also agreed that the instruments of ratification by Greece and accession by Turkey will be simultaneously deposited with the Secretary General of the United Nations in due course.”[1]
The initiative was widely welcomed internationally.[2] In response to a letter of support and congratulations from ICBL Ambassador and Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams, Foreign Minister Cem wrote, “[T]his is an important confidence building measure which will contribute to security and stability in the region.... We are planning to start the accession process as soon as possible and our objective is to complete it in a short span of time.”[3]
Turkey participated as an observer at the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2000, with a delegation headed by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Murat Sungar, and including Lieutenant-Colonel Cemal Aydinalp of the General Staff Planning and Policy Department. The delegation said that Turkey is “fully committed to the goals of general arms control and disarmament under strict and effective international control. This policy does also include total elimination of anti-personnel mines.”[4] In November 2000, Turkey voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution in support of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it had in previous years.
Turkey attended the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional Standing Committee meetings in December 2000 and May 2001. On 14 May 2001, delegations of countries present at the Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention applauded the agreement of Turkey and Greece to jointly start procedures to join the Mine Ban Treaty.
At the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on 17 May 2001, Ambassador Sungar made a joint statement on behalf of Greece and Turkey referring to the agreement made in April and calling for “the adherence of all States to the Ottawa Convention.” He said that the two countries “were conscious of the human suffering and casualties caused by irresponsible and indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines. ... [A] total ban on these mines was an important confidence-building measure that would contribute to security and stability in the region.”[5]
Turkey is a signatory to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and announced in June 2000 that ratification of the CCW and its Amended Protocol II was underway.[6] Turkey participated, as an observer, in the Second Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in December 2000.
In September 2000, Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) formed the Turkish national ban campaign “Turkey Without Mines,” with financial and logistical support from the Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines. An appeal was addressed to politicians, associations, writers and journalist to raise awareness of the mine issue. The new campaign received the support of national and European organizations, including the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (IHD) and Turkish-German Human Rights Association.
In October 2000 at its General Meeting, IHD set up a Mines Committee. A coalition of six organizations (IHD, Human Rights Association, Greens of Turkey, Association of Displaced People, Ecologist Association for a Green Peace, and the AntiMilitarist Initiative), led by IHD, was announced at a press conference in Istanbul on 7 December 2000.
Several activities to raise public awareness of the mine issue were organized by IHD during cultural and political events in Istanbul, and publicity material and documentation were distributed. Many press reports resulted from these activities.[7] The Mine Ban Treaty has been translated into Turkish and published on the new website <www.mayinsizbirturkiye.org>, together with other information.
In June 2000, Turkish officials told a representative of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines that Turkey no longer produces antipersonnel mines, but there had been no formal confirmation of this information.[9] However, on 19 July 2001 Turkey informed Landmine Monitor that “the production of APMs was ceased concurrently with the national moratorium on banning the sale and transfer of APMs that was put into effect in January 1996.”[10] Turkey has indicated that it is carrying out research to find alternatives to antipersonnel mines “in close contact with some of its NATO partners. These endeavors, however, have not produced any tangible results yet.”[11]
The extension to January 2002 of the 1996 moratorium on the transfer of antipersonnel mines was confirmed in Turkish statements to the Second Meeting of States Parties in September 2000 and to the Conference on Disarmament in October 2000.[12]
Turkey has not yet revealed any details about its current stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but it is believed to be substantial in size. Landmine Monitor has previously reported that the United States apparently has a stockpile of 1,100 US Air Force Gator antipersonnel mines in Turkey.[13]
In past years landmines have been used extensively by both Turkish armed forces and rebel Kurdish forces.[14] Turkish armed forces also used mines in Cyprus when the 1974 ceasefire resulted in a buffer zone between opposing forces on the island, and Turkish forces may have refurbished the minefields since then.
Turkey has stated on several occasions that government forces have not laid antipersonnel mines on Turkish territory since January 1998, and Landmine Monitor has not received compelling evidence to the contrary.
Bilateral negotiations and agreements with Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Georgia indicate that these borders have previously been mined. However, it appears from the reports of casualties that mine contamination is heaviest in the southeast of Turkey and on the borders with Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Human Rights Foundation reports that areas most mine affected are Bingöl, Batman, Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Sirnak, and Van.[15]
A number of official reports in 1999 and 2000 referred to mine clearance operations, but without specifying the locations and other details.[16] A press report in April 2000 stated that mine clearance would start in mid-2000 in the provinces of Bingöl, Diyarbakir, Hakkari, Mardin, Siirt, Sirnak, Tunceli, and Van, for which special army units were being prepared.[17] Turkey stated in April 2001 that it has been working to modernize its mine-clearance capabilities, including obtaining and producing equipment, training personnel, and coordinating the various authorities involved.[18]
On 29 January 2001, Turkey signed a joint declaration with Georgia on a “strategic partnership,” which includes “the elimination of landmines on the border of the two states and the inadmissibility to use them in future....”[19] Turkey has described this as a “legally binding bilateral agreement” that “also includes a verification process.”[20] A similar agreement is still being negotiated with Azerbaijan;[21] this was first mentioned by the Turkish delegation at a regional conference in Ljubljana on 21 June 2000 and again in the statement of Murat Sungar to the Second Meeting of States Parties on 14 September 2000.[22]
Turkey signed an agreement with Bulgaria in March 1999 on the “Non-use of Antipersonnel Landmines and Their Removal From or Destruction in the Areas Adjacent to Their Common Border.” This agreement was subsequently ratified by the Parliaments of both countries and will enter into force 90 days after the instruments of ratification are exchanged. In July 2001, Turkey informed Landmine Monitor, “This process is yet to be finalised.”[23] In April 2001, Turkey had said that demining would start “soon” on the border with Bulgaria.[24]
On 2 April 2001 an agreement was signed with Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, and the Russian Federation to establish the Black Sea Co-operation Task Force. Among the tasks identified in the agreement are “mine counter measures.”[25]
In November 2000, the Turkish Minister of Internal Affairs, Saadetin Tantan, informed legislators of a new project to demine the border with Syria, for which funds were being sought from the UN.[26] In press reports, the mined areas were described as extending from Cizre to Hatay, and covering 70 square kilometers in the Hatay area alone. The mines were laid in 1958 and during the conflict with the Kurdish Worker’s Party (PKK) after 1984. Much of the mined area was said to be fertile land, but had remained uncultivated for many years as a result of the mines. The first zone to be cleared was from Cizre to Akcekale, then from Alcekale to the Mediterranean.[27] This project was also announced during a visit of Minister of State, Mehmet Keçeciler, to Öncü Pinar on the Syrian border early in 2001.[28] On 12 June 2001, Prime Minister Ecevit announced that the minefields along the border with Syria, from Antakya to the Silopi district of Sirnak, would be demined and returned to local communities. This was described as fertile land, and "the distribution of 306,000 hectares of land to the local population will provide an income for more than 30,000 families."[29]
Previously, in August 2000, there was a media report that local people in the Nusaybin area of the Syrian border were required by Army commanders to sign disclaimers that the State would not be responsible for any mine accidents if they entered new “military forbidden zones” that were not fenced. Local people and politicians spoke of mines in fields near villages, recent casualties, and the need for full mine clearance. The media report also referred to a 1996 parliamentary commission, which said the mined area was 480 kilometers in length and 300 to 500 meters in width, and described clearing the mines as “very difficult” because military maps had been lost.[30]
Reports of landmine casualties in Turkey have continued in 2000 and 2001.[31] The Human Rights Foundation has recorded civilian deaths and injuries from mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) for the whole of Turkey, as shown below.
Civilian casualties from mines and UXO in Turkey 1992-1997[32]
|
Year
|
Deaths
|
Injuries
|
|---|---|---|
|
1992
|
38
|
more than 50
|
|
1993
|
123
|
more than 100
|
|
1994
|
131
|
more than 200
|
|
1995
|
45
|
more than 100
|
|
1996
|
40
|
more than 100
|
|
1997
|
63
|
93
|
Given the opportunity to review these statistics, the government of Turkey said, “The figures given with regard to landmine casualties are not accurate. The relevant Turkish authorities would try to provide necessary statistical data in due time.”[33]
Press reports record mine casualties occurring throughout 2000 and 2001 in the southeast, on the Iranian, Iraqi, and Syrian borders, as well as in the interior of the country. In November 2000, for example, a soldier was seriously injured by an antipersonnel mine near Sanliurfa, another soldier lost a foot when he trod on a mine near Kilis on the Syrian border, and two civilians (brothers aged eighteen and twenty) were seriously injured by a mine near Bitlis.[34] In April 2001, five soldiers were reported to have been killed and two injured by mines during operations against the PKK, and a twenty-five-year-old man was killed by a mine while working in the countryside near Bitlis.[35] On 12 June 2001 a truck hit a landmine near the town of Silopi in Sirnak province (southeastern Turkey); three workers were killed and five injured.[36] On 21 June 2001 one civilian was killed and another seriously injured near Cukurca near the Iraqi border; earlier in the same week three people were killed and four injured in another mine incident.[37]
Turkey has covered the office expenses of the Albanian Mine Action Committee for six months to May 2001.[38] During the regional conference in Ljubljana, the delegation stated that Turkey has participated in mine clearance in Kosovo and other countries, contributing funding and personnel, and that Turkey has organized mine clearance training through NATO Partnership for Peace and bilateral agreements.[39]
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[1] Joint Statement by Ýsmail Cem, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey and George Papandreou, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, on Anti-Personnel Land Mines, Ankara, 6 April 2001.
[2] For example, Canada’s Foreign Minister John Manley described it as “a bold step that will make a major contribution to confidence-building and stability in the region.” “Ottawa Applauds Turkish, Greek Commitment to Mine Treaty,” Agence France Presse, 13 April 2001; Elif Unal, “Turkey, Greece Agree to Clear Landmines,” Reuters, 6 April 2001.
[3] Letter from Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ismail Cem to Jody Williams, ICBL, 7 June 2001.
[4] Statement by Amb. Murant Sungar, Second Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 14 September 2000.
[5] Statement by Amb. Murat Sungar, reported in “Conference on Disarmament Starts Second Part of 2001 Session,” UN press release, 17 May 2001.
[6] Statement by the Turkish Delegation at the First Panel of the Regional Conference on Landmines, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 21-22 June 2000.
[7] “Mayinsiz bir Türkiye!” [Turkey with mines!], Evrensel (daily newspaper), 16 September 2000; Aydin Dere, “Campaign for a Turkey without mines,” Ozgur Politika from Kurdishobserver.com, 17 September 2000; Faruk Akta, “Mayinlari temizleyin!” [Clear the mines!], Yenigundem (daily newspaper), 8 December 2000; “Mayin bulan bakteri – Topraktali tehlike” [Bacteria detect mines–danger in soil], Cumhurriyet, 27 January 2001.
[8] For more details, see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 820-821, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 848.
[9] Discussion between Susan Walker, ICBL Government Liaison, and two members of the delegation of Turkey to the regional conference on landmines in Slovenia, 21 June 2000.
[10] Letter from Damla Say, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations, Geneva, to Ian Doucet, Landmine Monitor Regional Coordinator for Europe, 19 July 2001.
[11] Letter from Erdogan Iscan, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, to Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey, Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines, undated but received 23 April 2001.
[12] Landmine Monitor notes, Second Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 11-15 September 2000, and Statement by Turkey, reported in “First Committee Approves 14 Draft Resolutions on Wide Range of Disarmament, Security Issues,” UN press release GA/DIS/3189, 26 October 2000.
[13] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 848.
[14] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 820-821, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 848-850.
[15] Human Rights Foundation Reports 1992-1997, as reported by: Mahmut Oral, “Iki yüzlü ticaret yapIyorlar” [They make a double-faced trade], Cumhurriyet (daily newspaper), 31 August 2000.
[16] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 848-850.
[17] “Mayinlar S.O.S. veriyor” (S.O.S. Mines), Yenisafak (daily newspaper), 17 April 2000.
[18] Letter from Erdogan Iscan, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, to Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey, Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines,undated but received 23 April 2001.
[19] “Georgia, Turkey Agree to Develop Strategic Partnership,” Itar-Tass, 29 January 2001.
[20] Letter from Damla Say, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Turkey, Geneva, to Ian Doucet, Landmine Monitor Regional Coordinator for Europe, with comments on draft Landmine Monitor report on Turkey, 17 July 2001.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Statement by Amb. Murant Sungar, Second Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 14 September 2000, and Statement by the Turkish Delegation, Regional Conference on Landmines, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 21 June 2000.
[23] Letter from Damla Say, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Turkey, Geneva, to Landmine Monitor, with comments on draft Landmine Monitor report on Turkey, 17 July 2001.
[24] Letter from Erdogan Iscan, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, to Elisabeth Reusse-Decrey, Swiss Campaign to Ban Landmines,undated but received 23 April 2001.
[25] Joint Press Release on the Establishment of the Blackseafor, Istanbul, 2 April 2001.
[26] “Suriye ile dostluk adomi” [A friendly step with Syria], Hurriyet (daily newspaper), 4 November 2000; “Suriye sinori mayinlardan temizlenecek” [Syrian borders will be cleared of mines], IHA (news agency) from Netgazete.com, 8 February 2000.
[27] Sezai Sengün, Göksel and Bozkurt, “Güneydoiu’yu Kalkindirmak Için Ilginç Bir Proje Hazirlandi” [Interesting project elaborated to develop the southeast], Star (news agency), 19 November 2000; “Tarima kazandirilmali” [They must be cultivated again], Zaman (daily newspaper), 8 August 2000.
[28] “Devlet Bakani, Keçeciler, Gümrük Kapisi’nda: ‘Suriye ile tampon bölgedeki mayinli saha kaldirilacak’” [State Minister Keçeciler at the Öncü Pinar customs point declared: ‘The buffer zone on the border position with Syria will be removed’], Ilhas, (news agency) from Netgazete.com, 5 February 2001.
[29] “Project on Mine Land Pleases Village Residents,” Turkish Daily News, 12 June 2001; "Ecevit: Mines Will be Cleared," Kurdish Observer, 12 June 2001.
[30] “Mine Scandal in Mardin,” Ozgur Politika (Kurdish English-language daily newspaper) from Kurdishobserver.com, 26 August 2000.
[31] It should be noted that Landmine Monitor Report 2000 cited a figure of 1,000 mine injuries from 1990-1999, based on remarks by Prof. Serdar Necmioglu reported in “Turkey, Number of Wounded in Mine Explosions Detailed," Istanbul Hurriyet, Ankara edition from FBIS, 9 August 1999. Subsequently, Prof. Necmioglu has said that he did not cite such a figure, but instead had recorded 68 mine victims from 1993-1994 and 210 from 1990-1995. Necmioglu letter to the Presidency of the Dicle University, 16 March 2001, provided to Landmine Monitor by Permanent Mission of Turkey, Geneva.
[32] Human Rights Foundation Reports 1992-1997, as reported by Mahmut Oral, “Iki yüzlü ticaret yapIyorlar,” Cumhurriyet, 31 August 2000; excluded from these civilian casualties are PKK members, police officers, soldiers and village guards.
[33] Letter from Damla Say, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Turkey, Geneva, to Landmine Monitor, with comments on draft Landmine Monitor report on Turkey, 17 July 2001.
[34] “Sanliurfa’da Il Jandarma Alay Komutanligi önünde antipersonel mayin patladi: 1 uzman çavus agir yaralandi” [A mine exploded in front of the Military Regiment of Sanliurfa: one specialist sergeant seriously wounded], Netgazete.com, 14 November 2000; “Kilis’te mayina basan askerin ayagi koptu” [A soldier lost his foot stepping on a mine in Kilis], Netgazete.com, 4 November 2000; untitled article, Anadolu (press agency) through Yenigunden.com, 11 November 2000.
[35] “5 þehit 9 PKK’lý ölü” [five killed and nine PKK dead], Hurriyet, 15 April 2001; “Yine mayýn ve bomba” [Another bomb and another mine], Ozgur Politika (Kurdish daily newspaper), 1 May 2001.
[36] “Truck hits land mine near Silopi,” Anatolia News Agency, 12 June 2001.
[37] “Two More Civilian Landmine Victims,” IHA, 21 June 2001.
[38] Letter from Erdogan Iscan, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, undated but received 23 April 2001; interview with Arben Braha, Albanian Mine Action Executive, Tirana, 30 April 2001.
[39] Statement by the Turkish Delegation, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 21-22 June 2000.
