FIRST MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO CONVENTION ON PROHIBITION OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES OPENS IN MAPUTO
Press Release
DC/2642
FIRST MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO CONVENTION ON PROHIBITION OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES OPENS IN MAPUTO
19990503 (Received from a UN Information Officer.)MAPUTO, 3 May -- The worldwide movement to ban landmines received a new boost today as delegations from well over 100 States gathered in Maputo, Mozambique, for the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. More than 850 representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations, as well as experts in mine action and journalists, are attending the meeting. During five days of talks, the States Parties will decide on measures needed to implement the Convention.
Mozambique, with an estimated 2 million landmines, was chosen as the venue to draw attention to the urgent need for mine action to deal with the continuing landmine crisis, which afflicts more than 60 countries. Landmines cause an estimated 2,000 casualties each month.
By the opening of the meeting this morning, 77 States had ratified the Convention. Word was received today in Maputo that the seventy-eighth State Party -- Antigua and Barbuda -- had deposited its instrument of ratification with the United Nations Secretariat. The Convention designates the United Nations Secretary-General as depositary. One hundred thirty-five States have signed the Convention, which came into force on 1 March this year.
The meeting was opened by President Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of Mozambique, at the Polana Hotel in Maputo. The country Foreign Minister, Leonardo Santos Simao, was elected President of the Meeting by acclamation. The Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations, Carlos dos Santos, was elected Secretary-General of the Meeting. Deputy Secretary- General Louise Fréchette addressed the opening plenary on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. During the opening ceremony, the President of the Meeting read a letter to the Meeting from President William Clinton of the United States.
Joint Press Conference
At a joint press conference after the opening ceremony, Foreign Minister Simao said his country viewed the conference as recognition of the efforts deployed by his Government, both for the success of the Convention, and to rid his own country of landmines. Mr. Simao said he expected the First Meeting of States Parties "to build a very strong commitment for the implementation of the Convention in letter and spirit".
In her comments, Ms. Fréchette said that the Maputo meeting was very important in order both to maintain political momentum, secure more signatures and ratifications quickly and to ensure the Convention's implementation. She welcomed the decision to hold the meeting in a landmine-affected country which was working very hard to rid itself of this scourge.
In response to questions, the Deputy Secretary-General said the United Nations system was fully mobilized to support the contracting Parties in the implementation of the Convention. The United Nations system was ready to bring all its expertise to bear on the various dimensions of the problem, from education and mine awareness, to removal of mines and assistance to victims. She cited the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in particular. This was a common and joint effort on the part of the United Nations in support of the Convention, she said.
A journalist asked how countries which had not signed the Convention -- "such as the United States, China, Russia and Yugoslavia" -- could be drawn into the process, and whether signatories -- "such as Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal" -- should be condemned or subject to sanctions. Ms. Fréchette replied that the goal was to have universal application of the Convention. She noted the remarkable effort in recent years which had brought governments and civil society together to convince a very large number of countries to adhere to it. It was important that the political momentum and the partnership between governments and civil society be maintained, she said, in order to obtain universal application of the Convention.
She added that the States Parties themselves must decide how to deal with contracting Parties which failed to respect their obligations. "It's a subject that the Parties should consider over the next few days", she said. Pressed on whether Angola should be subjected to sanctions for the renewed use of anti-personnel mines, Ms. Fréchette said, "I don't want to limit myself to one country or another. If it's a question of not carrying out the Convention, it's up to the States Parties to take measures or to see what can be done to encourage those who've signed and ratified the Convention to respect their obligations." She noted that in the wider context, the
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situations in Angola and other conflict areas were before the Security Council. Anti-personnel mines were one aspect of these much wider conflicts. It was up to the Council to decide what measures to take in those cases.
When asked about the United Nations role in ensuring that the Convention was implemented, Ms. Fréchette said that the United Nations role was multidimensional. Meetings such as the First Meeting of States Parties attracted the attention of the population in countries which have not signed. Such meetings were important to build support. She said there was a much higher likelihood that countries would sign and ratify if their own populations were informed about the Convention and about the damage caused by landmines. "The information work the United Nations is doing across the world around this Convention is contributing very much to spreading this information and generating support that will, over time, bring universality", she said.
Highlights of Opening Ceremony
In addition to the President of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, and Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, other speakers at the opening ceremony were: the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Salim Ahmed Salim; Prince Zeid Ra'as Zeid Al Hussein of Jordan, on behalf of Queen Noor of Jordan; Jody Williams, former head of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL); and Farida Gulamo of the Mozambique Campaign against Landmines.
In his address, President JOAQUIM CHISSANO said it was Mozambique's vision to find ways and means of rendering the Convention universal and thereby ensure its systematic and effective implementation. All States must contribute to the fulfilment of the obligations of the Convention to: demining, destruction of stockpiles of landmines, the prohibition of their use, the rehabilitation of victims, and the strengthening of international cooperation and assistance. He appealed to the media to disseminate the message of the importance of universal ratification around the world.
The President said it was symbolic that the meeting was held so soon after the entry into force of the Convention in March because the States Parties were "unflinching in their determination to carry on with their struggle against anti-personnel landmines". Welcoming the growing interest in the Convention and the struggle against landmines at the international level, he said "this interest shows the potential vitality of the Convention as a tool for cooperation in the struggle against landmines. It is incumbent upon us to turn such interest into a driving force of the struggle against landmines in order to ensure peace, security and prosperity of mankind."
Mozambique's economic development had been retarded by the three generations of landmines planted in its territory, he said. Furthermore,
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because of the existence of landmines, Mozambicans lived in uncertainty and permanent fear which prevented them from effectively using vast areas of arable land. He added that surveys indicated that there were about 2 million landmines. At the current pace of demining and destruction, only 11 thousand landmines are cleared per year. It will, therefore, require approximately 160 years to clear them.
Stressing the importance of providing assistance to the victims of landmines, President Chissano said his Government, in close cooperation with friendly countries, had drawn up a national assistance strategy for landmine victims. He expressed the hope that Mozambique would celebrate the eradication of landmines from the face of the earth in the year 2009.
Deputy Secretary-General LOUISE FRECHETTE congratulated the Government of Mozambique for hosting the Meeting of States Parties -- as one of the country's that had suffered most from landmines. In addition, she paid tribute to the country's progress in the consolidation of peace and continuing economic recovery. She paid tribute also to those who spearheaded the movement behind the Convention. "The partnership between Governments and civil society had succeeded because it was firmly rooted in the conviction that the cost of landmines far outweighed the need to use them. That Convention was matched by the courage of true leadership."
Ms. Fréchette called upon all governments that have not yet signed the treaty to do so, and called upon all States to ensure the swift implementation of the Convention and to continue efforts to clear existing mines.
She said the United Nations family is determined to work with States in getting the Convention implemented, which included the destruction of stockpiles. States Parties to the Convention with greater resources and expertise in the destruction of landmines had a special obligation to help, she said.
Expressing pride in the role of the United Nations in mine action, she said many members of the United Nations family work together in mine action. The key goal was to develop a national demining mine action capacity in each country as the United Nations was in the process of achieving in Mozambique.
Pledging United Nations assistance towards a world free of mines, she said it could be achieved "by making the use of these abominable weapons absolutely unacceptable, we can limit and reduce the suffering of civilians after a conflict; we can help the healing process, and we can protect innocent civilians, including humanitarian workers, peacekeepers and all those working towards making the world a safer place."
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The Secretary-General of the OAU, SALIM AHMED SALIM, made a strong appeal to all States in the African region that continued to use anti- personnel landmines. He said it was symbolic that the first meeting of States Parties was being held in southern Africa, a region that has been severely affected by landmines. According to statistics, he said, the region alone had about 20 million mines which have claimed over 250,000 victims since 1961. African States were therefore in the forefront of the struggle to ban anti- personnel landmines. More than two thirds of OAU member States had signed the Ottawa Convention, while 18 member States of the total of 77 were parties to the treaty. Three African countries had announced the destruction of all their stockpiles.
There was, however, a long way to go for the region to be free of landmines. It was regrettable that in spite of the commendable efforts by States in the region, there were reports of continued use of anti-personnel mines on the continent.
Ms. Jody Williams made a brief statement in which she called for universal ratification of the Convention, welcomed China to the meeting and expressed the hope that her own country, the United States, were present.
Ms. Williams then welcomed on stage Tun Channareth, Cambodian landmine survivor and Ambassador of the ICBL who joined Ms. Williams on the podium in his wheelchair and presented President Chissano with a copy of the first ICBL Landmine Monitor Report.
Also addressing the meeting in a general exchange of views were the following: the Minister of National Defense of Mozambique, Aguiar Jonassane Masulo; the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, Lloyd Axworthy; the Director General of the Department of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, J.S. Selebi; the State Minister of the Foreign Office of Germany, Ludger Volmer, speaking on behalf of the European Union; the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Erik Derycke; and the Minister of International Development and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Hilde Johnson.
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