Comments Received by Landmine Monitor

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Country: United Kingdom
Date Received: 11 May 2001

United Kingdom
Permanent Representation
to the Conference on Disarmament

37-39 rue de Vermont
1211 Geneve 20

Tel (Direct): (00-41) 22-918-2312
Tel (Switchboard): (00-41) 22-918-2300
Fax: (00-41) 22-918-2344
E-mail: John.Wattam@fco.gov.uk

11 May 2001

Landmine Monitor Representative
Intersessional Standing Committee on
Stockpile Destruction

APL MINE STOCKPILES & THEIR DESTRUCTION: A PROGRESS REPORT: LANDMINE MONITOR FACT SHEET

We wish to draw your attention to the reference made to the UK in the table on Stockpile Destruction Deadlines on page 8 of your fact sheet.

We wish to affirm that US stocks do not fall under out national jurisdiction or control and we do not therefore have any obligations under Article 4 of the Convention on Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction in respect of them. We have fully complied with our obligations in respect of stocks that were under our jurisdiction and control. Any reference to outstanding obligations is inappropriate and should be removed in an amended version of the fact sheet and any subsequent documentation that may go forward to the Landmine Monitor Report for 2001.

(Signed)
Representative of the UK

Letter from John S Duncan (pdf)

Country: United States
Date Received: 30 Nov 2001

United States Department of State

Assistant Secretary of State
for Political-Military Affairs

Washington, D.C. 20520

Ms. Mary Wareham
Coordinator, Landmine Monitor
c/o Human Rights Watch
1630 Connecticut Ave NW #500
Washington, DC 20009

Dear Ms. Wareham:

Thank you for sending the Landmine Monitor Report 2001: Toward a Mine-Free World. As the previous two reports, this report represents a tremendous research effort and brings together in one place relevant information on landmines from almost every country in the world. My staff and I frequently consult the Landmine Monitor Reports. You and your colleagues are to be congratulated on your hard work.

As you know, the U.S. Government, and the State Department in particular, is committed to addressing the humanitarian threat posed by landmines worldwide. The magnitude of our humanitarian action program is evidence of our concern for the thousands of innocent men, women and children who lose their lives and limbs to landmines each year. Indeed, the United States is a world leader in humanitarian mine action eforts. U.S. Government assistance has supported mine action programs in over 40 countries with eduation, training, equipment, and support to landmine survivors. Since 1993, the United States has contributed more than $500 million to humanitarian mine action efforts. We are determined to maintain both our leadership role and financial support for global humanitarian demining in the years to come.

Sincerely,
Lincoln P. Bloomfield. Jr

Country: Uzbekistan
Date Received: 31 Jul 2001

Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Ms. Mary Wareham
Coordinator, An Initiative
of the International
Campaign to Ban Landmines

July 31, 2001

Dear Ms. Wareham,

Thank you for the letter of July 17, 2001 advising on upcoming publication of the third annual Landmine Monitor Report. Having attentively studied a draft regarding Uzbekistan policy your good offices kindly provided for comments and possible alterations, my authorities noted that along with reference to statements of Uzbek officials on the subject, there are quotations from the both local and international media. Since those cross-references contradict on several occasions, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate an official stance of Uzbekistan on this issue.

Although Uzbekistan has not acceded to the Ottawa Convention of 1997 on banning the use, stockpiling, production, distribution and transfer of landmines, the country at the same time de facto implements a number of its provisions, specifically:

Uzbekistan neither produces nor does it intend to produce landmines;
Uzbekistan does not stockpile landmines;
Uzbekistan neither spreads nor does it transfer landmines

The mining of certain areas of the state border by the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan is necessitated by the considerations of national security threatened by the incursions of armed international terrorist groups from outside. The landmining is not aimed against civilians, who according to the norms of international law are due to cross borders at specially assigned places. In this regard, at some border areas passage checkpoints have been established to ensure safe border-passage in accordance with international regulations and to avoid peaceful civilians being injured.

I would also like to attract your attention to discrepancy of rather technical nature, specifically in naming Uzbek Minister of Defense once Kadyr Guliamov, then Qodir Pulatov in the draft, while correct one is Kodyr Gulomov.

I appreciate your eagerness to prepare report as objectively as possible and hope that afore-mentioned comments and remarks are to be considered for further inclusion into the final text.

Please accept Ms. Wareham, my assurances of high considerations.

Sincerely,
Shavkat Khamrakulov, Ambassador E&P

Country: Venezuela
Date Received: 20 Oct 1999

Misión Permanente de Venezuela
ante la Organización de los Estados Americanos

Washington, 20 de octubre de 1999

Señor Steve Goose:

Tengo el agrado de dirigirme a usted en la oportunidad de agradecer el envío del material sobre El Monitor de Minas Terrestres de 1999: Hacia un mundo sin minas.

Valga la ocasión para reiterar a usted las seguridades de mi más alta y distinguida consideración.

Virginia Contreras

Embajadora

Al Señor
Steve Goose
Director de Programa
Landmine Monitor
Washington, DC

Country: Zimbabwe
Date Received: 12 Sep 2000

STATEMENT OF THE ZIMBABWE DELEGATION TO THE SECOND MEETING OF STATE PARTIES TO THE 1997 MINE BAN TREATY, DELIVERED ON WEDNESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2000, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Mr President
Mr Secretary-General
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassador Kongstad for being elected President of this Second Meeting of State Parties. We believe that his vast experience in diplomacy will guide us to realise the noble ideals enshrined in the Ottawa Convention.

Mr President, we strongly feel that this forum is not meant for making wild and unsubstantiated allegations against states Parties to the Convention, as was the case yesterday by the ICBL Representative, Mr Stephen Goose. Such a falsehood only serves to destroy the spirit of the Convention. ICBL's failure to provide evidence or concrete facts for the past two years to show that Zimbabwe is using anti-personnel mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not only invalidate these accusations but also smacks of a hidden agenda against my country on its part.

Mr President, let me categorically state that Zimbabwe will never be diverted or deterred from implementing the provisions of the Ottawa Convention because we have victims of landmines and we know the dangers of using landmines. In fact, Zimbabwe has assumed a leadership role in championing the ban on the use of landmines and their ultimate destruction. We signed and ratified the Mine Ban Treaty in 1997 and 1998 respectively. And on 18 August 2000 my Government presented to Parliament the Anti-Personnel Mines (Prohibition) Bill 2000. The Bill incorporates the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and their Destruction into our domestic law.

Mr. President, Clause 5 of the Bill makes it an offence for any person to produce, acquire, use, transfer or stockpile anti-personnel mines. The penalty for contravening this provision is a fine of Z$100 000 or ten years imprisonment or both the fine and imprisonment. We are hoping that Parliament will pass the bill into law before the end of this year.

Mr President, although the enabling legislation has not yet been promulgated, my country stopped using anti-personnel mines upon ratification in 1998. We have actually complied with the various articles of the Convention.

Zimbabwe submitted its first report to the United Nations Secretary-General in January 2000 in compliance with Article 7 of the Convention. My country remains committed to the Convention and will destroy its small stock of antipersonnel mines as soon as the above-mentioned Anti-Personnel Mines Bill becomes law.

Zimbabwe is already involved in several mine action programmes. Currently 2 major demining programmes are underway along our borders with Mozambique and Zambia. The programmes are being funded by the European Union and the United States government. Mine awareness programmes to educate our people about the dangers of this deadly and cruel weapon area continuous process and have been part of our life since our independence 20 years ago, in 1980.

Zimbabwe has a total of 6 minefields stretching for over 700 km. These area legacy of our war of independence. We continue to appeal to the international community to assist us in funding various mine action programmes including the removal of these minefields, victims assistance and their rehabilitation, mine awareness and training for the various projects.

My country would like to acknowledge and appreciate the assistance it received over the years from the governments of the United Kingdom USA, Germany and the EU and hope other countries and organisations will join them in assisting us to deal once and for all with this problem in Zimbabwe.

Mr President, my government hopes that the clarification on the alleged use of anti-personnel mines by the Zimbabwean army in the DRC should put to rest this issue.

Mr President, it is my firm belief that this Second meeting of State Parties to the Ottawa Convention will chart and adopt practical and concrete measures that will alleviate the suffering of millions of people in affected areas. Let me conclude by reminding this august assembly that it is now time to act, for every minute counts.

I thank you!