Comments Received by Landmine Monitor

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Country: Kenya
Date Received: 02 Mar 2000

BUREAU DE L'AMBASSADEUR DE LA REPUBLIQUE DE KENYA A PARIS

2nd March 2000
Madame Sylvie Brigot
Coordinatrice de la Campagne
Francaise pur Interdire les Mines
Handicap International
104/106, Rue Oberkampf
75011 PARIS
Dear Madame Brigot,

Re: RATIFICATION OF THE ICBL TREATY
We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 26th January, 2000 in which you informed us that we remain one of the Signatories of this important treaty but have not yet ratified it.Kenya is a vocal supporter of the total ban on the use of landmines and would like to assure you of our commitment to ratify the treaty.I have forwarded your letter to Nairobi for their urgent attention.Please Mme Campaigner , accept the assurances of our highest consideration.Yours sincerely,(signed) Steven A. LoyatumAmbassador

Country: Lesotho
Date Received: 07 Jul 2000

To: Mr. Noel Stott,
South African/International Campaign to Ban Landmines

From: L Mosala
Foreign Affairs
Maseru 100

7 July 2000

Dear Noel,

Re: LESOTHO AND LANDMINES - THE OTTAWA CONVENTION

I wish to refer to a draft report you sent us in May 2000 regarding the above for the purpose of sharing information with us on this very important issue of Landmines.

Indeed, Lesotho stands by its initial statement that it is totally mine-free and goes further to give the following clarification on some concerns you raised.

* Lesotho will be submitting its report in accordance with Article 7 before the sitting of the 2nd meeting of States Parties.
* Incidences referred to regarding the disturbances in 1998 as described by a purported LDF member have no basis. The Lesotho Defence Force does not, and has never at anytime kept stock of landmines. What may have been stolen at the time were mere hand-grenades. LDF does not even keep any landmines for training purposes.
* Training of LDF personnel on detonating or handling of landmines was done outside the country because Lesotho had no stock or knowledge of use of landmine. The purpose of their training was to enable them to counter the then Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA) which was operating from outside the country.
* Indeed there were victims of limpet mines in the 1980s but they were as a result of LLA operations launched from outside Lesotho. Such weapons belonged to the LLA. There are no reports of uncleared mines presently.
* LLA was disbanded outside the country and they came into Lesotho as ordinary citizens and as a result no stock taking of their weapons was made and the Government is not responsible for those arms wherever outside of Lesotho they may be.
* I will be coming back to your good self in due course as still some of the stakeholders have not responded.

I hope the above will give you a basis to revise and upgrade your draft.

Yours sincerely,
L. Mosala

Country: Liberia
Date Received: 31 Jul 2000

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM

Liberia believes that landmines pose a perpetual threat to civil society. Its use is pernicious to the people.

The gruesome use of landmines has today left the world with millions of amputees and maimed children.

Coming out of a seven year civil war in which landmines were used on a minimal scale, we saw the horrendous impact it hand on our people. We pray that such devastation should never come our way as a people who have resolved never to experience war in our existence.

We therefore support the global programme to eliminate landmines.

Signed: Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism

Country: Mauritius
Date Received: 13 May 1999

Republic of Mauritius

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

13 May, 1999

Dear Sir/Madam,

SUBJECT: Landmine Monitor Report 1999

I am directed to thank you for providing the Mauritius Delegation to the First Meeting of States Parties with a copy of the 1,100 page Landmine Monitor Report 1999. This Report is a major contribution in the implementation of Article 7 of the Ottawa Convention in reporting in a most transparent, systematic and sustained manner the essential elements necessary for the successful elimination of antipersonnel mines.

The ICBL deserves congratulations for making available a copy of the Landmine Monitor Report 1999 to all the delegations.

It is, however, noted that a factual mis-reporting has occurred at page 43 under the caption pertaining to Mauritius which may convey a wrong information if left uncorrected.

The above-mentioned mis-reporting concerns the name of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Mauritius. It should instead read Hon. Rajkeswur Purryag and not Mohamed Ould Maawiya as erroneously spelled out in the report.

The Ministry would, in this connection, appreciate it if the ICBL could kindly arrange to issue an appropriate corrigendum.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours Sincerely,

B Gokool

for Supervising Officer

Country: Moldova
Date Received: 05 Feb 2004

Letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines regarding the Moldova chapter of the Landmine Monitor Report 2003

Download: moldova2004.pdf (61.86 kB)

Country: Monaco
Date Received: 27 Jul 1999

Mission Permanente
De La Principauté de Monaco
Auprés de Nations Unies

Reference 99/793
Le Représentant permanent adjoint

New York, July 27 1999

Dear Madam,

I have the honour to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your report along with its executive summary on landmine.

As a donour country for the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action, my delegation welcomes this comprehensive report and looks forward to another study by the Landmine monitor on this serious and delicate topic.

Please accept, Madame, the assurance of my highest consideration.

Chargé d'affaires, a.i.

Isabelle Picco

Mrs. Mary Wareham

Senior Advocate, Arms Division

Human Rights Watch

Country: Namibia
Date Received: 22 Jul 2001

PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

135 East 36th Street
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (212) 685-2003
Facsimile: (212) 685-1561

23 July 2001

Dear Ms. Wareham,

I have the honour to refer to your letter dated 25 May 2001, addressed to Hon. Dr. Theo-Ben Gouriab, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Namibia.

In the said letter, you have indicated that the third annual report of Landmine Monitor - "Landmine Monitor Report 2001: Towards a Mine-Free World," may identify Namibia as "a Government that is alleged to have used or assisted in the use of anti-personnel landmines". In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Namibia wishes to respond as follows:

a) Namibia signed the Convention on the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, (The Convention) on 3 December 1997 and subsequently ratified it on 21 July 1998.

b) Since the ratification of the said Convention, the Namibian Defence Forces has never used anti-personnel mines or assisted any other forces in the use thereof, both in its internal and international military operations.

c) Subsequent to the ratification of the Convention in July 1998, the Namibian Government completed the destruction of all APMs except those retained for training purposes, as permitted by the Convention.

d) The commitment of the Namibian Government to the enforcement of, and compliance with the provisions of the Convention, in particular ARTICLE 1 thereof, is further illustrated by the fact that the Government has destroyed all APMs Namibian forces have captured from UNITA arms depots during military operations along Namibia's border with Angola. The media were also invited to witness such destruction earlier this year.

The Government of the Republic of Namibia, therefore, for the reasons stated above, denies any use or assistance to use anti-personnel mines by its forces. Such an allegation would thus lack any factual basis.

I trust that the above information would be duly considered in the preparation of your report.

Yours Sincerely,
(Signed) Gerhard Theron
Charge d'Affaires, a.i.

Ms. Mary Wareham
Coordinator, Landmine Monitor
c/o Human Rights Watch
1630 Connecticut Ave NW #500
Washington, DC 20009, USA
Fax: 202-612-4333

Country: Pakistan
Date Received: 26 Jul 2000

EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN
2315 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008

From : Sohail Mahmood
First Secretary
No. Pol-1/2/2000 July 26, 2000

Dear Mr. Goose,

I have the pleasure of enclosing a closed cover containing a letter addressed to you by Mr. Shahbaz, Director General (Disarmament), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad. This is in response to your letter of 26th June 2000, addressed to Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar regarding the Landmine Monitor Report.2000: Toward a Mine-Free World.

Yours Sincerely,
Signed Sohail Mahmood

Government of Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Islamabad

NO. Dsmt-1/11/00

12 July 2000

Subject: Landmine Monitor Report 2000: Toward a Mine-Free World

My dear Program Director,

Please refer to your letter dated 29 June 2000 addressed to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan on the above subject.

We offer the following comments:

Pakistan is party to the Amended Protocol 11 on Mines, Booby-Traps and other Devices of the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention, and is fully abiding by its provisions. We believe that universal adherence to the Protocol will greatly help in saving innocent civilians from the scourge of landmines.
Pakistan's record with respect to the regulated use of landmines is second to none. This fact has been duly appreciated by the ICRC in its publication, "APLs -Friend or Foe". It is for this reason, landmine civilian casualties in Pakistan are almost non-existent, a fact duly acknowledged by the ICRC.
Pakistan fully subscribes to the goal of eventual elimination of landmines. Nevertheless, our peculiar defence situation, like that of so many other countries of the world, does not permit us to join the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, unless a viable alternative to landmines for defence purposes is available. We are, however, not insensitive to humanitarian concerns in this regard.
Consistent with its humanitarian approach, Pakistan declared a unilateral moratorium on the export of APLs in March 1997. This moratorium was reinforced by the issuance of an appropriate notification by the Government of Pakistan on 25 February 1999 under the Import and Export ( Control ) Act, 1950, completely banning the export of A-PLS. Pakistan is also favourably inclined towards negotiating an international legal instrument against the transfer of APLs at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Pakistan has effectively participated in UN sponsored de-mining operations in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Cambodia and Angola. The international community will always find Pakistan in the fore-front of efforts for de-mining and rehabilitation-of landmines survivors.

I hope that our principled position on APLS, based on our genuine defence requirements and humanitarian concerns, will be adequately reflected in the upcoming report of Landmine Monitor.

Appreciating your cooperation, I remain

Yours sincerely,
(Signed) Shahbaz
Director General (Disarmament)

Country: Pakistan
Date Received: 04 Nov 2003

EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN
3517 International Court, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 243-6500

No. Pol-1/12/2003

July 7, 2003
Ms. Wareham,

Kindly refer to your letter of June 6, 2003, addressed to Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister of Pakistan, regarding the forthcoming Landmine Monitor Report 2003.

I am enclosing herewith a copy of letter No. Dsmt- 1/9/03, dated 15 July 2003 addressed to you by Mr. Arif Ayub, Director General (UN & Disarmament), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad which is in response to your letter.

Regards,

(Syed Zulfiqar Gardezi) First Secretary (111)

Ms. Mary Wareham,
Global Research Coordinator,
Landmine Monitor,
C/o Human Rights Watch,
1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, # 500,
Washington, DC, 20009
Fax: (202)-6124333

Country: Pakistan
Date Received: 04 Nov 2003

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS ISLAMABAD

15 July 2003

No.Dsmt- 1/9/03

Dear Ms. Wareham

Thank you for your letter of 6 June 2003 addressed to the Foreign Minister regarding the forthcoming Landmines Monitor Report.

The massive military escalation and troops deployment by India along our borders last year obliged Pakistan to take measures for self-defence.

All defensive minefields have either been cleared or in the process of being completely demined. Please note that all measures were taken strictly in accordance with our commitments and in line with our national legal obligations precluding any problems for civilian population.

Our record of mine clearance, therefore, remains unblemished,

Yours sincerely,

(Arif Ayub)
Director General (UN & Disarmarnent)

Ms. Mary Wareham,
Global Research Coordinator,
Landmine Monitor,
C/o Human Rights Watch,
1630 Connecticut Ave NW # 500,
Washington D.C., 20009, U.S.A.,
Fax No. 1 (202) 6124333.