101 States have Ratified
the Treaty
It is good to report that
since our previous Newsletter two further States have completed their
Mine Ban Treaty process. The first of these was Mauritania which became
the 100th State to ratify on 21 July.
It was followed, on 7 August,
by a Pacific State, Nauru, which used the one-step process of accession
to sign and ratify in the one move. This effectively made Nauru the
138th signatory and the 101st ratification of the Ottawa Mine Ban
Treaty.
We look forward to the
other Pacific States quickly being able to complete their ratification
processes and to also become full States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty.
These include the signatory States of Cook Islands, Marshall Islands
and Vanuatu. Non-signatory States which will have to use the one-step
process of accession include Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New
Guinea, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Landmine Monitor 2000
We expect the second edition
of Landmine Monitor to be officially launched on 7 September, just
before the SMSP. CALM has had considerable input by way of the country
reports for New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and a dozen Pacific
Island States.
Now that publication of
LM2000 is well under way, the researchers who provided the input data
are preparing to start work on the next issue, LM2001. Although most
of the work up to now has been done by John Head and Neil Mander,
they certainly do not wish to convey the idea that they "own"
that process. They would be happy to have other folk join the team.
CALM Annual Report July
2000
In presenting the 2000
Annual Report of the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines it is
good to be able to observe that New Zealand has continued to make
a significant and worthwhile contribution at the Government, NGO and
the practical levels.
Around the world 101 countries
have now ratified the Mine Ban Treaty, and a total of 138 have signed
(updated to 22 August 2000). Regrettably there are still countries
holding out. These include Russian, China, India, much of the Middle
East and the United States of America.
Closer to home in the Pacific,
only Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Samoa and the Solomon Islands have ratified
the Treaty. We are still awaiting Ratification from Cook Islands,
Marshall Islands and Vanuatu. Those who have yet to take the first
step of signing the Treaty include Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Papua
New Guinea, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Our own Government has
continued to provide strong support for landmine clearance work and
victim support in a number of mine-affected countries. It has continued
to provide strong political support internationally.
CALM has continued its
campaign work, maintaining liaison with Government Departments, Members
of Parliament, other NGOs, and with Campaign groups overseas and especially
the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Neil Mander attended a
conference in Geneva, Switzerland in March initiated by the Non State
Actors Working Group and the Swiss Campaign. The purpose of this was
to seek ways that armed rebel groups who remain outside the coverage
of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty can participate in a ban on the manufacture
and use of mines. Neil also attended two of the Intersessional meetings
of the Standing Committees of Experts which were set up at the First
Meeting of States Parties at Maputo last year.
A major task was the gathering
of information for the second Landmine Monitor Report which is to
be presented to the Second Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, Switzerland
in September this year. CALM members gathered information on all aspects
of landmines as covered by the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, for New Zealand,
Papua New Guinea and a dozen Pacific Island nations. John Head travelled
to Singapore to gather information. Neil Mander attended the first
meeting of Landmine Monitor 2000 researchers in Brussels, Belgium
in February 2000. John Head attended the second meeting in The Hague
in May 2000.
John Head organised a panel
session on landmines as part of the Kuala Lumpur Roundtable in June.
A vital task has been the
dissemination of information from around the world to our members
and supporters in New Zealand. This was achieved by email, by our
own Newsletter with its considerable input of work by Editor David
Zwartz and by our own internet web site provided by the generosity
of Protel and of Geoff Head.
We have continued to encourage
those organisations providing landmine victim support and rehabilitation,
and research into better mine location techniques.
More recently CALM has
voiced its concern over the many unexploded cluster bomblets which,
along with landmines, litter much of the Yugoslav countryside and
provide many hazards for peacekeepers and civilians in the wake of
the Kosovo war.
We have continued our international
campaign with letters to the US Ambassador urging that the USA should
sign the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, and liaison with some other Embassies
and Pacific Island nations.
Thanks go to Brian Hayes
and John Waldman who have prepared a brochure to be used at the exhibition
"Dresses for Humanity" currently running in the Michael
Fowler Centre in Wellington. The brochures will be available as part
of our ongoing campaign.
One of our members, Lawrence
Carter, is using his sabbatical leave from Auckland University, to
continue his work on the location of hidden landmines, and is working
with other organisations in Europe who are working in this area.
Continuing concerns include
those countries that have yet to complete the MBT ratification process,
and also those countries, such as Angola, where the treaty has been
signed but landmine use seems to have been resumed by both Government
and Resistance groups.
The use of cluster bombs
in conflicts such as Laos and Kosovo has left vast quantities of unexploded
ordnance scattered around as a much more lethal threat to the citizens
of those countries even than landmines.
An even greater concern
is with the quantities of small arms that flood the world, and the
conscription of child soldiers into many of the ongoing conflicts
in many third world countries. Each of these has an immediate impact
and ongoing effects that will carry over into the next generation
of affected citizens and beyond.
Our thanks go to those
organisations who have provided grants that have helped us to achieve
what we have.
Special thanks go to those
many CALM members who from their own slender resources have contributed
to help our meagre finances and provide the vital moral support without
which the campaign could not function.
- Neil Mander Convenor
CALM Annual General Meeting
2000
Our AGM was held on Monday
10 July 2000 in a Committee Room at the Wellington City Council Offices.
The National President
of the UNANZ, Mrs Kate Smith of Wanganui was represented by Gwenda
Sutton.
Farewell: Brian Watson
of the Canadian High Commission in Wellington is returning to Ottawa
shortly. Neil Mander and John Head paid tribute to the excellent liaison
that CALM had enjoyed with the Canadian High Commission during the
course of the campaign. Brian advised that his replacement would be
Bill Bowden.
The Annual Report was presented
by Convenor Neil Mander. A copy of this report follows.
Malcolm Watson praised the persistence being shown by Laurence Carter
and his team at Auckland University in pursuing their research into
more effective methods of locating hidden landmines.
Financial Report. The draft
Financial Report was presented by John Head in place of Treasurer
Brian Hayes who was out of town on business. This makes our financial
situation look very, very good. But it should be borne in mind that
most of the funds we hold at present are pre-allocated by their respective
donors to very specific purposes such as production of the brochures,
or for Treaty promotion. There is relatively little non-dedicated
working reserve available and expenditure of this has to be carefully
monitored. It was noted that $3102 was still held of the money from
the Princess Diana Memorial Fund for preparation of the brochures.
Some of this would be needed for reprints when the present stock was
exhausted. This could be fairly soon as the brochures are being distributed
at the "Dresses for Humanity" exhibition at present.
Moved (Head, Mander) That, provided it is permitted under the conditions
of the grant, that a total of $500 be paid to Brian Hayes, John Waldmann
and Tim Simpson for their professional services in preparing the brochure.
Carried
Our very great thanks go
to Treasurer Brian Hayes for his steady and persistent efforts behind
the scenes.
Election of Officers.
Convenor: Neil Mander
Secretary no appointment at this time
Treasurer: Brian Hayes
With the vast majority of the correspondence now being carried out
by email directly by the people involved, there is little of the traditional
role for a Secretary. It was agreed that there was little point in
appointing one at this stage.
John Head will continue as Spokesperson.
Malcolm Watson will continue to provide liaison with the IPPNW.
The Committee is to include: John Waldmann, David Zwartz, Hon Deborah
Morris, Joy Quigley, Borany Scott, Laurence Carter, Peter Low, Malcolm
Watson, Greg Clewly and Richard Davis.
SMSP Geneva September 2000.
The Convenor is to seek accreditation of the CALM Convenor to the
NZ official delegation to the Second Meeting of States Parties to
the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty which will be held in Geneva from 11 to
15 September. Neil Mander has applied to PADET for a grant to cover
the costs. Brian Hayes and David Zwartz expect to be in Europe at
that time and could also attend with relatively little extra expenditure.
It was agreed that they should also represent CALM at the meeting,
and help to raise CALM's profile, particularly in the NGO meetings
that would be part of the conference. It would also serve to widen
the number of CALM people with international experience. Funding to
help them could be made available from the surplus Canadian funds
from the KL Roundtable grant but this would need to be cleared with
the Canadian DFAIT. It was agreed that the possible allocation of
the Canadian funds for travel was left in the hands of Neil Mander
and John Head.
The next ICBL CC meeting
is in Paris on 17 September which is just after the SMSP. Committee
members are invited as observers.
CALM Oral History. John
Head reported that so far he has interviewed Phil Twyford, Mary Wareham,
Don McKinnon and Sir Douglas Graham as part of his project to prepare
an oral history of CALM. He plans to interview others including Andrew
Ladley, Neil Mander, Deborah Morris, Joy Quigley, Brian Hayes and
Greg Clewly.
John Head explained that
the landmine posters on display had come from the Amsterdam Conference
and that they would be available for displaying at CALM meetings around
the country.
Neil Mander is to submit
an entry of our website to the Media Peace Awards. This year's Awards
are to be particularly significant as John Pilger will be the guest
of honour. Neil and John are to consider further improvements to the
website, noting the excellent work already done by Geoff Head.
Non State Armed Groups
As indicated elsewhere
Non State Actors or Non State Armed Groups are now the major users
of anti-personnel landmines. High priority must be given to finding
effective ways of encouraging such groups to abandon their use. The
Pioneering Conference in Geneva in March was an important first step,
but there is much peace-making to be done to achieve the wanted results.
Korea
It is good to see the news
reports of the moves towards more friendly relations between North
and South Korea. One of the disgraces of modern times has to be the
huge minefields separating north and south. We look forward to the
day in the near future when the mine fields will be seen for the obscene
horror that they are and will be cleared for ever. This will of course
also mean the USA will no longer have that excuse for the retention
of antipersonnel landmines in its armoury and will then be able to
join the majority of the rest of the world in acceding to the Mine
Ban Treaty.
Cluster Bombs
As more evidence is unearthed
about the horrific and indiscriminate effects of unexploded cluster
bombs in countries as far apart as Laos and Kosovo, it is becoming
more and more obvious that steps have to be taken to have them withdrawn
from military service.
Our Campaign supports a
proposal by the Swiss Government that a special additional Protocol
on Cluster Bombs should be added to the Convention on Conventional
Weapons (CCW). We believe our Government would also support any Swiss
initiative along these lines.
Disarmament Conference in New Zealand
The Minister for Disarmament
and Arms Control, Hon Matt Robson, has announced that New Zealand
plans to host a disarmament conference early next year. CALM has indicated
its willingness to participate in the conference, and this offer has
been acknowledged by Hon Robson.
Brochures
Thanks to a generous grant
from the Princess Diana Memorial Fund, we have been able to produce
a supply of brochures which provide information on the background
and purpose of the landmine campaign. Anyone who can make use of these
by way of distribution to interested people and groups should contact
John Head (contact details below).
Contributions for this newsletter came from Brian Hayes, John Head
and Neil Mander.
