NEWSLETTER

July 1998

[No.2 1998]

• Ratification Progress - Good News

• United States of America

• Ottawa Treaty Ratification Progress

• Melbourne Conference

• A Constitution for CALM

• Landmines in Russia

• South East Asian Regional Meeting

• Landmine Research

• Frankfurt ICBL Meeting

Ratification Progress- Good News

The New Zealand Government introduced the Anti-Personnel Mines Prohibition Bill to Parliament for its First Reading on Tuesday 30 June. This was followed by the Second Reading the following day, Wednesday 1 July. It was passed and referred to the Foreign Affairs and Trade Select Committee for the next stage of consideration. John Head, Spokesperson for CALM, was in the Public Gallery while the debate was in progress and Minister Don McKinnon acknowledged his presence there. He paid tribute to John's campaign work, as well as to the other NGOs that have all contributed.

The following Press Release was issued by CALM to mark that event.

The New Zealand Campaign Against Landmines (CALM) congratulates the Government on the priority it has given to the tabling of this legislation in Parliament. The Ottawa Treaty banning landmines will not enter into force until six months after the 40th ratification and to date only 22 countries have taken this step. Included in this number are two of our South Pacific neighbours, Niue and Fiji. Ten other countries report that they have completed necessary domestic legislation, but for many of the nearly 130 countries that have signed the Ottawa Treaty, ratifying international Treaties is a complicated process.

The Treaty itself not only bans the use, production and sale of landmines but has significant provisions for the clearing of minefields and the support of landmine victims. While thousands of people are being killed and maimed each year, it is very important that this Treaty be in force as soon as possible.

New Zealand has no stockpiles of landmines that will have to be destroyed, but other signatories to the Treaty will be expected to have their stockpiles destroyed within four years and to have their minefields cleared within ten years. Countries needing assistance to implement these requirements will be given assistance from United Nations agencies and countries such as Canada and the European Union.

The Ottawa Treaty recognises the need to provide assistance for the care, rehabilitation and social and economic re-integration of mine victims and has been the focus for funding new extensive programmes world-wide.

New Zealanders can be proud of the way our Government has supported the Ottawa Process but with such a major landmine crisis in so many countries, CALM would support our country doing more to support mine victims and the clearing of landmines.

We trust that Parliament will give priority to the passing of this legislation so that New Zealand, the 14th country to sign the Treaty, will be in the first 40 to ratify it. The Treaty has stigmatised landmines but it needs to be ratified by 40 nations before it will enter into force in International law and CALM hopes that New Zealand politicians will ensure that our country continues to take a leading role in the international campaign to ban this hideous weapon."

Please feel free to contact your local MP to request their cooperation in processing the legislation speedily through the Select Committee and Third Reading stages.

Ottawa Treaty - Ratification Progress

The ICBL reports that 22 countries have now ratified the Treaty with Fiji, Zimbabwe, Austria and South Africa being the most recent from the 126 countries which have signed it. Other ratifications in the pipeline include those of Italy, France and Spain. The Treaty comes into force six months from when it has been ratified by 40 countries.

It would be great for New Zealand to be in the first forty countries to ratify the Treaty. New Zealand enjoys excellent international respect because of its previous landmine work. It would be a pity to damage this through needless delay at this stage. CALM would like to see NZ's reputation maintained by being one of the "first forty".

A Constitution for CALM

In similar style in some ways to that of the ICBL, CALM has operated up until now very effectively with a minimum of bureaucratic and constitutional encumbrance with the immediate result that, being light on its feet, it has been able to move swiftly and efficiently. As we look at the continuing campaign and how to fund our ongoing work it is clear that we would have better credence with funding organisations if we have some visible and documented structure. A brief set of rules has been adopted by the Committee to establish CALM as an unincorporated society, and these are to be offered for confirmation at the next Annual General Meeting. Please contact Neil Mander if you would like to have a look at these in the meantime.

South East Asian Regional Meeting
"Beyond Ottawa - towards a mine-free world"

Brian Hayes attended the South East Asia Regional Conference in Thailand during June, representing CALM. The conference was attended by over 40 delegates from both Government and non-Government organisations from south-east Asian countries and also Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The Communique issued at the conclusion supported calls for regional co-operation to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mines, recognised the importance of public education in the prevention of mine and UXO accidents, recommended that detailed studies be undertaken to identify more precisely the scale of the mine problem in the region and its social, economic and cultural consequences, and also canvassed a wide range of measures, including approaches to non-state armed groups on these issues.

Snippets

Lawrence Carter had a poster paper about his research work on display at the Institution of Professional Engineers (IPENZ) annual conference in Auckland in February. This attracted considerable interest.

Frankfurt ICBL Meeting

It was fortunate that Andrew Ladley was in London in February and could represent CALM at this critical meeting.

A major issue was how to receive and utilise the ICBL's half of the Nobel Prize. This was solved to the satisfaction of the Norwegian Government by setting up a trust in Switzerland which will hold the money on behalf of the Campaign.

ICBL itself will continue as a co-ordinating committee responsible to an Annual General Meeting. Ongoing activity will be undertaken by four working parties: Treaty and Legal Issues, Demining, and Victim Assistance (these are called the "3 pillars"), plus Legal and Ethical responsibility. The co-ordinating committee will have 20 members, from national campaigns and from major organisations like Human Rights Watch, Handicap International, and Landmine Survivors Network. The Chairpersons of the working parties will also be on the co-ordinating committee.

An executive of the Co-ordinating Committee will carry on the business of ICBL, and there are two co-ordinators (Liz Bernstein and Susan Walker) and three International Ambassadors (Jody Williams, Tun Chanereth and Rae McGrath).

CALM will be able to send a representative to the annual international meeting and will have voting rights.

Each working party will set its own priorities (eg for the Treaty group, ratification), and national groups will be asked to assist the. (The CALM Committee at its March meeting decided that it would put its efforts towards the work of the Treaty group.)

CALM might also get a request from one of the co-ordinators, or could ask a co-ordinator to come here to assist our campaign.

The long-term future of ICBL is seen as being the NGO guardian of the Ottawa Treaty, ensuring its eventual world-wide implementation. Underneath this, each national campaign or organisation will continue with its own activities.

He told us, at the March Committee meeting, of the background to the meeting, and the need to establish a legal entity that could receive and utilise the Nobel Prize money which was being held on deposit.

The outcome was an organisation with two main components, the first being a small trust organisation in Switzerland to receive the money and hold it on behalf of the Campaign. The second part is an elected co-ordination committee which is responsible to the AGM of the Campaign. The Co-ordination Committee consists of representatives from organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Handicap International, Landmine Survivors Network and also from national campaign groups. It will have two Co-ordinators (Liz Bernstein and Susan Walker). NZ CALM is expected to send a delegate to the AGM and would have voting rights.

Jody Williams was appointed as International Ambassador, as also were Rae McGrath and Tun Chanereth.

Four Working Groups were established; Treaty and legal issues, Demining issues, Victim assistance, and Legal and ethical responsibility. Each is expected to develop its own priorities, and national groups are requested to consider which group or groups they feel best able to assist.

United States of America

We were distressed to hear recently that the US Government announced its intention to renege on its promise of a one year moratorium on anti-personnel landmine use from February 1999. Yet again, the excuses offered were those of protecting US military, especially in Korea. This is even though there is considerable evidence that US troops are much more likely to be the victims of, rather than be protected by these abhorrent weapons.

The disappointment from this was offset shortly afterwards by the announcement that the USA would sign the Treaty by 2006. This seems to be a significant turn-around from the previous stance, although we noted that there are significant conditions attached, mainly that it is dependant on a suitable replacement weapon being found before then.

The USA Ambassador in Wellington reminds us that the USA has already destroyed more than 1.5 million 'dumb' mines and plans to destroy another 1.5 million by 1999, and that the US has stopped selling landmines, having put a permanent ban on exports.

He also drew attention to their Global Humanitarian Demining 2010 Initiative which has the objective of eliminating the threat of landmines to civilians by the year 2010. This highly commendable programme has the very worthy objectives of increasing demining work and research, and of increasing assistance to landmine survivors and communities.

Melbourne Conference

Neil Mander, Convenor of CALM, attended the one-day conference and committee meeting of the Australian Campaign in early May. He reports:

At the Conference which was entitled "Landmines: Australia's Next Steps", a range of very well qualified and capable speakers dealt with a wide variety of topics; Making the Ottawa Treaty universal, Rehabilitation and mine clearance, and Monitoring of compliance with the Treaty from both the military and civilian perspectives. Workshop sessions considered ways of working towards these objectives.

Particular emphasis was placed on the need to avoid the use of inflated and unreal statistics that will only harm the credibility of the ongoing campaign. In mine clearance work it is important to concentrate on clearing areas which can be returned to vitally needed community and farming use. Clearing remote, desert land can consume huge resources with little useful output. In many countries the Non-State groups such as rebel and guerilla groups are a major concern and will be a challenge to the ongoing campaign.

The separate Australian State anti-landmine groups will each focus on a different aspect of the ongoing campaign, ie, universalisation, mine clearance, rehabilitation of survivors and monitoring implementation. One particular concern, voiced several times, was whether landmine manufacture had been moved off-shore from previous manufacturers in Europe.

On the personal level I found it to be a valuable and encouraging to renew contact with people that I had met previously at the Sydney Colloquium last July or in Ottawa. I am grateful to everyone there for their warm welcome and eagerness for my participation.

Other News

CALM Committee member John Waldmann is working on the development of a study package for secondary school students. He notes that part of the challenge lies in meeting the requirement to avoid any depiction of violence or of mutilated bodies.

Landmines in Russia

John Head, Spokesperson for CALM, was invited to attend the Moscow Conference in May. He reports:

Landmines continue to kill and wound people in Russia and many of the neighbouring Commonwealth of Independent States. At the First International Conference on Landmines in Russia and the CIS, which has just concluded in Moscow, those attending heard stories from delegates from Chechnya, Russia, Abkhazia, Armenia, Belarus, Dagestan, Georgia and Moldovia who spoke of the human misery and suffering caused by landmines spread in many parts of their lands. John Head said it was very sobering to hear these stories and to realise the people most affected had so little control over those military and insurgents who spread these indiscriminate weapons of death.

The 160 participants at the Conference, included representatives from 21 countries as well as diplomats, Army officers, Church leaders and senior spokespersons from the Governments of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Senior Russian Generals insisted that Russia needed landmines for the defence of their very extensive land borders and they were needed to be placed on their borders to keep out terrorists and bandits. They were reminded that in recent military conflicts such as the Gulf War, landmines proved no obstacle for the advancing forces and that it was the Russian people and not bandits that were being killed by the indiscriminate laying of landmines on their borders.

Although there was agreement from the Kremlin that Russia would eventually sign the Ottawa Treaty which banned the use of landmines, some Army officers said it would take ten years to destroy their enormous stockpiles of these weapons, it would take six to ten years to find an alternative weapon and that it would cost US$1billion to fully implement the Ottawa Treaty. It was obvious that the Russian military did not want to lose the use of this weapon and humanitarian issues were not considered to be significant factors. Government representatives expressed great reluctance to sign the Treaty until their neighbouring states had signed.

The Conference was organised jointly by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW). Although 126 countries have now signed the Ottawa Treaty, neither Russia nor the 13 countries on her borders have joined the campaign to ban landmines. Many of these countries suffered tremendously during World War 2 and war and the fear of war is very evident. The former Soviet Union was one of the biggest producers and exporters of landmines since World War 2 and the Conference organisers considered it essential to develop changing attitudes towards the use of landmines and eventual support for signing the Ottawa Treaty.

In the concluding session, Jody Williams, Ambassador for the ICBL, said she was both heartened and sobered by what she had heard over the last two days. It was the traditional role of the military to press for the retention of all their weapons, but the views of the military must no longer be the dominant force. She said the decision to ban land mines must be a political decision and she was thrilled to be with people in an emerging democracy. One of the aims of the Conference was to inform and encourage civil society to speak out on landmine issues.

John Head said he left the Conference very aware of the great suffering war and its aftermath had brought to the people of this region but he was very heartened by the very strong views of women, Church leaders and the Russian section of the IPPNW, all calling for a ban on landmines. We can look forward to Russia and many of the CIS signing the Ottawa Treaty in the not too distant future.

Landmine Research

Lawrence Carter and his team at Auckland University's School of Engineering continue with research into the use of the microwave and infra-red technology, as well as starting exploration of the use of chemical 'sniffers'. Although they are making progress, they are frustrated that this work has to fit in with their other University teaching workloads. They would dearly like to see the establishment of a research facility devoted to landmine work. They are in contact with other landmine researchers and note that the proposed New Zealand centre would complement the work being done in other places overseas such as the University of Western Australia or Warwick University. A major hurdle is to find a source of funding for such a centre.

Reflection

The work of the landmine campaign is assisted in no small measure by local groups such as those in Auckland and Dargaville. In a very real sense, the power of the world-wide campaign comes from these groups, from ordinary people in ordinary communities, who are horrified at the effects of landmines and their inhumane, indiscriminate effects.

It seems to me that there is a startling similarity between such people in Mt Roskill, in Wellington, in Melbourne, or in Ottawa. All have their own lives to live, the day to day tasks to deal with, friends and family who provide both support and challenges. Some are working people. Others are pensioners. It would be easy to pass them in the street without noticing anything different.

But they exemplify the participants in the world-wide anti-landmine campaign, in New Zealand, in Australia, in Canada, in Russia. They are the people who have made the campaign the success it has been up to now.

I wondered what it was, then, that made these folk different, that set them apart from many of their fellows. I think it comes from the fact that they are willing to act, to do something, no matter how small, to work towards the objective of ridding the world of the horror of landmines. Most would be too modest to make such a claim, but isn't it true that each of them has put into practice the words made famous by Dr Robert Schuller: "If it's going to be, it's up to me."

Perhaps the common thread could be expressed in the words of a poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy, which was quoted at the Conference of Engineers for Social Responsibility last year. It runs: