Annan urges sustained fight against scourge of landmines

Marking the fifth anniversary of the main international treaty against landmines, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for greater efforts to eradicate these indiscriminate weapons.

In a message to a meeting in Ottawa commemorating the milestone, Mr. Annan hailed progress achieved so far while underscoring the urgent need for sustained action.

He noted that there are now 130 States adhering to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction. “Under its auspices, millions of mines have been destroyed – each one potentially saving an innocent life,” he observed.

Despite these achievements, many countries have still not joined the treaty, while others that have are facing serious difficulties in meeting their mine clearance commitments or the ban's call for destroying stockpiles within four years, he said. “And even if every anti-personnel landmine were cleared from the planet, the need for assistance to victims would remain.”

Pledging the UN's strong commitment to eradicating the threat of landmines, the Secretary-General hailed those working towards this end. “I look forward to continuing our common struggle against a weapon that has no place in the civilized societies we hope to build for the 21st century,” he said in the message, which was delivered on his behalf by Martin Barber, the Chief of the UN Mine Action Service.