Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 56, April 2001

CCW PrepCom

In Geneva from April 2-6, the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the 84 states parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) met to consider the substance of, and arrangements for, the 2001 Review Conference scheduled for December 11-21, also in Geneva.

On April 4, the United States and Denmark put forward a proposal, to be considered for adoption at the Conference, for a 'Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines'. The proposal, first put forward by the two countries in 1995, specifies restrictions to anti-vehicle mines, currently not covered by the CCW's 1996 Amended Mines Protocol (Protocol II).

Addressing the PrepCom on April 3, Edward Cummings, the head of the US delegation, set out the range of proposals, including those contained in the US-Danish initiative, Washington would like to see acted on in December:

"First, a requirement that all anti-vehicle mines - these are mines which are not subject to the Ottawa Treaty - be constructed or modified so as to be detectable by commonly available means.

Second, we are proposing a requirement that all remotely-delivered anti-vehicle mines be equipped with self-destruction capabilities with back-up self-deactivation features.

Third, we propose to enhance the technical specifications of self-destruction and self-deactivation features to reduce further the risk to civilians and friendly military forces caused by the use of all remotely-delivered landmines.

Fourth, the United States is proposing a compliance mechanism to deal with legitimate complaints related to the misuse of mines, booby-traps and other devices.

Fifth, we have a proposal to expand the scope of the Convention so its rules and restrictions apply in non-international armed conflict, civil wars, as well as international conflicts."

Another major concern before the PrepCom was how best to control the problem of unexploded ordnance (UXO), or the explosive remnants of war. Delegations had before them a detailed set of proposals for dealing with UXO, and in particular cluster munitions, submitted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). On April 5, Cummings noted that the US "strongly agree[s] with other delegations that the object of our work leading to the Review Conference should be the establishment of an open mandate for an experts process to consider the problem of UXO and measures that may effectively address that problem." The US, UK and France have been prominent among those states parties keen to see no consideration of the issue of depleted uranium (DU) munitions under the UXO category, on the simple grounds, in Cummings' words, that "DU on its own does not cause an explosive remnant."

Reports: Texts - US seeks to strengthen Convention on Conventional Weapons, US State Department (Washington File), April 3; US seeks to beef up treaty on anti-vehicle mines, Reuters, April 3; Text - US outlines proposals to restrict anti-vehicle mines use, US State Department (Washington File), April 4; Explosive Remnants of War, Statement of Edward Cummings, head of the US delegation to the Second Preparatory Conference of the 2001 CCW Review Conference, website of the US Mission to the UN in Geneva (http://www3.itu.int/MISSIONS/US/CCW/index.html), April 5.