Lethal barriers to Bosnia's development must be removed

(Monday 03 May 2004 Sarajevo) At the opening of its first ever gathering in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) called on the government to accelerate mine clearance operations, make public its plans for demining high-risk areas and ensure that landmine survivors receive comprehensive rehabilitation and support.

"Much has been achieved in the five years since Bosnia and Herzegovina formally joined the treaty, but more can and must be done to meet all its obligations," said Ms Jody Williams, the co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize with the ICBL. "It is also imperative that donor governments help meet this challenge. Together, we can remove these lethal barriers to development and reconstruction", she said. Ms Williams is making her first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), one of the most mine-contaminated countries in Europe.

Over 100 researchers and campaigners from some 70 countries will take part in the ICBL's annual global expert meeting, from 3 to 5 May. Conference activities include field trips, meetings to finalise the ICBL's Landmine Monitor Report 2004 and workshops on the Mine Ban Treaty review conference, the 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World. Tonight, Minister Safet Halilovic will address participants and dignitaries at a reception as an indication of the government's commitment to a mine-free BiH.

Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch of Austria, the former High Representative of the international community in BiH and President-Designate of the upcoming 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine Free World will open the conference by inviting media to accompany him and Jody Williams on a tour of some of the country's many minefields. The first stop on the trip is an operational demining site in Visoko, a town near Sarajevo. Once the minefield is cleared, over 20 families currently displaced will be able to go home again.

The second stop on the tour is a community on the hillside of Sarajevo called Hrasno where demining operations have been successfully completed. Here, Ambassador Petritsch and Jody Williams will be welcomed by a local family, pleased to show off their newly built house on the former minefield.

"Returning to Bosnia and Herzegovina and meeting people affected by landmines, is a reminder of the impetus behind our work for a mine-free world. We work to give people the chance to reclaim their lives and live freely in their neighbourhoods", said Petritsch. Prior to his role as High Representative from August 1999 to May 2002, Ambassador Petritsch was the European Union's Special Envoy to Kosovo and their Chief Negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks.

Handicap International’s Mine Risk Education Project Manager, Melissa Sabatier, is collaborating with the BiH Mine Action Centre on the development of a national plan for victim assistance. "The strategy will facilitate better coordination between local authorities, national and international agencies, improved access to rehabilitation facilities and the creation of employment and income generation opportunities," said Ms Sabatier. "Addressing the gaps in overall assistance will benefit not only mine survivors but all persons with disability in this country", she added.

"Eliminating the impact of landmines in communities where the socio-economic impact is greatest, is an important step towards building a mine-free Bosnia and Herzegovina and meeting the March 2009 deadline required by the Mine Ban Treaty", said Norwegian Peoples Aid Regional Project Manager, Mr Paul Collinson.

In BiH, mines and unexploded ordnance contaminate more than 2,000 square kilometres, according to the BiH Mine Action Centre. New landmine casualties continue to be reported every month. 

Mines found in fields, forests, abandoned houses, roads and electricity pylons throughout the country are one of the reasons for delays in the repatriation of refugees. They also prevent full productive use of land, a serious blow to a country that is dependent on farming for household consumption and revenue generation.

Economic necessity pushes loggers and small-scale farmers to enter mined areas, despite the risks. As recently as last week a woman was injured when tending her vegetable garden in Butmir, Sarajevo.

Background

Bosnia is in the midst of a mine-affected region: Albania, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Kosovo are all contaminated. All these states have joined the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Of the European Union's now 25 member countries all but four are treaty members, Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Poland. Globally, there are 141 members of the treaty and a further nine signatories that have yet to ratify.

The Mine Ban Treaty is the international agreement that bans antipersonnel landmines. It is sometimes called the Ottawa Convention and its official title is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. It prohibits any use, production or trade of antipersonnel mines, and requires destruction of stockpiled mines in four years, clearance of mined areas in ten years, and assistance to mine victims.

The ICBL's conference in Sarajevo has been organized by Handicap International and Norwegian Peoples Aid, campaign member organisations operating in BiH.

Contacts

Contact Sue Wixley (ICBL Media Officer), mobile: (+387) (0) 61 347 305. For Bosnian media, please call Damir Atikovic, Norwegian Peoples Aid, tel: (+387) (0) 61 133 282.