Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 56, April 2001

US Study Points to Need for Landmines Beyond 2006

On March 21, the US National Research Council released a report, commissioned by the Department of Defense, predicting that the US military is unlikely to find technical alternatives to anti-personnel landmines (APL) by 2006, the target-date set by the Clinton administration for possible US accession - given the development of adequate non-APL systems - to the Ottawa Landmines Convention. Presenting the report, co-author George Bugliarello, Chancellor of the Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, told reporters:

"After carefully evaluating many possibilities, we have concluded that alternative technologies could one day effectively replace anti-personnel landmines without unnecessarily endangering US troops and non-combatants... With focussed and consistent funding, some alternatives could be ready by the 2006 deadline. However, in certain situations, alternatives will not be ready until later, and anti-personnel landmines will need to be retained."

Note: the full report is available on-line at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309073499/html.

Report: New technologies hold promise for eliminating anti-personnel mines, but not by target date, US National Research Council Press Release, March 21; Alternative technologies to replace anti-personnel landmines, statement by George Bugliarello, National Research Council Public Briefing, March 21; Study hails landmine replacements, Associated Press, March 21.