SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ADOPTION OF CONVENTION BANNING ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES
Press Release
SG/SM/6332
SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES ADOPTION OF CONVENTION BANNING ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES
19970918 Following is a statement issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary- General Kofi Annan:The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction in Oslo today. By this act, a standard has been set for moving towards the elimination of this "invisible enemy", which kills innocent civilians every day and robs people of their means of livelihood.
The sense of mission and determination that were shown in negotiating this treaty must be sustained. Governments will have to allocate resources to implement its provisions, and everyone, in various forums -- the United Nations, the Conference on Disarmament, regional organizations, review conferences of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and non- governmental organizations -- will have to work strenuously to promote its universalization. The Secretary-General pledges to fulfil the functions entrusted to him and to the United Nations Secretariat under this new Convention.
Although a sound legal base for the struggle for the eradication of landmines has been laid, the work of removing the millions of mines already in the ground and of assisting the victims of mines is ongoing. Each State party to this Convention in a position to do so must do its part.
The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude to Canada for having launched the initiative, to Norway for hosting the conference that brought the process to a successful conclusion, and to the other States that threw their strong support behind this endeavour. He particularly wishes to thank the International Committee of the Red Cross and all the non-governmental organizations that played an indispensable role. He looks forward to opening the new Convention for signature in Ottawa in December.
The Secretary-General hopes very much that those not in a position to support the Convention now will be able to do so in the near future. Work in the Conference on Disarmament will contribute to universal adherence to a total ban.
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