Ratifications Update #8
Ratifications update #8
July 24, 1998
This is the eighth in the series of updates on ratification and
signature of the Mine Ban Treaty.
SUMMARY
There have been 4 new ratifications deposited since the last
update (France, Germany, Jamaica, Yemen), for a total of 28.
Belgium, and apparently Namibia, have passed the domestic
legislation necessary to ratify.
There have been no new signatories, although Jordan has announced it will sign.
127 signatories -- Jordan would be 128.
.
28 Official Ratifications deposited at the United Nations:
Canada, Ireland, Mauritius, Turkmenistan, Holy See, San Marino,
Switzerland, Hungary, Niue, Belize, Trinidad&Tobago, Djibouti,
Croatia, Mali, Denmark, Bolivia, Mexico, Fiji, Peru, Zimbabwe,
South Africa, Austria, Andorra, Norway, Jamaica, Yemen, France, Germany.
7 others have apparently already passed ratification legislation, but not yet deposited it at the UN: Belgium, Bosnia, Botswana, Guinea, Italy, Mozambique, Namibia.
Among those expected to pass ratification legislation soon are ,
Colombia, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom.
BELGIUM
Belgium passed a ratification law on July 16, when the chamber of representatives approved the law agreed to by the Senate on July 9. We are expecting Belgium to deposit their instrument of ratification very soon. At the same time, Belgium ratified the CCW revised Landmines Protocol and the new protocol on blinding weapons. [Anne Cappelle, Handicap International -- 7/17/98]
FRANCE
France deposited its ratification at the UN on July 23.
GERMANY
Germany deposited its ratification at the UN on July 23.
JAMAICA
Jamaica deposited its ratification at the UN on July 17, becoming number 25.
JORDAN
On July 11, at the opening of the LSN-hosted mine conference in Amman, Queen Noor announced that Jordan will sign the mine ban treaty. The Jordanian cabinet approved the decision earlier that day. The cabinet will proceed with the constitutional agreements necessary for Jordan to sign and ratify. [ICBL press release -- 7/11/98]
NAMIBIA
The Namibian national cabinet has approved the introduction of ratification legislation. [The Namibian -- 7/1/98]
Namibian Foreign Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab has tabled a proposal in the National Assembly calling for the ratification of the
treaty. [The Namibian -- 7/15/98]
The National Assembly agreed to the ratification of the ban
treaty on July 21. Namibia's ratification of the Treaty
received the unanimous support of the House. Foreign Minister
Theo-Ben Gurirab said provision had been made for a small number of these mines to be retained for developing mine clearance and destruction. [The Namibian -- 7/23/98]
Note: it is unclear if additional legislative action is
necessary.
SPAIN
The government is expected to deposit the ratification at the UN before December 1998. The ban bill was passed by the Defense Commission of the Congress -which has full legal power to adopt the bill- in May, and will come before the Senate in September.
No obstacle is expected as the Defense Comission passed the bill by unanimity. Then, the bill will be published in the Official
Bulletin of the State and will enter into force before the end of
1998. The reason of the delay is there was no time to do it
before the end of the parliamentary season that ended in June.
[Eva Quintana, Spanish Campaign -- 7/16/98]
UNITED KINGDOM
The House of Commons passed the Landmine Bill on Friday, July 10. Despite pressure from the UKWGLM and a number of sympathetic legislators, the Government refused to accept any amendments. The Bill will next go to the House of Lords, which will consider the bill on Friday, July 17 and Friday, July 24. Amendments will be tabled in the House of Lords. It is expected that the passage of the Bill through the House of Lords will be a formality, however the UKWGLM will be pressing the government to tighten up specifically Clause 2 and 5. The Government has been forced to make many statements on the record which give a much more reassuring interpretation of the 'U.S. loophole' in the Landmines Bill than does the wording of the Bill itself. These statements are being collated and will be used to hold the UK Government to its reassuringly narrow interpretation of the loophole. [UKWGLM
-- 7/14/98]
YEMEN
Yemen deposited its ratification at the UN on July 22, becoming number 26, and the first in the Middle East.
