Mine Ban Campaign Criticizes NAM Position
Mine Ban Campaign Criticizes NAM Position
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, is disturbed to learn that members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) are considering a draft resolution for their upcoming summit that undercuts global momentum toward eradicating antipersonnel mines and seeks to legitimize the weapon.
The NAM Heads of State Summit will be held in Durban, South Africa from 29 August to 2 September. Non-governmental organizations are holding a conference entitled "The Non-Aligned Movement in the ensuing millenium: priorities and challenges" in Durban from 19-21 August and will prepare a declaration to be presented to the NAM
Summit.
"More than two-thirds of the world's nations, and two-thirds of NAM members, have signed the international treaty banning antipersonnel mines, These governments know, as do the thousands of civilians maimed by mines each year, that this weapon should be considered illegal," said Noel Stott, spokesperson of the South African Campaign to Ban Landmines. "The draft NAM resolution is out of touch with global sentiment and unacceptable. The international community has overwhelmingly concluded that the horrendous humanitarian costs of antipersonnel mines far outweigh the limited military utility," said Mr. Stott.
The ICBL calls on all NAM members to sign and ratify the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty as soon as possible and to support the treaty through a strong NAM resolution. At a minimum the resolution should welcome the ban treaty and urge all members to sign it. Instead the draft states that "elimination of landmines should take into account the legitimate national security concern of States" -- which is well-known diplomatic code language in support of continued use of antipersonnel mines.
Seventy-three of the 113 NAM members have signed the Mine Ban Treaty and 14 NAM members have ratified it. Nearly all of the nations most plagued by mines are NAM members. Some members of NAM, including South Africa, have been among the global leaders in support of a ban. Yet it appears that a relatively small number of NAM states are thwarting the will of the great majority. Countries such as India, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt and North Korea have been openly hostile to the treaty and are believed to be opposed to a strong NAM resolution in support of it.
"After refusing to bow to pressures from the traditional powers such as the US, China and Russia, we are now seeing NAM members held hostage to a few of their own membership," said Stott. The movement to ban mines has been praised as a new type of international diplomacy in which small and medium sized countries, many from the developing world, together with non-governmental organizations, took the lead on an urgent humanitarian matter and achieved great success without the support of big powers.
NAM members who have thus far not signed the treaty include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahirya, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
At least seven NAM states - Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, and Singapore - continue to produce antipersonnel mines. NAM members Iraq and Vietnam are the only countries in the world known to have exported antipersonnel mines in the past that have not publicly declared a halt to mine shipments.
A total of 129 countries have signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Mine Ban Treaty) and 32 have ratified. The treaty is on track to enter into force more quickly than any other treaty in history. The treaty becomes binding international law six months after the 40th ratification, and the crucial deadlines for destruction of stockpiled mines within four years and destruction of mines already in the ground within ten years go into effect.
For Further Information Contact:
Noel Stott: +27 31 336 8100
Liz Bernstein: +27 31 336 8100
Fax: +27 31 336 8200
