Key developments since May 2005: Serbia and Montenegro began destroying its stockpile of antipersonnel mines in August 2005 and by March 2006 had destroyed 649,217 mines, almost half of its stockpile. A new Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia entered into force on 1 January 2006, which criminalizes antipersonnel mines. In 2005, 963,775 square meters of mined areas and battle areas were cleared in Serbia. In Montenegro, the Regional Center for Underwater Demining initiated a general survey of contamination in Plav and Rozaje municipalities in May 2006. No civilian casualties were reported during 2005. No funding was provided nationally or internationally for mine survivor assistance plans proposed annually since 2004.
Serbia and Montenegro (formerly FR Yugoslavia) acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty on 18 September 2003 and became a State Party on 1 March 2004. In terms of national implementation measures, Serbia and Montenegro stated in February 2004, “Upon completion of the ratification procedure, the Convention became an integral part of our domestic legislation.” However, it also noted that “the normative and legislative authority” rests with the member states—the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro.[1] On 21 May 2006, in a referendum on independence, 55.5 percent of Montenegrins voted in favor of independence.[2]
A new Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia was passed by the parliament on 29 September 2005 and entered into force on 1 January 2006.[3] Articles 376 and 377 make the use, production, stockpiling, trade and transfer of antipersonnel mines a criminal offense. These two provisions also specify the penal sanctions.[4]
The Republic of Montenegro Ministry of Justice stated that since April 2004, “Montenegro has been implementing a new Penal Code which has been harmonized with international agreements and standards,” and which fulfills the obligations of the Mine Ban Treaty. It includes punishments of one to five years imprisonment for production, transfer or stockpiling of banned weapons.[5]
As of 1 June 2006, Serbia and Montenegro had not submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report, due on 30 April 2006.[6]
Serbia and Montenegro attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, where it made statements during the General Exchange of Views, as well as the sessions on stockpile destruction, mine clearance and victim assistance.
Serbia and Montenegro also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in June 2005 and May 2006; in the May meetings it made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration.
Serbia and Montenegro has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2 and 3, and in particular the issues of joint military operations with non-States Parties, antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for training.[7]
Serbia and Montenegro is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, having assumed the obligation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. However, it is not yet party to Amended Protocol II on landmines. In April 2005, the foreign ministry said that it had drafted a ratification bill and forwarded it to the defense ministry for finalization.[8] In March 2006, a foreign ministry official told Landmine Monitor that Amended Protocol II had not been ratified yet due to the dysfunctional nature of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.[9]
Serbia and Montenegro did not attend the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in November 2005.
In March 2006, the Ministry of Defense reaffirmed earlier reports that Serbia and Montenegro had not produced any type of landmine since 1990.[10] Previously Serbia and Montenegro had stated several times that mine production stopped in 1992, and that mine exports halted in 1990.[11]
Landmine discoveries continued to be reported during 2005 and 2006. Between 1 January 2005 and 31 March 2006, the police and other security forces of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior discovered three antipersonnel mines and two antivehicle mines in the security zone bordering an Albanian majority municipality of southern Serbia and Kosovo. They discovered another two antipersonnel mines underneath the front wheel of a car in Ruma, a town in Serbia’s northern Vojvodina province.[12]
In 2005, in southern Serbia, two antipersonnel mines were found close to the villages of Lopardnice and Dobrosin, and two antivehicle mines were found in the municipality of Bujanovac. In June 2005, a sheep exploded an antipersonnel mine close to the village of Djurdjevac.[13]
According to its Article 7 reports and previous statements made by government representatives, Serbia and Montenegro held a stockpile of 1,320,620 antipersonnel mines before beginning the destruction process.[14] The mines are stored at several locations in both republics.[15] See the chart below for the quantities and types of mines in the initial stock and those already destroyed.
The deadline set by the Mine Ban Treaty for completion of stockpile destruction is 1 March 2008. Stockpile destruction started on 17 August 2005 with the opening of a special facility in Kragujevac.[16] It is a joint project of the Ministry of Defense and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA), supported by the NATO South East Europe Initiative (SEEI) Trust Fund.[17] The total estimated cost of the project is €1,689,996 (about US$2.1 million).[18]
As of 2 March 2006, a total of 649,217 stockpiled antipersonnel mines had been destroyed, or nearly half of the total stockpile.[20] In 2005, 516,352 mines were destroyed.[21]
In June 2005, Serbia and Montenegro stated that the destruction was expected to be completed by May 2007.[22] In March 2006, a NAMSA representative told Landmine Monitor that the destruction facility at Kragujevac demilitarizes more than 4,000 mines a day. He said the destruction operation is slightly ahead of schedule with the one million mine mark to be reached in July 2006. The destruction rate is expected to slow down as the facility demilitarizes the more complex mines, but this has been taken into account in the planning.[23] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005 for more details of the destruction process.
Serbia and Montenegro acknowledges that it possesses MRUD (Claymore-type) directional fragmentation mines, but states that the mines are only used in command-detonated mode, and therefore are not covered by the Mine Ban Treaty.[24]
Serbia and Montenegro has declared in its Article 7 reports that it will retain 5,000 antipersonnel mines for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance or mine destruction techniques, as permitted under Article 3. The 5,000 mines will include: 500 PMA-1; 1,000 PMA-2; 1,000 PMA-3; 500 PMR-2A; 1,000 PMR-3; and 1,000 PROM-1.[25]
According to a Ministry of Defense official, the determination of the number of each of the five main types of mines to retain was somewhat arbitrary. He told Landmine Monitor the General Staff “would probably” order all retained mines to be destroyed at the end of the mine destruction program sponsored by NAMSA.[26]
Serbia and Montenegro has yet to provide details on the intended purposes and actual uses of its retained mines, as agreed by States Parties at the First Review Conference in December 2004. Serbia and Montenegro did not utilize the new expanded Form D on retained mines agreed by States Parties at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005.
Two areas of border territory remain contaminated by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) in Serbia and Montenegro. There is also contamination, mainly from cluster bomblets and large aerial bombs, more widely scattered throughout Serbia and Montenegro.
The first border area of contamination is on the border with Croatia, extending from where Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina meet at the Belgrade-Zagreb highway, in the Serbian municipality of Sid. The other contaminated area is a section of the Montenegrin border with Albania. A third area along the Croatia-Montenegro border located on the Prevlaka peninsula was also heavily mined in the early 1990s; it became a demilitarized zone under a UN mission and demining was completed in 2003.[27]
Contamination in the first area is a result of the conflicts during the break-up of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Serbia and Montenegro’s initial Article 7 report claimed that the area contaminated was originally six square kilometers and contained 5,600 antipersonnel mines as well as an unspecified number of antivehicle mines and items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), all from 1991-1992.[28]
The area affected in Sid municipality has been steadily decreasing as a result of demining operations. In May 2005, the affected area was estimated as 5.1 square kilometers, containing some 5,300 antipersonnel mines and 3,200 antivehicle mines.[29] Serbia and Montenegro’s second Article 7 report of August 2005 claimed that 4.6 square kilometers of land remained affected, containing 4,200 antipersonnel mines, and an unspecified number of antivehicle mines and UXO.[30] As of March 2006, the total estimated area was 4.3 square kilometers.[31]
The second mined area is in the Montenegrin municipality of Plav, where 81 kilometers of the Albanian border between the Bogicevic and Lipovica mountains were mined in 1991. Mines were also laid by Serbian forces during the 1999 conflict.[32] As a result, there were 65 mined areas along 5.9 kilometers of the border area, containing 613 landmines.[33]
Clearance operations in the area were conducted by the army in 2003 and 2004.[34] The Montenegrin Ministry of Interior stated in April 2005 that since clearance operations were not carried out according to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), the areas cleared and the number of mines removed were not reported.[35] However, a preliminary assessment of the areas where demining occurred, supported by army records, showed that approximately one third of the total contaminated land had actually been cleared.[36] During these operations, not all the mines laid were found; some of those that were found were damaged (some were reportedly warped by heat, apparently as a result of local people having sought to clear minefields through burning), while others had been moved from the recorded locations. The assessment concluded that the area remains heavily contaminated and has thus not been made available for use.[37]
As of April 2006, however, the Regional Center for Underwater Demining (RCUD), which operates also as Montenegro’s mine action center, revised past estimates and considered that remaining contamination consisted of about 46 minefields of indeterminate size containing approximately 424 mines.[38] As operations were not conducted in accordance with IMAS, the RCUD declared that the entire area should be cleared a second time.[39] A general survey conducted according to IMAS started in May 2006, which will be followed by technical survey and clearance.[40]
In addition to these areas, which are primarily contaminated with mines and UXO from previous wars―mainly unexploded cluster bomblets from NATO air strikes in 1999―remain a significant problem in Serbia and Montenegro. As of March 2006, cluster bomblets remained in six main areas of Serbia (Nis, Kraljevo, Kursumlija, Sjenica, Mount Kopaonik and Vladimirci), affecting approximately 24 square kilometers.[41] In 2005 and to April 2006, according to the Serbian Mine Action Center, no new areas suspected of being contaminated by bomblets were located.[42]
In Montenegro, the municipality of Rozaje on the border with Serbia is also contaminated with cluster bomblets as a result of four cluster bombs dropped during NATO air strikes. Contamination is centered on the villages of Besnik and Njegusi, which covers an area of around five kilometers by 300 meters. Several clearance operations have been conducted in the area and in May 2005, the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior estimated that between 70 and 100 bomblets still affected the two villages.[43] No clearance was conducted in 2005, and no change was reported in March 2006. Funding for clearance was not available as of March 2006.[44]
The 1999 NATO air strikes also scattered unexploded aerial bombs and other large ordnance across Serbia. In March 2006, the Serbian Mine Action Center reported that a total of 60 930 kilogram aerial bombs and other large mass projectiles were believed to be in the ground at a depth of up to 20 meters in 43 locations, as well as in the Danube and Sava rivers.[45] Previously, the center had stated that 62 unexploded aerial bombs were suspected to be in 44 locations.[46] The new estimate was based on a technical survey conducted at Lake Palic in October 2005, which concluded that the lake was not the site of two suspected aerial bombs included in the previous estimates.[47]
According to the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), more than one million people are believed to be living in contaminated areas in Serbia and Montenegro.[48]
In Serbia, the Serbian Mine Action Center has responsibility for mine action coordination and planning, whereas in Montenegro, the Regional Center for Underwater Demining is the body responsible for mine action.
The Serbian Mine Action Center was established on 7 March 2002, initially as part of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs; responsibility was passed to the Serbian government’s General Secretariat in September 2003.[49] In August 2004, as a new Serbian government was formed, the Serbian Assembly passed the Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries, modifying a previous law passed in February which established the structure and the mandate of ministries and other “specialized organizations” within the government.
According to the Serbian Mine Action Center, the August 2004 law “determined the scope of the work of the Mine Action Center.”[50] It states that the Mine Action Center is a legal independent entity (meaning not part of a ministry) responsible for humanitarian demining, the collection and management of mine/UXO-related information (including casualty data) and the surveying of suspected contaminated areas. It also has the mandate to plan demining projects, conduct quality control and monitoring of operations, ensure implementation of international demining standards, license demining organizations, and warn the population about mine/UXO dangers.[51]
In May 2006, the Serbian Mine Action Center explained that although it is not part of any ministry, “the government of Serbia – according to current law and other regulations – supervises and directs the work of the Serbian Mine Action Center. Also, the government appoints and releases from duty the director. The director for his work and for the work [of the Center] is responsible to the government.”[52]
Clearance operations by the armed forces are restricted to the contaminated areas of military facilities. Army clearance operations are not within the Serbian Mine Action Center’s responsibility, and it keeps no records of army clearance operations.[53] According to the Ministry of Defense, the Serbian Mine Action Center refuses to allow federal state institutions such as the army to participate in mine clearance at the republic level. The army reported in March 2006 that it still lacked modern demining equipment and funding.[54]
In Montenegro, the RCUD, which was created in 2002, mainly carries out underwater mine and UXO removal. According to its website, RCUD was founded by the government of Montenegro who assigned the Ministry of Interior Affairs to “develop [the Center’s] organization and its specification.” It is a “public institution and has status of a legal entity realizing independently its functions assigned by the [government].”[55] Landmine Monitor is not aware of any legislation establishing the RCUD.
The Serbian Mine Action Center has been equipped with version 3.190 of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) since December 2004. An upgrade to version 4 was planned to be installed when the training was completed and version 4 was ready for field deployment (expected in late 2006).[56] The center claimed in May 2006 that it already had a number of employees trained in the use of version 4.[57]
The RCUD does not have software specifically for mine action data; it stated that it would like to use IMSMA.[58]
According to the Serbian Mine Action Center, demining in Serbia is carried out according to IMAS, “which completely satisfies [their] needs.” The RCUD stated that it disposes of mines/UXO in accordance with IMAS, and has developed its own standing operating procedures for clearance operations.[59]
Serbia has not developed a multi-year mine action strategy. Instead, the Serbian Mine Action Center prepares plans and projects for demining in Serbia on a yearly basis which are completed if the funds are available at the time. Nonetheless, Serbia envisions clearing all antipersonnel and antivehicle mines in Sid municipality by the end of 2008 and all cluster bomblets by 2014.[60]
For 2005, Serbia initially planned clearance operations on 1.3 square kilometers of the border area with Croatia.[61] However, it was able to secure funding and issue contracts for clearance of only 839,900 square meters.[62] Five demining projects were initiated in 2005, financed by donations from the United States, Germany and the European Commission (EC) through the ITF. Funding was secured for four of the areas: “Kucina forest 3” (an area of 200,000 square meters), “Hrastik 1” (200,000 square meters), “Bresce” (43,000 square meters) and “Protection Bank” (20,000 square meters).[63] Clearance of the first two areas was completed in 2005; clearance of the remaining two areas was completed in early 2006.[64]
For the fifth area, the heads of the Croatian and Serbian mine action centers signed a protocol in November 2005 to remove mines from an area of 376,000 square meters of “no-man’s-land” at the Batrovci-Bajakovo border crossing.[65] Clearance operations, conducted by the Croatian company, Enigma, started shortly thereafter.[66] Clearance was expected to be completed in April 2006, but due to severe weather conditions this was postponed to June 2006; as of May, operations were said to be in the “final phase.”[67] Previously, Serbia had planned to clear the Jamena-Stronsinci border crossing (120,000 square meters) in 2005, also as a joint project with Croatia.[68] However, this project was not initiated because of a lack of funding.[69]
The ITF reported that border clearance projects promote better regional cooperation and facilitate confidence-building.[70] According to the Serbian Mine Action Center, “agricultural use of land and possible economic development sites such as border crossings help determine which locations were prioritized for demining activities.”[71]
Also a priority for clearance in Serbia during 2005 was cluster bomblet contamination in the Nis region and Kopaonik mountain area. These priorities were based on the need to return private properties to their owners, to allow the reconstruction of key infrastructure, and to reduce the number of civilian casualties.[72] Three areas of Nis and one area of Kopaonik mountain were cleared in 2005.[73]
Serbia’s demining plan for 2006 was largely dependent on funds which had not been secured as of May 2006. It was planned to clear three sites in Kopaonik mountain (Krcmar 1, Krcmar 2 and Duboka) and two sites in the Sid area (Protection Bank 2 and Zaseke).[74] Also, a tender process was launched in 2006 by the European Agency for Reconstruction for surveying areas along the Sava and Danube rivers, excluding the Bogojevo-Erdut and Backa Palanka-Ilok locations. Work was expected to begin in May 2006.[75]
In Montenegro, the RCUD planned to clear, to humanitarian standards, mines and UXO from affected areas in the municipalities of Plav and Rozaje in 2005.[76] However, a general survey of the area started only in May 2006;[77] this was due to far greater funds than budgeted being spent on underwater activities in 2005.[78] Following the general survey, the RCUD planned to conduct technical survey and clearance operations.[79]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Serbia and Montenegro must destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 March 2014. Serbia plans to clear all antipersonnel and antivehicle mine by the end of 2008, well ahead of its treaty-mandated deadline. The ITF program manager stated in May 2006 that this goal should be achieved as anticipated, given that the country “was well underway with minefield clearance.”[80]
A meeting in Sarajevo in April 2005 concluded that, “similarly, Montenegro should be declared free of landmines if demining projects at the border with Albania progress as planned.”[81]
In Serbia, the following companies were involved in demining in 2005: Roehll (Germany) STOP Mines, UXB Balkans and BH demining (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Enigma (Croatia). The ITF also contracted Me.De.Com, a Bosnian-Serb company, and DOK-ING, a Croatian company, to undertake battle area clearance in Nis and the Kopaonik mountain.[82]
Me.De.Com was blacklisted by the US government in August 2004, a month after it won the ITF tender for demining in Serbia.[83] The blacklisting resulted from alleged family ties between the Me.De.Com owner and a businessperson suspected of providing support to people indicted for war crimes. At the request of the US, ITF informed Me.De.Com that it would not be eligible to participate in ITF tenders involving US donations in the future. However, for the work already underway, ITF declared that it was legally bound to fulfill its obligations and was not asked to break the contract with Me.De.Com.[84] According to the ITF and the US Embassy, a commission responsible for the selection of organizations was composed of a representative from the Serbian Mine Action Center, the US Embassy and the ITF.[85]
Other clearance bodies in Serbia include forces of the Serbian Ministry of Interior, which supervised the removal of a small number of mines from areas close to the administrative border with Kosovo.[86]
In Montenegro, the local organization SAVE, which is based in Niksic, is registered for humanitarian demining.[87] Personnel from SAVE worked with the RCUD in removing UXO from the Bay of Kotor.[88]
In October 2005, the Serbian company PMC Inzenjering conducted a technical survey on part of Lake Palic, covering 12,000 square meters where UXO contamination was suspected. The survey concluded that at the depth of 20 meters under the water surface, no evidence of UXO was found.[89] No other surveys were conducted in 2005.[90]
The RCUD initiated a survey on the area of Plav and Rozaje municipalities in May 2006 with US Department of State funding.[91]
Previous surveys include a general survey in June-July 2001 by INTERSOS, which prioritized clearance in the UXO-contaminated areas of Kopaonik, Nis, Merdare, Bujanovac, Kopaonik II, Cacak-Kraljevo, Sjenica and Vladimirovci, and clearance of mines on the border with Croatia.[92]
Serbia and Montenegro’s initial Article 7 report claimed that: “Mined areas are properly marked with semi-permanent signs (poles with barbed wire)... Local population has been informed and instructed with respect of the rules of movement... All potentially dangerous locations are outside populated areas (minimum distance 5 km).”[93] Areas contaminated with cluster bomblets are only partly marked, reportedly because the mountainous terrain is largely inaccessible.[94]
Serbian officials say that 2005 casualty statistics―no civilians injured or killed by mines―show that mined areas are properly marked and that local awareness is satisfactory. All areas contaminated with mines are said to be marked by “semi-permanent” markers, but some have been damaged. However, wire has been placed around trees or pillars in the ground together with signs “Stop Mines,” and the local population has knowledge of the problem and does not enter contaminated areas.[95]
The Serbian Mine Action Center reported that 1,373,520 square meters of land were cleared in 2005. In the Sid area bordering Croatia, 839,900 square meters of minefields were cleared (634 mines destroyed); a further 533,620 square meters of land was cleared of UXO (27 cluster bomblets destroyed).[96]
However, the ITF reported that in 2005 a total of 637 mines and 27 UXO were cleared in a 963,775 square meter area in Serbia (excluding Kosovo).[97] This included 430,155 square meters released after clearance operations in the Sid area, and 533,620 square meters of battle area clearance.[98] The difference arises because the Serbian Mine Action Center includes in its clearance data for 2005 the total area contracted for clearance in 2005, but not necessarily executed the same year.[99]
Four of the 27 cluster bomblets were removed from three UXO-affected sites around the city of Nis, including the industrial zone, city hospital and Duvaniste residential area. The other 23 bomblets were removed by Me.De.Com at the Baciste site in the Kopaonik mountain area, close to tourist facilities.[100]
Demining in Serbia involves manual and mechanical assets and mine detection dogs. Reportedly, all operations and quality control were carried out in accordance with IMAS.[101]
According to the ITF, while it contracts companies for quality assurance on clearance operations conducted as a result of its funding, the Serbian Mine Action Center also has its own quality assurance, and “information is collected from both sides.” The Center also conducts monitoring during clearance operations.[102]
After clearance is completed, the Serbian Mine Action Center issues a certificate to the ITF, the donor and the local community which confirms that the land has been cleared according to IMAS.[103] The ITF reported that areas to be demined are in agricultural parts of Serbia where land is very fertile, and is immediately used after clearance for agriculture and exploitation of wood.[104]
In Montenegro, the project to clear the Verige trench in the Bay of Kotor was completed with US funding at the end of November 2004.[105] The RCUD also conducted sporadic UXO clearance in other locations in the Bay.[106] Localized demining of unexploded aerial ordnance was conducted around the coastal resort of Budva, as well as on-shore demining around the town of Ulcinj.[107] No clearance figures or specific time for when these activities took place were provided to Landmine Monitor.
The only reported demining accident in 2005 involved a Me.De.Com deminer injured while clearing cluster bomblets from a factory in Nis in August 2005. The deminer is reported to have violated standing operating procedures.[108]
In addition, an exploded ordnance disposal (EOD) technician was injured at the NAMSA Kragujevac facility on 9 November 2005 while demilitarizing a mine. He was covered by the national company insurance; there was no personal or company liability established, although the outcome of the investigation was unknown as of March 2006.[109]
Mine risk education (MRE) has not been a priority for either the Serbian Mine Action Center or international donors. Awareness-raising activities undertaken with regard to small arms and light weapons also addressed the risk of handling abandoned ordnance, for example when discovering abandoned caches.[110]
Landmine Monitor estimated that about $1.8 million was donated in 2005 for mine action by national and international sources, excluding the NAMSA stockpile destruction project and excluding Kosovo.[111] Total donations in 2004 were estimated to be $2.86 million.[112]
In 2005, two international donors provided $1,746,940 to mine action in Serbia and Montenegro; as in 2004, the donors were the US ($1 million)[113] and Germany (€450,000, or $746,940).[114] Both donated through the ITF. In 2004, the US and Germany provided $1,774,140 through the ITF.
The ITF reported directing $1,490,104 (5.4 percent of its 2005 expenditure) to Serbia and Montenegro including the province of Kosovo;[115] in 2004, the ITF reported allocating $1,248,677 (five percent).[116] The ITF does not separate funding allocated to Kosovo. The ITF planned to cease funding operations in Serbia and Montenegro at the end of 2008.[117]
Government funding in 2005 included 8,053,000 dinars ($96,197) for salaries and operating costs; however, Serbia had no budget for demining operations in 2005.[118]
In August 2005, Defense Minister Prvoslav Davinić was quoted in an interview with journalists as saying that, of the €1.7 million (about $2.1 million) estimated total funding for the joint Ministry of Defense and NAMSA stockpile destruction project, the “military industry” of Serbia and Montenegro was allocated €1,236,000 ($1,538,696).[119]
Three international donors reported contributing $494,770 for the Ministry of Defense/NAMSA stockpile destruction project in 2005:[120] Austria (€250,000, or $311,225);[121] Canada (C$71,545, or $59,055);[122] Luxembourg (€100,000, or $124,490).[123]
In 2005, there were two new landmine/UXO casualties; both were male and both were injured while engaged in demining and demilitarization duties. No civilian casualties were reported in Serbia and Montenegro, excluding Kosovo, whereas in 2004 two people were injured after stepping on an unidentified explosive device.[124]
There is no comprehensive data on mine/UXO casualties in Serbia and Montenegro. Landmine Monitor has reported since 2004 that there were plans to establish a database on mine casualties and survivors, which “will play a key role in planning aid projects for mine victims and their families.” Serbia and Montenegro repeated in the 2005-2009 objectives it prepared for the Sixth Meeting of States Parties that it wanted to “Create a database that would contain names of people injured by landmines, date of injury, diagnosis, method of treatment and rehabilitation, type of prosthesis, functional level, professional and social status, and recruit an expert team [to] analyse the database.”[125] IMSMA was to be used, and training of personnel began in 2003.[126] IMSMA had not been deployed as of May 2006, and the total number of landmine survivors remains unknown.[127]
Available data indicates that there are more than 1,370 mine survivors in the country; most are displaced people from the conflict in Kosovo or refugees from earlier hostilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[128] As of September 2004, 260 mine survivors had been registered in Montenegro.[129]
Survivors are registered after a successful application for support to the state insurance fund to access prosthetics, and when they have successfully obtained pension benefits.[130] Landmine survivors claim that the government does not want to recognize them since the overwhelming majority fought in the covert wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia during the 1990s.[131] The list detailing their names and the cause of their injuries is a state secret, as are all documents related to alleged Serbian participation in the conflicts.[132]
At the First Review Conference in Nairobi, Serbia and Montenegro was identified as one of 24 States Parties with significant numbers of mine survivors and “the greatest responsibility to act, but also the greatest needs and expectations for assistance” in providing adequate services for the care, rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors.[133] Serbia and Montenegro presented its 2005-2009 objectives for the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005. The objectives include: create a database containing the survivors’ names, date of injury, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, socioeconomic status, and recruit database analysis experts; establish ongoing medical care and rehabilitation services; assess the need for prosthetic devices, develop community-based rehabilitation (CBR), increase prosthetic/orthotic and CBR training; plan professional reintegration and initiate an income-generating project based on the professional rehabilitation plan; and develop a strategy to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families based on the needs identified by the database and the UN Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.[134]
At the Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration in May 2006, Serbia and Montenegro stated that it had developed a time-based plan to realize stated objectives for assistance to survivors, and these plans included: implementation of a limited pilot database and needs assessment through the Institute of Prosthetics in Belgrade (2006-2007); creation of a mechanism to track survivor data and prevent overlap of services (2007); and recommendations for national implementation of survivor data management (2008). Initially, the pilot project, through the Institute of Prosthetics in Belgrade, will establish a database of 100 amputees between September 2006 and May 2007, after which the data will be analyzed to assess the needs of those survivors by 31 December 2007. Based on the needs defined in the pilot project, the other elements of the plan, both time-based and general, will be carried out in accordance with the 2005-2009 objectives.[135] Time-based activities included: determining specific equipment needed by medical and rehabilitation services (2006); training of approximately 30 psychosocial support staff to assist survivors’ social and economic reintegration (2006); determining the number and quality of mobility devices for approximately 200 survivors (2007); determining the needs of approximately 500 survivors, refugees and people living in exile (2007); creating vocational training and income-generating opportunities (2007); improving regional cooperation among rehabilitation professionals and survivors (2008); and developing a national strategy for improving the quality of life of survivors and their families (2008). General activities included: improving medical care and rehabilitation services and access; defining the role of community-based rehabilitation; raising awareness about the need for professional counseling; and promoting laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities. All activities, however, were dependent on international technical and material support[136] “[t]o achieve better rehabilitation, psychological support and social reintegration of landmine victims.”[137]
Serbia and Montenegro included information on victim assistance in voluntary Form J of its Article 7 report in August 2005, stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates activities of relevant agencies to the implementation of provisions of the Mine Ban Convention, but that “concrete results could not [be] achieved because of the lack of donor funds and interests” and “[t]he international community is expected to help implement mine victims assistance projects, plans and programmes by working with donors and professional organizations and associations on providing material, technical and educational support to the achievement of these humane goals.”[138]
In Montenegro, a Commission for APM Victims was established by the Ministry of Health on 11 August 2004. In Serbia, the Council of Health Workers was established.[139] However, as of March 2006, no concrete progress had been reported on implementation of survivor assistance plans in either Serbia or Montenegro.[140] There were no internationally-sponsored survivor assistance projects in Serbia and Montenegro, and no government-sponsored initiatives other than state benefits. Some informal activities were conducted between staff at the Institute for Prosthetics and the members of Dobra Volja; both medical staff and survivors state that there is a need for survivor assistance projects.[141]
In the past, Serbia and Montenegro was reported as having well-developed surgical and rehabilitation services for mine survivors, as well as reintegration programs. However, the lack of resources has affected the quality of healthcare services. There is an urgent need to reform and improve services through the training of medical staff, provision of equipment, medical supplies and treatment aids, and through expert and technical assistance. There are several health clinic centers that have both surgical and orthopedic capabilities. No significant improvement was recorded in 2005.[142] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed the transfer of its basic health services pilot project to the Serbian Health Ministry and closed all its field offices in Serbia and Montenegro. A project in the central Serbian town of Kraljevo was started to support the local health structure that had been overwhelmed by the arrival of displaced people.[143]
Although Serbia and Montenegro has 23 rehabilitation centers, the majority of mine survivors are treated at the Institute for Prosthetics in Belgrade, which was recognized by foreign medical experts as the best suited to assist mine survivors owing to its trained staff of doctors and technicians.[144] There are also private clinics supplying prosthetics and other assistive devices.[145] All people covered by health insurance are entitled to standard mobility devices, but the appliances are not adapted to the individual needs of the person. The cost of prosthetics for people not covered under the state insurance is prohibitive: the price of an above-knee prosthesis ranges from €680 to €730 (some $850-$910), and an upper-arm prosthesis costs from €1,200 to €1,400 ($1,500-$1,750).[146] It is not known how many orthopedic/prosthetic technicians there are. There is no formal training for technicians; most training is done on-the-job and through seminars.[147] In 2005, 12 experts from the Institute for Prosthetics received a special five-day training in rehabilitation organized by the Slovenian Institute of Rehabilitation.[148] Reportedly, the Health Insurance Office maintains data on production of mobility devices. There is a lack of survivor participation in the planning of rehabilitation activities and coordination and awareness is low.[149]
State facilities providing psychosocial support include the Institute of Prosthetics and the Dr. Laza Lazarevic Institute for Neuropsychiatric Diseases in Belgrade. Health professionals reportedly lacked training on post-traumatic stress disorder among landmine survivors. However, in 2005, some training in this was provided and approximately 120 people have been treated. The team treating patients at the Institute consists of three psychologists, three “defectologists” and three social workers.[150]
Dobra Volja (Goodwill) is Serbia’s only association of landmine survivors and provides peer-based psychosocial support and community advocacy; members are mostly refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.[151] Dobra Volja’s chairperson stated that the February 2006 decision by the Serbian government to reduce mine survivor pensions increased the risk of poverty and isolation for the organization’s members, who already perceive themselves as ignored by government institutions and prevented from participating in society.[152]
Handicap International’s (HI) program, SHARE-SEE (Self Help for Advocacy, Rights and Equal Opportunities in South East Europe), aims at empowering local associations of people with disabilities in Serbia and Montenegro through training and regional exchanges.[153] In 2005, HI and the government continued their cooperation to organize SHARE-SEE activities.[154]
The national employment service is responsible for developing vocational training programs and job placement for people with disabilities, including mine survivors. However, financial constraints and high unemployment limit opportunities for the economic reintegration of people with disabilities.[155] Serbian government officials stated that the Ministry of Education did not always design suitable courses. No precise statistics on the level of unemployment amongst landmine survivors were available; however, officials estimate the unemployment rate to be between 80 and 90 percent.[156]
Until the closure of its field office in January 2006, ICRC provided financial and technical support for projects including psychosocial support programs; support to micro-credit programs stopped at the end of 2004. In 2005, ICRC undertook a final evaluation to analyze the impact of its micro-economic assistance and the situation of the most vulnerable displaced people from Kosovo. It concluded “that the situation had worsened for all vulnerable groups, not only IDPs [internally displaced people]. However, income generating schemes, such as micro-credit, in-kind grants and vocational training, alleviated the suffering of the most vulnerable IDPs, restored their dignity and self-reliance and significantly reduced the need for local assistance.”[157]
Mine survivors and the families of those killed receive funds, as determined by law, from the budget of Serbia’s Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, as do all victims of war. The ministry budget also provides funding for organizations of disabled war veterans. The ministry financially supports projects that address the problem of employment and the general living standard of disabled people.[158] The average pension for a landmine survivor was approximately €300 ($373) per month, which was about the average monthly salary for 2005.[159] The majority of Serbian and Montenegrin landmine survivors are veterans of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of whom receive a pension considerably higher than the average. In March 2005, the government introduced legislation which cut pensions for war victims, including those for landmine survivors. This triggered protests.[160] The government decreased pensions by at least 20 percent. Landmine survivor groups claim that their members in disability categories 2, 3 and 4 will lose as much as 30 percent of their benefits, and that the high rate of inflation in Serbia will increase the impact.[161]
Some of the amputees in Serbia are refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina but not citizens of Serbia and Montenegro; they are not automatically entitled to state benefits.[162]
Serbia and Montenegro has legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities. However, due to economic conditions, there are difficulties in implementing the provisions.[163] Although there were no reports of discrimination against people with disabilities, education and care facilities were reportedly non-existent or inadequate, and the government did not address the problem. A high unemployment rate and lack of accommodation made it difficult for people with disabilities to obtain employment.[164]
The law mandates access for people with disabilities to new public buildings, which the government generally enforces.[165] However, the 2004 Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Serbia and Montenegro identified lack of accessibility as a major factor in discrimination against people with disabilities.[166]
[1] Statement by Dušanka Divjak-Tomic, Minister Counselor, Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 9 February 2004.
[2] The Republic of Montenegro was accepted as a member of the UN on 22 June 2006. UN Security Council, 5473rd meeting, New York, 22 June 2006.
[3] Email from Danica Stojanovic, Department for International Cooperation and European Integration, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, 11 April 2006.
[4] The new penal code is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice, www.mpravde.sr.gov.yu. Article 376 - “Use of Banned Combat Means,” states: “(1) A person who in time of war or armed conflict orders the use of combat means or combat methods that are prohibited under international law, or deploys them by himself/herself shall be punished by 2 to 10 year imprisonment; (2) If the action provided under Para 1 of this Article results in the death of several people, the perpetrator shall be punished by at least 5-years imprisonment or by 30 to 40 years imprisonment; (3) A person who publicly calls for the use or plans the use of weapons as provided under Para 1 of this Article shall be punished by imprisonment, ranging from 6 months to 5 years.” Article 377 - “The Non-permitted Production of Banned Weapons,” states: “(1) A person who illegally or contrary to the provisions of international law produces, buys, sells, imports, exports or in some other way procures, conveys, keeps or transports the weapons the production or deployment of which is prohibited...shall be punished by 1 to 5 years imprisonment; (2) An official or a responsible person who orders or enables a legal person to deal in the activities provided under Para 1 of this Article shall be punished by 1 to 8 years imprisonment.”
[5] Letter to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia from Željko Šturanović, Deputy Minister of Justice of Montenegro, No. 03-2510/04, 8 June 2004. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 712, for more details.
[6] Previous Article 7 reports were submitted on 31 August 2005 and 25 October 2004. Both included voluntary Form J with information on victim assistance.
[7] However, Serbia and Montenegro submitted a formal declaration with its instrument of accession stating that, “it is the understanding of Serbia and Montenegro that the mere participation in the planning or conduct of operations, exercises or any other military activities by the armed forces of Serbia and Montenegro, or by any of its nationals, if carried out in conjunction with armed forces of the non-State Parties (to the Convention), which engage in activities prohibited under the Convention, does not in any way imply an assistance, encouragement or inducement as referred to in subparagraph 1 (c) of the Convention.”
[8] Information provided to the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia by Assistant Minister Ljubisa Perovic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry Document No. 11342, 19 April 2005.
[9] Interview with Mladen Mijovic, Director, Directorate for Weapons Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgrade, 14 March 2006.
[10] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Department for Defense Technology, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 21 March 2006.
[11] Letter from Maj. Gen. Dobrosav Radovanovic, Assistant Minister of Defense, Sector of International Military Cooperation and Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense, 29 January 2003; see also Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 789. On 20 June 2003, Serbia and Montenegro repeated this statement at the Conference on Disarmament.
[12] Report from Dragana Kajganic, Public Relations Officer, Serbian Ministry of Interior, Belgrade, 6 April 2006.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Article 7 Report, Form B, 31 August 2005; statement by Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005. The 1,320,620 figure has been indicated in previous Article 7 reports and includes the 5,000 mines that Serbia and Montenegro intends to retain under Article 3.
[15] Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, Local Representative, NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA), Belgrade, 19 September 2005.
[16] Statement by Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005; information also provided by Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 7 June 2005; NATO Update, “1.3 million landmines to be destroyed in Serbia and Montenegro,” 17 August 2005; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 714.
[17] Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 19 September 2005; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 517, for details.
[18] NAMSA is the executing agent for the donors, with Canada and Austria as lead donors. Other donors include Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovenia. Serbia and Montenegro’s contribution to the project will include provision of vehicles and labor for loading, transporting and off-loading mines, logistic and office support to the NAMSA team, and provision of all explosives and accessories required for the destruction of detonators and fuzes. Article 7 Report, Form F, 31 August 2005; statement by Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005.
[19] Letter from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 2 March 2006.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 28 April 2006.
[22] Statement by Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005.
[23] Letter from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 2 March 2006.
[24] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 714.
[25] Article 7 Report, Form D, 31 August 2005.
[26] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 21 March 2006.
[27] See Landmine Monitor 2005, p. 517.
[28] Article 7 Report, Form C, 25 October 2004.
[29] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 518.
[30] Article 7 Report, Form C, 31 August 2005.
[31] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Director, Serbian Mine Action Center, 17 March 2003; email from Stoja Pejic, Donor Relations Advisor, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 18 May 2006. The number of remaining antipersonnel and antivehicle mines was not provided.
[32] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 518.
[33] Article 7 Reports, Form C, 25 October 2004 and 31 August 2005.
[34] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 518.
[35] Ibid, citing a letter from Mico Orlandic, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Montenegro, 6 April 2005.
[36] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, Director, RCUD, 17 March 2006; Article 7 Reports, Form C, 25 October 2004 and 31 August 2005.
[37] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006, and telephone interview, 12 April 2006.
[38] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006. In April 2005, Montenegro reported that the remaining suspected contamination area was 46 kilometers in length and that 31 minefields remained from the original 65 locations recorded in that area. See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 518, citing a letter from Mico Orlandic, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Montenegro, 6 April 2005.
[39] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006.
[40] See RCUD website, www.rcud.cg.yu, accessed on 26 May 2006; email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006, and telephone interview, 12 April 2006.
[41] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006; ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 37. Clearance operations were conducted in the area in 2005, resulting in a decrease of some 500,000 square meters in the total contaminated area between 2005 and 2006.
[42] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[43] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 519, citing a letter from Mico Orlandic, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Montenegro, 6 April 2005.
[44] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006.
[45] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[46] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 519, citing a letter from Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, 20 May 2005.
[47] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006; ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38.
[48] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 37.
[49] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 716.
[50] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 May 2006.
[51] “Law of Alterations and Supplementations of the Law of Ministries,” Official Gazette, 84/04, August 2004.
[52] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 May 2006.
[53] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 519.
[54] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 31 March 2006.
[55] RCUD, www.rcud.cg.yu, accessed on 25 May 2006.
[56] Email from Thomas Bollinger, IMSMA Regional Coordinator for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), 29 May 2006.
[57] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 May 2006.
[58] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006.
[59] Ibid.
[60] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 May 2006; email from Gregor Sančanin, Program Manager, ITF, Belgrade, 18 May 2006.
[61] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 519.
[62] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006; email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[63] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[64] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 June 2006.
[65] “Vukovar: Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro sign a protocol on demining,” HINA (Croatian News Agency), 14 November 2005.
[66] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006; telephone interview with Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 29 May 2006.
[67] Telephone interview with Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 29 May 2006; email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 May 2006.
[68] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 520.
[69] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[70] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38.
[71] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[72] Statement by Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, at European Union (EU) Mine Action Coordination Meeting for South-East Europe, Sarajevo, 6 April 2005 (narrative report by David Orifici), GICHD, 11 May 2005.
[73] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 June 2006; interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[74] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 June 2006.
[75] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[76] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 521, citing a letter from Mico Orlandic, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Montenegro, 6 April 2005.
[77] RCUD, www.rcud.cg.yu, accessed 26 May 2006.
[78] Interview with United States diplomat, Belgrade, 14 March 2006.
[79] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006, and telephone interview, 12 April 2006.
[80] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 18 May 2006.
[81] EU Mine Action Coordination Meeting for South-East Europe, Sarajevo, 6 April 2005 (narrative report by David Orifici), GICHD, 11 May 2005. The meeting involved the RCUD, Serbian Mine Action Center, other mine action representatives from the region, GICHD and the EU.
[82] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38.
[83] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 July 2006.
[84] Ibid, 11 April 2006.
[85] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 April 2006; interview with US diplomatic source, Belgrade, 14 March 2006; “US donates $1.3 million to Demining Efforts in Serbia,” Press Release, US Embassy in Belgrade, 10 August 2005.
[86] Report from Dragana Kajganic, Serbian Minister of the Interior, 6 April 2006.
[87] See Landmine Monitor 2005, p. 519, citing a letter from Mico Orlandic, Montenegrin Ministry of Internal Affairs, 6 April 2005.
[88] Email from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 17 March 2006, and telephone interview, 12 April 2006.
[89] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38; email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[90] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[91] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 July 2006.
[92] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 791.
[93] Article 7 Report, Form I, 25 October 2004.
[94] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 519, citing a letter from Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, 20 May 2005; Aleksandar Radic and Daniel Sunter (eds.), “Defense & Security-Remnants of Past Wars,” VIP News Services (Belgrade), 31 March 2005.
[95] Interview with Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Belgrade, 31 March 2006; interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[96] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[97] Emails from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 April and 6 July 2006.
[98] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38; email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 April 2006.
[99] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center; email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 18 May 2006.
[100] Email from Stoja Pejic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 23 March 2006; interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[101] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[102] Ibid.
[103] Telephone interview with Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 29 May 2006.
[104] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 18 May 2006.
[105] Email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, Belgrade, 6 July 2006.
[106] Emails from Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 7 and 17 March 2006.
[107] Telephone interview with Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, Bijela, 12 April 2006, and email, 17 March 2006.
[108] Interview with Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 17 March 2006.
[109] Email from Zoran Dimitrijevic, NAMSA, Belgrade, 23 March 2006.
[110] South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC), “South Eastern Europe Small Arms and Light Weapons Monitor,” Belgrade, undated, p. 159.
[111] See report on Kosovo in this edition of Landmine Monitor.
[112] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 521-522.
[113] USG Historical Chart containing data for FY 2005, by email from Angela L. Jeffries, Financial Management Specialist, US Department of State, 8 June 2006; “Use of Donations by Countries in Year 2005,” email from Itzok Hočevar, ITF, 11 May 2006; ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 40; email from H. Murphey McCloy Jr., Senior Demining Advisor, US Department of State, 7 July 2006.
[114] Germany Article 7 Report, Form J, 27 April 2006; Mine Action Investments database. Average exchange rate for 2005: €1 = US$1.2449, used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006. Germany contributed €600,000 ($746,940) through ITF to mine action in Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo in 2005; at least €150,000 ($186,735) of this was earmarked for mine clearance in Kosovo. ITF, “Second Donation of Federal Republic of Germany to ITF in year 2005,” 23 June 2005; ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 39; email from Gregor Sančanin, ITF, 6 July 2006.
[115] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 20. ITF’s funding for Serbia and Montenegro including the province of Kosovo, per activity, was $1,431,957 for demining, $5,537 for victim assistance, $38,500 to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo for MRE, and $14,110 for other activities. ITF, “Use Of Donations by Countries in Year 2005,” in an email from Iztok Hočevar, ITF, 11 May 2006. In addition to funding reported by donor countries, ITF received $6,000 from SOSubotica and MZ Palić for mine clearance in Serbia and Montenegro. ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” pp. 12-17.
[116] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, pp. 521-522.
[117] ITF, “Contribution to the Landmine Monitor 2005,” email from Iztok Hočevar, ITF, 22 July 2005.
[118] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 522.
[119] “SCG and NATO on a joint assignment: Mine Destruction,” Politika, 18 August 2005; Article 7 Report, Form F, 31 August 2005; statement by Col. Dr. Vlado Radic, Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 15 June 2005.
[120] NATO Partnership for Peace Trust Fund reported the following contributions totaling €854,000 ($1,063,145) for stockpile destruction in Serbia in 2005: Canada €259,000 ($322,429); Norway €205,000 ($255,205); Austria €250,000 ($311,225); Ireland €100,000 ($124,490); Hungary €40,000 ($49,796). Email from Anne Suotula, Staff Officer for Trust Funds, NATO HQ, 6 July 2006.
[121] Austria Article 7 Report, Form J, 27 April 2006; email from Alexander Kmentt, Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 27 April 2006.
[122] Mine Action Investments database; email from Carly Volkes, DFAIT, 7 June 2006. Average exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = C$1.2115. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[123] Email from François Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Luxembourg, 30 March 2006.
[124] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 522; Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 718.
[125] “Final Report of the Sixth Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, “Victim Assistance objectives of the States Parties that have the responsibility for significant numbers of landmine survivors,” Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 187.
[126] Letters from Petar Mihajlovic, Serbian Mine Action Center, 13 March 2003 and 18 May 2004; see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 716.
[127] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Representative for Landmine Survivor Assistance, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006; interview with Sladjana Markovic, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006.
[128] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 718-719.
[129] Article 7 Report, Form J, 25 October 2004.
[130] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006.
[131] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Chairperson, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006; Hugh Griffiths and Ana Uzelac, “Justice at What Price?,” Institute for War and Peace Reporting, 17 May 2005.
[132] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006.
[133] UN, “Final Report, First Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction,” Nairobi, 29 November-3 December 2004, APLC/CONF/2004/5, 9 February 2005, p. 33.
[134] “Final Report of the Sixth Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 187-191.
[135] Statement by Serbia and Montenegro, Standing Committee Meeting for Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 8 May 2006.
[136] Specifically mentioned in this regard were: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICTC), World Health Organization, Handicap International and International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics.
[137] Statement by Serbia and Montenegro, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 8 May 2006; comments by Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, provided to Landmine Monitor on 18 April 2006.
[138] Article 7 Report, Form J, 31 August 2005.
[139] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 523.
[140] Article 7 Report, Form J, 31 August 2005; telephone interview with Veselin Mijajlovic, RCUD, 20 March 2006; interview with Ivan Dimitrijevic, Assistant Professor, former Representative for Landmine Survivor Assistance, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 11 March 2006; interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006; interview with Sladjana Markovic, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006.
[141] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006; interview with Ivan Dimitrijevic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 11 March 2006; interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006.
[142] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 524.
[143] ICRC, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, June 2006, p. 235; www.phckraljevo.org; see Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 524.
[144] International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics, “Conference Report of the 4th ISPO Central and Eastern European Conference,” 28 September-1 October 2005.
[145] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 719-720.
[146] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006.
[147] “Final Report of the Sixth Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, p. 189.
[148] ITF, “Annual Report 2005,” p. 38.
[149] “Final Report of the Sixth Meeting of States Parties / Zagreb Progress Report,” Part II, Annex V, Zagreb, 28 November-2 December 2005, pp. 189-190.
[150] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006.
[151] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006. Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 720, and Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 524, stated that the survivors served by Dobra Volja were from Croatia and Kosovo. However, Mars Vukovic, Dr. Markovic and Assistant Minister Markovic stated that nearly all landmine survivors in Serbia and Montenegro are refugees from Bosnia and Croatia, not from Kosovo, and that there are very few Serb landmine survivors injured in Kosovo in Serbia and Montenegro.
[152] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006.
[153] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 524.
[154] Interview with Sladjana Markovic, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006.
[155] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 720.
[156] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006; interview with Sladjana Markovic, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006; interview with Ivan Dimitrijevic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 11 March 2006.
[157] ICRC, “Annual Report 2005,” Geneva, June 2006, p. 236.
[158] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 525.
[159] Interview with Dr. Zvezdana Markovic, Serbian Ministry of Health, Belgrade, 15 March 2006; interview with Sladjana Markovic, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006.
[160] “War Invalids Stage Protest in front of Government Building,” VIP Daily News Report (Belgrade), Issue No. 3295, 17 March 2005, p. 5.
[161] Interview with Mars Vukovic, Dobra Volja, Belgrade, 24 March 2006.
[162] Interview with Sladjana Markovic, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy, Belgrade, 16 March 2006.
[163] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, pp. 721-722; Landmine Survivors Network, “National Legal Frameworks Relating to Persons with Disabilities in Heavily Mine-Affected Countries,” June 2005, pp. 10-11, 28.
[164] US Department of State, “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2005: Serbia and Montenegro,” Washington DC, 8 March 2006.
[165] Ibid.
[166] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 525; International Monetary Fund, “Serbia and Montenegro: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, 18 December 2002,” Country Report No. 04/120, May 2004, pp. 27-28.