Military

DATE=9/9/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=I-C-B-L / LANDMINES

NUMBER=2-307299

BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A new report compiled by the Nobel prize winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines shows that the global use of antipersonnel landmines fell dramatically last year. Lisa Schlein has details from Geneva.

TEXT: The report shows tremendous strides have been made in getting rid of antipersonnel landmines and in saving lives and limbs since the Ottawa Convention banning these weapons was signed at the end of 1997.

Belgium's ambassador, Jean Lint, says the success of the treaty makes it clear that the world will not tolerate, what he calls, these inhumane weapons anymore.

///LINT ACT///

We have destroyed more than 30 millions. The number of victims is slowly decreasing and the number of countries having joined the convention has now increased to 136 and there are signs that we will reach 140 soon.

///END ACT///

The United States has not signed the treaty.

The report says all 45 countries which had to destroy their stockpiles of landmines by March 1st have met that deadline. The only notable exception, it says, is Turkmenistan, which has decided to keep more than 69 thousand landmines for so-called training purposes. The report calls this unacceptably high.

It notes the number of countries producing landmines has declined from 55 to 15. Program officer for the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Susan Walker, says the number of governments and rebel groups using antipersonnel mines is also down.

She says currently only six countries - India, Iraq, Burma, Nepal, Pakistan and Russia - still are using landmines. None of these countries belongs to the ban treaty.

///WALKER ACT///

The only two governments as of July 2003 that are using A-P (anti-personnel) mines on a regular basis are Myanmar (Burma) and Russia. In the reporting period, Afghanistan, Angola and Sri Lanka stopped using. They were using last year. So, this is a significant improvement because, of course, Angola, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are all heavily mined. And, Afghanistan and Angola have now joined the mine-ban treaty and we hope Sri Lanka will join in the near future.

///END ACT///

The report says the number of landmine casualties declined from 26 thousand casualties a year to between 15 and 20 thousand.

It notes that, in Iraq, Saddam Hussein's forces laid mines in many locations before and during the war, and notes that its investigations did not turn up any evidence that the United States and coalition forces used antipersonnel mines in Iraq.

(SIGNED)

NEB/LS/MAR/RH/FC