Newsletter March 2004 [No. 1 2004]

Editorial

The biggest landmine news of the last month was the announcement by the United States Government of a new policy reversing so many of the policies developed by former President Clinton and stating that they would continue to use so called “smart” anti personnel mines. For those of us who have for years been convinced that “smart” mines are not safe and who have been working to abolish ALL anti-personnel mines this new policy has been a great kick in the face. Deborah Morris drafted a press release which we circulated widely in New Zealand and overseas but all this came at the same time as our triumphs at Hollywood so our media seemed to overlook the whole issue.

5th Anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty:

NZ Campaign Against Landmines Condemns New US Landmine Policy

“New US government policy on landmines, unveiled at the State Department on Friday, is a dramatic and dangerous policy reversal which flies in the face of international consensus and jeopardises efforts to create a mine-free world, said the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines today.

“Determined by the Department of Defense, Department of State, the National Security Council and President Bush, the new policy abandons plans for the US to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty and confirms that US troops may deploy anti-personnel landmines in Iraq or elsewhere.

“Today marks the 5th anniversary of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty becoming binding international humanitarian law. Celebrations of the significant and life-saving progress made under the treaty will be dampened by news of the new US policy.

“Recognising that mines are outmoded, indiscriminate weapons with limited military utility, the vast majority of governments (141 States Parties) have signed up to the Mine Ban Treaty. This support for the Mine Ban Treaty and the unprecedented cooperation of governments, non-governmental organisations and inter-governmental organisations such as the UN, has enabled:

• the destruction of more 52 million mines from global stockpiles,
• a drop in the number of mine producing countries, from 54 to 14,
• the removal of hundreds of thousands of mines from the ground,
• a reduction in the number of casualties (from an average of 26,000 to 15-20,000 each year), and
• the slowing of trade of the stigmatised weapon.

“Previously, US government policy set the country on track to join the rest of the international community and accede to the Mine Ban Treaty in 2006, when the destruction of America’s stocks of dumb mines was also scheduled.

“The new policy rejects the Mine Ban Treaty and delays the destruction of those dumb mines until 2010. It also allows the US to continue using so-called smart mines which although they are set to deactivate or self-destruct cannot discriminate between the foot of a soldier and that of a child. These mines tend to be scattered by air making them difficult to mark and map, posing tremendous challenges and costs for demining teams, and threaten the lives and limbs of innocent civilians and troops working in mined areas.

“While the US has announced that it will increase funding for mine action programmes, overall its policy is a giant step backwards that will do little to reduce the agricultural, economic and psychological impacts for the millions of people who continue to live with landmines.

“The policy sets a dangerous example to the few remaining mine-users, such as Russia, India, and Pakistan, with devastating consequences for civilians. The policy is a significant step backwards for the US, isolating it further from the norms of international law and the international community, said John Head and Deborah Morris today.”

I would like to end on a positive note.This statement shows that Presidential edicts in the US can be reversed.We note that in the current US Presidential debate, the current militaristic policies of the present administration are coming under increasing fire and we can only hope that after the election, these policies announced by President Bush will be reversed.

John V Head, Convenor

Open Committee Meeting

On Wednesday 7th April the CALM Committee will be meeting in the City Council Chambers at 5.30. This is an open meeting in that members of the public are most welcome. In addition to the normal Committee business, the Committee will receive the resignation of John Head, the Convenor of NZ CALM. After attending the first international conference of the ICBL in London in 1993 he returned to New Zealand and with the support of a talented and energetic Committee, established CALM.

John will be nominating Hon Deborah Morris to take over as Convenor. As a Minister in the first MMP Coalition government, elected in 1996, she had the honour of signing the Mine Ban Treaty for New Zealand at Ottawa in December 1997.

Following Deborah’s nomination she will outline her future plans for CALM’s continuing activities.

Burma/Myanmar update - Report from Thai campaign

Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan

Burma is one of the few states in the world today where landmines continue to be used. However, with the launching of talks on ending combat between the Karen National Union and the State Peace and Development Council now taking place, there is some hope that an end to landmine use and the casualties it has caused can be reduced.

The Thailand Campaign welcomes these historic peace talks and urges the negotiators to explicitly recognize the dangers to the peace which will be posed by landmines laid over the past many years of armed conflict. We strongly encourage that any final agreement include action to address the landmine problem, in particular:

·That both parties clearly and unambiguously mark their mine fields on the date of the commencement of a ceasefire;

·That both parties commit to refrain from any use of the landmine, and that laying of landmines be considered a violation of the ceasefire or an act of agression;

·That both parties seek the assistance of the United Nations Mine Action Service and other international agencies in developing mine action plans for implementation prior to the return of any displaced persons. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines urges all remaining parties in Burma who are engaged in mine use within the country to jointly agree to cease the use of landmines, as a positive step toward future peace and out of humanitarian concern for the people of the country.

ICBL Ambassador in the Pacific

By Deborah Morris, Landmine Monitor 2004 Researcher

With potential for some additional accessions ahead of the RevCon meeting, CALM is working with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines to ensure Pacific states receive timely representation on the need for action this year.

In addition to the usual correspondence and representations, an exciting initiative currently under discussion is the potential for ICBL Ambassador Tun Chunnareth (Reth) to travel from Cambodia and meet with Pacific leaders. Reth is an experienced advocate and makes a forceful case for accession to the MBT, from the perspective of a survivor.

While plans for the trip are still in the early stages, it is proposed that Reth travel to the region to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum meeting scheduled for August. This would enable Reth to gain exposure to all of the region’s governments.

Typically, NGOs are allocated one day during the course of the PIF when they can make a presentation to the meeting. In addition to seeking a formal opportunity for such a presentation, Reth’s attendance at the meeting should provide opportunities for direct representation in bilateral meetings with government representatives.

In a move that signals strong support for progress in the region, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines has already pledged financial support for this trip. We will keep you informed of developments.

Auckland School Children Play a Part

David Wilkin

Late in 2003, pupils at Ponsonby Intermediate School requested some of CALM’s resources to support a social studies project they were doing about land mines. The posters were sent off and I wondered what would happen.

Well, when I later uplifted the posters I was delighted to learn that the project had been a considerable success among the children. They were saddened to realise the effects of abandoned landmines and the cost to children and others. In an effort to do something positive to help they decided to hold a competition. Paperplus donated some prizes. They raised about $1000 ! Pretty good I’d say. The children decided to donate the money towards the training of a sniffer dog for locating landmines. Top marks to the children at Ponsonby Intermediate school and their teacher John Perry.

Perhaps we all could think about new ways to raise public awareness of the land mine situation - especially among the young.

CALM’s Landmine Resources

A base for landmine resources from the ICBL, and other campaigns such as the Red Cross and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, has now been established at the home of John Head. His address etc is at the end of the newsletter.

The resources provided include 15 videos available for loan, Landmine Monitor and other publications and leaflets and other items such as postcards and balloons etc that can be handed out at stalls.

David Wilkin, phone 04 478 6797, email david.wilkin@xtra.co.nz holds a range of posters and children’s art work. The distribution costs are covered by the ICBL. The distribution area covered by this Centre is all the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.

We hope New Zealanders will use these resources extensively to spread the landmine message. In our previous newsletter Meagan Bach of Auckland reported on how she used our resources very successfully. In this newsletter there is a report from Ponsonby Intermediate School in Auckland detailing how our resources inspired them to raise over $1000 for landmine causes.

CALM operates a news group for people who want to receive by email, this newsletter, world media reports and other important information to ban landmines. To join this news group please email our Secretary at <s.beresford@paradise.net.nz>

This newsletter has been prepared by John Head, typeset by Louise Head and printed and distributed by Stuart Beresford.