Friday, June 27, 2014

Delegates to the Mine Ban Treaty’s Third Review Conference in Maputo, Mozambique observe a demonstration of mine detection and clearance techniques by a HALO Trust deminer © Mine Ban Treaty ISU, June 2014

Delegates to the Mine Ban Treaty’s Third Review Conference in Maputo, Mozambique observe a demonstration of mine detection and clearance techniques by a HALO Trust deminer © Mine Ban Treaty ISU, June 2014

The U.S. has announced a ban on production and acquisition of antipersonnel landmines, and has declared its intent to join the Mine Ban Treaty in future.

On June 27, the U.S. announced that it intends to join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty in the future, and committed to ban production and acqusition of antipersonnel landmines. U.S. representative to Mozambique Ambassador Douglas M. Griffiths made the announcement at the Mine Ban Treaty’s 3rd Review Conference in Maputo, which the U.S. attended as an observer. 

The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines views the policy announcement as a positive step, but expressed disappointment that the policy stops short of a ban to ensure the weapons are never used again. The policy announcement reinforces that the 1997 treaty provides the best possible framework for achieving a world free of antipersonnel mines and that antipersonnel mines are not legitimate weapons.

Ambassador Griffiths stated that the U.S. is “diligently pursuing … solutions that would be compliant” with the Mine Ban Treaty and “that would ultimately allow us to accede.”  

Read the press release