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United
States Senate The Honorable
George W. Bush Dear Mr. President: I am writing in support of the elimination of antipersonnel landmines from the United States military arsenal. As a cosponsor of numerous legislation efforts banning the use of landmines, I am concerned with the number and proliferation of these weapons. Antipersonnel landmines have been sown in the earth in such numbers – and spread so broadly and indiscriminately over the planet – that they have become a serious health and safety problem for civilians, as well as the men and women of our armed forces. According to the International Red Cross, landmines kill or main someone, often children in poor countries, every 22 minutes. Today, innocent civilian, military peacekeepers and personnel are threatened by up to 80 million landmines buried in over 80 countries. Countless numbers of mines from long-forgotten conflicts, some as much as half century old, continue to menace populations around the world. The extent of the global epidemic of injury inflicted by these devices is truly astounding and tragic. I respectfully urge you to eliminate antipersonnel landmines from the United States arsenal. A US ban on these weapons will make it easier for our government to dissuade mine-using countries from planting these devices that are maiming and killing innocent people in countries around the world.
Sincerely, Susan
M. Collins |
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For more on the Mine Ban Treaty, go to www.icbl.org |