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Key developments since May 2001: The Czech Republic completed the destruction of its stockpile of more than 360,000 antipersonnel mines in June 2001. In October 2001, an inter-ministerial working group was established to address issues related to the Mine Ban Treaty and the CCW. Responding to an incident reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2001, the Czech Republic has stated that it does not consider use of antivehicle mines with tripwires to be a violation of the Mine Ban Treaty.
The Czech Republic signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 26 October 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 April 2000. National implementation legislation in accordance with Article 9 entered into force on 3 December 1999.[1] The Czech Republic submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report on 3 May 2002. Previous reports were submitted on 15 August 2000, 30 April 2001, and 15 June 2001.[2]
The Czech Republic participated in the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001 in Managua, Nicaragua, where it announced that the stockpile destruction program for antipersonnel mines had been completed in June 2001. It offered to share its expertise with other countries. The Czech Republic also associated itself with the statement delivered by Belgium on behalf of the European Union.[3]
In October 2001, an inter-ministerial working group was established involving the ministries of defense and foreign affairs to address issues related to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and the Mine Ban Treaty.[4] In November 2001, an ad hoc group of experts was established by the Ministry of Defense to address issues related to landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The group has an advisory mandate and cooperates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. The aim is to improve the dissemination of information about landmines and UXO to relevant departments and to prepare background information and statements for international negotiations on the issue.[5]
On 29 November 2001, the Czech Republic cosponsored and voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/24M in support of the Mine Ban Treaty. The Czech Republic attended the Mine Ban Treaty Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002.[6]
The ICBL has expressed concern that some Czech antivehicle mines, in particular those with tripwires and tilt rods, may function as antipersonnel mines, and therefore should be considered prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty.[7] The ICBL has noted that other State Parties have destroyed or prohibited tilt rods and tripwires for antivehicle mines. At the Third Meeting of States Parties, the Czech Republic addressed this issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices:
The Czech Republic closely follows...the debate on some anti-vehicle mines (AVMs) due to their sensitive fuzes. We are of such opinion that AVMs are not covered by the Ottawa Convention. A possible solution would be to make use of the [CCW and its Amended Protocol II]. The Czech Republic is aware of the diverse views on the issue and expects that the talks of State Parties concerning Article 2 of the Convention will chart the course for solution. Due to various aspects of the problem, we do not at this stage envisage any unilateral steps. Of course, if the State Parties agree that solutions to the problem should be explored within the Ottawa Convention, we are ready to do so in a spirit of cooperation and take appropriate measures at the national level.[8]
He added that, “there are no grounds for reporting on mines not covered by the Convention.”[9]
When asked about this issue in March 2002, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative told Landmine Monitor that “because it is our interpretation that such type of military equipment has been covered by Amended Protocol II, we don’t see any reason to be involved in any discussion on this within the Ottawa Treaty.”[10]
The inter-ministerial working group met in March 2002. Asked about the outcome of discussions regarding antivehicle mines of concern, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied that “information from this session are of an internal character. Nevertheless, I expect that some of them will be included in statement of the Czech Republic during the Fourth Meeting of States Parties.”[11]
According to the Czech authorities they do not possess any antivehicle mines with anti-handling devices so sensitive that they can explode from an unintentional act of a person.[12]
Regarding the possible use of antipersonnel mines in joint operations with non-members of the Mine Ban Treaty, and possible transit of antipersonnel mines by foreign forces, a representative of the Ministry of Defense declared that “it is illegal in all aspects to use and transfer APMs on Czech territory.”[13] In a letter to the ICBL, the Czech Minister of Defense, Jaroslav Tvrdík, stated that “in case the Czech Republic would participate in any military operations, that would be done in compliance with all commitments the Czech Republic has taken.”[14]
The Czech Republic is party to Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, and submitted its annual Article 13 Report on 2 November 2001. The report contained new information on Czech participation in the Stabilization Force (SFOR – Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the Kosovo Protection Force (KFOR).[15]
The Czech Republic participated in the Third Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, and the Second CCW Review Conference, both in December 2001 in Geneva. The Czech delegation stated that it was “ready to share views and support work of an open-ended group of governmental experts” regarding proposals on explosive remnants of war. It stated its full support for the US-Danish proposal on antivehicle mines, but expressed reservations about creating a new protocol.[16] The proposal does not address the issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices.
Production of antipersonnel mines in the Czech Republic halted in 1989. In May 2001, at the IDET (International Exhibition of Defence and Security Technology and Special Information Systems) arms fair in Brno, the Czech company, Policske Strojirny, displayed and offered for sale Horizont PD-Mi-PK antivehicle mines in tripwire-activation mode.[17] As noted above, the ICBL believes that antivehicle mines used with tripwires are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty because they will explode by the contact of a person. Asked about this at the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001, the head of the Czech delegation explained that he had asked his staff for a report on the incident.[18] In January 2002, another official explained that they had not made any official report since they did not consider the use of tripwires with an antivehicle mine a violation to the Mine Ban Treaty.[19] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated in April 2002 that the “PD-Mi-PK has been considered as the legitimate military equipment which is covered and according to our understanding can be used within restrictions of the Amended Protocol II.”[20] But it informed the company that the case had been reported in the Landmine Monitor and advised consultation before exhibiting the mine in future.[21]
As noted in last year’s Landmine Monitor, the Czech Republic reported that the destruction of its antipersonnel mine stockpile was completed on 15 June 2001.[22] According to the Article 7 Report submitted on 3 May 2002, a total of 324,412 antipersonnel mines were destroyed.[23]
In addition, the Czech Republic has reported that in 1997 a total of 44,353 non-detectable antipersonnel mines (type PP-Mi-Na I) were destroyed to meet the requirements of Amended Protocol II.[24] This would equal a grand total of 368,765 antipersonnel mines destroyed. However, in September 2001, at the Third Meeting of States Parties, the Czech delegation announced that a total of 366,349 antipersonnel mines had been destroyed since 1997.[25] The reason for the discrepancy of 2,416 mines is not known.[26]
The Czech Republic reported in 2000 that it decided to retain 4,859 antipersonnel mines for permitted purposes under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty (1,385 PP-Mi-Sr and 3,344 PP-Mi-Sr II, both bounding fragmentation mines; and 130 PP Mi-S1M mines in 26 KUS rocket cargo mine containers).[27] The Article 7 Report covering calendar year 2001 noted that 4,849 antipersonnel mines were being retained, including 1,375 PP-Mi-Sr mines, indicating use of 10 of these mines.[28] The Czech Republic did not report for what purpose these mines were consumed.
The Czech Republic’s previous estimate that clearance of the former Soviet military zone at Ralsko would be completed in 2001 had to be revised, due to the discovery of additional contaminated areas of some 3,500 hectares. The government decided to extend the clearance operations until 31 December 2003.[29] One press account said some areas in Ralsko were so contaminated that it may take ten to 20 years before they can be returned to civilian use.[30] However, the April 2002 Article 7 Report notes a greatly decreased level of contamination (15 items per hectare) compared with previous Article 7 Reports (500-1,000 items per hectare).[31] The former military area is now under local authority control; clearance is carried out jointly by military explosive ordnance disposal teams and the police pyrotechnical sanitation team.[32] By the end of 2001, a total of 52,573 items of UXO, excluding infantry ammunition, had been found and destroyed.[33]
The Ralsko former military area (some 250 square kilometers) is sparsely populated and mostly forested. The municipality of Ralsko has about 6,000 inhabitants. There have been no serious accidents from mines and UXO in the area. The high risk areas are marked and fenced off. People living in the area are well aware of its history as a military training ground, and have been told to report any UXO found to the local police. Following government regulations for municipalities in former military areas, information posters on the risk of UXO are posted on the municipality’s information board and website. Information is also given on the regional TV news.[34]
In other parts of the Czech Republic, there are also occasional cases of discovery of UXO left over from the Second World War. Most items of UXO are found near urban areas during construction. Clearance in these emergency cases is the responsibility of the police and the Ministry of Interior, which estimates that during 2001 some 12,000 items of UXO, excluding infantry ammunition, were found in different locations.[35] But due to the lack of centralized statistics, this may include some of the UXO cleared by the police pyrotechnical sanitation unit at Ralsko. Since January 2002, all regional police headquarters are supposed to report all UXO findings and incidents to the Pyrotechnical Department of the Ministry of Interior.[36]
Czech units in SFOR (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and KFOR (Kosovo) have participated in demining in their areas of responsibility where clearance has been needed for the fulfillment of their duties.[37]
The Czech shoe manufacturer Zeman Shoe Ltd has created a special “blast protection boot” intended for use by deminers or others working in mine-contaminated areas.[38]
In 2001, the Czech Republic again provided US$50,000 to the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance, based in Slovenia.
In February 2001, the Ministry of Defense estimated that 200-300 people have been involved in mine and UXO accidents since 1960. In 1997, three people were injured by UXO; in 1998 two people were killed and two were injured; in 1999, three people were killed and 15 were injured; and in 2000, three people were killed by UXO and 14 others were injured. During 2001, in two separate incidents four people were killed and one person was injured handling UXO they had found. According to the Ministry of Interior, however, these statistics do not distinguish between UXO and stolen weapons.[39]
During Czech involvement in UNPROFOR between 1992 and 1995, one Czech soldier received a minor leg injury after stepping on an antipersonnel mine.[40]
The Czech health insurance system is compulsory, although Czech citizens can choose which insurance body to use. This covers medical treatment and compensation in case of disability and loss of income.[41] In the event of injury during work the employer is responsible for covering the costs of medical treatment, providing compensation in case of disability and, in the event of death, compensation to the family. A similar system applies to military personnel who have to take a special medical insurance for military personnel.[42] In July 2001, the government required transportation subsidies to be provided to people with disabilities. With the support of numerous NGOs, it is reported that the situation of persons with disabilities in the Czech Republic has improved in recent years.[43]
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[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 30 June 2001.
[2] Article 7 Reports, submitted on 15 August 2000 for the period to 1 July 2000; submitted on 30 April 2001 for the period to 30 April 2001; submitted on 30 June 2001 for the period to 30 June 2001; and submitted on 3 May 2002 for calendar year 2001.
[3] Statement by Alexander Slabý, Director-General, Multilateral Relations Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Third Meeting of States Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 19 September 2001. In February 2002, Alexander Slabý became the Czech Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
[4] Letter from Josef Vítek, Head of Unit for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 February 2002.
[5] Interview held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Deputy Head of International Relations, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002. The expert group consists of 15 representatives from the Ministry of Defense, General Staff, Military Technology Institute, Military Academy of Brno and Department for Military Equipment at University of Vyskov.
[6] It was represented in January by Josef Vítek, Head of Unit for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in May by Ivan Pinter, Counselor at the Czech Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
[7] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp. 676-678.
[8] Statement by Alexander Slabý, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Managua, Nicaragua, 19 September 2001.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[11] Fax from Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 April 2002.
[12] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Deputy Head of International Relations, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[13] Interview with Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[14] Letter to ICBL Coordinator Elizabeth Bernstein from Jaroslav Tvrdík, Minister of Defense, 14 December 2001 (ref. 9474/2001-8764). The Minister of Defense was responding to a letter from the ICBL to all NATO members calling on States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty to make a unilateral statement opposing any use of antipersonnel mines in joint operations and refusing to participate or cooperate in any way with operations where antipersonnel mines may be used.
[15] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, submitted on 2 November 2001.
[16] Letter from Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 February 2002, and interview on 6 March 2002. The US-Danish proposal calls for all antivehicle mines to be detectable, and for remotely-delivered antivehicle mines to have self-destruct/self-deactivation devices.
[17] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 677.
[18] Conversation with Alexander Slabý, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Managua, Nicaragua, 20 September 2001.
[19] Telephone intreview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 January 2002.
[20] Fax from Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 April 2002.
[21] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[22] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 677.
[23] Article 7 Report, Form G, 3 May 2002. This figure includes 1,416 mines (type PP-Mi-Sr) destroyed before the Czech Republic became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty.
[24] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form C, 2 November 2001.
[25] Statement by Alexander Slabý, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Managua, Nicaragua, 19 September 2001.
[26] In another discrepancy noted by Landmine Monitor, the Article 7 Report of 30 April 2001 stated that 131,540 PP-Mi-Sr mines had been destroyed, but the report submitted on 30 June 2001 stated that 130,155 PP-Mi-Sr mines had been destroyed. This discrepancy was attributed to change in personnel compiling the data for the Article 7 Reports.
[27] Article 7 Report, Form D, 15 August 2000.
[28] Article 7 Report, Form D, 3 May 2002.
[29] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002. The previous estimate, reported in Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 679, was repeated in the Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, submitted on 2 November 2001. The other former Soviet military area at Mlada was cleared by the end of 2000.
[30] “UXO Clearance in the Czech Republic,” World EOD Gazette, Volume 4, Number 2, August 2001, p. 5.
[31] Article 7 Reports, Form C, 15 August 2000, 30 April 2001, 30 June 2001, and 3 May 2002.
[32] Site visit by Landmine Monitor researcher, Josef Vítek (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Capt. Ing. Petr Lastuvka and Plk. Ing. Jirí Kadlec (Department for Pyrotechnic Sanitation, Ministry of Defense), 7 March 2002.
[33] Letter from Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 February 2002.
[34] Václav Postolka, “Conversion and Reuse of the Former Military Training Area of Ralsko,” Journal of Czech Geographic Society, Issue 3, 1998, pp. 285-299; interview with Mayor Jindrich Solc, Ralsko Municipality House, Ralsko, 7 March 2002.
[35] Letter from Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 25 February 2002.
[36] Interview with Milan Kollár, Deputy Head of Pyrotechnical Department, Police Presidium of Czech Republic, Ministry of Interior, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[37] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form E, 2 November 2001.
[38] “Blast Protective Boots – Model Zeman Am,” information paper distributed at the Standing Committee meetings in January 2002.
[39] Interview with Dr. Miroslav Tuma and Josef Vitek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lt.-Col. Jozef Trabalík and Capt. Petr Beyr, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 19 February 2001; interview with Milan Kollár, Deputy Head of Pyrotechnical Department, Police Presidium of Czech Republic, Ministry of Interior, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[40] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002.
[41] Interview with Josef Vítek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 March 2002.
[42] Interview with Lt.-Col. Richard Mácha, Ministry of Defense, Prague, 6 March 2002. Law 221 regulating the system for medical insurance for military personnel is under revision to comply with the transformation of the Czech Army into a professional army.
[43] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2001 – Czech Republic,” 2001, available at: www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/eur/8243.htm.
