| <CÔTE D’IVOIRE | CZECH REPUBLIC > |
Key developments since May 2001: In 2001, 56,028 stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed, leaving a total of 132,048 mines. Croatia has served as the co-chair of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction since September 2001. During 2001, 42.3 million square meters of land were handed over to communities for use, including 13.6 million through demining and 28.7 million through survey reduction. CROMAC reports that in 2001 it spent more than $26 million on mine action, an increase of nearly one-quarter. In 2001, there were 34 mine and UXO casualties, including nine fatalities, while in the first six months of 2002 there were 13 mine casualties, including two deminers.
The Republic of Croatia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 20 May 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. National legislation introducing penal sanctions for violations of the treaty and establishing a body to monitor the implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty was reported to be in “final preparation” in September 2001.[1] In May 2002, the Ministry of Defense said that the new law would be put before parliament in the second half of 2002.[2] Croatia’s report to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on 14 December 2001 refers to the thorough approach taken in preparing the new legislation, with extensive interdepartmental coordination.[3]
Croatia attended the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001 in Nicaragua.[4] Its representative called on its “fellow European countries,” including the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to join the treaty without delay. It also called for assistance as “Croatia will not be in a position to cover all its remaining needs, so as to complete the National Demining Program as planned.”[5]
On 29 November 2001, Croatia cosponsored and voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/24M, in support of the universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Croatia attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002. It served as the co-chair of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction from September 2001 to September 2002, along with Australia.[6] The ICBL and other States Parties have praised the co-chairs for their very pro-active approach in identifying potential problems and solutions regarding stockpile destruction, with a focus on the looming four-year deadlines for many countries.
The annual Article 7 transparency report for calendar year 2001 was submitted on 26 April 2002. Previous Article 7 reports were submitted on 3 September 1999, 26 January 2001, and 30 May 2001.
Croatia gave its consent to be bound by Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) on 28 April 2002. The ratification law was published in the National Gazette on 23 March 2002, and entered into force eight days later.[7] Croatia did not attend the Third Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, but did attend, as a State Party, the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001. Croatia supported extending the CCW to internal conflicts, and a strongly mandated expert group aimed at the adoption of a new protocol on “explosive remnants of war.” It urged that possible violations of the CCW be addressed adequately, and recommended adoption of compliance measures similar to Article 8 of the Mine Ban Treaty.[8]
Croatia participates in the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe. The Pact’s Reay Group on Mine Action met in May 2001 in Geneva; June 2001 in Zagreb; November 2001 in Budapest; January 2002 in Geneva; and May 2002 in Geneva. In January 2002, the Group appointed as its new chair Dijana Plestina, Mine Action Adviser to the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Croatia plays a central role in one of the Reay Group’s three fields of activities: test sites for new mine action technologies, in which it is partnered with Canada.[9]
During 2001, four cases apparently involving the use of antipersonnel mines were reported. In the city of Pula, behind the back wheel of a private car parked in the backyard of a house, police found and successfully deactivated a PMA-2 mine; it is not known who laid the mine. In the other three cases PMA-3 mines were found in Vojnic municipality in August and October 2001. Because these areas were not part of the confrontation lines during the armed conflict, and the land belonged to ethnic Serb returnees, these were thought to be cases of new use and investigation is underway.[10] No cases of possible new use have been reported in 2002.
In both its 2001 and 2002 Article 7 Reports, Croatia indicated that it had to revise previously reported stockpile numbers due to more accurate information and other factors. In its latest Article 7 Report, Croatia reports data on 192,782 antipersonnel mines. Stockpile destruction started in June 1999, when 3,434 antipersonnel mines were destroyed. In the year 2000, 1,272 antipersonnel mines were destroyed during testing of mine clearance techniques.[11] In September 2001, 56,028 antipersonnel mines were destroyed at the military testing ranges in Slunj. Thus, as of the end of 2001, Croatia had destroyed a total of 60,734 antipersonnel mines, and had 132,048 remaining in stock.[12]
At the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001, Croatia explained that “the initial destruction of stockpiled [antipersonnel mines] in the summer of 1999 was not followed up till now due to the reorganization of the defense sector.” Croatia then announced that the Ministry of Defense had adopted a “Dynamic Plan for the Destruction of Stockpiled Anti-Personnel Mines,” with a target completion date of October 2002.[13] The Plan specifies dates and quantities to be destroyed, and the locations of collection and destruction. It does not specify the types of mine to be destroyed.
Phase One of the Plan scheduled the destruction of 52,175 antipersonnel mines in September 2001 (56,028 were actually destroyed).[14] The second phase from 8 April to 20 May 2002 planned to destroy a further 59,392 antipersonnel mines. The third phase from 2 September to 24 October 2002 is to destroy 65,656 antipersonnel mines.[15] The total cost of the stockpile destruction program amounts to KN686,820 (US$78,763). The cost of the first phase was KN228,025 ($26,149). Croatia has not received financial or other support for stockpile destruction.[16]
The stockpile of 132,048 antipersonnel mines at the end of 2001 includes 7,000 mines to be retained for permitted purposes under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty. Apparently, no mines were used for these training or testing purposes in 2001. Previously, Croatia had indicated it would retain as many as 17,500 mines.[17]
The status of stockpile destruction at the end of 2001 is shown in the table below.[18]
Croatia has explained some of the differences from previous Article 7 Reports as reflecting the discovery that records were incorrect when removing mines from the stockpile for destruction; these differences make up an additional 3,531 mines. However, the Article 7 Report for calendar year 2001 also explains that the Zbogom Oruzje (Farewell to Arms) campaign of the Ministry of the Interior collected the extra 3,531 antipersonnel mines from the civilian population in the period to 31 December 2001.[20]
The Farewell to Arms campaign started on 30 June 1992 and has a deadline of 31 December 2002. People can hand over weapons and mines to police stations anonymously and without sanction. The items handed over are stored in police stockpiles and then destroyed. From 1 January 2001 to 31 January 2002, 30,018 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mines were handed over, in addition to other weaponry.[21]
Croatia also reported having 19,076 MRUD (Claymore-type) mines, which it does not classify as antipersonnel mines. Brigadier Haluzan explained that they are activated by an electrical command wire and cannot be victim-activated by a tripwire. It is not known if these mines have been physically modified to prevent tripwire activation, or if the tripwires have simply been removed.[22]
Destruction is performed by a group of deminers from the armed forces, under an expert team from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior. Destruction takes place in two locations on military test fields designated for the destruction of ammunition. During the destruction process, spectators are invited to watch at certain, specific times. The detonation sites are surrounded by woods and are situated at a required safety distance from the inhabited areas.
On 25-26 September 2001, a Stability Pact mission visited Zagreb, as part of an assessment in several Balkan countries of “the technical options and future requirements for the destruction of APM stockpiles.”[23] The mission concluded that overall the destruction plan was “pragmatic, efficient and effective,” although there were concerns regarding the safety standards of explosive storage. There was some concern as to whether the process met the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), and a short training course was recommended. The Ministry of Defense raised the issue of significant quantities of mines recovered from minefields or handed in by the civilian population, possibly in an unsafe condition. Assessment of the problem by an international Ammunition Training and Advisory Team (ATAT) was recommended.[24]
At a Reay Group meeting in January 2002 in Geneva, the Croatian representative said that Croatia does not agree with some of the mission’s conclusions, noting that the video on which the mission based its IMAS concern was taken in 1999. Both sides have since agreed that recommended ATAT should be replaced with an advisory visit of two experts to look over the notes from the visit in September 2001.[25]
Two experts from the Ministry of Defense participated in the Seminar on Management of Stockpile Destruction in Fribourg, Switzerland on 11-15 June 2001.[26]
Mines were commonly used weapons during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia during the early 1990s. During the four years of conflict in Croatia, mines were laid mainly to protect defensive positions on the lines of confrontation, which changed frequently, and also in areas of strategic importance (for example, railway lines, utilities such as power stations, and pipelines). Many of the mines used were low metal content (plastic).[27]
Minefields and areas suspected of being contaminated with mines and UXO are located in 14 of the 21 counties of Croatia. In 2000, the suspected affected areas were estimated to total 4,000 square kilometers. At the end of 2001, new estimates reduced the suspected affected area to 1,700 square kilometers, of which it is thought that only 10 percent is actually contaminated. It is estimated that the contaminated area contains some 500,000 mines/UXO.[28]
It has been explained that the reduction resulted from “general survey activities, systematic and more precise development of the County Mine Action Plans and multi-criteria analysis.... Survey was conducted on 82,078,884 square meters.... The area has been reduced as a result of continued and intense general survey activities, additional information submitted by the Croatian Army Forces, Special Police Forces and counties’ administration.”[29]
All of the 14 mine/UXO-contaminated counties have made precise maps, which were not used in previous estimates of the suspected mine/UXO contaminated areas. The latest estimate is that the mine/UXO-suspected areas consist of: infrastructure, 236 square kilometers (14 percent); agricultural areas, 566 square kilometers (33 percent); houses and house-yards, 87 square kilometers (5 percent); economy infrastructure, 82 square kilometers (5 percent), and pastures, meadows, and forests, 29 square kilometers (43 percent). [30]
When the new estimates were published, it was said that around 500 deminers, 35-40 demining machines and some €1,000 million ($898 million) would be needed for clearance.[31]
The goal of the National Mine Action Program is to make Croatia mine-free by year 2010.[32] Reflecting the reduced estimates, a number of changes to the National Mine Action Program will be proposed in the second half of 2002. The Head of the Croatia Mine Action Center (CROMAC) said that that an Operational Plan has been set up for 2002-2006, which defines “the new dynamic of demining in Croatia.” [33]
The government in February 1998 established CROMAC, to be responsible for managing all mine action programs in Croatia. At the same time, the United Nations Mine Action Center established in Croatia in 1996 changed its name to the UN Mine Action Assistance Program (UNMAAP), and worked with CROMAC in a capacity-building role. UNMAAP came to an end in Croatia on 31 December 2001. During 2001, it continued to carry out its three functions, as redefined in November 2000: assistance in interpreting and introducing IMAS into the Croatian mine action system, assistance in planning and prioritization including socio-economic impact factors, and liaising with the international community in raising funds for mine action.[34]
The planning of mine clearance activities is described by CROMAC as a mutually interactive process between CROMAC and the users of cleared areas or objects. Mine clearance requests by cities or municipalities are all channeled through County Mine Action Plans, which each county drafts in cooperation with CROMAC. Public companies and donors may also place a mine clearance request. CROMAC prepares the Annual Mine Clearance Plan based on such requests, and a draft is forwarded to the Ministries of Development, Defense, and the Interior for comment. The government then proposes approval of the annual plan to parliament.[35]
Mine clearance is prioritized based on land use, grouped by CROMAC as: areas close to the houses under reconstruction program; infrastructure (public company facilities: power, railways, roads, water, gas, and oil pipelines); areas of commercial importance; farm buildings, factories, arable land; National Parks; areas under the protection of cultural and natural heritage program; meadows and pastures; and forests and other areas.[36] Also considered priorities are areas for the return of refugees and associated reconstruction, for which mine/UXO claims are made by the Ministry of Public Works.[37]
Prioritization of areas for marking and fencing is proposed by local branches of CROMAC, based on new discoveries, areas previously marked but where the markings have been destroyed, the frequency of people, and the proximity to roads, especially tourist routes.[38] The National Mine Action Program planned for 2001 the marking and fencing of 353 kilometers of mine/UXO-suspected land, but only 106 kilometers was accomplished, due to a lack of personnel, who were diverted to other tasks.[39] CROMAC deminers spent two weeks in Crna Gora, Montenegro, in November 2001. They marked the boundaries of minefields along the border with Croatia, and collected 17 records on mined areas and 30 records on minefields with coordinates and the precise number of mines and topographical information on the area, for future demining activities.[40]
CROMAC reports that in 2001 it spent KN230,394,318 ($26.4 million), an increase of 23.5 percent from the previous year. Of the KN230.4 million spent, a total of KN179.5 million ($20.6 million), or 78 percent, came from Croatian State funding.[41]
State mine action funding in 2001 was initially budgeted at KN270.9 million,[42] then reduced to KN207.7 million, but since actual spending of State funds amounted to KN179.5 million, the unspent funds are being carried over to 2002.[43]
CROMAC reports that in addition to State funds, other sources provided KN50.9 million ($5.8 million) in 2001, including:
The UNMAS Mine Action Investments database records financial donations to Croatia for 2001 as totaling $7,235,159: Austria ($80,000), Belgium ($78,300), Canada ($210,886), European Commission ($2,721,039), Finland ($3,000), Germany ($530,743), Norway ($588,191), Switzerland ($365,000), and the U.S. ($2,658,000).[45]
In addition to the demining projects on the Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina border, noted above, clearance projects on the borders with Montenegro and Hungary were also allocated EC funding for 2001—to be channeled through the ITF (no amount specified), and funding for mine clearance related to reconstruction and economic development (€2 million, $1.796 million, via the ITF), for new mine clearance technologies (€100,000, $89,800, via CROMAC), and for CROMAC capacity-building noted as training, technical expertise, vehicles and equipment (€880,000, $790,240, via Western European Union Demining Assistance—WEUDAM).[46]
A third source of funding information is the ITF, established by the government of Slovenia. The ITF acts as a channel for international funding in the region, with the benefit that most donations are effectively doubled by matching funding from the US. Some donor countries allocate a particular donation for Croatia, while in other cases the ITF decides in the distribution of funds between countries in the region. In 2001, the ITF provided funds totaling $4,741,900 to CROMAC from donations from Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the EC, Norway, Switzerland, and the US, and from the organizations Croatia Without Mines, Diners Club Adriatic, Europa Press Holding, and Roots of Peace. Norway also donated funds for the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) program in Croatia. The ITF funds were allocated to demining (commercial, 78 percent, NGOs, 5.7 percent), mine victim assistance (0.7 percent), structural support (11 percent) and “other” (4.9 percent) including support for the ARC and SMART scientific projects.[47]
A donor conference “Humanitarian Demining – Support to National Mine Action Program in the Republic of Croatia” on 24 September 2001 was co-organized by the government, CROMAC, World Bank and UNDP.[48] The main reason for the Conference was the closure of the World Bank Loan Program, and the need to find new ways of financing mine action. Present at the conference were 150 people from 34 countries. Donations were announced by the United Kingdom ($250,000), Austria ($80,000), Norway ($504,000), Japan ($317,311) and INA oil industry (an office building for CROMAC). [49]
The ITF and Croatia Without Mines signed an agreement in June 2001 that all donations would be doubled through the ITF.[50] Several fundraising events and activities were carried out in 2001 and 2002, raising hundreds of thousands of kuna.[51]
In-kind assistance received by CROMAC in 2001 included 84 mine detectors from Austria; an MV-3 demining machine (value: $250,000) from Canada; and an audio-video communication system (value: $100,000) from the US.
Donations of $7.86 million made in 2001 but unspent by 31 December will be used to fund demining projects in 2002.[52]
In 2001, an area totaling 42,324,637 square meters was handed over to communities for use. CROMAC reports that this was achieved by these activities: general survey (329 inspections which reduced the suspected area by 26,311,976 square meters); technical survey (59 technical inspections which reduced the suspected area by 2,372,647 square meters); and clearance (188 operations which cleared 13,640,014 square meters).[53]
Demining in 2001 involved 188 projects, carried out by 23 demining companies, the Special Police Forces of the Ministry of Interior, and the Croatian Army (which demined 114,297 square meters). The AKD Mungos company cleared the most, 5,087,016 square meters.[54]
CROMAC reports that a total of 1,877 antipersonnel mines, 1,640 antivehicle mines and 3,124 UXO were found and destroyed in 2001. The Article 7 Report for 2001 records 1,905 antipersonnel mines, 1,640 antivehicle mines, and 3,124 UXO found.[55]
Most land cleared was in Vukovarsko-srijemska county (2,669,882 square meters), in Zadarska county (1,993,176 square meters), Osjecko-baranjska county (1,764,437 square meters), and Sisacko-Moslavacka county (1,049,624 square meters).
Categorized by land-use, most land cleared in 2001 was road infrastructure (37 percent), agricultural land (32 percent), houses and yards (6 percent) and electricity-infrastructure (6 percent). The use to be made of a cleared area is defined before the operation takes place, by the owner or user of that area when submitting claims for demining. Usually the claims are submitted by counties, cities, or municipalities according to their urban plans.[56]
The average cost of clearance per square meter was KN13.51 ($1.54). Final quality control was performed on 1,109 control samples covering 157,994 square meters (1.24 percent of the total cleared area).[57] There is no quality control of general survey. Quality control of technical survey is carried out in accordance with international standards and standard operating procedures, by QA officers, with the same procedures as for mine clearance.[58]
There are 23 registered commercial demining companies in Croatia, of which 17 are currently working on demining. With these capacities CROMAC estimates that it is possible to do technical survey and demining of an area ranging from 6.2 square kilometers to 24.8 square kilometers per year, depending on the project’s complexity, difficulty and risk.[59]
CROMAC is very engaged in the testing and evaluation of new equipment, in cooperation with numerous companies, both foreign and Croatian. In 2001, 12 demining machines were in use, but CROMAC would like to increase this to 45 machines. All machines must be tested before accreditation for use in Croatia. Mine detection dogs or manual deminers always follow after mechanical clearance.[61]
The Breeding and Training Center for mine detection dogs was established in December 2001 near Pozega (Pozega-Slavonija County), by the Piper company.[62] CROMAC and the Canadian International Demining Corps established mine-detection dog training facilities at Skabrnja-Zadar and Pridraga. CIDC is training ten mine detection dogs and their Croatian handlers for deployment by CROMAC.[63]
NPA started a demining program in January 2002. The program started in Zadarska County and will spread its operations to eastern Slavonia. Over three to five years, NPA will conduct general and technical surveys and mine clearance, will take part in making county demining plans with its data collected in the field, and will also plan mine awareness activities.[64]
The WEUDAM mission to Croatia that ended on 30 November 2001 provided CROMAC with advice, technical expertise, training in program management, planning and project development, mine information systems (MIS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), general and technical surveys, and quality assurance.[65]
The EC financed two projects, ARC & SMART, during 2001. ARC, the Airborne Minefield Area Reduction project, started on 2 January 2001, for a period of two and a half years. The partners are Schiebel and Geospace (Austria), TNO (The Netherlands), FOI (Sweden), GTD (Spain), VUB (Belgium) and CROMAC. The aim is to develop a detection system for mined areas by thermal and multi-spectral passive electronic and optic recording from an automatically piloted aircraft, using multi-sensors, contextual data and GIS technology. In 2001, mined and mine-suspected areas were recorded from a helicopter, crane, and armored vehicle, as a part of an initial survey, with multi-spectral and thermal cameras.
SMART, the Space and Airborne Mined Areas Reduction Tools project, started on 2 May 2001, for a period of three years. The partners are DLR, Zeppelin, RST, IXL (Germany), RMA, Trasys (Belgium), ENST (France) and CROMAC. The goal is to develop methods for detection of boundaries of mined areas, and to reduce mine-suspected areas based on the images obtained from the air. In August 2001, the air recording of the selected areas was executed using several methodologies. Pre-processing of collected images is in progress. After that, the processing period of several months will follow, and geo-coded recordings will be obtained as a result. In September 2001, field research started in collaboration with the EC Joint Research Center based at Ispra, Italy.[66]
MEDDS-NOMADICS is a new mine-detection method presented by CROMAC in September 2001, in a special polygon in Rakovo Polje near Sisak. This results from cooperation between the US Army and Mechem (South Africa). Samples of the air above mine-suspected areas are tested on mine detection dogs in laboratory conditions.[67]
Two demining machines were tested in Croatia in 2001: the Slovakian Bozena-2 used by the RU-RU demining company from Zagreb, and the Danish Hydrema 910 MCV used by the German Dr. Koehler demining company.
Under EC leadership, the International Test and Evaluation Program for humanitarian demining (ITEP) launched Project No. 1 Systematic Inventory of Test & Evaluation (T&E) Activities, Capabilities & Needs in South Eastern Europe (SEE). Information was compiled through questionnaires, in-country visits to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia by ITEP representatives, and a regional technical workshop held in Croatia on 9-10 October 2001 at Topusko. A report of this project was presented at the Reay Group Meeting in Geneva on 30 January 2002. The report gives a detailed account of test evaluation capacities in Croatia.[68]
Mine risk education in Croatia is not formally integrated with mine clearance, but links are made informally on a regional level in the planning of mine action.
In 2001, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Croatian Red Cross (CRC) continued implementation of mine risk education through CRC branches in all 14 mine-contaminated counties. A total of 3,652 interactive presentations were conducted for 87,731 participants (50,801 children, 24,096 men, and 12,834 women). Television stations continued to broadcast pro bono mine risk education video clips almost every day.
In 2001, the ICRC and CRC community-based approach to mine risk education included 138 different local projects aiming at some 50,000 people. Local communities were the initiators of these projects producing their own promotion material (posters and flyers) with mine risk education messages. The aim was to strengthen local communities’ projects and make them financially independent. Local communities collected almost 90 percent of the funds with the help of the ICRC. Local projects included a stage piece “No-No Mines” performed 36 times during 2001, puppet shows, photography and caricature expositions, football, tennis, bowling and basketball matches, children’s playgrounds, radio programs, and other performances.
CRC is taking over the mine risk education program from the ICRC after May 2002. This comprises training courses for instructors and lectures for the population. In 2001, at 48 city and municipal Red Cross Associations, 125 instructors were involved in the mine risk education program. Instructors give 60-minute lectures once or twice a week for children and adults. In 2001, the Croatian Red Cross held three workshops with participation of 49 heads of city and municipal RC associations. The ICRC bore all the costs of implementation.[69] In 2001, the Croatian Red Cross conducted mine risk education training for the Bechtel company employees (1,000) working on the motorway construction, continuing in 2002.
The CRC cooperates with CROMAC and other organizations, which has resulted in numerous mine risk education lectures in 2001 (in Glina, Sunja, Petrinja, Daruvar, Pakrac, Benkovac, Škabrnja, Vinkovci, and Beli Manastir). Evaluation of the program is being carried out, by the Canadian International Demining Corps.[70]
The Ministry of Education and Sports has also conducted mine risk education since 1995 with financial support from UNICEF, which ended in 2000. By June 2001, the Ministry had held six one-day seminars comprising 1,150 participants, mainly adolescents. The Ministry did not publish any new mine risk education materials in 2001.[71]
In 2001, according to the CROMAC database on landmine and UXO casualties, 23 landmine or UXO incidents were recorded, causing 34 deaths or injuries. Nine people were killed and 25 injured, including a seven-year-old child, five women, and 28 men.[72] Five incidents involved deminers, three of whom were killed and five injured. Three survivors required an amputation. Civilians were injured while cultivating land, collecting firewood, and by unauthorized or reckless handling of mines or UXO. Most casualties were registered in Sisačko-Moslavačka, Karlovačka and Požeško-Slavonska counties (seven persons per county). The total number of casualties represents an increase in the number of mine/UXO casualties in 2000, but the Article 7 report for calendar year 2001 notes that five of the incidents (13 casualties) were not “classic mine incidents. These cases involved unauthorized and irresponsible handling of landmines or use of explosives for terrorist purposes.”[73]
CROMAC has hired four mine survivors for the task of entering and processing data in the database. The Norwegian Government provided financial support of KN160,000 ($18,340) for the project.[74]
Note: the data includes people involved in mine incidents but not injured, hence the ‘No injuries’ column.
Between September and November 2001, a research project on children and young persons to 25 years of age was carried out by CMVA, with financial support from UNICEF.[76] Research activities covered all mine-affected counties and other counties with reported mine casualties: Bjelovar-Bilogora, Brod-Posavina, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Karlovac, Lika-Senj, Osijek-Baranja, PoZega-Slavonija, Sisak-Moslavina, Sibenik-Knin, Vukovar-Srijem, Zadar, and Zagreb County. In order to identify the accurate number of mine casualties among the population of children and young persons during the last ten years, a questionnaire with 81 questions was prepared. Based on information on the health status, education, occupation, income, living conditions, and other relevant factors such as family support, social life, level of happiness, it will be easier to identify what further support is needed to meet the needs of mine survivors.
After elimination of duplicated records, 146 mine casualties among children and young people have been identified. From this total, the research was able to contact 99 persons below 25 years of age. Ninety-nine questionnaires have been completed and the most relevant factors analyzed. The research has shown that the majority of casualties were boys injured while playing. The consequences of their injuries were difficult for more than half of the respondents, although their adjustment to living with disability was very good. Respondents were divided into six groups; preschoolers, first four grades, up to the eighth grade, high school, university, up to 25 years of age. The majority of casualties, 39 percent, occurred in the group of persons between 22 and 25 years of age. Second on the list, with 33 percent, is the group now between 18 and 21 years of age, and equal number of casualties (14 percent) within the groups of persons now between the ages of 10 to 14, and 15 to 17. There were no mine casualties recorded in the population of preschoolers and elementary school children. Eighty-four percent of injured persons were boys and 16 percent were girls, which led to the conclusion that boys were more eager to explore mine contaminated areas. “We were playing” was the answer by 40 percent of the respondents to the question “What were you doing at the moment of injury?” Thirty-four percent of respondents answered “other” to the same question, probably meaning that they brought an explosive device into the house, or were injured during the shelling of the city/village.
In Croatia, clinics, clinical hospitals, clinical complexes, and state health care institutions are state-owned. General and specialized hospitals, medical centers, first aid centers, medical centers providing treatment at patients’ homes, health resorts, and county public health care institutions are county-owned. In 2001, there were 120 medical centers, 23 general hospitals, 166 clinical hospitals and clinics, two clinical complexes, 28 specialized hospitals, five health resorts, four first aid centers, 102 medical centers providing treatment at patients’ homes and 121 pharmacies. Persons with disability have at their disposal 12 rehabilitation centers: there are special hospitals for physical rehabilitation in Lipik, Daruvarske Toplice, Naftalan, Thalasoterapija-Crikvenica, Biokovka, Kalos, Thalasoterapija-Opatija, Varazdinske Toplice, Biograd, Stubicke Toplice, Krapinske Toplice, and the orthopedic hospital “Prim dr. Martin Horvat” in Rovinj.[77]
The President of the CMVA, Davorin Cetin, a landmine survivor, believes that rehabilitation currently available to mine survivors in Croatia is insufficient: the 21-day hospitalization period after a mine incident is too short, and physical rehabilitation is often incomplete. Civilian victims of the “homeland war” are not granted equal rights to disabled war veterans, who are granted one treatment in a health resort once a year.[78]
People with health insurance are provided with prostheses, spare parts and consumables, which is regulated by the “Book of Regulations on Orthopedic and other tools”. A person receiving an upper limb prosthesis for the first time will get outpatient or hospital rehabilitation. A person receiving a lower limb prosthesis for the first time, will get hospital rehabilitation (Article 29 N.N. 63/00). Persons with health insurance pay 10 percent of the total value of a basic appliance (Article 12 of the Book of Regulations), but, according to Davorin Cetin, if amputees want a better and more expensive prosthesis, they have to pay the difference in cost themselves. For example, a lower leg prosthesis enabling ten hours of activity a day costs between KN25,000-KN40,000 ($2,866-$4,587). In this case, the Croatian Health Insurance Institute covers about 10 percent of the cost.[79]
The Mine Victims Section (see below) and CROMAC jointly developed a project of Mine Victims Rehabilitation, which started in July 2001. The project, costing Can$150,000 ($95,550), was funded by the Canadian government, and included the reconstruction of the Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Department of the Martin Horvat hospital in Rovinj, and the accommodation costs and monitoring of mine survivors. The first group of 15 young mine survivors, from all over Croatia, arrived to the Rovinj hospital on 1 July. The project was also supported by the UNHCR, ICRC, Ministry of the Homeland War Veterans, Getro company, and Zagrebacka Bank.[80] A second program for 25 child mine survivors ran from 1-21 July 2002. Adult mine survivors will be treated in Rovinj later in 2002, with groups of 20 to 25 persons for 10 days.
In 2001, CMVA provided recreation and psycho-social rehabilitation to 60 people, including 50 mine survivors. The program was funded by the Embassy of Canada.[81] In addition, the National Center for Psycho-trauma continued to offer psychological support to victims of the war, including landmine survivors.
The CMVA, established on 6 October 2001 in Rovinj, emerged from the Mine Victims Section operating under the umbrella of the Croatian Union of Physically Disabled Persons Associations since 1999, and is a humanitarian, non-profit NGO active throughout Croatia bringing together survivors injured by mines, explosives, or UXO. On the tenth anniversary of international recognition of the Republic of Croatia, the government of Croatia donated KN100,000 ($11,467) to the CMVA.[82] The CMVA has developed a regional network in all of the 14 mine-contaminated counties. Since 1999, CMVA’s activities have included: creation of a mine casualties database (data recording and updating activities are underway); individual mine survivors program support; two projects related to psychosocial support to child mine survivors; and rehabilitation and psychosocial support to children and adult mine survivors during the summer of 2001 in Rovinj. The projects were implemented in cooperation with CROMAC, ICRC, CRC, Norwegian Embassy, Canadian Embassy, Slovenian Embassy, United Nations, and USAID.[83]
In 2001, the ITF provided $19,637 for mine victim assistance in Croatia.[84] Full details of the projects supported are not available, but the CMVA believes this funding was used to employ four mine survivors in CROMAC.[85]
No new policies regulating health care provisions and assistance to persons with disabilities were introduced during 2001.[86]
On 30 August 2001, the Croatian Campaign to Ban Landmines co-organized a roundtable discussion “Civil Initiative in Solving Problem of Landmines in Croatia,” at the School of Public Heath in Zagreb. Speakers included Dijana Plestina, Mirjana Dobranovic (Union of Physically Disabled Persons Association), Natasa Jovicic (NONA, a women’s multimedia center), Heidi Kuhn (Roots for Peace), Barry Levy (Anti-nuclear Campaign), Marijana Prevendar (Croatian Campaign and Strata Research) and Jody Williams (1997 Nobel Peace Laureate, International Campaign to Ban Landmines). After attending the conference “Injuries in Adults and Children,” the speakers together with members of CROMAC visited Bibinjsko Polje in Zadadar County, where agricultural land was mined in the early 1990s, and Petrinja where a Scanjack demining machine was operating in a mined area in the village of Marin Brod. The meetings and the minefield visits gained wide media coverage in Croatia.[87]
| <CÔTE D’IVOIRE | CZECH REPUBLIC > |
[1] Statement by Vice Skracic, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Third Meeting of States Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 18-21 September 2001. It was first reported to be under development in December 2000. Letter from Brig. Slavko Haluzan, President of the Commission for Demining Issues, Ministry of Defense, 5 December 2000.
[2] Telephone interview with Marina Juric-Matejcic, Legal Department, Ministry of Defense, Zagreb, 10 May 2002.
[3] Report of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the OSCE, 14 December 2001.
[4] Represented by Vice Skracic, Counselor, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
[5] Address by Vice Skracic to the Third Meeting of States Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 18-21 September 2001.
[6] Vice Skracic served in this role for Croatia in the January and May 2002 meetings.
[7] Telephone interview with Neven Mikec, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zagreb, 29 March 2002.
[8] Statement of Spomenka Cek, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, to the Second CCW Review Conference, Geneva, 11-21 December.
[9] Interview with Dijana Plestina, Mine Action Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zagreb, 13 March 2002.
[10] Fax from Zinka Bardic, spokesperson, Ministry of Interior, 18 February 2002; “Croatia: Two Serb Returnees Injured in Landmine Explosion,” SRNA (news agency), 3 October 2001.
[11] Article 7 Report, Forms B and F, 30 May 2001; interview with Brig. Haluzan, President, Commission for Demining Issues, Ministry of Defense, Zagreb, 6 March 2002.
[12] Article 7 Report, Form B, 26 April 2002; letter from Brig. Slavko Haluzan, President of the Commission for Demining Issues, Ministry of Defense, 24 January 2002.
[13] Statement of Vice Skracic to the Third Meeting of States Parties, 18-21 September 2001. The Dynamic Plan was accepted by the Ministry of Defense on 28 May 2001.
[14] Letter from Brig. Slavko Haluzan, President of the Commission for Demining Issues, Ministry of Defense, 24 January 2002, and interview on 6 March 2002. The quantity of 52,175 scheduled for destruction were collected from two storage sites whose stocks totaled this number; it is not clear if the additional 3,853 were found at these sites and are additional to the declared stockpile, or come from another site and form part of the stockpile already declared.
[15] “Dynamic Plan for Destruction of Anti-personnel Mines,” Ministry of Defense, presented at the Third Meeting of States Parties, 18-21 September 2001. The Plan includes the destruction of 43,552 fuzes (41,404 were declared in stock on 31 December 2000). Mine bodies are not included in the Plan.
[16] Letter from Brig. Slavko Haluzan, Ministry of Defense, 24 January 2002; for the destruction method, see also Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 613. Exchange rate at February 2002: US$1 = KN8.72, used throughout this report.
[17] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 656.
[18] Article 7 Report, Form B, 26 April 2002; interview with Brig. Haluzan, Ministry of Defense, Zagreb, 6 March 2002.
[19] Croatia has noted that since it was ”discovered that the actual number of PMR-3 in stock is much smaller than 1,000 pieces (148 pieces), it will be suggested to the Minister of Defence to use other types instead.” Article 7 Report, Form D, 26 April 2002.
[20] Article 7 Report, Form B, 26 April 2002, and fax from Zinka Bardic, spokesperson, Ministry of the Interior, 31 January 2002. By 31 December 2001, the original quantity of fuzes (41,404 or 41,401) had also increased by 4,178 due to Farewell to Arms, and 10,847 had been destroyed, leaving a total remaining of 34,732.
[21] Fax from Zinka Bardic, Spokesperson, Ministry of Interior, 18 February 2002; the quantity of 30,018 includes 3,531 mines.
[22] Interview with Brig. Haluzan, Ministry of Defense, Zagreb, 6 March 2002, and telephone interview 10 May 2002.
[23] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, pp. 3-4.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, Geneva, 30 January 2002; letter from Neven Mikec, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 February 2002.
[26] Letter from Brig. Slavko Haluzan, Ministry of Defense, 24 January 2002.
[27] “UNMAAP Annual Work Plan, Croatia,” United Nations Mine Action Assistance Program, 2001, available at: www.mineaction.org, accessed on 3 May 2002.
[28] “Za kraj razminiravanja treba nam milijardu eura” (“To Finalize the Mine Clearance of Croatia, We Need €1 billion”), interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Jutarnji List (daily newspaper), 21 January 2002, p. 6.
[29] “Four Years of CROMAC’s Operations 19.02.1998-19.02.2002,” CROMAC, Sisak, February 2002, p. 5.
[30] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[31] “Za kraj razminiravanja treba nam milijardu eura” (“To Finalize the Mine Clearance of Croatia, We Need €1 billion”), interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Jutarnji List (daily newspaper), 21 January 2002, p. 6. Exchange rate at 29 April 2002: €1 = US$0.898.
[32] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[33] Ibid.
[34] “UNMAAP Annual Work Plan, Croatia,” UNMAAP, 2001, accessed at: www.mineaction.org on 3 May 2002. See also Landmine Monitor 2000, pp. 616-617.
[35] “Mine Action in the Republic of Croatia,” CROMAC, Sisak, September 2001, pp. 14-15.
[36] Ibid.
[37] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[38] Ibid.
[39] “Annual Report 2001,” CROMAC, p. 15.
[40] “Croatian deminers in Monte Negro,” HINA (Croatian News Agency), 15 December 2001.
[41] “Annual Report 2001,” CROMAC, p. 25.? At the May 2002 Standing Committee meetings, Croatia reported that 85 percent of demining in 2001 was financed by the State, but complete figures were not given.
[42] Original budget published in the National Gazette, No. 130/2000; increased budget published in the National Gazette, No. 95/2001.
[43] “Annual Report 2001,” CROMAC, p. 25.?
[44] “Donation Matrix (End of 2000 - 23 October 2001),” UNMAAP/CROMAC; interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) reports different data: Can$1 million (US$647,390) via UNDP (Email from Lisanne Garceau-Bedner, CIDA, to Landmine Monitor, 20 June 2002; US$ equivalent as supplied by CIDA).
[45] “Multi-year Recipient Report: Croatia,” UNMAS Mine Action Investments database, accessed at: www.mineaction.org on 26 July 2002.
[46] “Summary of Mine Actions 2001,” European Community, accessed at: eu-mine-actions.jrc.cec.eu.int on 14 May 2002. Note that disbursement of 2001 funds may not be confined to the period 1 January-31 December 2001.
[47] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, pp. 12, 20.
[48] “Pocela Donatorska konferencija o humanitarnom razminiranju,” (“Donor’s Conference on humanitarian demining started”), HINA (Croatian News Agency) 24 September 2001.
[49] “Velika ocekivanja od Donatorske konferencije” (“Great Expectations from the Donors’ Conference”), interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Nedjeljni Vjesnik (Sunday newspaper), 26 August 2001, p. 14; D. Zovko, “Prikupljeno 9,5 milijuna dolara za nastavak razminiranja,” (“9.5 Million Dollars Raised for Continuing Demining”), Vecernji list (daily newspaper), 25 September 2001, p. 6; “INA ustupa poslovnu zgradu HCR-u bez naknade” (“INA Supplies CROMAC with Office Building Free of Charge”), HINA, 18 September 2001.
[50] “Lakse do “Hrvatske bez mina”” (“An easier way to the ‘Croatia Without Mines’”), Slobodna Dalmacija (daily newspaper), 2 June 2001, p. 2.
[51] Report on the activities of “Croatia Without Mines” Foundation for year 2001.
[52] CROMAC, “Annual Report 2001,” p. 25.?
[53] Article 7 Report, Form C, 26 April 2002; CROMAC, “Annual Report 2001,” pp. 23-24; CROMAC, “Four Years of CROMAC’s Operations 19.02.1998.-19.02.2002,” February 2002, p. 5.
[54] CROMAC, “Annual Report 2001,” pp. 13-14.
[55] Article 7 Report, Forms C and G, 26 April 2002.
[56] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[57] CROMAC, “Annual Report 2001,” pp. 13-14; different percentages of land-type cleared are reported in the Article 7 Report for calendar year 2001.
[58] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[59] CROMAC, “Mine Action in the Republic of Croatia,” September 2001, p. 18.
[60] Ibid.
[61] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, pp. 5/65, 25/65-42/65. This report contains further information on testing and evaluation, mechanical demining and explosive detecting dogs in Croatia.
[62] Interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[63] Email from CIDC to Landmine Monitor (HRW), 30 July 2002.
[64] “Predstavljen norveski program razminiranja”, (“Presentation of Norwegian program for demining”), HINA (news agency), 30 January 2002; Belinda Goslin, “Norwegian People’s Aid–Mine Action in Republic of Croatia,” Humanitarian Demining, No. 2, CROMAC, February 2002, pp. 48-50.
[65] Mirko Ivanusic, “Western European Union Demining Mission,” Humanitarian Demining, No. 2, CROMAC, February 2002, p. 61; interview with Damir Gorseta, Head of CROMAC, Sisak, 3 April 2002.
[66] CROMAC, “Mine Action in the Republic of Croatia,” September 2001, p.26.
[67] “Predstavljeni usisivaci za 8 puta jeftinije razminiranje” (“A New, Eight-times Cheaper, Sucking Method Was Presented”), j.Katancevic, Jutarnji List, 13 September 2001, p. 16.
[68] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, pp. 50-65.
[69] Interview with Maja Stanojevic, Head of Department for Cooperation and Promotion of International Humanitarian Law, and Robert Pokrovac, Mine Risk Education Program Manager, ICRC, Zagreb, 7 February 2002. This information is also included in the Article 7 Report, Form I, 26 April 2002.
[70] Interview with Vijorka Roseg, Mine Risk Eduation Program Manager, Croatian Red Cross, Zagreb, 12 February 2002; interview with Maja Stanojevic, Head of Department for Cooperation and Promotion of International Humanitarian Law, and Robert Pokrovac, Mine Risk Education Program Manager, ICRC, Zagreb, 7 February 2002.
[71] Letter from Vesna Bilic, Assistant to the Minister, Ministry of Education and Sport, 12 March 2002.
[72] Lilijana Calic-Zminc, Croatian Mine Action Center, presentation at the ITF Workshop on Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success, Ig, Slovenia, 1 July 2002.
[73] CROMAC mine and UXO casualties database for year 2001, received by email on 6 February 2002; Article 7 Report, Form I, submitted on 26 April 2002 for calendar year 2001.
[74] “Predstavljen projekt zaposljavanja zrtava mina kojeg podupire i norveska Vlada” (“Presentation of the project of employing mine victims with support by Norwegian Government”), HINA, 20 June 2001.
[75] Data provided by Lilijana Calic-Zminc, Croatian Mine Action Center, in a presentation at the ITF Workshop on Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success, Ig, Slovenia, 1 July 2002.
[76] Interview with Davorin Cetin, President, CMVA, Zagreb, 8 February 2002.
[77] Letter from Dr Andro Vlahusic, Minister of Health, Zagreb, 22 March 2002.
[78] Interview with Davorin Cetin, President, CMVA, Zagreb, 8 February 2002.
[79] Ibid.
[80] F. Zeravica, “Druzenje uz glazbu i Zabranjeno pusenje” (“Socializing with music and Zabranjeno pusenje”), Vecernji list (daily newspaper), 11 July 2001, p. 10. Exchange rate at 12 May 2002: Can$1 = US$0.637.
[81] Interview with Davorin Cetin, President of CMVA, Zagreb, 8 February 2002.
[82] “Umjesto za prijam, Vlada ce sto tisuca kuna dati Udruzi zrtava mina” (“The Amount Allocated for a Reception, the Government Will Donate to Mine Victims Association”), HINA, 10 January 2002.
[83] Interview with Davorin Cetin, President, CMVA, Zagreb, 8 February 2002.
[84] Email to Landmine Monitor from Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, 17 May 2002.
[85] Interview with Martina Belosevic, Croatian Mine Victims Association, 15 May 2002.
[86] For information on existing policies see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 623 and Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 675.
[87] Marijana Prevendar, “Report – Zagreb Round Table – Dubrovnik Conference – Visit to Bibinje (Zadar) and Petrinja, 30 August-1 September 2001,” 6 September 2001.
