New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM)
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Newsletter May 2001 [No. 1 2001] In this newsletter: CALM Convenor Neil Mander attended the ICBL General Meeting and the Landmine Monitor Researchers' meeting, held in Washington DC, USA between 6 and 9 March 2001. He reports: ICBL General
Meeting in Washington A major concern is that, now there is widespread acceptance for the ban as evidenced by the 113 States that have ratified, some of the traditional support for the ICBL has moved away to other matters. This shows particularly in the decrease of financial support from some traditional fund providers. But because there are still many of the historic major producers who have not yet joined the ban, and there is still use of mines by some countries as well as by many NSAs, there is still a long way to go in achieving our objectives. And of course, there will be huge ongoing costs to governments and relief agencies to complete the clearance of all minefields, destruction of all stockpiles and to support existing and future landmine victims for the duration of their lives. The ICBL CC has hired a fundraiser who will work to offset the funding decrease. The Committee was authorised to use the Nobel Peace Prize money as a working reserve to maintain activity which is part of the 2004 Action Plan. The Ethics and Justice Working Group was revitalised under the chairmanship of Noel Stott. The CC composition has changed with the retirement of Physicians for Human Rights and the Italian Campaign, and their replacement by the German Campaign. NSAs: The ICBL website contains a section on Non-State Actors at www.icbl.org/wg/nsa/ which provides access to much background information on the NSA Working Group and its objectives. Of special interest is the progress being made by Geneva Call, the Geneva-based international humanitarian organisation created in March 2000 to promote humanitarian norms to non-state armed groups. The work being carried out by the NSA Working Group and by Geneva Call parallels the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty process, but is aimed at those non-state groups who are outside the coverage of the Ottawa MBT. But because of its nature the task will be a huge and complex one. It will not fit in with any orderly procedure, and it will be necessary for much individual action. Landmine Monitor: Draft LM2001 country reports were reviewed in regional groupings. NZ met with the Asia-Pacific group, having prepared the draft reports for New Zealand, PNG and 13 Pacific Island states. The editing work now moves to the next phase. Enquiries for further details and clarification will be addressed to researchers as required. LM2001 will be printed during August and the official launch is to be several days before the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) in Managua, Nicaragua in September 2001. Cluster bomb meeting: Noting the ICBL's apparent reluctance to get involved in a cluster bomb campaign, the Mennonite Central Committee and Human Rights Watch have taken responsibility for moving this forward. An informal evening meeting reviewed the situation, noting the military effectiveness of cluster weapons, the bad side effects of missed targets, large footprint of the weapon, the denied access to agricultural land, the unexploded and unstable bomblets and the high but often unrecorded civilian death rate. There is a move to include a new Protocol 5, on the unexploded remnants of war, in the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) at its Meeting of State Parties in Geneva next December. The Swiss government has suggested reducing stockpiles of present high dud-rate weapons and then imposing a 2% maximum dud rate. USCBL Campaign: In parallel with the ICBL and Landmine Monitor meetings, the US Campaign to Ban Landmines ran publicity events during the week at various Washington venues with banners and posters, and collection of signatures for a petition to the US Government. At a formal reception on Thursday 8 March the main guest speaker was Queen Noor of Jordan. She spoke eloquently and movingly. Meeting with NZ Ambassador: Neil met Jim Bolger, NZ Ambassador to USA, and presented him with a copy of the LM2000 Report and Executive Summary. They discussed the campaign and New Zealand's contribution to it, and to the ongoing mine clearance work. UN Regional
Disarmament Meeting in Wellington Neil Mander, John Head, Deborah Morris and David Zwartz attended various sessions and events on behalf of CALM. Topics covered included nuclear and chemical weapons, small arms, and landmines. Attention was given to the need for the small Pacific States to accede to the international treaties covering these weapons, even though they are not an immediate problem for them. This is particularly the case for anti-personnel mines which are not known to be present anywhere in the Pacific. It is important for states which support the Mine Ban Treaty to clearly separate themselves from those which do not. Mary Wareham, previous CALM Convenor, now works with Human Rights Watch in Washington DC, USA. She was invited as a representative of the ICBL to address the Conference on the landmine issue and the need for all countries to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty, even though they do not have landmines on their territory. Bilateral and workshop discussions were held with delegates of Pacific states who have yet to complete their MBT ratification or accession process. These were helpful in confirming their general support for the MBT and in highlighting the obstacles in the way of their ratification or accession. We were able to dispel some of their concerns. CALM representatives also received valuable and welcome comment on the draft Landmine Monitor 2001 reports which were made available to delegates. Our special
thanks go to the staff of ISAC Division of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade for their work in setting up the Conference and
for enabling the participation of CALM representatives. Two NGO Seminars ran parallel with the UN Conference. These and the NGO contribution to the UN Conference were planned by a special Co-ordinating Committee established in October when IPPNW/Abolition 2000 were asked by Geoff Randal, Director of ISAC to coordinate NGO input. Under the Chairmanship of Chris King, the Committee (with John Head as CALM representative) met 15 times. At Monday's seminar Mary Wareham gave an overall picture of the international campaign; at Thursday's seminar, Hon Deborah Morris recalled her experiences at the Ottawa Conference in 1997 and endorsed Mary's call for the universalisation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Both were well received. -John Head, CALM Spokesperson.
Japanese
mine clearance donation to Cambodia The Japanese
government donated mine clearance equipment worth US$3million Treaty universalisation
progres There are
now 140 signatories/accessions. The most recent accession, on
4 May 2001, is Congo-Brazzaville. There are 113 ratifications,
accessions, or approval, most recently Kenya, Zambia, and Sierra
Leone. Signatories
in the Pacific include Cook Islands, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.
Non-signatories include Federated States of Micronesia, Palau,
Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, and Tonga. Recent accessions included
those of Nauru and Kiribati. Jody Williams,
the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was in Delhi on a mission to
educate citizens on the necessity of signing the international
anti-landmines treaty. However it was reported that all she had
received was refusals and convoluted rants about national security. Williams,
in New Delhi to attend the Fourth National Conference on Landmines:
Challenges to Humanity and Environment, disclosed to media persons,
"We were told that we might not get visas." Reason:
landmines are a matter of national security. She also
sought interviews with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and
Minister for External Affairs and Defence Jaswant Singh, but there
was no response. Even government officials have refused to meet
her. Williams said that she was saddened by the attitude of the
Indian government. The Nobel
laureate said that she was in India to educate citizens to speak
to the government. She saw no reason why India could not sign
the international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. "Why
does India not sign the treaty?" she asked. Peace, she feels,
cannot be built by words alone. "It is action that brings
change." She also reminded the media that archrivals Greece
and Turkey have signed the anti-landmines treaty. Fifty-four
countries were producing anti-personnel mines when the anti-landmines
campaign began in 1992. Today, only 16 countries do so. Williams
pointed out that of the 16, eight countries are in the Asian region. The top United
Nations peacekeeping official confirmed in April the establishment
of a Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) in Ethiopia and Eritrea along
the countries' common border. Briefing the
UN Security Council on developments in the region, Under-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno called the TSZ's
establishment, which was announced yesterday, an 'important milestone
in the peace process.' The two most
pressing challenges now facing Eritrea and the international community
were the restoration of Eritrean civil administration and the
return of displaced persons to the TSZ, he said, noting that Eritrea
was planning for the return of approximately 300,000 persons to
the Zone. In that context, he pointed out the threat posed by
the large quantities of landmines and unexploded ordnance in the
areas of return. Limited demining
activities were currently underway and mine awareness activities
had been initiated throughout the area. The Under-Secretary-General
stressed that the TSZ was temporary in nature and did not prejudge
the final status of contested areas, which would be decided by
the neutral Boundary Commission jointly set up by both countries.
[Africa News Service] High profile
campaigners Model-turned-activist
Heather Mills and her Beatle boyfriend, Sir Paul McCartney,
lobbied Colin Powell in April for a worldwide ban on land mines. The United
States, which has declined to sign the Ottawa treaty outlawing
landmines, has a stockpile of the weapons estimated at 11 million.
"We still have some concerns about the convention,"
Powell said. But, he added: "There are many areas in which
we can co-operate." Mills talked
about the world's 60 to 70 million land mines and how they kill
or maim 26,000 people a year. A Brit, she took up the cause 10
years ago when she was living in wartime Croatia and helping those
who'd lost limbs. Mills' left leg was amputated below the knee
in 1993 after a road accident in London. Today she runs a charity
that recycles artificial limbs for land mine victims, and she
recently helped start the UK chapter of Adopt-a-Minefield, which
raises money for mine clearance and survivor assistance. But she knows
her efforts will take time. The United States has cited military
needs in South Korea for its refusal to sign a land mine ban.
"I'm a realist," Mills said. "America's not going
to back a total ban for many years to come." [Washington
Post] Central
Asia: Victims of Uzbek land mines increasing Uzbekistan's
unilateral decision to indiscriminately mine rural areas along
its border with the two Namibian casualties:
Dozens of people have been maimed in landmine attacks in north-eastern
Namibia since the Namibian authorities invited Angolan soldiers
to use Namibia as a springboard for attacks on Unita, (the Portuguese
acronym for the Union for the Total Independence of Angola). New VVAF website:
"The Vietnam Veterans of America have a new website, at <http://www.vvaf.org/>.
As an organization, VVAF assists civilian war and landmine victims,
conducts mine assessment surveys, and raises public awareness
of the dangers of landmines and war. The site details their programs
and also has a few cool features like a virtual field trip to
Cambodia." [VVAF] Mines in Middle
East conflict: Landmines were among the weapons on a fishing boat
seized by the Israeli navy en route between Lebanon and the Gaza
Strip at the beginning of May. [Associated Press] Central American
mine clearance: The Nicaraguan government said at the end of April
that it had finally cleared its southern border with Costa Rica
of thousands of landmines planted during its civil war in the
1980s. The defence ministry said army units had removed 5,583
anti-personnel mines along the border over the past 40 months
in a $1 million (US) project financed by the European Union, Denmark
and the Organization of American States. [Toronto Star] For other
supporters: If you are on email and wish to keep getting our newsletter,
please send New
Zealand News Rehab
Craft Cambodia CALM founder,
spokesperson and previous convenor John Head was awarded a QSM
(Queen's Service Medal) for public services, in the New Year Honours
List. In accepting
the award, John noted: "I accept the honour as a recognition
of the success of the campaign in New Zealand to ban landmines.
Having worked in the peace movement for some years "I must
acknowledge the sympathy and understanding of my wife, Avril.
"I recall the early days of the campaign when we set up the
New Zealand Campaign to Ban Landmines. We had very active support
from the leaders of OXFAM, World Vision, the United Nations Association
and the Red Cross. On our committee there was a former soldier
who had been training Afghan deminers, a university law lecturer
who had had first-hand experience treating landmine victims in
Africa, a medical doctor who had treated landmine victims in the
Vietnam War, a university student who had completed her Master's
degree on the worldwide problems caused by landmines, an editor,
a World War 2 sailor who had survived the Murmansk convoys, a
US citizen who had trekked across Cambodia, and a representative
of what was then called the Disarmament Division of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. No wonder our campaign succeeded. "Yes,
the honour should be shared by all these people along with those
people who have joined CALM in later years." The Landmine
Update #4 is the International Campaign to Ban Landmines' latest
quarterly newsletter. See it on the ICBL website: http://www.icbl.org ICBL has
sent a long list of "New Materials and Information Received
by the Resource Centre from January to April 2001." It includes
audio-visual as well as printed text material. A copy of the list
can be emailed to you by the CALM convenor. All overseas
news items in this Newsletter have been received through the ICBL.
They are heavily abridged. Readers interested in getting regular,
unedited email reports about landmines and the international campaign
against them should contact the Convenor. |
CALM is the New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines.
CALM is a member of ICBL, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
which was co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1997.
