GENEVA 1 March 2009 Deadline for Mine-Ban Treaty states to fulfill obligations

The signatories to the Anti-Personnel Mine-Ban Treaty, also known as the Ottawa Convention, are due to fulfill their obligations to the pact by 1 Mar 2009. The treaty prohibits the use, trade, production, and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines. States Parties have 10 years to clear all their mined areas. More than three-quarters of the states with 2009 deadlines appear set to miss their deadlines, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

They include: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Jordan, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Peru, Senegal, Thailand, United Kingdom (Falklands), Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe. Many of these states are likely to request long extensions of their deadlines. States can ask for an extension of the deadline for up to 10 years, and a meeting of the state parties in Nov 2008 was expected to consider these requests.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines reported in Feb 2009 that the number of countries joining the treaty has continued to grow – from 40 in 1999 to 156 in 2009.

Landmine Monitor estimates that there are more than 250 million antipersonnel mines in the arsenals of 105 nations, with the biggest estimated to be China (110 million), Russia (60-70 million), Belarus (10-15 million), United States (11 million), Ukraine (10 million), Pakistan (6 million), and India (4-5 million).

The United States, Russia, China, India and Israel are among the countries refusing to sign the ban, and did not sign the landmark ban on cluster munitions in May 2008. Eyes will be on the United States to see if the administration that takes office is friendlier than past administrations to international curbs on weapons. UPDATED FEB/09

RELATED READING:
ICBL
http://www.icbl.org/

United States Campaign to Ban Landmines
www.banminesusa.org

Landmine Monitor
http://www.icbl.org/lm/