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U.S.
Campaign to Ban Landmines Email Newsletter In this edition. . .
Action Alert: Call the White House Today or Tomorrow! National
Call-in Days to White House on Landmines Call
the White House at 202-456-1414 on Tuesday, December 3 or Wednesday,
December 4 and urge President Bush to not let the US military use
antipersonnel landmines in Iraq, and to ban the weapon altogether. December 3rd and 4th mark the fifth anniversary of the opening for signature of the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, which bans the use, production, trade, and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines. Because antipersonnel mines maim and kill 15,000-20,000 people each year and lead to devastating agricultural, economic, and psychological consequences for millions of others living in mine-affected communities, 146 countries have signed this life-saving treaty. President Clinton failed to sign the treaty in 1997, but he created policies that would lead the US to join the treaty by 2006. It
appears as if President Bush may be prepared to abandon all efforts
to ban US landmines and to instruct the military to use the indiscriminate
weapon in Iraq (there are mines ready to be used that are now stockpiled
in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain). We expect the White
House to determine new US landmine policies soon. Please
make your voice heard by calling the White House at 202-456-1414. Sample
rap: "I am calling from ____ to urge President Bush to support a
total ban on antipersonnel landmines and to not allow the military
to use antipersonnel landmines in Iraq or Afghanistan." For
more information, visit www.banminesusa.org. Please forward this to people you know. News Release: AP Mines May Be Used in Iraq For Immediate Release CONTACT:
On the Fifth Anniversary of Landmine Treaty, President Urged by Retired General, Members of Congress, and Others to Remove Antipersonnel Mines from Iraq War Arsenal (Boston: December 2, 2002) As US troops prepare for an invasion of Iraq, the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL) today urged President Bush to not allow US forces to deploy antipersonnel landmines in Iraq and to work toward US accession to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The US military, which last used antipersonnel mines during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, reportedly has antipersonnel mines stored in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and elsewhere for possible use in Iraq. "As I saw first-hand during my own years of service, antipersonnel landmines pose tremendous risks to civilians and US troops on the ground," said Lt. General Hal Moore, former Chief of Staff for Army Personnel. "The United States should eliminate from our arsenal this weapon that cannot tell the difference between child and soldier, and that lies in wait to produce death and grief. It makes no sense to add more landmines to the millions of existing time bombs." Lt. General Moore commanded troops during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was portrayed by Mel Gibson in the film "We Were Soldiers" last year. He was one of eight senior retired commanders who sent a letter to President Bush last year urging him to ban antipersonnel landmines. Possible US use of mines in Iraq stands in stark contrast to the ever-growing worldwide acceptance of a comprehensive prohibition on the weapon. This month marks the 5th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Mine Ban Treaty (December 3) and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and its former Coordinator, Jody Williams (December 10). The treaty came into force faster than any other modern, multilateral convention. There are now 130 States Parties to the treaty, and another 16 signatories. Every member of NATO except the United States has embraced the Mine Ban Treaty. The USCBL warning about possible use of mines also comes as the Bush Administration is apparently nearing the end of a formal review of US landmine policy that has been underway for eighteen months. A recent US General Accounting Office (GAO) report on the use and effects of landmines during the Persian Gulf War stated that some US commanders were reluctant to use mines because of their impact on US troop mobility, safety concerns, and fratricide potential. The report indicated that "dumb" mines (non-self-destructing) were considered obsolete and unsafe. The US used a total of 117,634 landmines in the Gulf War, including 27,967 antipersonnel mines. A total of 81 US casualties were attributed to landmines. "If the US military were to deploy antipersonnel landmines in Iraq, we would be making an existing humanitarian crisis even worse," said Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), long-time anti-landmine advocate in the House of Representatives. "The presence of new landmines -- on top of the untold numbers of landmines left unexploded from the Iran-Iraq and Persian Gulf wars -- would threaten not only the security of innocent civilians looking for food, shelter and safety from the potential conflict, but our own soldiers as well." The USCBL maintains that if the US were party to the Mine Ban Treaty, it could use its considerable influence with countries such as Russia, India, and Pakistan, which laid hundreds of thousands of antipersonnel mines during the past year. "The United States needs to join our NATO allies in banning this weapon and in condemning its use by the dwindling number of nations that still deploy a weapon that remains a danger long after peace accords are drawn," said Congressman Lane Evans (D-IL), another long-time anti-landmine advocate and the legislator who requested the GAO report on mine use during the 1991 Gulf War. Despite a 1998 presidential directive supporting conditional US accession to the Mine Ban Treaty by the year 2006, the Bush Administration may move to indefinitely retain this weapon in the US arsenal. As part of the review of US landmine policy, the Defense Department recommended to the President last year that the US abandon efforts to ban the weapon. The State Department and National Security Council are now reviewing the issue, with a final presidential decision expected soon. Current policy calls for the US to stop using antipersonnel mines (except those in "mixed systems" with antitank mines) everywhere in the world (except Korea) in 2003. Last year, 124 Members of the House of Representatives —both Democrats and Republicans— sent a letter to President Bush urging him to not accept the DOD recommendations and to move towards banning the weapon. More than 500 veterans from all 50 states sent a similar letter to the President last year. Since the early 1990s, the number of mine producing countries has dropped from 54 to 14. Trade of the weapon has come almost to a halt, and more than 34 million antipersonnel landmines have been destroyed from the arsenals of the world. Nations have removed millions of landmines from communities devastated by the weapon and have provided medical and rehabilitative support to victims of landmines. Most importantly, say anti-landmine advocates, casualty rates from the weapon have dropped from approximately 26,000 people per year to 15,000-20,000 per year. The US Campaign to Ban Landmines is a nation-wide coalition of approximately 500 non-governmental organizations. It is a member of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Ban Landmines and is coordinated by Physicians for Human Rights in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.banminesusa.org Angola:
Landmine Explosion Claims Seven Medical Workers Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors Without Borders in English) on Monday said it would temporarily reduce its activities in the southeastern Angolan region of Mavinga following a landmine explosion over the weekend which killed seven people and left six others wounded. The NGO said in a statement that the MSF vehicle involved in the incident was traveling from Cunjamba, north of Mavinga, where medical staff had spent the day carrying out vaccination programmes. Most of the victims were Angolans working in the vaccination team. According to the United Nations, Angola is one of most heavily mined countries in the world. Estimates for the number of landmines range from six to 20 million resulting in one of the highest rates of landmine injuries per capita in the world. "We are shocked, frustrated and extremely sad. The staff killed in this accident was providing a glimpse of humanity after years of suffering in Angola. Sadly, they are victims of their commitment. Why?" said Thomas Nierle Director of MSF operations in Geneva in a statement. Since the 4 April ceasefire between the government and former rebel group UNITA, NGOs and aid agencies appealed to the government to speed up demining activities. They have complained that derelict roads and landmines continue to restrict the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance. Some 70,000 Angolans are believed to have lost limbs as a result of landmine explosions. Landmine Quilt Ready for Display If you’re planning a landmine-related function, you can borrow the Landmine Quilt to promote education and awareness. The quilt squares have been made by concerned citizens throughout the country who have written or stitched messages promoting US support of a landmine ban, demining, and victim assistance. For more information, contact: Patty
Chartrand — Landmine Quilt Coordinator Another Landmine Quilt is also n the works. If you or your group would like to contribute squares, here’s how: The quilt pieces are 12 inches by 12 inches finished (cut the panels 15inches or 38mm by 15inches or 38mm to make a 1.5 inch or 4mm seam allowance). The sides of the quilt will not be finished until the US joins the Mine Ban Treaty. If groups make a square that is larger than the 12" please make them proportional to one square. The material should be a muslin or cotton blend with whatever design the individual or group wishes. Donations are needed of quilt batting and material (cotton blend) for the backing. For more information about the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines or to donate on-line, please visit www.banminesusa.org
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