MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK pointed out for not clearing Falklands' minefields

United Kingdom and Venezuela are among countries pointed out for not having met their mine clearance timetable, particularly in the Falkland Islands and along the Colombian border, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, based on the “Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Toward a Mine-Free World”.

The 1,155 page report released Friday at the United Nations established that three countries have failed to meet deadlines to destroy landmine stockpiles putting them in violation of the Mine Ban Treaty and 15 others have requested more time to meet obligations under the Mine Ban Treaty. "It is reasonable that severely mine-affected countries, despite extensive work to rid their countries of mines, will require additional time to complete the work," said Stuart Casey-Maslen of Norwegian People's Aid, Landmine Monitor's Mine Action Editor. "However, it is not acceptable that countries such as the United Kingdom and Venezuela, both with relatively little mine contamination, have failed to clear a single mined area in the last nine years and expect to be granted extensions to their mine clearance deadlines", he added. "The United Kingdom has not only failed to complete clearance, it has failed to start clearance", said Stuart Casey-Maslen Landmine Monitor editor. "There are mined areas on the Falkland Islands, they've been there since the end of the war, and over the last ten years the UK has not cleared a single area". "Venezuela has not only failed to finish, it has failed to start, and has even at times suggested that it is deriving military benefit from these minefields against infiltration from Colombian guerrillas," he added. Denmark has also not finished clearing operations in the Skallingen peninsula where German troops laid mines during the Second World War, According to the report Greece and Turkey, with a combined stockpile of 4.2 million antipersonnel mines, are in serious violation of the treaty after failing to meet their March 2008 deadline to complete the destruction of stocks. Belarus also missed its March destruction deadline with 3.4 million antipersonnel mines remaining to destroy. "This is the first major violation of this treaty obligation," said Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch, Landmine Monitor's Ban Policy Editor. "However, the Mine Ban Treaty has led to the destruction of nearly 42 million stockpiled mines, removing the threat these weapons could pose to civilians". Since the publication of the previous Landmine Monitor report, Afghanistan, Burundi and Sudan have completed stockpile destruction, and 500,000 mines were destroyed. Only Russia and Myanmar have been accused of using or not reporting stopping usage of antipersonnel mines. Keeping States Parties on track to clear all mined areas is the greatest challenge the treaty has faced. Approximately two-thirds of States Parties with 2009 clearance deadlinesâ€"15 statesâ€"have declared they will not meet them and have requested deadline extensions. "The treaty has made a real difference in saving lives and limbs all over the globe," said Stephen Goose from Human Rights Watch, a member of the campaign. Still, in 2007, 1,400 people were killed by landmines and nearly 4,000 were injured in some 78 countries, a record number of nations reporting casualties. Only 2% of the 430 million dollars donated last year to mine action went to victim assistance, according to Handicap International, making recovery more difficult. Landmines use by non-state entities, most notably the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), remained a key problem to address, the campaigners said. About 160 million landmines remained in stockpiles around the world, almost all of which were in the hands of the United States, Russia and China. "When the political will to get rid of the weapons exists, the militaries have rolled over," said Goose, pointing at the general source of opposition. Currently, 156 states are party to the landmine treaty, with the notable exceptions of the major stockpilers and Israel, India, Pakistan and the Koreas. Another convention, banning cluster munitions, is expected to receive over 100 signatories when it is launched next month in Oslo. The international campaign, which publishes annually the Landmine Monitor, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.