MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ban Ki-moon calls for greater action to rid world of land mines

More efforts are needed to eliminate landmines and other explosive devices, despite the great strides made in ridding the world of the deadly weapons, said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He told the tenth annual gathering of high contracting parties to the protocol of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons that calls for curbing the use of landmines, which convened in Geneva that enhanced action is needed because "these weapons, silent and well-hidden, continue to kill and maim." Amended Protocol II to the Convention bans the use of mines, booby-traps and other explosive devices against civilians. It entered into force in December 1998 and currently has 92 States parties. "You must consider in particular how to make the Protocol even more effective, and in particular how to enhance the Protocol's implementation mechanism," the Secretary-General said, in a message delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Mr. Ban called for membership to the Protocol to be expanded, particularly among developing countries, nations affected by landmines and States in conflict.