SPEAKERS STRESS FINANCIAL CHALLENGE POSED BY LANDMINES AS ASSEMBLY TAKES UP REPORT OF SECRETARY-GENERAL ON ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION

Press Release
GA/9662

SPEAKERS STRESS FINANCIAL CHALLENGE POSED BY LANDMINES AS ASSEMBLY TAKES UP REPORT OF SECRETARY-GENERAL ON ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION

As the General Assembly met this afternoon to consider the report of the Secretary-General on assistance in mine action, a number of speakers stressed the financial challenge posed by the number of landmines on the world’s surface.

The representative of Japan said landmines remained a serious obstacle to reconstruction and development during the post-conflict nation building process, because real or suspected existence of anti- personnel landmines denied access to much needed resources and services. Even if it was determined that new mines would not be laid, it had been estimated that it would take many decades to totally eliminate existing mines at the present pace of clearing 100,000 a year. Furthermore, it cost the international community between $300 and $1000 to remove a landmine.

The representative of Nicaragua said countries that had engaged in the conflict in Central America had lain mines even in bordering areas of countries that had not been a part of the dispute. That practice had resulted in prohibitive economic, human, social and ecological costs.

The representative of Egypt said that almost 23 million mines laid over a large portion of the country's territory constituted a huge obstacle to its development. Most of those mines had been laid in 1942 during the Second World War. Effective implementation of Egypt’s mine-action programme meant there was urgent need for the countries which had lain mines there to provide accurate maps of the location of those mines and to assist in their clearance. The cost of clearance had risen as many of the mines had been buried over the years under sand dunes. The representative of Libya also stressed that States responsible for laying mines should provide maps showing the locations of those landmines. They should also assist in their clearance and compensate victims.

Addressing the humanitarian situation, the representative of Finland, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said anti-personnel mines had serious social and economic consequences for the population of mine-affected countries, most of which were the least developed. The international community had

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9662 57th Meeting (PM) 18 November 1999

devoted significant human and financial resources and many encouraging developments had occurred during the last few years.

Several representatives also expressed the view that the adoption of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction in 1997 and its subsequent ratification by States proved that the international community was committed to the total eradication of landmines.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Croatia, Norway, United States, Thailand, San Marino, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Canada, France, Egypt, Sudan, Mozambique, China, Russian Federation, Pakistan, and Peru.

The Assembly will meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. to continue its consideration of the report of the Secretary-General on assistance in mine action. It will also consider the strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly mets this afternoon to begin its consideration of assistance in mine action. A report of the Secretary-General (document A/54/445) provides information on the activities of the United Nations system in mine action, as well as those of other bodies and non-governmental organizations doing similar work. The most familiar mine action programmes in afflicted countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia and Croatia are included, as are recent activities now being undertaken in Chad, Kosovo, Nicaragua and Somalia. Total contributions to the Voluntary Trust for Assistance in Mine Action up until 7 October are contained in an annex to the report.

The Secretary-General states that national and local approaches to the problem of clearance have existed for decades. Mine action agencies and international humanitarian programmes are, however, a relatively new and distinct response. Most are less than 10 years old, and have accomplished much in terms of saving lives. The principal reason for their creation, nevertheless, is that the full extent of the landmine crisis is now understood to go beyond the clearance issue. It is now recognized that a fundamental need exists explicitly to address humanitarian implications.

Responding to requests made by the Assembly, he says all relevant bodies within the United Nations have maintained and improved their respective efforts in the area of mine assistance and their activities are described in the present report. Special note is made of the accomplishments of the United Nations Mine Action Service in collaborating with and coordinating all mine-related activities of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention, 1997) was a major step towards addressing the humanitarian crisis sparked by the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines. The Convention marks the first time that a multilateral disarmament agreement bans completely a weapon that is in widespread active use in the military arsenals of many States.

In his review of coordinated mine action, the Secretary-General states that during inter-sessional meetings and processes related to the Ottawa Convention, five informal standing committees of experts were established to focus on: mine clearance; victim assistance, socio-economic reintegration and mine awareness; technologies for mine action; stockpile destruction; and general status and operation of the Convention. The meetings of the standing committees are open to all governments, relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations, and they are supported by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining. The first meeting of the committees in September contributed to maintaining the momentum and cohesion behind the global mine action effort.

The report then goes on to detail: the use of national militaries; assessment missions; national surveys; information management; mine awareness; the role of peacekeeping operation; advocacy; technology; international standards for humanitarian mine clearance operations; and the United Nations Foundation, which was established in 1998 with a $1 billion donation from Ted Turner in support of United Nations activities.

Detailing demining and support activities by the United Nations, the report highlights efforts by: the United Nations Mine Action Service; the Department for Disarmament Affairs; the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations Office for Project Services; the World Food Programme (WFP); the World Health Organization (WHO); and the World Bank. The report also details activities by various intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Demining, the Halo Trust Handicap International, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Norwegian People’s Aid and the Viet Nam Veterans of America Foundation.

The Secretary-General states that as coordinator of the consolidated appeal process, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs continues to work with partners to solicit timely and adequate funding for mine action activities in countries covered by the appeal. In 1999, over $63 million was requested by various partners for various mine action activities. To date, only some $10 million has been received. The UNDP also has an active and growing role in mine action, and through the mine action support project established in its Emergency Response Division, has continued to provide guidance, technical support and assistance to country-level mine action programmes.

The Secretary-General says that UNHCR had been revising its policy and operational guidelines to improve the effectiveness on ongoing mine action programmes they apply to refugees and returnees. Initiatives such as the Action for the Rights of Children, which the Office has embarked upon, together with UNICEF, and the Save the Children Alliance, represent just such a step towards the protection of victims. The UNICEF programmes on mine action awareness and victim assistance are ongoing in Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Mozambique. New programmes have also been initiated in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Nicaragua and South Sudan.

According to the Secretary-General, in 1999, the ICRC supported health facilities treating the war-wounded which includes landmine victims in Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Iraq, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda and Zimbabwe. In terms of rehabilitation, the ICRC is running physical programmes in 13 countries.

Stating that the primary responsibility for initiating action against the presence of landmines lies with governments of affected States, the report then goes on to highlighting various country programmes including: Afghanistan; Angola; Azerbaijan; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Cambodia; Chad; Croatia; Iraq; Kosovo; Mozambique; Lao Peoples Democratic Republic; Nicaragua; Somalia; and Sri Lanka.

Addressing lessons learned from Kosovo, the Secretary-General states that that the mine action programme in the province is the only programme to have been developed as an emergency response to a humanitarian crisis. As such, it already provides a number of useful lessons learned for similar situations. The successful initiation of emergency mine action activities in Kosovo demonstrated that, with the requisite political will and the provision of necessary resources, an effective rapid response capability can be forged and applied by the international community. However, certain limitations currently prevented United Nations bodies from taking such conditions for granted.

Turning to resource mobilization, the Secretary-General states that though the level of interest in the global landmine crisis is high, the focus of concern for humanitarian and development assistance by donor governments and donor organizations is constantly being pulled in many directions. Each new humanitarian crisis inevitably draws the world's attention and resources away from other, equally worthwhile causes. Although the donor funds have enabled significant progress to be made in the last five years, much more has to be done.

In addition to mobilizing resources, the Secretary-General says that the United Nations is developing a database of mine action investments -- an electronic remote access system on which donors will be able to both access information and download financial data with respect to: how they are directing funds for mine action; into which mine contaminated countries; for what specific programme categories; and through which funding channels. It is hoped that the powerful tool, which will be made available on the United Nations Web site, will allow for improved policy development and dialogue, and better planning for how resources should be directed to address priority problems.

Statements

MATTI KAHILUOTO (Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, the Central and Eastern European countries associated with the Union, as well as Cyprus, Malta and Iceland, said anti-personnel mines had serious social and economic consequences for the population of mine-affected countries, most of which were the least developed. The international community had devoted significant human and financial resources and many encouraging developments had occurred during the last few years. A holistic and multi-dimensional approach had been developed and the responsibilities of the United Nations agencies involved in mine action had been determined. Yet, more needed to be done.

He noted that during 1998 to 1999, there had been several important developments in mine action, namely the entry into force of the Ottawa Convention and the Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Prohibition or Restrictions on the use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.

The Union supported the central role of United Nations Mine Action Service and welcomed the prompt establishment of the Mine Action Coordination Centre in Kosovo, he continued. It was committed to participating in international efforts to eliminate those weapons. The Union was the major donor in mine clearance, victim- assistance and other mine action related activities. It had contributed some 103 million for those activities during 1998. In addition to humanitarian concerns, the Union would also focus financial and technical assistance on States Parties and on signatories which fully observed in practice the principles of the Ottawa Convention. It would also further mine action efforts within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, which was currently developing areas for cooperation in the elimination of anti-personnel landmines.

IVAN SIMONOVIC (Croatia) said his country had direct experience of the disastrous effects of mines and, therefore, attached special importance to mine action assistance and was one of the first to actively support the idea of a total ban of anti-personnel landmines.

His country was one of the most mine-affected countries in the world, he said, with almost one million mines buried on its territory; 10 per cent of its total surface was contaminated. That was a tremendous obstacle to the normal functioning of life in the affected areas, which were predominantly agricultural. It also hampered the return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes.

Addressing the process of mine clearance, he said a team of Croatian experts were currently looking for the safest and most-cost effective methods for efficient mine clearing. The process had cost his country $150 million in the past few years, but experts said that it would take another ten years to make the affected areas safe. He looked forward to the follow-up to the Ottawa Convention as a catalyst for genuinely advancing mine-action throughout the world and believed more forceful action was required at national, regional and global levels.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said that the true value of the Ottawa Convention rested on the sustained realization of tangible results in the field. It was necessary to ensure that no further anti-personnel landmines were put in place. Therefore, he urged all States to ratify the Convention. United Nations efforts in moving from policy formulation to policy implementation were welcome. Mine action from an early stage constituted an integral part of the Organization’s broader response to humanitarian crisis, reconstruction and development efforts in the aftermath of conflict. In that regard, mine action could not be perceived as a mere technical operation.

The United Nations played a crucial role in global mine action, he continued. Moreover, the revision of the international standards for humanitarian mine clearance and the development of international test procedures and guidelines for the use of mine detection dogs and mechanical mine clearance equipment was also appreciated.

He stated that predictable and stable funding was necessary to carry out mine action programmes effectively. There was also a need to make better use of coordination mechanisms at the country level. Moreover, the Kosovo model had managed to encompass all major mine action actors in one homogenous structure. The approach of that programme should be shared with other mine action programmes. The early introduction of The Information Management System for Mine Action in Kosovo had been a great asset to the operation. For the first time, all actors involved in mine action were able to communicate on the same information platform. Also, assistance to mine victims was a central part of mine action activities, and, in that regard, existing structures within the health and social sectors should be reinforced.

REVIUS O. ORTIQUE (United States) said that at the start of this century, just ten per cent of war casualties were civilians, but recently the figure had grown to 90 per cent. That reversal was not due entirely to landmines, but it did say a great deal about the brutal, indiscriminate nature of conflict in our time. It was estimated that there were 70 million landmines on the surface of the world.

Landmines, he continued, were a terrible humanitarian problem, which slowed political development and retarded economic progress. They kept refugees and displaced people from returning to their homes long after the guns of war had fallen silent. They were cheap to buy, easy to use, hard to detect and difficult to remove. They did the most harm to societies that could least afford to clear them.

He said his country was committed to helping end the threat of landmines. To that end, it had provided more than $350 million and was helping 30 countries to clear mines and teach children how to avoid and identify them. It was also working with groups who assisted and counseled landmine survivors, as well as using the best scientific talents to improve mine detection and clearance technique. He regretted that technology had not found a better way of detecting mines other than a stick attached to a human hand.

Eliminating the landmine threat to civilians by the end of the coming decade, he continued, was daunting, but attainable and there had been some success. In Cambodia the landmine accident rate had been reduced by 90 per cent; in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of acres previously lost to landmines were now supporting crops; and in Mozambique refugees had returned home on 4,000 miles of roads cleared of mines. The only way to achieve progress was for everyone to work together.

ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand) said the Secretary-General’s report provided a comprehensive picture of and useful information on the issue. Landmines not only killed and maimed, but they also hampered socio-economic development, diverted scarce resources from more productive activities, and instilled constant fear and insecurity among the local population. Landmines were cheap to produce and easily deployed, but the cost of their removal was 100 times higher, not to mention the incalculable human toll that could not be valued in terms of money.

He said that to resolve the landmine threat once and for all, efforts should include mine awareness development, mine victim assistance and the rehabilitation of mined areas. Moreover, the Ottawa Convention should be reinforced through concrete steps taken both on the ground and in international forums.

To rationalize mine action efforts at the national level, the Thailand Mine Action Centre had been established in December last year as the focal point for mine action in the country. The Centre was responsible for drafting the national strategic plan on mine action, which included information dissemination on mine action activities, demining, destroying mines in stockpile, conducting training and providing assistance to mine victims. International assistance to mine affected countries, which were mostly developing countries, whether for mine clearance or humanitarian assistance, was a vital element of cooperation in mine action.

ELENA MOLARONI (San Marino) said that the Ottawa Convention required the destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines within four years after ratification and the elimination of mines already in the ground within 10 years. Unfortunately, the process of demining took much longer, in many cases, due to the lack of adequate funding, of infrastructure, programmes, coordination, expertise, as well as excessive bureaucracy and the need to protect economic interests.

She noted that statistics associated with countries affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance gave the impression that the world had precise information on that problem. However, she said, there was a lack of information on the dimension of landmine infestation and that was presently being investigated. For example, in Africa, the most affected area, only a third of the countries had undertaken some survey of the situation.

She noted that humanitarian mine clearance was a relatively new discipline that involved the technical issue of detecting and destroying various mines and ammunition joined with the managerial, developmental, social and financial aspects of implementing those programmes. Until now, they were funded in a fragmented manner and on a short-term basis. A majority of countries possessed the capacity to implement mine clearance, which they did not always exploit. Rather, they left non-governmental organizations to do the work. In other countries, programmes were operated by military units or commercial entrepreneurs which did not assure long- term results. If governments did not commit themselves to respect the international standards, there could be very little expectation about the total elimination of the scourge.

Turning to the United Nations Mine Action Service, she said it had adopted an inter-agency approach that identified local conditions and concerns, making it possible to tailor mine action assistance to fit individual country needs. San Marino had offered a voluntary contribution to their projects and that underlined the commitment of her country to the issue. That contribution was given to projects aimed at improving social awareness of arms and landmines in various affected areas and the Government had already allocated voluntary funds for next year.

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic) stated that his country was seriously affected by unexploded ordinance, resulting from the heaviest aerial bombardment during the Indo-China war, particularly between 1964 and 1973. During that period, over 500,000 bombing missions had been launched and more than 2 million tons of bombs had been dropped on the country's 4.5 million inhabitants. Extensive ground battles in several provinces also left a staggering amount of unexploded ordnance, including mortar, artillery shells and mines, among other devices. Consequently, his country was one of the most heavily contaminated nations in the world, with 50 per cent of its land still affected by unexploded ordnance.

The Government had created a comprehensive programme to address the problem in all its humanitarian, social and environmental dimensions, he continued. That programme aimed at reducing the number of civilian casualties from explosions and increasing the amount of land available for food production and other development activities. The programme included: community awareness; training and capacity- building; survey; and clearance. A 1998 report stated that over 68,000 items of ordnance had been destroyed, exceeding the target of 45,000, and almost 300 hectares of land had been cleared. However, there had been 89 mine-related accidents during that time and 30 people had been killed. During the first months of 1999 the number of fatalities had been more than those during the same period of the past year.

He noted that, during the past three years, the UXO Lao Trust Fund supported by the United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Children's Fund continued to be the main channel for contributions to the country's efforts. Several governments and other organizations had also provided assistance. The country's overall mobilization target for 2000 was over S$13 million, to be received either in cash or in kind, but available funds amounted to only just over $4 million. Due to the shortfall in donor support, the status of the programme remained uncertain and the current level of operations would not be sustainable in the future. They would continue to try to access funding and hoped the international community would lend its support to those efforts.

DANIEL LIVERMORE (Canada) said that his country’s commitment to mine clearance was multi-faceted. Moreover, the role of the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Mine Action Service and the UNDP in mobilizing donor support and organizing programs in mine-affected countries had been truly impressive. Clearing mined land was, of course, only one aspect of mine action. It was important to take action to prevent new mine causalities and to provide assistance to survivors of mine incidents. In that regard, the international community had an obligation to meet the needs of survivors of landmine incidents. Canada’s commitment to victim assistance was a global one, including support to programs in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Uganda. In addition, it was committed to increasing the quantity and quality of other information that would assist in mine action efforts.

He stated that, through measures like advocacy in support of the comprehensive ban on anti-personnel mines, it was possible to ensure that the landmine problem did not worsen. Moreover, one of the most important ways to prevent the exacerbation of the land-mine problem and the leakage of warehoused mines onto the illicit market was to destroy stockpiled mines. He said that the Ottawa Convention had provided the international community with a framework for action with respect to the mine problem "planting the seeds of hope" that it was an issue on the way to a solution. It had also established an international standard. No longer would countries, particularly signatories, use mines with impunity.

Landmine survivors, were now receiving more services and greater recognition, he said. Stockpiled mines were being destroyed at an impressive rate. The battle was not won, but the corner had been turned on a severe humanitarian crisis.

Mr. AMER (Libya) said that although the first meeting on the Ottawa Convention marked an important new stage in international mine-clearing efforts, his country had attended as an observer because it had reservations about the Convention. He believed the Convention was selective and failed to take into account the responsibility of States which had laid mines in other States. That had to be considered if the world was to rid itself of the land-mine scourge.

Libya, he continued, had been a victim of this practice 50 years ago, when the contending armies of the Second World War laid mines over a large area of its land. A study carried out a few years ago had identified from 5 to 9 million such mines. The wartime Allies had abandoned the country, but left their mines behind. In time those were covered by sand and were now causing explosions that killed and mutilated people. So far, 4,000 Libyans had been killed in landmine accidents and a large number wounded. The landmines had also killed cattle, severed roads, hindered efforts to combat desertification and had adversely affected exploitation of natural resources.

He insisted that States responsible for laying landmines in other States should be made to compensate victim countries. He cited Libya’s agreement with Italy for the clearance of mines laid during the Second World War and said that his country was pleased with the cooperation it had received from Italy. Italy had taken measures to train people in clearing and detecting mines and had set up a medical centre to treat victims.

That, he said, should serve as an example to Great Britain and Germany, the other countries which had planted mines in Libya during the Second World War. They should provide maps showing the locations of those landmines and assist in their clearance as well as compensate victims. He regretted that the Secretary-General’s report had not referred to mines laid during the two world wars. He called on the whole of the international community to do away with the danger of landmines to future generations.

SAMUEL DE BEAUVAIS (France) drew attention to the development of technology available for mine clearance, and to the need for international cooperation in the swift updating of the necessary technology, which had a significant part to play in mine-clearance. He expressed his concern at the outdated nature of available equipment, at the low level of security, and at the slow rhythm of the demining operations.

He therefore urged Member States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to provide countries affected by mines with an appropriate technological equipment. Among the expert groups constituted in Maputo last May by States parties to the Ottawa Convention, one was responsible for studying the use of technologies in the process of demining. The expert group would prepare an exhaustive inventory of needs and review the existing technologies in order to give -- by September 2000 -- realistic conclusions on what remained to be done.

ABOUL GHEIT (Egypt) said that each new humanitarian crisis inevitably drew the world's attention and resources from other causes. As a mine-affected country, Egypt fully concurred with certain recommendations in the report. However, he had also detected a clear emphasis on the humanitarian dimension, while other areas had been neglected. He deemed it necessary to consider other relevant aspects to arrive at a comprehensive solution.

He said the presence of nearly 23 million mines laid over a large portion of his country's territory constituted a huge obstacle to development. Most of them had been laid during the Second World War; Egypt was currently implementing an ambitious plan to clear them. There was an urgent need for the countries that had laid those mines to provide accurate maps on the location, and to assist in their clearance. The cost of clearance had risen, as many of the mines had been buried over the years under sand dunes. The presence of a huge number of mines over a very large area thwarted the Government's ability to use that land for development purposes, particularly in the Egyptian desert and Sinai. Furthermore, most of them had caused humanitarian losses that in conscience could not be overlooked.

References to countries that had laid mines, and their responsibility for clearance, had been left out of the report, he said. Responsibility for clearance did not lie only with the mine-affected States, but also with those responsible for laying them, as well as the international community. Those concepts for dealing with demining had been established by the Ottawa Convention.

He welcomed the prompt signature of the Ottawa Convention by many countries, and expressed his country's support for its humanitarian objectives. However, Egypt still had reservations; a more comprehensive study of the problem was needed.

TARIG ALI BAKHIT (Sudan) said his country was one of the African States affected by mines. It was one of the first signatories of the Ottawa Convention. Moreover, it took part in many conferences and meetings aiming at eliminating landmines and played a pivotal role in the efforts to achieve mine clearance. Alongside the organization of seminars and conferences on the issue, the Government had established a National Committee on Mine Clearance. That Committee organized activities in mine clearance and programmes on mine awareness.

He urged the international community to support the national effort in mine clearance and to contribute in assisting the Sudanese programes with advanced technology. Sudan needed to remove the existing mines, but there was a lack of international funding to cover those costs. All States must be treated equally when dealing with mine clearance. The international community should secure materials, technologies, and financial help.

CARLOS DOS SANTOS (Mozambique) said that as a result of many years of conflict, some 2 million landmines had been planted in his country, most of which were not covered by a clear mapping system. Even in the areas with mapped minefield, natural disasters, such as floods had removed a large quantity of mines from their original positions.

Despite those difficulties, Mozambique was committed to ending the scourge of landmines and thus had hosted the Maputo Meeting of State Parties to the Convention on Anti-personnel Mines. This meeting had adopted the Maputo Declaration, which contained guidelines and recommendations for the eradication of landmines worldwide, he recalled.

He stressed that the true measure of success in the struggle against landmines was not only their total removal from the surface of the world but the improvement of socio-economic conditions in affected countries. He hoped that growing awareness and action on the issue of anti-personnel mines at various levels would result in concrete actions and would relieve the suffering of innocent children, women and the elderly around the world.

RYUICHIRO YAMAZAKI (Japan) said landmines remained a serious obstacle to reconstruction and development during the post-conflict nation-building process, because the real or suspected existence of anti-personnel landmines denied access to much needed resources and services. Even if it was determined that new landmines would not be laid, it had been estimated that it would take many decades to totally eliminate existing mines at the present pace of clearing 100,000 a year. Furthermore, it cost the international community between $300 and $1,000 to remove a landmine. Significant progress had already been made through the Ottawa Convention and he hoped that other States would become party to the Convention as soon as possible.

He stated that Japan had extended mine-related assistance for more than 10 years. The Tokyo Conference held in March 1997 had been the first attempt to deal comprehensively with demining activities and victim assistance. At that forum, three important areas which could be strengthened by international efforts had been identified: landmine clearance by the United Nations and other organizations; development of new technology for mine detection and removal; and assistance to landmine victims.

Japan based its assistance on three principles, he said. The first -- "ownership" -- was that mine-affected countries should play a primary role in mine action activities. The second -- "partnership" -- meant that it was essential for donor countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations involved in mine action to coordinate their activities. The third was based "human security" which refers to all efforts to ensure human survival, well-being and dignity.

Japan had provided a total of some $40 million, through international organizations, non-governmental organizations and bilateral channels, to global mine action activities, he continued. At the 1997 Ottawa signing conference, the country had pledged about $80 million, beginning in 1998 through a five-year period, to achieve a goal of "zero victims", as had been proposed by Japan's foreign Minister at that time. WANG ZHENYIN (China) attached much importance to the indiscriminate killing of civilians by landmines. Since 1992, the country had conducted two large scale demining activities in two provinces, during which 2.2 million landmines had been cleared, 7 million tons of explosives destroyed and 170 routes and ports opened in the border areas, while 60,000 acres of land had been reclaimed. China had also participated in international mine action and provided assistance in mine-affected countries. It was also running workshops in cooperation with United Nations agencies in mine clearance training.

ANDREI E.GRANOVSKY (Russian Federation) considered international cooperation important in the effort to rid the world of landmines. His country had first hand knowledge of the problem. It had cleared more than 100,000 explosive devices, at a cost of $25 million a year, from its territory.

He believed that better use should be made of the expertise and resources of States and the United Nations in demining in areas of conflict. The United Nations should play a leading role in the coordination of technical assistance in such projects. In that regard, Russia had acquired impressive scientific expertise, which could be put to good use. Also, his country was ready to sign the Amended Protocol II 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.

MARIO H. CASTELLON DUARTE (Nicaragua) said mine clearance in Central America was a humanitarian undertaking, as thousands of those weapons, mainly of industrial manufacture, had been laid down during the past decade. That accounted for the loss of human lives, as well as of livestock, and it impeded the use of land for agriculture, thus affecting job opportunities and other areas. As those mines had been laid without prior planning, they existed in diverse places, and they had become even more scattered during Hurricane Mitch. Consequently, demining would take a longer time and would become more expensive.

Countries that had engaged in the conflict had mined even border areas of countries that had been part of the dispute, he said. The results were prohibitive economic, human, social and ecological costs. The Organization of American States had also provided substantial assistance for demining activities and special assistance had been given by Denmark and Norway. Some of the initiatives in Central American countries to clear mines including using young persons known as deminers or sappers, mine detection dogs and warning signs in areas where mines were known to be located.

SHAFQAT ALI KHAN (Pakistan) said he was deeply concerned about the serious problem caused by the indiscriminate use of landmines, which was deeply affecting the lives of millions of people in more than 60 developing countries. The problem continued to manifest itself in various forms. It impeded the effective execution of peacekeeping operations, the rehabilitation of refugees and displaced persons, as well as post-conflict rebuilding and reconstruction.

He noted with interest the change in terminology from “mine clearance” to “mine action” with a view to adopting a broader and more holistic approach in dealing with landmines. He warned, however, that those concerned should not lose sight of the fact that demining and mine clearance on the ground remained at the heart of efforts to deal with the problem. Mine awareness and advocacy campaigns, while important, should not lead to the diversion of resources or attention away from demining and mine clearance. He said the issue of mine action needed to be differentiated from the demands for controlling or banning the use of landmines. Those issues should be dealt with at the Conference on Disarmament and he favoured the initiation of negotiations at the conference for an international legal instrument banning the transfer and export of anti-personnel landmines.

FRANCISCO A. TUDELA (Peru) said that it was important to continue to work to achieve the implementation of the goals and provisions set out in the Ottawa Convention. In that regard, it was necessary to review demining standards and the criteria used to decide the assignment of international cooperation and to reassert the existence of links between mine removal and the consolidation of peace and mutual trust between neighboring countries. The possibility of the armed forces participating in demining operations and the need for primacy of national decisions in the planning and management of action programmes against mines, should also be reviewed.

Within the regional framework, Peru promoted and supported the decision to make the western hemisphere free of antipersonnel landmines. It had created a specific mechanism for international cooperation consisting of a regional list of deminig experts, for the purpose of supplementing efforts made by States to transform the provisions of the Ottawa Convention into a reality within their respective territories.

Universalization and cooperation were two essential aspects to achieve the application of the Ottawa Convention, he said. However, the concerted international efforts should also include the rendering of financial and technical assistance to the countries that had been affected by mines.

On a national level, he said an inter-sectorial coordination group had been set up to evaluate and recommend measures that must be made for the application of the Ottawa Convention. Those measures included activities taken by the armed and police forces to reconvert facilities used to manufacture mine prototypes, and efforts to withdraw, inventory and destroy mines that had previously been used to protect basic infrastructure.

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