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1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On their Destruction

Article 1. General Obligations. 1. Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances: ...(b) To...acquire, stockpile, retain...anti-personnel mines.

Article 3. Exceptions. 1. Notwithstanding the general obligations under Article 1, the retention or transfer of a number of anti-personnel mines for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques is permitted. The amount of such mines shall not exceed the minimum number absolutely necessary for the above-mentioned purposes.

Article 4. Destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines. Except as provided for in Article 3, each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or possesses, or that are under its jurisdiction or control, as soon as possible but not later than four years after the entry into force of this Convention for that State Party.

INTRODUCTION

Landmine Monitor estimates that there are 235-240 million antipersonnel mines stored in the arsenals of 103 countries. The largest stockpiles are held by China (110 million), Russia (60-70 million), United States (11 million), Ukraine (10 million), Pakistan (6 million) India (4-5 million), and Belarus (4.5 million). This figure is somewhat lower than previous estimates, which reported numbers as high as 250 million antipersonnel mines in stockpiles. This decrease can be attributed to two factors. The most important is the destruction of stockpiles by States Parties as required by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. The second factor is increased transparency by many states, including non-signatories like Belarus, regarding the size of their mine stockpiles.

Treaty non-signatories have an estimated 210-215 million antipersonnel mines in stock, while treaty Signatories and States Parties account for an estimated 20-25 million. Landmine Monitor had previously estimated Pakistans stockpile at hundreds of thousands, but discussions with Pakistani officials have resulted in a drastic upward revision to at least 6 million. Other non-signatories believed to have large stockpiles are Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Vietnam, Finland, Turkey, and Yugoslavia.

In addition to Ukraine (10 million), Mine Ban Treaty signatories with large stockpiles are likely to be Romania, Greece, Angola, Ethiopia, and Sudan. None of these states will reveal information about their mine stocks.

According to the latest data made available by them, the biggest stocks among States Parties are: Italy (4.4 million), Albania (1.6 million), Japan (1 million), and Bulgaria (778,455). However, these numbers are out-of-date, as rapid destruction programs are underway in all these countries, except Albania, which requires financial assistance.

In addition to governments, many rebel groups also have stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in such places as Angola, Burma (Myanmar), and Colombia.

STOCKPILE DESTRUCTION

Landmine Monitor research shows that more than 22 million antipersonnel mines have been destroyed in recent years by more than 50 nations.

Twenty-five States Parties have completed destruction of stocks, totaling some 17 million antipersonnel mines. Ten States Parties have completed destruction since March 1999: Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Honduras, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

Others that have completed destruction include: Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Luxembourg, Mali, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, and Switzerland. (Note: many of these are keeping a small number of mines for training, as permitted under the treaty).

Another twenty-four States Parties and signatories are in the process of destruction: Albania, Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Moldova, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Slovenia, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Yemen.

States Parties that have not begun the destruction process include: Brazil, Chad, Djibouti, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Portugal, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. A number of these -- Malaysia, Macedonia, and Portugal -- have developed plans for destruction.

In addition, several non-signatories have destroyed significant numbers of antipersonnel mines. The United States has destroyed 3.3 million antipersonnel mines as part of its commitment to eliminate use of non self-destructing antipersonnel mines everywhere but Korea. China destroyed 1.7 million mines, Russia 500,000 mines, and Belarus 5,000 mines that were not compliant with Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Convention requirements. Finland has also destroyed non-CCW compliant mines, but has not revealed the number.

MINES RETAINED FOR TRAINING

During the Oslo negotiations, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) questioned the need for the Article 3 exception permitting retention (and transfer) of antipersonnel mines "for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques...." In its closing statement to the Oslo conference, the ICBL noted "a number of governments also indicated for the diplomatic record that in Article 3, the minimum number absolutely necessary for training mines should be hundreds or thousands, not tens of thousands or more." At the Second Meeting of States Parties, a representative from New Zealand stated "training needs can be met by using devices which range from locally manufactured plastic dummies, to purpose-built practice simulator devices." Nine other States Parties that have completed stockpile destruction have chosen not to retain antipersonnel mines.

It appears that the majority of States Parties that have stockpiles of antipersonnel mines are opting to exercise the Article 3 exception. Many intend to keep between 1,000-5,000 mines. Several intend to keep significantly more: Croatia 17,500; Brazil 17,000; Ecuador 16,000; Thailand 15,600; Japan 15,000; Australia 10,000; Peru 9,526; Italy 8,000; and Slovenia 7,000.

After the ICBL raised this issue repeatedly in the Standing Committee meetings, a number of countries have decided to decrease the number of mines kept: Bulgaria from 10,446 to 4,000; Spain from 10,000 to 4,000; and, Slovakia from 7,000 to 1,500. Croatia and Thailand have indicated they too are re-evaluating their needs.

The ICBL continues to question the need for live mines for training. The ICBL believes that it is important not only to have complete transparency on this through more detailed Article 7 reporting, but also to continue to evaluate the necessity for the exception and the potential need for an absolute numerical limitation.

STOCKPILES IN AFRICA

Article 7 reporting and repeated inquiries have begun to shed some light on antipersonnel mine stockpiles in the region, but details for most countries remain elusive. It is still unclear if State Parties Guinea and Tanzania has a stockpile of antipersonnel mines; they are among only a handful of countries globally that have not revealed that basic information.

The stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in Africa are summarized in the following table:

		Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed	Number Retained				Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed
STATES PARTIES							SIGNATORIES
Benin			0	0	0		Angola		Yes	0
Botswana			0	0	Yes		Burundi		Yes	0
Burkina Faso			[0?]	0	0		Cameroon		Yes	0
Chad			Yes	0	Unknown		Cape Verde		0	0
Djibouti			Yes	0	Unknown		Cote D'Ivoire		0	0
Equatorial Guinea			[0?]	0	Unknown		Ethiopia		Yes	0
Gabon			[0?]	0	Unknown		Gambia		0	0
Ghana			0	0	0		Guinea-Bissau		Yes	[2,000]
Guinea			Unknown	0	Unknown		Kenya		Yes	0
Lesotho			0	0	0		Sao Tome e Principe		[0?]	0
Liberia			Yes	0	Unknown		Sierra Leone		Yes	0
Madagascar			Yes	0	Unknown		Sudan		Yes	0
Malawi			0	0	0		Zambia		Yes	0
Mali			0	5,127	2,000		NON SIGNATORIES
Mauritania			Yes	0	Unknown		Central African Rep		Yes	0
Mauritius			Yes	0	Yes		Comoros		0	0
Mozambique			37,818	0	Unknown		Congo Brazzaville		Yes	Reported
Namibia			Yes	Reported	Yes		Congo DR		Yes	0
Niger			Yes	0	Unknown		Eritrea		Yes	0
Rwanda			Yes	0	Unknown		Nigeria		Yes	0
Senegal			0	0	0		Somalia		Yes	0
Seychelles			[0?]	0	[0?]
South Africa			0	313,779	4,830
Swaziland			0	0	0
Tanzania			Unknown	0	Unknown
Togo			Yes	0	Yes
Uganda			Yes	Reported	Unknown
Zimbabwe			0	4,046	746
Total			37,818	322,952	7,576

Those believed to have stockpiles of antipersonnel mines include Mine Ban Treaty non-signatories Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), DR Congo, Eritrea, Nigeria, and Somalia. Treaty signatories Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Sudan are also thought to possess stockpiles. Comoros, Senegal, Lesotho, and Malawi have stated in the past year that they do not have any antipersonnel mines in stockpile. Botswana, Gabon, Togo, Zambia, and Burundi have stated that they have only small stockpiles of antipersonnel mines for training; in the case of Burundi credible allegations of use belie that statement.

South Africa and Namibia had previously reported completion of destruction of their antipersonnel mine stockpiles, except mines retained for training. Mali announced at the First Meeting of States Parties that it had completed destruction. Zimbabwe completed the destruction of its stockpile in November 2000. Some stockpiled antipersonnel mines have been destroyed in Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Uganda. In November 1999 the French military stationed in Djibouti destroyed its stockpile of 2,444 antipersonnel landmines. States Parties that have not yet begun the destruction process include Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, and Rwanda.

STOCKPILES IN THE AMERICAS

Twelve countries in the region have stockpiles of antipersonnel mines: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Nicaragua, Peru, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The United States holds the vast majority of these mines, 11.2 million.

The stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in the Americas region are summarized in the following table:

		Number in Stockpile			Number Destroyed	Number Retained				Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed
STATES PARTIES								SIGNATORIES
Antigua Barbuda			0		0	0		Chile		[22,000?]	2,000
Argentina		88,970			200	3,049		Guyana		Yes	0
Bahamas		0			0	0		Haiti		0	0
Barbados		0			0	0		Saint Vincent		0	0
Belize		0			0	0		Suriname		Unknown	0
Bolivia		0			0	0		Uruguay		2,338	Reported
Brazil		35,012			0	17,000		NON SIGNATORIES
Canada		0			92,551	1,668		Cuba		Yes	0
Colombia		[18,000?]			2,542	Unknown		United States		11,236,245	3,355,000
Costa Rica		[0?]			Unknown	[0?]
Dominica		0			0	0
Dominican Rep.		0			0	0
Ecuador		170,344			101,458	16,000
El Salvador		0			All	0
Grenada		0			0	0
Guatemala		0			All	0
Honduras		0			7,441	824
Jamaica		0			0	0
Mexico		0			0	0
Nicaragua		91,813			40,000	1,971
Panama		0			0	0
Paraguay		0			0	0
Peru		330,840			3,916	9,526
Saint Kitts and Nevis			0		0	0
Saint Lucia		0			0	0
Trinidad Tobago				0	0	0
Venezuela		Yes			0	Unknown
Total		716,979			248,108	50,038

A Chilean diplomat told the ICBL that Chiles stockpile numbered 22,000 and a Colombian government report indicated a stockpile of at least 18,000 antipersonnel mines, but Landmine Monitor has not been able to confirm those figures. Paraguay and Panama have stated for the first time that they do not have a stockpile of antipersonnel mines. It remains unknown if Suriname has an antipersonnel mine stockpile. Landmine Monitor has not been able to confirm whether Costa Rica possesses a mine stockpile.

Destruction of stockpiles is underway in several countries. Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, and most recently Honduras (November 2000) have destroyed their antipersonnel mine stockpiles. States Parties that have not yet begun destruction include Brazil and Venezuela.

Nicaragua and Argentina have positively responded to an ICBL challenge to destroy their entire stockpiles by the Third Meeting of States Parties to be held in Managua, Nicaragua in September 2001. Argentina began destroying its stockpile on 8 November 2000 by destroying 200 Spanish manufactured P-4-B antipersonnel mines. Ecuador reports that it destroyed 101,458 antipersonnel mines between April 1999 and March 2000. Nicaragua reports that 40,000 antipersonnel mines have been destroyed as of April 2000.

Peru reports that it destroyed 3,916 mines in 1999. Uruguay reports that the destruction of the approximately 2,338 antipersonnel mines in its stockpile is underway. More than 2,000 antipersonnel mines were destroyed from Colombias stockpiles. Signatory Chile destroyed 2,000 AP mines in early November 2000. The U.S. finished the destruction of 3.3 million non-self-destructing antipersonnel mines in 1998.

Belize, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, and the Caribbean states have chosen not to retain any AP mines. Treaty signatory Uruguay told Landmine Monitor that it requires mines for training but inert mines will be used. Based on data from the most current Article 7 Transparency Reports, States Parties in the Americas region will retain over 50,000 antipersonnel mines, most notably Brazil (17,000), Ecuador (16,000), and Peru (9,526).

STOCKPILES IN ASIA PACIFIC

At least 18 nations in the region have antipersonnel mine stockpiles. That includes four States Parties (Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand), two signatories (Brunei and Indonesia), and 12 non-signatories (Afghanistan, Burma, China, India, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam). For the first time, Bangladesh and Mongolia acknowledged that they maintain stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. It is still uncertain if Nepal possesses antipersonnel mines. Only the three States Parties have publicly revealed the number of antipersonnel mines in stock.

The stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in the Asia Pacific region are summarized in the following table:

		Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed	Number Retained				Number in Stockpile		Number Destroyed
STATES PARTIES						SIGNATORIES
Australia		0	128,616	10,000		Brunei			Yes	0
Bangladesh		Yes	0	Unknown		Cook Islands			0	0
Cambodia		0	71,991	1,000		Indonesia			Yes	0
Fiji		0	0	0		Marshall Islands			[0?]	0
Kiribati		0	0	0		Vanuatu			0	0
Japan		998,866	Reported	13,852		NON SIGNATORIES
Malaysia		94,263	0	0		Afghanistan		Yes		0
Maldives		0	0	0		Bhutan		0		0
Nauru		[0?]	0	[0?]		Burma		Yes		0
New Zealand		0	All	0		China		[110,000,000?]		1,700,000
Niue		0	0	0		India		[4,500,000?]		0
Philippines		0	All	0		Korea, North		Yes		0
Samoa		0	0	0		Korea, South		[2,000,000?]		0
Solomon Islands		0	0	0		Laos		Yes		0
Thailand		367,868	9,707	9,487		Micronesia		0		0
						Mongolia		Yes		0
Total		1,460,997	210,314	34,339		Nepal		Unknown		0
						Pakistan		6,000,000		0
						Palau		[0?]		0
						Papua New Guinea		[0?]		0
						Singapore		Yes		0
						Sri Lanka		Yes		0
						Tonga		[0?]		0
						Tuvalu		0		0
						Vietnam		Yes		0

China is believed to have the worlds largest stockpile of antipersonnel mines; it has called Landmine Monitors estimate of 110 million in stock "exaggerated," but will offer no information. Landmine Monitor now estimates Pakistans stockpile of antipersonnel mines to be at least 6 million, much larger than previously reported, and the fifth largest in the world. India, with an estimated 4-5 million antipersonnel mines, is thought to have the sixth or seventh largest stockpile. At an estimated 2 million antipersonnel mines, South Koreas stockpile is also one of the biggest globally.

The United States continues to stockpile hundreds of thousands of antipersonnel mines in Japan, South Korea, and at Diego Garcia, a territory of the United Kingdom in the Indian Ocean.

Australia destroyed its entire stockpile of 128,616 antipersonnel mines in five days at the end of September 1999. Cambodia has also declared that it destroyed its entire stockpile (71,991), though it continues to collect and destroy more mines. Destruction of Japans stockpile of 998,866 antipersonnel mines is underway. Thailand has destroyed 10,000 antipersonnel mines and has developed a plan for destruction the remainder of its 411,625 stockpile. Malaysia has developed plans for, but has not yet begun, destruction of its 94,263 antipersonnel mine stockpile.

China announced that it had destroyed 1.7 million older antipersonnel mines that were not compliant with CCW Amended Protocol II in recent years. China, India and Pakistan have all indicated they are making their stockpiles of antipersonnel mines detectable, as required by CCW Amended Protocol II. China, India, and Pakistan have exercised their right to a 9-year deferral period for complying with the technical aspects of Amended Protocol II. South Korea, which is not party to Amended Protocol II, reports that it has made all of its non-self-destructing mines detectable.

States Parties can retain antipersonnel mines for training or research purposes under Article 3 of the Mine Ban Treaty. Japan and Thailand each plan to retain 15,000 antipersonnel mines, among the highest numbers of any State Party. However, Thailand included 6,000 Claymore-type mines in its total (which were not reported by most nations); Thailand also announced in May it is re-evaluating its need for such a large number. Australia has indicated that it will retain 10,000, and Cambodia 1,000. Malaysia, New Zealand, and the Philippines are States Parties who once possessed a stockpile of antipersonnel mines but will not retain any under the Article 3 exception.

STOCKPILES IN EUROPE-CENTRAL ASIA

Landmine Monitor estimates that Russian has 60-70 million antipersonnel mines in stockpiles, second only to China. Belarus has acknowledged having 4.5 million antipersonnel mines. Ukraine, a treaty signatory, is known to have about 10 million antipersonnel mines. Although they will not reveal information, it is likely that others with large stockpiles of antipersonnel mines include Yugoslavia, Finland, Turkey and treaty signatories Romania and Greece.

As of early 2000, the biggest stocks held by States Parties were Italy (4.4 million), Albania (1.6 million), and Bulgaria (778,455). However, these numbers are out-of-date, as rapid destruction programs are underway in all these countries, except Albania, that requires financial assistance.

The stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in Europe and Central Asia are summarized in the following table:

		Number in Stockpile			Number Destroyed	Number Retained				Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed
STATES PARTIES								SIGNATORIES
Albania		1,590,000			8,400	Unknown		Cyprus		Yes	0
Andorra		0			0	0		Greece		Yes	0
Austria		0			116,000	0		Lithuania		Yes	0
Belgium		0			433,441	5,770		Malta		0	0
Bosnia Herzegovina				0	460,727	2,165		Poland		Yes	0
Bulgaria		778,455			107,417	4,000		Romania		Yes	0
Croatia		180,036			3,434	13,600		Ukraine		10,100,000	101,028
Czech Rep.		313,236			59,188	4,859		NON SIGNATORIES
Denmark		0			266,517	4,991		Armenia		Yes	0
France		0			1,098,281	4,514		Azerbaijan		Yes	0
Germany		0			1,700,000	2,983		Belarus		4,500,000	5,785
Holy See		0			0	0		Estonia		1,000	0
Hungary		0			356,884	0		Finland		Yes	Reported
Iceland		0			0	0		Georgia		Yes	0
Ireland		0			0	129		Kazakhstan		Yes	0
Italy		4,468,523			2,053,286	8,000		Kyrgyzstan		Yes	0
Liechtenstein		0			0	0		Latvia		4,500	0
Luxembourg		0			9,600	500		Russia		60,000,000	850,000
Macedonia		42,921			0	50		Turkey		Yes	0
Moldova		12,000			0	Unknown		Uzbekistan		Yes	0
Monaco		0			0	0		Yugoslavia		Yes	0
Netherlands		5,984			254,526	4,076
Norway		0			All	0
Portugal		269,410			0	3,000
San Marino		0			0	0
Slovakia		0			185,560	1,500
Slovenia		156,794			8,104	7,000
Spain		0			853,286	4,000
Sweden		196,768			2,162,501	Yes
Switzerland		0			3,850,212	Yes
Tajikistan		Yes			0	Unknown
Turkmenistan		Yes			0	Unknown
United Kingdom			0		2,099,107	4,519
Total		8,014,127			16,086,471	75,656

Millions of mines continue to be destroyed. Since March 1999, seven countries in the region have completed the destruction of their stocks: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Previously, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland had completed destruction of operational stocks of antipersonnel mines.

Destruction is underway in Albania (8,400), Bulgaria (107,417), Croatia (3,434), Czech Republic (45,575), Italy (2.1 million), Moldova (unknown number), Netherlands (254,526), Slovenia (8,104), and Sweden (2 million). Again, these numbers are going to be out of date for many of these countries since active destruction programs are in progress. Macedonia and Portugal are the only States Parties in the region that have not begun destruction, but both have developed plans for destruction.

With regard to mines retained for training purposes, as permitted under Article 3; four countries in the region have indicated they will retain noneAustria, Hungary, Norway, and Switzerland. Hungary had stated in its Article 7 report that it would retain 1,500 antipersonnel mines, but an official subsequently told Landmine Monitor that no mines will be retained. Some other countries report they will retain small amounts, such as Ireland (130) and Macedonia (50).

Those countries in the region that will retain more than 1,000 antipersonnel mines include Croatia (17,500), Italy (8,000), Slovenia (7,000), Belgium (5,770), Denmark (4,991), Czech Republic (4,900), United Kingdom (4,519), France (4,514), Netherlands (4,076), Bulgaria (4,000), Spain (4,000), Germany (3,006), Portugal (3,000), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2,165). Several countries have revised downward the number of mines they will retain, including: Bulgaria (4,000 from 10,446), Slovakia (1,500 from 7,000), and Spain (4,000 from 10,000).

The ICBL has expressed concern about the stockpiling of U.S. antipersonnel mines in a number of countries in the region, including States Parties Germany and Norway, as well as the United Kingdom at Diego Garcia, and treaty signatory Greece.

Another issue of concern for the ICBL has been certain antivehicle mines (AVMs) with antihandling devices or sensitive fusing mechanisms that cause them to act like AP mines, and thus banned under the treaty. Several countries have taken the initiative to destroy such mines. Hungary has destroyed 100,000 UKA-63 antivehicle mines with tilt rods, and Slovakia has destroyed all its stocks of the PT-Mi-K antivehicle mines with antilift firing mechanisms. Yet the Czech Republic has apparently decided to keep its PT-Mi-K mines, as well as other AVMs with tilt rod fuzes. Likewise, Sweden apparently has several types of AVMs with tilt rod fuzes, but has not said if it intends to destroy them. France reports that it has destroyed a dozen different types of AVMs with tilt rod fuzes and various antihandling devices, but is retaining other types of AVMs of concern, as are Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

In May 2000, the German Ministry of Defense reported that the DM-39, a weapon that seems to be able to serve as either an antihandling device or as an antipersonnel mine, is no longer in use, and destruction of stocks should be finished within the year. In 1997, the Netherlands had originally planned to modify its Gator mixed mine system (imported from the United States in 1991) by removing the antipersonnel mines and replacing them with antivehicle mines with antihandling devices, but has now decided to destroy the entire Gator mixed mine system.

STOCKPILES IN THE MIDDLE EAST-NORTH AFRICA

Aside from Jordan, Tunisia, and Yemen, no other state in the region has divulged details about the total number of antipersonnel mines in its stockpile. It is likely that Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Syria have the biggest stocks of antipersonnel mines in the region.

The stockpiles of antipersonnel mines in the Middle East-North Africa region are summarized in the following table:

	Number in Stockpile	Number Destroyed	Number Retained				Number in Stockpile		Number Destroyed
STATES PARTIES						SIGNATORIES
Jordan		71,790	20,552	1,000		Algeria		Yes		0
Qatar		Yes	Unknown	Unknown		NON SIGNATORIES
Tunisia		17,575	Reported	5,000		Bahrain		Unknown		0
Yemen		64,950	10,050	4,000		Egypt		Yes		0
						Iran		Yes		0
Total		154,315	30,602	10,000		Iraq		Yes		0
						Israel		Yes		0
						Kuwait		Yes		0
						Lebanon		Yes		0
						Libya		Yes		0
						Morocco		Yes		0
						Oman		Yes		0
						Saudi Arabia		Yes		0
						Syria		Yes		0
						United Arab Emirates			[0?]	0

States Parties have to begun to destroy their stockpiles of antipersonnel mines.Yemen has destroyed 10,050 of its approximately 79,000 antipersonnel mines. Yemeni authorities discovered another 20,000 antipersonnel mines after submission of its Article 7 report in November 1999 (which indicated a stockpile of 59,000). Yemen has indicated that if funding is forthcoming, it can destroy its entire stockpile within a year. Yemen will retain 4,000 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes. Jordan has destroyed 20,552 of its stockpile of 93,342 antipersonnel mines and has committed to finishing destruction by April 2003. Jordan will retain 1,000 antipersonnel mines for training and research purposes. Tunisia stated that it destroyed some mines in July 1999 and it intends to retain 5,000 AP mines.

The Landmine Monitor Report 2000 for the first time revealed that Qatar, a State Party, hosts a stockpile of 4,776 U.S. antipersonnel mines. Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain are also slated to host additional stocks (at least 3,265 in each country) of U.S. antipersonnel mines in the near future. The U.S. stockpiles 49,610 antipersonnel mines in Saudi Arabia and 8,896 antipersonnel mines in Kuwait. Although it was previously thought that Kuwait had no antipersonnel mine stockpile, it appears that it has retained and stored 45,845 antipersonnel mines and 48,742 antitank mines cleared during the demining operations conducted after the Gulf War.

TRANSPARENCY REPORTING (ARTICLE 7)

In general the ICBL has found that governments have complied admirably with Article 7. A wealth of information has been put forward, greatly enriching our collective knowledge on the mines situation and showing a commitment to true transparency on the part of States Parties. This information will improve the quality of mine action activities.

At the January and May 2000 meetings of the Standing Committee of Experts on the General Status and Operation of the Convention, the ICBL outlined a number of concerns regarding Article 7 reporting and stockpiles:

• Need for Expanded Article 3 reporting. Article 3 reports on mines retained for training and development should also include the specific anticipated purpose and then the actual use of any retained mines.
• Lack of reporting on prohibited antivehicle mines (AVMs) with antihandling devices (AHDs). Since some AVMs with AHDs are prohibited because they function like AP mines, there should be Article 7 reporting on any stockpiling or destruction of such mines.
• Lack of reporting on Claymore-type mines. Since use of non-command detonated directional fragmentation mines is not permitted under the treaty, States Parties should report on the number of such mines kept in stock, and the steps that have been taken to ensure that they can be used only in command detonated mode.
• Lack of reporting on foreign stocks. The United States has AP mines stockpiled in at least five States Parties (Germany, Japan, Norway, Qatar, and United Kingdom at Diego Garcia). None of those states have reported on the U.S. stocks, which should be done to be consistent with the spirit if not the letter of the treaty.

FOREIGN STOCKPILES

The United States forwardly deploys approximately 1.7 million antipersonnel mines, over ten-percent of its total stockpile, on the territory of other twelve states. The United States has antipersonnel landmines stored in at least five nations that are States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty (Germany, Japan, Norway, Qatar, and United Kingdom at Diego Garcia), as well as treaty signatory Greece. The U.S. has engaged in discussions with these nations in an effort to convince them that it is permissible under the treaty to allow U.S. mines to stay. The ICBL believes that it certainly would violate the spirit and likely the letter of the treaty for States Parties to permit the U.S. (or any other government or entity) to stockpile antipersonnel mines on their territory.

The following states are believed to host these U.S. stockpiles:

Host State	Estimated Number of U.S. Antipersonnel Mines
South Korea	1,200,000
Norway	123,000
Japan	115,000
Germany	112,000
Saudi Arabia	50,000
Qatar	11,000
United Kingdom	10,000
Oman	10,000
Kuwait	8,900
Bahrain	3,200
Greece	1,100
Turkey	1,100

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

This fact sheet was prepared using the following sources:

• Landmine Monitor Report 2000 and Landmine Monitor Report 1999, published by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
• Article 7 Transparency Measures Reports submitted to the Treaty Depository after 1 August 2000.
• Statements made by national delegations at the Second Meeting of States Parties, 11-15 September 2000, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Statements made by national delegations at the Regional Seminar on Stockpile Destruction of Antipersonnel Mines in the Americas, 6-7 November 2000, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Human Rights Watch Fact Sheet, " Mine Ban Treaty Transparency Reporting," January 2000.

For more information or to make a clarification or comment, please contact:

Mark Hiznay, Human Rights Watch
1630 Connecticut Ave NW, #500
Washington DC, USA 20009
Tel. + 202-612-4353
Fax. + 202-612-4333
Email. hiznaym@hrw.org