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U.S. Campaign
to Ban Landmines Calls on Congress to Support Increased Funding
for Demining. Re: FY 06 Foreign Operations Appropriations (H.R.
3057) Conference Committee Dear Senator/Representative, We urge you to support the Senateís position and fully fund the presidentís request of $72 million for ìHumanitarian Deminingî when the conference committee for the foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 3057) convenes. On February 27, 2004, the Bush administration announced a new United States policy on landmines that significantly departed from past approaches to the landmine scourge. While the US Campaign to Ban Landmines remains extremely disappointed with most of the policy, most notably the abandonment of the decade-long objective to eventually eliminate all antipersonnel mines, the administrationís policy contained at least one positive element that Congress should support ñ a significant increase in the funding level for demining. The administration pledged to increase the funds available to support the State Departmentís portion of the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program by an additional 50% over FY03 baseline levels. While the Senate version of the foreign operations appropriations bill included the presidentís full request of $72 million in the Nonproliferation Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs Account, the House version of the bill unfortunately cuts the presidentís request by 22% to $56 million. We urge you to fund the program at the Senateís level. Humanitarian demining is a critical first step for reconstruction of post-conflict countries. The U.S. governmentís humanitarian mine action program assists selected countries in relieving human suffering and in developing an indigenous mine action capability. By helping to remove lingering remnants of war, U.S. assistance allows refugees to return home, land to be used for farming, and critical infrastructure to be rebuilt. The U.S. has consistently been the worldís strongest financial supporter of humanitarian mine action, providing almost $800 million dollars to 46 countries or territories since 1993. We urge Congress to maintain U.S. leadership in this area by fulfilling the presidentís pledge and providing $72 million to this essential life-saving program. Sincerely, Scott Stedjan Mary Wareham |
