| <SLOVAK REPUBLIC | SOLOMON ISLANDS> |
Key developments since May 2001: By 22 May 2002, Slovenia had destroyed 121,919 antipersonnel mines, and had a total of 46,979 remaining to be destroyed. Domestic implementation legislation was being examined by ministries as of May 2002. In 2001, Slovenia contributed US$418,373 to the ITF. In 2001, the ITF raised a total of $20.5 million, a significant decrease from 2000.
The Republic of Slovenia signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 27 October 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 April 1999. With a view to ensuring its effective national implementation, Slovenia enacted two administrative measures, on 1 December 1998 and 14 April 1999.[1] Legislation including the penal sanctions required by Article 9 was being examined by the Ministries of Defense, Justice and Foreign Affairs in May 2002, with the expectation that it would be approved by the end of 2002.[2]
Slovenia did not participate at the Third Meeting of States Parties in September 2001 in Managua, Nicaragua. On 29 November 2001, Slovakia cosponsored and voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/24M in support of the Mine Ban Treaty. Slovenia attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in January and May 2002.[3] Slovenia submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report on 16 April 2002.[4]
In 2001, domestic procedures were started for ratification of Amended Protocol II of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), which were expected to be concluded by the end of 2002.[5] Slovenia did not attend the Third Annual Conference to Amended Protocol II, but did attend as a State Party the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001.
Slovenia has stated previously that it never produced antipersonnel mines, has no production facilities, and has never imported or exported antipersonnel mines.[6]
Slovenian antipersonnel mine stockpiles originate from the time when it was a republic of the former Yugoslavia. In April 1999, when the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force for Slovenia, its antipersonnel mine stockpile totaled 171,898. By 30 April 2001, 15,364 mines had been destroyed, after which the pace of stockpile destruction increased, with 101,750 mines destroyed by 30 April 2002.[7] At that date, 67,148 antipersonnel mines remained for destruction by the treaty deadline for Slovenia of 1 April 2003, with another 3,000 mines retained under Article 3.
[9] Thus, by 22 May 2002, Slovenia had destroyed 121,919 antipersonnel mines, and had a total of 46,979 remaining to be destroyed.
Slovenia’s capacity to destroy its stockpile was assessed by a Stability Pact mission on 24 September 2001. The mission concluded that the stockpile destruction program is “pragmatic, efficient and effective.” Slovenia is “progressing well towards the destruction of their APM stockpile. They require no international assistance at the moment.” The mission reported that the Ministry of Defense estimates the cost of destruction as approximately US$2 per antipersonnel mine, including the salaries of military personnel used for the task.[10]
In December 2000, Slovenia announced that it would reduce the number of antipersonnel mines retained under Mine Ban Treaty Article 3 from 7,000 to 1,500 after 2003.[11] The Article 7 Report submitted on 16 April 2002 indicates that a total of 3,000 mines are being retained (see chart above for types and numbers). At the May meeting of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Slovenia stated that the number of retained mines had been reduced from 7,000 to 3,000.[12] The Ministry of Defense is responsible for the retained antipersonnel mines.[13]
In its Article 7 Reports, Slovenia has not reported consumption of any of the retained mines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in March 2002 that the mines would be used for training of personnel assigned to peace operations, especially in parts of former Yugoslavia, and training of foreign armed forces and others (including the activities of the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig, and of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance).[14]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that Slovenia initially proposed destroying all the “classical” antipersonnel mines and purchasing as substitutes Claymore-type directional fragmentation devices. The Ministry notes that a Claymore mine is permissible because it “enables controlled use of the device for a precisely defined military objective.”[15] Slovenia has a total of 220 Claymore-type mines, 38 of which are inert dummies.[16]
The Ministry reports that Slovenia possesses 59,500 antivehicle mines, but none with antihandling devices; all types enable detection with standard mine detectors in compliance with Amended Protocol II of the CCW.[17] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Slovenia does possess 8,032 TRMP-6 antivehicle mines.[18] Human Rights Watch has identified the TRMP-6 as a mine of concern, because it can be fitted with a tilt rod and a tripwire.[19]
All of Slovenia’s Article 7 Reports to date claim that there are no areas suspected to contain antipersonnel mines. A report by the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe in October 2001 stated that “Slovenia no longer has a mine problem, however there still remains a problem associated with the disposal of UXO [unexploded ordnance] from previous conflicts.”[20]
A summary of previous mine contamination explained that when the Slovenian war ended in July 1991, the Yugoslav Army declared that all the minefields had been destroyed. But in fact it left behind active minefields around army barracks and warehouses, though no maps. Inspection and clearance was carried out 1992-1994. Two teams from Civil Protection and the Slovenian Army inspected and demined 18 military locations covering around 15 million square meters. They found and destroyed 572 mines. Since 1994, there have been no more casualties from mines laid in the war.[21]
In mid-2001, the government made its annual decision on financial support for the work of International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF). In 2001, Slovenia contributed US$418,373 to the ITF.[22] Of this, $165,807 was for victim assistance programs.[23] Funds were provided by the three ministries that established the ITF – the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Defense. For 2002 the total donation will be $254,363.[24]
The ITF is a non-profit organization established in March 1998 by the government of Slovenia. The original aim was to provide this assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but operations have spread throughout Southeastern Europe. In 2002, the ITF plans to extend its activities, on a small scale, outside the region, using funds pledged for demining projects in the Caucasus and mine-related training in Afghanistan.[25]
In addition to demining and mine victim assistance, the ITF places emphasis on training in mine action, promotion of regional cooperation, and development of a regional Geographic Information System for Mine Action. Demining contracts are usually awarded through an open bidding procedure conducted by ITF, or can be awarded directly if the donor so wishes. ITF staff and consultants monitor execution of the operations, visiting demining sites on a daily basis. Since March 1998, more than 30 companies and eight NGOs have been involved in demining, clearing more than 22 million square meters of land.[26]
In 2001, the ITF continued demining operations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Kosovo. In October 2001, the ITF began demining operations in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and opened a temporary office in Skopje. On 8 November 2001, the ITF signed an agreement for mine/UXO clearance with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In November 2001, an office was opened in Zagreb to improve coordination and monitoring of its work in Croatia, and to facilitate the tendering process.[27]
Donations: In 2001, a total of $20.5 million was raised by the ITF from 16 governments, the European Commission, and 11 companies and organizations.[28] In comparison, in 2000 $29.4 million was received from 11 governments, the European Commission, and 12 companies and organizations.
In 2001, the arrangement for donations to be matched by the United States contributed $5.6 million to the total. By April 2001, these matching funds appropriated by the US Congress were used up. In December 2001, the Congress decided to allocate a further $14 million to the ITF as matching funds. Donations of $7.25 million received from other donors after April 2001 will be doubled by US matching funds retroactively in 2002.[29]
The table below shows the donations received by the ITF in 2001. However, funds received in 2001 were not necessarily used during the year, and funds allocated by donors in one year may be received by the ITF in the next year, and in several separate amounts.
NB The sum of the amounts as listed in the table is slightly different because of rounding up without the cents.
In July 2001, the ITF signed an agreement with the NGO Adopt-A-Minefield for demining projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. The projects will be financed by donations raised by Adopt-A-Minefield and matched by the ITF. This new partnership will increase donations from the private sector, which has represented only one percent of all donations to the ITF. By December 2001, 17 sites had been cleared with Adopt-A-Minefield funds.[31]
In 2001, $26.3 million was allocated by the ITF to the following activities:[32]
The funding was distributed by countries in 2001 as follows:[33]
In 2002, the ITF plans to fund the survey and clearance of 3.5 million square meters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 5 million square meters in Croatia, to continue demining and the “train and equip” program in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Yugoslavia, and to continue demining in Albania. It will also continue to fund rehabilitation of mine survivors at the Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute and support other victim assistance programs. This involves allocating 29 percent of ITF funds in 2002 to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 46 percent to Croatia, 5 percent to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and 5 percent to Yugoslavia.[34]
The ITF-funded Sava project is described as the first regional demining project, involving several countries in Southeastern Europe, to clear mine-affected areas near the border between Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project covers 680,632 square meters of land (Croatia: 326,000 square meters, Bosnia and Herzegovina: 354,632 square meters). During 2001, the Sava project surveyed and cleared 174,164 square meters in Croatia, and 252,545 square meters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, uncovering more than 180 mines and 20 items of UXO. By the end of March 2002, a further 75,000 square meters in Croatia were scheduled for survey and clearance.[35]
Bosnia and Herzegovina: In 2001, the ITF provided $6,266,014 for projects, which demined a total area of 3,001,837 square meters of land (commercial companies: 1,804,433 square meters; NGOs: 1,197,404 square meters). In the process, 1,875 mines and 896 UXO were found and destroyed. The NGO demining was carried out by Akcija Protiv Mina, BH Demining, Handicap International, Norwegian People’s Aid, Provita, and Stop Mines. Additionally, the ITF channeled $1,382,041 into support for the demining structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was seriously under-funded.[36]
Croatia: In 2001, ITF provided funding of $4,741,900 for projects which demined 2,797,571 square meters of land, with 730 mines and 195 UXO found and destroyed. Through eight open tenders, 14 commercial companies were involved. Contracts for an additional 300,000 square meters were awarded in late 2001, with work to start as soon as weather permitted.[37]
Albania: In 2001, ITF provided funding of $2,506,287 for two demining projects, implemented by RONCO and the Swiss Federation for Mine Action (SFMA). The RONCO project from 22 May to 20 October cleared 108,773 square meters of land, and found 267 mines and 19 items of UXO. SFMA started training local staff in April 2001 and started demining and battle area clearance on 21 May 2001. By the end of 2001, SFMA cleared 190,854 square meters and found 334 mines and 137 items of UXO. The ITF also provided financial support to the Albanian Mine Action Executive and in-kind contributions of computer equipment and software.[38]
Kosovo: In 2001, ITF provided funding of $6,065,697 for demining and battle area clearance (BAC) in Kosovo. In total, 2,740,752 square meters were cleared through demining and BAC, with 711 mines and 847 UXO found. Organizations involved were the HALO Trust, RONCO, HELP, Norwegian People’s Aid and Mine-Tech. The ITF also supported the Handicap International mine detection dog program and HI’s training of the Kosovo Protection Corps. Funding was also provided to the mine awareness program of HMD Response, which finished in August 2001.[39]
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: The ITF started activities in FYROM in 2001, with an assessment of UXO and mine contamination. The Bosnia and Herzegovina NGOs BH Demining and STOP Mines, under monitoring of Terra Prom, began operations started on 17 October 2001, and ceased, due to weather conditions, on 16 December 2001. By that date, the teams had cleared 1,739,257 square meters (including 879 houses, 1,394 buildings, and 18.8 kilometers of railway and roads).[40]
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: In 2001, ITF began funding a mine action program in Yugoslavia. A $31,052 survey started in mid-May 2001 by the Italian NGO Intersos to assess mine- and UXO-contamination. An agreement with the Yugoslav authorities was signed on 8 November 2001, for ITF-funded mine/UXO clearance and also the training and equipping of Yugoslav teams.[41]
On 26 June 2001, the ITF hosted a South Eastern Europe Mine Action Coordination Council (SEEMACC) meeting at the Training Center for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, in Ig, Slovenia. Directors of all the region’s mine action centers attended. Issues discussed included the UNDP course, reciprocal accreditation of demining machines and mine detection dogs between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, training needs and capabilities, and the Geographic Information System.[42]
The Geographic Information System for Mine Action (GIS) is being implemented by the ITF to increase regional coordination. Lack of information and common information systems have contributed to confusion, duplication, and inefficiencies in the demining operations in Southeastern Europe.[43]
Within the Reay Group for Mine Action, the ITF has taken responsibility for training, testing, and evaluation. To establish what training capacities and needs exist in Southeastern Europe, in 2001 the ITF sent out questionnaires to all demining authorities in the region. The essential findings were that no comprehensive approach to training exists in the region, and that there is a need to make an inventory of training available and to broaden the training opportunities related to mine action available in the region.[44]
Under the International Test and Evaluation Program (ITEP) for humanitarian demining, an inventory of regional facilities was made in 2001. The Slovenian Training Center for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, at Ig, and the ITF headquarters were visited on 14-15 May 2001 by an ITEP team. The assessment was that the Center can provide “very good facilities” for training courses and that the ITF “has proven to be a valuable facilitator for contacting demining agencies throughout the Balkans...and could play a role in the funding of regional T&E projects and/or facilities.”[45]
The ITF allocated $1,325,053 to victim assistance programs in 2001, which is a reduction from the amount allocated in 2000 ($1,419,814). This continues reductions in previous years of the percentage of the total funds expended by ITF on victim assistance (2001: 5 percent; 2000: 6.4 percent; 1999: 8.8 percent).
The ITF implements its mine victim assistance program on three levels: rehabilitation of mine survivors at the Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute, rehabilitation at the centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other programs by various NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other mine-affected countries in the region.
Up to the end of 2001, some 615 mine survivors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro had been treated at the Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute and at the rehabilitation centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[46] In 2001, the Institute treated 102 mine survivors (30 from Albania, 44 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 28 from Kosovo), and trained 63 health practitioners. Donors for rehabilitation of mine survivors from Bosnia and Herzegovina were Austria, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Slovenia, the Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute, and the US.[47] The donor for rehabilitation of mine survivors from Kosovo was the US.[48]
In Bosnia and Herzegovina the ITF funded ($656,850) programs in 2001, including the International Rescue Committee (concluded on 30 April 2001), a study by the Mobile Orthotic and Prosthetic Service (MOPS) and Landmine Survivors Network (continuing with additional funding to December 2002). The ITF also funded a week-long stay (9-16 June 2001) at the Youth Health Resort at Debeli rtic on the Slovenian coast for 15 child mine survivors and their guardians from Bosnia and Herzegovina.[49]
In 2001, the ITF funded a victim assistance program of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation in Kosovo.[50]
The ITF also provided funding in Croatia for the Croatian Association of the Disabled.[51]
The Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute received CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Added Manufacturing) equipment in 2001, funded by the US through the ITF. This is expected to significantly improve the rehabilitation of mine survivors from South-Eastern Europe. It allows high precision measurements to be taken so that better fitting prostheses may be made. The CAD part of the system is portable so it can also be used for field treatment of patients. It will be possible to use the system in all mine-contaminated countries of Southeastern Europe that are the subject of ITF operations.[52]
On 1-2 July 2002, the ITF organized a workshop, “Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success,” on landmine victim assistance in Southeastern Europe. The aims of the workshop were to discuss the regional needs and capacities in mine victim assistance, and identify gaps in current provision.
| <SLOVAK REPUBLIC | SOLOMON ISLANDS> |
[1] “Execution Plan confirmed by the Minister of Defense,” 1 December 1998, and “Order by the Chief of General Staff of the Slovenian Army concerning the destruction of anti-personnel mines in the Slovenian Army,” 14 April 1999. See Article 7 Report, Form A, 7 September 1999.
[2] Letter from Irina Gorsic, Attache, Department of Political Multilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2002.
[3] In January, Ambassador Gregor Zore, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, and Irina Gorsic, Attache, Department of Political Multilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated, and in May, Irina Gorsic.
[4] Article 7 Report, submitted 16 April 2002 for the period 1 May 2001-30 April 2002. Three previous Article 7 Reports were submitted: Article 7 Report, 7 September 1999 for the period 1 April-30 September 1999; Article 7 Report, 30 January 2001 for the period 1 October 1999-30 April 2000; and Article 7 Report, 1 April 2001 for the period 1 May 2000-30 April 2001.
[5] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 March 2002.
[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 716.
[7] Article 7 Reports, Form G, 1 April 2001 and 16 April 2002.
[8] Article 7 Reports, Forms B and D, 7 September 1999, 30 January 2001, 1 April 2001, and 16 April 2002. Revised quantities of mine types retained under Mine Ban Treaty Article 3 were noted in Form D of the Article 7 Report, 6 April 2002. The final column of mines remaining for destruction is calculated from the Article 7 Report data.
[9] Statement by Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 30 May 2002; letter from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2002.
[10] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, p. 2.
[11] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 777.
[12] Statement by Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geneva, 30 May 2002.
[13] Article 7 Report, Form D, 16 April 2002.
[14] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 March 2002.
[15] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 March 2002, and email, 12 June 2002.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Ibid.
[18] Letter from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2002.
[19] Human Rights Watch Backgrounder, ”Antivehicle Mines with Sensitive Fuzes or Antihandling Devices,” 25 February 2002.
[20] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, p. 24, 65.
[21] “Demining Operations in Slovenia,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 5; Letter from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 May 2002.
[22] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 March 2002; Letter from Irina Gorsic, 22 May 2002. Exchange rate at 11 February 2002: US$1=254.2 SIT, used throughout this report.
[23] Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, “Overview of the Donor Support to MVA Programs through ITF,” presentation at the ITF Workshop on Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success, Ig, Slovenia, 2 July 2002.
[24] Response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire from Irina Gorsic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 March 2002; Letter from Irina Gorsic, 22 May 2002; “The Summer is the Season for Demining and Donating,” August 2001, accessed at: www.sigov.si/itffund on 5 November 2001.
[25] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, p. 3; “The Summer is the Season for Demining and Donating,” August 2001, accessed at: www.sigov.si/itffund on 5 November 2001.
[26] Ibid., p. 4.
[27] Ibid., p. 9.
[28] Ibid., p. 4.
[29] Email from Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, 23 March 2002. The administrative agreement for the second tranche of US matching funds was signed on 27 February 2002.
[30] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, p. 10.
[31] Ibid., p. 24; “Adopt-A-Minefield Program–Demining Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia with ITF Partnership,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 2.
[32] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, p. 11.
[33] Email to Landmine Monitor from Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, 5 June 2002. Excluded from this breakdown are funds spent on “ITF projects and running costs”.
[34] “Plan of ITF Activities for the Year 2002,” Newsletter No. 8, ITF, April 2002, p. 5.
[35] “The Works for the Sava Demining Project Supported by the European Union and United States Contributions to the ITF have been Awarded,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 1, and “Second Donation of European Union to International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance,” February 2002, accessed at: www.sigov.si/itffund on 8 March 2002.
[36] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, p. 17. See the report on Bosnia and Herzegovina in this edition of the Landmine Monitor.
[37] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, pp. 18, 25.
[38] Ibid., pp. 16, 25, and email to Landmine Monitor from Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, 5 June 2002.
[39] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, pp. 20, 25.
[40] Ibid., p. 19.
[41] Ibid., p. 22; “ITF Spreads Its Operations to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 6.
[42] “Third Meeting of The South-Eastern Europe Mine Action Coordination Council held at Ig on 26 June 2001,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 7.
[43] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, pp. 12-13, and “Geographic Information System (GIS) Workshop Held at the Training Center for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief at Ig, Slovenia,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 6.
[44] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, section on Needs and Capabilities in the Field of Training in the Region of South-East Europe.
[45] “Overview of Capability Reports,” Reay Group on Mine Action, Working Table III (Security Issues), Stability Pact for South-East Europe, 17 October 2001, pp. 19/65-24/65.
[46] “Annual Report 2001”, ITF, p. 4.
[47] Ibid, p. 17.
[48] Ibid., p. 20.
[49] Ibid.; email from Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, ITF, 5 June 2002; and presentation by Eva Veble at ITF Workshop on Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success, Ig, Slovenia, 2 July 2002.
[50] “Annual Report 2001,” ITF, p. 17.
[51] Eva Veble, Head of Department for International Relations, at ITF Workshop on Assistance to Landmine Survivors and Victims in South-Eastern Europe: Defining Strategies for Success, Ig, Slovenia, 2 July 2002.
[52]“Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute Receives Cad-Cam Equipment Donated by the U.S.,” Newsletter No. 6, ITF, July 2001, p. 4.
