SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PARTIES TO CONVENTION ON CERTAIN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS TO PROGRESS TOWARDS ELIMINATION OF LAND-MINES

15 January 1996

Press Release
SG/SM/5873

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PARTIES TO CONVENTION ON CERTAIN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS TO PROGRESS TOWARDS ELIMINATION OF LAND-MINES

19960115 The following message from Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was read this morning to the opening meeting of the resumed session of the Review Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects by Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General:

In my message to you of 25 September 1995, when you embarked on the review process of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, I expressed my deepest concern about the devastation caused by land-mines throughout the world and the untold human suffering which they continue to inflict on innocent men, women and children. I strongly advocated a total ban on land- mines as the only solution to halting their currently massive proliferation and to cope with the nature and magnitude of the problem. I urged you as well to spare no effort to ban permanently the production and use of laser weapons, designed to cause permanent blindness, before such a type of weapon becomes a widespread reality.

It is a source of great satisfaction that your Conference was able to adopt Protocol IV, prohibiting the use of laser weapons, as well as the transfer of any such weapon to any State or non-State entity. The adoption by the Review Conference of this Protocol is a landmark event in the development of international humanitarian law. It demonstrates that it is possible to outlaw a weapon before its deployment and use. I commend you on this achievement and appeal to all States to become Parties to this Protocol and ensure its rapid entry into force.

You will now concentrate on concluding a revision of Protocol II on land-mines, building on the important measure of progress already achieved. Recent national measures adopted by some Member States relating to the transfer, production or reduction of existing stockpiles of antipersonnel land-mines have improved the political environment for achieving further progress. Final agreement on such important issues as extension of the scope of application to conflicts not of an international character, and on stringent restrictions of the use and transfer of such weapons is close at hand.

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We should not underestimate the difficulties and obstacles that must be overcome before the world is rid of this scourge. There are differences in perception as to the legitimacy of these weapons, and their role in defence planning. Governments have benefitted from the new insights and understandings gained through the technical discussions held during your last meeting in Vienna. I am confident that many will be willing to address the military, technical and economic complexities involved, and to make the short- term economic sacrifices needed in order to attain our common goal.

I urge you to make full use of the extension of the negotiating process in order to keep the issue of land-mines on the international agenda and to bring about further progress towards the ultimate goal of the total elimination of anti-personnel land-mines.

I am aware of the difficulties lying ahead, but I also know that this lofty objective is shared by all and that its attainment must be vigorously pursued.

I wish you every success in your endeavours.

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