QUOTE
Landmine conference hopes Russia, China, U.S. join ban
Last Updated Thu, 02 Dec 2004 20:31:42 EST
NAIROBI - The first World Summit on a Mine Free World has opened in Kenya, with a call for China, Russia and the United States to join the Mine Ban Treaty and stop production of the weapons.
* INDEPTH: Landmines
Searching for landmines in Iraq
It's estimated that every year 20,000 people are killed or maimed by landmines. Mainly they are the rural poor and most of the victims are children.
Representatives from more than 100 countries are in Nairobi working on ways to rid the planet of landmines.
"It is particularly appropriate that this review conference is taking place in Africa, a continent that is determined to overcome the scourge of antipersonnel landmines," said Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
Since the Ottawa Convention was implemented five years ago almost 40 million landmines have been taken out of commission. Nations that produce mines have dropped from 50 to 15 in that time.
The conference wants to maintain the momentum achieved by the Ottawa convention in 1997. But with Russia, China and the United States still producing the weapons, organizers say there are still millions of landmines produced each year.
All three nations claim self-defence for refusing to sign. Neither Russia nor the U.S. is at the conference.
Clarkson says the Ottawa Convention is heading into a difficult period but progress is still being made.
"The anti-landmine movement has now made it to 144. Ethiopia has joined this week. So there's incremental change. I think that's very important."
Julia Taft, of the UN Development Program, told the summit that countries like Afghanistan and Angola will never fully develop without the removal of landmines.
"The landmine problem is a critical development issue," she said. "The terrible human toll taken by these indiscriminate weapons is compounded by deep and lasting economic damage."
Written by CBC News Online staff
Last Updated Thu, 02 Dec 2004 20:31:42 EST
NAIROBI - The first World Summit on a Mine Free World has opened in Kenya, with a call for China, Russia and the United States to join the Mine Ban Treaty and stop production of the weapons.
* INDEPTH: Landmines
Searching for landmines in Iraq
It's estimated that every year 20,000 people are killed or maimed by landmines. Mainly they are the rural poor and most of the victims are children.
Representatives from more than 100 countries are in Nairobi working on ways to rid the planet of landmines.
"It is particularly appropriate that this review conference is taking place in Africa, a continent that is determined to overcome the scourge of antipersonnel landmines," said Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
Since the Ottawa Convention was implemented five years ago almost 40 million landmines have been taken out of commission. Nations that produce mines have dropped from 50 to 15 in that time.
The conference wants to maintain the momentum achieved by the Ottawa convention in 1997. But with Russia, China and the United States still producing the weapons, organizers say there are still millions of landmines produced each year.
All three nations claim self-defence for refusing to sign. Neither Russia nor the U.S. is at the conference.
Clarkson says the Ottawa Convention is heading into a difficult period but progress is still being made.
"The anti-landmine movement has now made it to 144. Ethiopia has joined this week. So there's incremental change. I think that's very important."
Julia Taft, of the UN Development Program, told the summit that countries like Afghanistan and Angola will never fully develop without the removal of landmines.
"The landmine problem is a critical development issue," she said. "The terrible human toll taken by these indiscriminate weapons is compounded by deep and lasting economic damage."
Written by CBC News Online staff
link with cbc video.
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INDEPTH: LANDMINES
Landmines
CBC News Online | October 6, 2003
The United Nations says there are more than 110 million landmines planted in more than 70 countries around the world. The UN estimates that someone is killed by a landmine every 20 minutes.
While efforts are being made to remove about 100,000 mines every year, another two million are planted annually.
Landmines are indiscriminate. Many victims are civilians and they are very often children. Victims who don't die from the blast end up maimed for life.
While landmines are cheap to produce, from $3 to $15 US, they cost at least $1,000 to remove.
Today, most mines are found and deactivated using 50-year-old methods. One person sweeps an area with a magnetic metal detector or a dog trained to sniff explosives. A second person then lies on the ground to probe a possible mined area, using a stick to find the buried object. First, the mine must be carefully exposed. Then, it must either be defused or a charge must be planted on it so it may be detonated from a distance.
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty was signed in Ottawa by 133 countries. It only refers to mines directed at people; the treaty doesn't disallow mines that are used to blow up vehicles or disable tanks. The world's largest landmine producers — among them the United States, China and Russia — have yet to ratify the treaty.
Here are some other facts and figures about landmines:
* It would take $33 billion and 1,100 years to clear all the landmines around the world
* There are 700 different models of landmines but two main types are used today: antitank mines used to destroy vehicles, and antipersonnel mines meant to maim or kill people
* One in 250 people in Cambodia is an amputee because of landmines
* 8,000 children in Angola became amputees because of mines
* The cost of treating and fitting a victim with an artificial limb is about $3,000
* Other countries that didn't sign the Landmine Ban treaty: Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
Countries that manufacture landmines include: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, U.K., U.S., Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Landmines
CBC News Online | October 6, 2003
The United Nations says there are more than 110 million landmines planted in more than 70 countries around the world. The UN estimates that someone is killed by a landmine every 20 minutes.
While efforts are being made to remove about 100,000 mines every year, another two million are planted annually.
Landmines are indiscriminate. Many victims are civilians and they are very often children. Victims who don't die from the blast end up maimed for life.
While landmines are cheap to produce, from $3 to $15 US, they cost at least $1,000 to remove.
Today, most mines are found and deactivated using 50-year-old methods. One person sweeps an area with a magnetic metal detector or a dog trained to sniff explosives. A second person then lies on the ground to probe a possible mined area, using a stick to find the buried object. First, the mine must be carefully exposed. Then, it must either be defused or a charge must be planted on it so it may be detonated from a distance.
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty was signed in Ottawa by 133 countries. It only refers to mines directed at people; the treaty doesn't disallow mines that are used to blow up vehicles or disable tanks. The world's largest landmine producers — among them the United States, China and Russia — have yet to ratify the treaty.
Here are some other facts and figures about landmines:
* It would take $33 billion and 1,100 years to clear all the landmines around the world
* There are 700 different models of landmines but two main types are used today: antitank mines used to destroy vehicles, and antipersonnel mines meant to maim or kill people
* One in 250 people in Cambodia is an amputee because of landmines
* 8,000 children in Angola became amputees because of mines
* The cost of treating and fitting a victim with an artificial limb is about $3,000
* Other countries that didn't sign the Landmine Ban treaty: Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
Countries that manufacture landmines include: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, U.K., U.S., Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
This story and other important related resources can be found here.