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The Republic of Estonia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. According to diplomatic sources, the Prime Minister indicated in April 2002 that Estonia was giving serious consideration to accession.[1]
Estonia attended the regional seminar, “Understanding the Ottawa Convention,” in Warsaw on 18-19 June 2001. Estonia did not participate in the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001 in Managua, Nicaragua, but endorsed the statement delivered by Belgium on behalf of the European Union which called for “worldwide application of the Convention.” On 29 November 2001, Estonia voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/24M, which calls upon all States not party to the Mine Ban Treaty to join without delay. It has supported similar resolutions in previous years.
Estonia attended the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002, represented by Hestrid Tedder, Advisor, Defense Planning Bureau of the Ministry of Defense. A Canadian delegation visited Estonia on 22 February 2002 to discuss the possibility of Estonian accession to the Mine Ban Treaty The delegation met the head of armed forces and other personnel.
Estonia is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II. An annual report as required by Article 13 of Amended Protocol II was submitted on 23 October 2001, giving updated information on donations to mine action and Estonia’s demining center.[2] Estonia attended the Third Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II and the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001.
In December 2001, Estonia submitted its annual report on landmines to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It repeated previous statements that Estonia considers the Conference on Disarmament “has a clear mandate to address conventional disarmament issues,” which include “strengthening the existing international regime against anti-personnel landmines”.[3]
Estonia has not produced or exported antipersonnel mines. In official reports in October 2001 and December 2001, Estonia again stated it “does not possess antipersonnel landmines (maintaining only a limited number of mines for training purposes).”[4] Officials had previously said that there were about 1,000 training mines.[5] In March and April 2002, however, the Ministry of Defense informed Landmine Monitor that the stock of training mines had been destroyed and no antipersonnel mines remained.[6]
Explosives, including unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mines, continue to be used in criminal activity. The Rescue Board reports that in 2001 there were 25 explosions of a criminal character. This compares with 31 such explosions in 2000 and 35 explosions the previous year.[7]
The government reports that “there are no special mine clearance programs in Estonia. Estonia is not a mine-affected country, but some old munitions left from the World War II can be found in the ground and in the seabed. In these areas, demining activities are carried out by the Estonian Defense Forces and/or Rescue Board.”[8] The Ministry of Defense added that “there are no contaminated areas in Estonia which are fenced and guarded.” The Rescue Board is responsible for clearance of contamination (mainly UXO), except for military areas under control of the Defense Forces.[9]
In 2001, there were 1,301 calls for the destruction of explosives, and 1,347 items of UXO were destroyed. In 2000, 1,437 items of UXO were destroyed.[10]
The United States says that since its fiscal year 1999, it has provided $1.43 million in humanitarian demining assistance to Estonia, which has enable Estonia “to establish a National Demining Office, to coordinate demining activities, develop a comprehensive mine/UXO awareness program, acquire modern demining equipment and protective clothing, and expand demining/UXO clearance operations.”[11]
The U.S., in its fiscal year 2000, provided $998,493 “to establish a training center in Tartu and to enable U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) soldiers to conduct a train-the-trainer program emphasizing UXO disposal, while also providing mine clearance assistance...”[12] The U.S. provided an additional $99,000 in humanitarian demining assistance in fiscal year 2001.
In early 2001, the Demining Center was transferred from the Defense Forces to the Rescue Board and renamed the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations Center (EODOC). Its functions include: to collect information on mines and UXO; to create a database on information collected; to coordinate and conduct civilian explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations; to provide basic EOD training for the rescue companies; to draft civilian legislative acts; and to inform the civilian population about dangerous areas and the dangers of mines and UXO.
Since 2001, EODOC has been using the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA).[13] There are about 40 professional deminers/EOD specialists belonging to EODOC; currently EODOC has 18 deminers and EOD specialists working in the Tallinn area. Mine and UXO clearance is financed from state funds. Each year four training courses are organized, one in Tallinn and three in the provinces.[14]
In April 2001, a media campaign to inform the public about the dangers of mines and UXO was launched on national television, and leaflets in Estonian and Russian were distributed by mail and posters displayed. The United States Embassy provided assistance for these activities.[15]
In 2001, Estonia contributed US$2,000 to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Mine Clearance.[16]
Nine people were injured in mine and UXO incidents in 2001, including one deminer, and three people were killed, including one deminer.[17] In 2000, 18 civilians were injured by UXO and mines, and two civilians were killed in separate incidents while handling UXO.
Estonia reports, “There are no special rehabilitation programs for persons injured by mines in Estonia. If incident(s) happen, the injured person(s) is treated in civilian hospitals with all available medical means and resources.”[18]
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[1] Interview with Malle Talvet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tallinn, 9 April 2001, and email to Landmine Monitor researcher from Andres Talvik, Estonian Ambassador to France, 12 April 2002. Mr. Talvet indicated that Andres Talvik, Estonian Ambassador to France, said that Estonia was seriously considering joining the Mine Ban Treaty and claimed that this was confirmed by Prime Minister Siim Kallas at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 8 April 2002.
[2] CCW Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, submitted on 23 October 2001.
[3] Report to the OSCE, submitted on 14 December 2001, p. 2.
[4] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form C, 23 October 2001; Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form C, 3 November 2000; Report to the OSCE, 14 December 2001, p. 3. For previous production and transfer, see Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 811-812.
[5] Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 871, citing Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[6] Emails from Hestrid Tedder, Advisor, Defense Planning Bureau, Ministry of Defense, 19 March 2002 and 11 April 2002.
[7] Telephone interview with Jüri Kask, Deputy Director, Rescue Board, 10 February 2002.
[8] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, 23 October 2001. See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 812.
[9] Email from Hestrid Tedder, Advisor, Ministry of Defense, 19 March 2002.
[10] Telephone interview with Jüri Kask, Rescue Board, 10 February 2002.
[11] US Department of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” November 2001, p. 28.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, 23 October 2001.
[14] Telephone interview with Jüri Kask, Rescue Board, 10 February 2002.
[15] Email from Hestrid Tedder, Ministry of Defense, 13 February 2002; telephone interview with Jüri Kask, Rescue Board, 10 February 2002.
[16] Report to the OSCE, 14 December 2001, p. 3; Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form E, 23 October 2001.
[17] Telephone interview with Jüri Kask, Rescue Board, 10 February 2002.
[18] Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, 23 October 2001.
