News Review Special Edition

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International Developments, October 1 - November 15, 2002

Landmines Briefing at NATO Headquarters

As reported in the last issue, on September 13 the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) released the 2002 edition of its annual Landmine Monitor study, a compendious worldwide survey of progress in efforts to advance the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) and achieve the global abolition and elimination of all anti-personnel landmines. On October 16, the ICBL and Handicap International, a Belgium-based humanitarian relief group, briefed a meeting of the 46-state Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, outlining the main findings and recommendations of the study. The meeting was chaired by NATO Secretary General George Robertson.

The main emphasis of the briefing was on the need for all EAPC states to become active members of the MBT regime. Twenty nine EAPC states have ratified the treaty, including all European Union states with the exception of Finland, and all NATO states except the US, which has no plans to join, and Greece and Turkey, which plan to join simultaneously in the near future. Four EAPC countries have signed but not ratified (Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine), while 13 Council members have yet to sign (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Russia, Turkey, the US and Uzbekistan).

A briefing paper prepared for the meeting by Handicap International - Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Mine Ban Treaty - noted: "The Landmine Monitor Report 2002 indicates that 90 countries have a mine/UXO [unexploded ordnance] problem, of which 22 are EAPC member countries. Sixty-nine countries reported new mine/UXO casualties globally in the Landmine Monitor reporting period, of which 18 are EAPC countries. States parties [to the Ottawa Convention] in which new casualties were reported are Albania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia FYR [Former Yugoslav Republic] and Tajikistan. Three signatory states reported new casualties in the period covered by the Landmine Monitor Report: Greece, Poland and Ukraine. Half of the mine-affected EAPC member countries in which new casualties have been reported are non-signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkey and Uzbekistan." The paper further notes: "Comprehensive data on landmine/UXO casualties is difficult to obtain, particularly in countries experiencing ongoing conflict, or with minefields in remote areas, or with limited resources to monitor public health services. Many casualties are believed to go unreported."

On November 5, the ICBL released the text of a letter written by its Coordinator, Elizabeth Bernstein, to all heads of state and government planning to attend the NATO Summit in Prague on November 21-22. The letter "respectfully suggests that members consider including in the Final Declaration of this NATO Summit wording supportive of the goal of an anti-personnel mine-free world and a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel mines through the universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty." No such wording was forthcoming.

The letter adds: "During the Summit in Prague, NATO members will continue the process of enlargement by inviting one or more aspirant countries to join the organization. Some aspirant countries are already states parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. The ICBL calls upon aspirant countries which have not yet acceded to or ratified the Mine Ban Treaty to now do so, thereby joining the 145 countries globally which are states parties or signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty. The ICBL also calls upon current NATO members to encourage aspirant countries to ratify or accede to the Mine Ban Treaty as soon as possible. If early ratification/accession is not possible, aspirant countries may take some preliminary steps to indicate their future intention of joining the Treaty and their commitment to the goal of a mine-free world. These measures could include: establishing a timetable for accession or ratification; voluntary submission to the United Nations of transparency reports under Article 7 of the treaty; participation in the treaty's intersessional work program meeting and annual meeting of states parties; voting in favor of the annual UN General Assembly resolution supporting the Mine Ban Treaty; declaring the size of stockpiles of antipersonnel mines, as well as making plans for and initiating stockpile destruction; making a formal declaration of no future production, export or import of antipersonnel mines; announcing an immediate and indefinite moratorium on use of antipersonnel mines, or a declaration of no future use except in the most extreme circumstances with explicit authorization at the highest levels. A few aspirant countries are to be congratulated for having already taken some of these positive preliminary measures. The ICBL urges NATO members to encourage all aspirant countries that are unwilling to join the Mine Ban Treaty now, to take these important steps."

Finally, the letter cautions all MBT NATO states against associating themselves with any military action in Iraq involving the use of US anti-personnel mines: "If there is a war in Iraq, some NATO countries may find themselves engaged in joint military operations involving anti-personnel mines, in possible contravention of their commitments under the Mine Ban Treaty. The treaty prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines and also prohibits assisting others in their use. The ICBL believes that this is a realistic concern, because the United States used anti-personnel mines against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. Therefore, the ICBL calls on states parties and signatories to the Mine Ban Treaty to insist that non-signatories do not use anti-personnel mines in any joint military operations, and to refuse to take part in any joint operations involving anti-personnel mines. In the context of potential war in Iraq, there is also concern about the possible transit of anti-personnel mines through Mine Ban Treaty states parties, in possible contravention of the Mine Ban Treaty. The Mine Ban Treaty prohibits the 'transfer' of anti-personnel mines, which many states Parties have indicated includes a prohibition on transit as well. This concern is heightened because the United States has stockpiled anti-personnel mines in five States Parties, including three NATO members (Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom at Diego Garcia, as well as Japan and Qatar). The ICBL urges all Mine Ban Treaty states parties to make clear to the United States and others that transit of anti-personnel mines across the territory of a state party for the purpose of warfighting is not acceptable."

Note: on November 15, global mine-clearing efforts were reviewed by the UN General Assembly. Twenty delegations addressed the meeting, almost all from mine-affected countries, ranging from strong proponents of the MBT such as Cambodia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic, to sceptics and critics such as Egypt and Libya. According to a UN summary of his remarks, Ahmed Aboul Gheit of Egypt stated that his country, "while agreeing with the humanitarian objectives of the Convention, had reservations on it, as did several other countries. First and foremost, the Convention ignored the responsibility of the states that planted mines in other countries". The treaty also, Gheit added, "ignored the right of states to defend their borders and territories."

Reports: General Assembly, reviewing mine-clearance efforts, is told lingering problem destroys resources, hampers development, UN Press Release 10100, October 15; ICBL makes a presentation at NATO headquarters, ICBL Press Release, October 17, ICBL website (http://www.icbl.org); Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and the Mine Ban Treaty, Fact Sheet, Handicap International (Belgium), October 2002, ICBL website; ICBL calls on NATO members to support a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel mines, ICBL Press Release, November 5.

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