PRESS CONFERENCE ON ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE CONVENTION

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE CONVENTION

The Ottawa Treaty to ban landmines was a "convention of conscience" that had acquired the force of binding international law with historic speed, although only the first battle in a long struggle had been won, Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said today at a Headquarters press conference.

The Convention -- known formally as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction -- acquired its fortieth ratification on 16 September and, as a result, will enter into force on 1 March 1999.

Today's press conference -- held to mark the entry into force, highlighted efforts to "universalize" it and promote contributions to victims assistance -- brought together a number of participants in the process to ban landmines, including Queen Noor of Jordan; the Foreign Minister of Canada, Lloyd Axworthy; the Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations, Ole Peter Kolby; chief spokesman for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jody Williams; and the Chairman of the Open Society Institute, George Soros.

Ms. Fréchette, noting the presence of the Secretary-General at the press conference as a demonstration of his very deep and very strong personal commitment to the cause, said that two more battles remained. First, the effort to remove the millions of landmines that continued to kill, maim and sow terror among the weakest and most vulnerable of the world. Second, the effort to universalize the Treaty. The United Nations would continue to make mine clearance a priority and it would continue to urge further ratifications.

Ms. Williams, of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, said that she was running around the world, still beating on governments to get them on board. Meanwhile, the Campaign had developed yet another groundbreaking initiative, known as the Landmine Monitor, which was designed to help the 1,000 participating non-governmental organizations in 75 countries gather data on the Convention's implementation. They would prepare an annual report to coincide with the annual meetings of States parties, which would be based on a database detailing the implementation of the Treaty, including mine clearance and victims assistance activities. It would also strive to maintain pressure on governments to "do the right thing".

The message the Campaign had always sought to convey to countries was that the Treaty was the new international norm and the new tide of history, she said. The Campaign's effort to achieve universality was specifically focused on the United States, Russian Federation and the countries of the former Soviet Union, as well as those of the Middle East region. The Campaign had active plans to "press the world" to do the right thing. Thus far, the

number of ratifications had exceeded 40, with the additional ratifications of Namibia, Benin, Senegal, Honduras and Japan.

She said that the launching of the so-called "Challenge Fund" had been initiated, not to create an endowment for the Campaign, but rather to raise the basic funds to carry out worldwide demining and victims assistance programmes. As a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Campaign -- which had been described as the "engine" that made the Treaty happen -- would constitute the first $500,000 of the Challenge Fund.

Queen Noor described the moment when she and her husband, King Hussein Ibn Talal of Jordan, had heard the news of the Treaty's fortieth ratification. After receiving a telephone call while driving in Minnesota with her husband, briefly out of the hospital where he was being treated for cancer, she let out a "whoopee" that might have been heard throughout Minnesota, although it was just a faint echo compared to the jubilant cry of activists around the world.

The Middle East was one of most mine-infested regions of the world, the Queen said. Landmines as old as the Second World War were killing women and children daily and compromising her country's productivity. Sadly, a number of countries in the region were still producing landmines and opposing initiatives to ban them. Five of the 18 Middle East and North African countries had signed the Treaty, however, with Yemen the first country to ratify it. Jordan would take up ratification shortly, when its Parliament reconvened, and another very important Arab country had plans to sign and ratify the Treaty. Slowly, steadily the message was reaching into every corner of the world, including the Middle East.

Mr. Axworthy of Canada recalled an enthusiastic early morning telephone call yesterday from the Prime Minister of Japan, who related the news of his country's impending ratification of the Treaty. Indeed, the landmine problem had personally engaged world leaders in its very complex nature. At meetings yesterday in Ottawa, the new Foreign Minister of China announced that his country would now make major financial contributions to the demining efforts of the United Nations. Moreover, China would convene a conference of experts next year on demining technology.

The international partnership that had emerged during the so-called "Ottawa process" had "changed the face of diplomacy around the world", he said. Lawmakers had played an incredible role in the ratification process and the rules about how decisions were reached internationally were being rewritten. That process was changing the rules for a whole range of humanitarian and security initiatives. A similar initiative, for example, was under way to curb the illicit circulation of small arms. Indeed, the landmine campaign had become a model for an increasing number of other important international issues and it had prompted the creation of a new international agenda.

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The pledges by countries last year in Ottawa of some $500 million dollars were being fulfilled, he went on to say. Around the world, Canada and Norway were partners in projects in such countries as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mozambique. It was absolutely crucial that support for the Campaign continue at both the governmental and civilian levels. For its part, the Canadian Government announced today a further contribution of $300,000 to the Challenge Fund. The United Nations, which had played a substantial coordinating role, had also served as a pulpit from which to maintain a very important message and to harness united support worldwide.

Mr. Kolby of Norway agreed that a unique partnership had developed in the Ottawa process. Without the tireless work of the Campaign, the Treaty would never have come about. Yet, there was no time for complacency. His Government would support mine action programmes with a contribution of $120,000 over a five-year period, and it would give $200,000 to the Challenge Fund.

Mr. Soros of the Open Society Institute, which launched a landmines project in 1997 as part of a three-year grant making programme in support of a worldwide landmines ban, said that the landmine issue required a long-range commitment. While the Treaty's entry into force would be something to celebrate, a tremendous task lay ahead. Landmines were being used in Kosovo, for instance, and other victims worldwide needed assistance. His organization had pledged $300,000 to the Challenge Fund and he hoped others in the private sector would contribute.

Ms. Williams announced the pledge made yesterday by Ireland in the amount of $150,000.

During the question and answer session that followed, Mr. Axworthy was asked if the contributions of his Government were announced in United States or Canadian dollars, to which he replied, Canadian.

Another correspondent asked whether the cooperation by China signalled its intention to join the Treaty. Mr. Axworthy said that the Foreign Minister of China yesterday had stood by his Government's position that it wanted to maintain landmines for security purposes. While the two "agreed to disagree" on that issue, they also agreed to continue talking about it. China's Foreign Minister had indicated his country's desire to be part of the humanitarian programme and he had reiterated China's intention to sponsor a conference on demining. The Canadian Government hoped to speed up the United States plans to join the Treaty in the next century.

Replying to a question about how to convince investors that the landmine question was not simply about making money, Mr. Soros recalled that, when it was brought to his attention, he had a large investment in a company that was manufacturing landmines, he had sold the shares. While he hoped that the investment community would do likewise, he was not terribly hopeful about it,

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because in the investment field most people were anonymous. If one person sold his shares, another anonymous person would buy them. Current efforts to raise both awareness and resources would accomplish much more.

Another correspondent asked if Mr. Soros had any specific plans to enlist further private sector support, particularly during the current "roller coaster" financial market. He said that his commitment to ban landmines was long-term. There was plenty of money out there, which should be brought into the Campaign.

Mr. Axworthy drew attention to a major campaign currently under way in Canadian schools, which involved students in fund-raising for demining activities. Their involvement also meant that another generation would also take up the cause of landmines. It was an issue that young people really understood, because the victims themselves were often young.

Had the United States Government made any contribution, and was it involved at all? another correspondent asked. Mr. Axworthy said that although he did not have the precise figures, the United States had made substantial contributions to demining activities and victim assistance around the world. In discussions last week with United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the two had talked about areas of cooperation.

Mr. Soros added that the greatest contribution the United States could make was signing the Treaty.

Ms. Williams said that it had been disconcerting for those who had seen the early leadership of the United States in promoting the first export moratorium on landmines, to witness that country's shift from action to rhetoric. Even though the United States had indicated its intention to sign the treaty by the year 2006, it had also indicated that it would sign only if it had an alternative weapon to landmines. It was difficult to understand how that Government could be searching for alternatives, while it was undertaking research and development on new systems of anti-personnel landmines. "That made me a little nervous, to put it mildly," she added.

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