Belarus has not signed
the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Belarus authorities have stated that lack of funding
needed for destruction of the existing stockpiles of landmines and mine
clearance is the reason Belarus cannot sign the Mine Ban Treaty at this time.
The government has said that Belarus would need tens of millions of US dollars
to destroy its stockpiles of antipersonnel
mines.[1] Belarus has stated
that it hopes it will become a part of the treaty in the future, and that it
welcomes international cooperation, financial and technical assistance for
clearance and destruction of millions of antipersonnel mines stockpiled in
Belarus.[2] Belarus legislators
have also stated that they are committed to support the total ban of landmines
as soon as assistance needed for destruction of existing stockpiles is
provided.[3]
At the treaty signing conference in December 1997, Ambassador Mikhail
Khvostov said that Belarus “welcomes the fact that the Convention foresees
the mechanisms of international cooperation, financial and technical assistance
for clearance and for destruction of stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. We
believe that should these mechanisms proved to be effective, the Convention will
soon be signed by those nations which entirely share its humane purposes, but
because of a number of objective reasons are in no position to sign it now. And
among those signatures there will be the signature of the Republic of
Belarus.”[4] Belarus
attended the early ban treaty preparatory meetings, but did not endorse the
pro-ban treaty Brussels Declaration in June 1997. It attended the Oslo treaty
negotiations and the Ottawa treaty signing conference, but only as an observer
in each case.
On 10 December 1996, Belarus was one of only ten countries to abstain in the
vote on UN General Assembly 51/45S urging states to vigorously pursue an
international agreement banning antipersonnel landmines (passed 156-0).
However, subsequently Belarus voted for the 1997 UNGA Resolution supporting the
treaty signing and the 1998 UNGA Resolution welcoming the addition of new states
to the Mine Ban Treaty, urging its full realization and inviting state parties
and observers to the First Meeting of State Parties in Mozambique.
Belarus is a state party to the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons and
its Protocol II on landmines. According to a Foreign Ministry official, it has
ratified the amended Protocol II but not deposited its instrument of
ratification yet.[5]
Belarus has recently indicated that it supports a ban on mine transfers at
the Conference on Disarmament, of which it is a
member.[6] However, Belarus was
not one of the 22 CD members, including the Russia and the U.S., that in
February 1999 jointly called for the appointment of a Special Coordinator on AP
mines, and the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to negotiate a transfer
ban.[7]
Production
According to officials in the Belarus Ministry of
Defense, Belarus has never produced, is not producing and will not produce
antipersonnel landmines, or their components, including Claymore-type mines.
They state that Belarus is not producing or conducting research on any munitions
which might function like an antipersonnel mine and pose dangers to civilians
(such as antitank mines with anti-handling devices, submunitions, cluster
bombs), and that Belarus is not engaging in research on alternatives to
antipersonnel landmines.[8]
There have been allegations in the past that Belarus produced antipersonnel
mines, perhaps most notably by the U.S. State Department in
1993.[9]
Transfer
According to government sources, Belarus is not
exporting AP mines nor has it exported them in the
past.[10] Again, there have
been allegations by the U.S. government and others of past export, but no
documented cases of export are
known.[11]
In 1995 President Alexandr Lukashenka announced a moratorium on the export of
all types of landmines from 1 September 1995 until the end of
1997.[12] In late 1997 the
president extended the export moratorium to the end of
1999.[13] A decree at the
beginning of 1998 banned the transit of AP mines and certain other goods through
the territory of the Republic of
Belarus.[14]
Information on the importation of AP mines in the past is not available.
Stockpiling
Belarus has very significant stockpiles of
antipersonnel mines, as indicated by its own estimate that it would require tens
of millions of dollars to destroy its AP mines. In many countries, the cost of
destruction has averaged $1 per mine. Belarus officials have thus far only
acknowledged “millions” of stockpiled
mines.[15] The Belarus Ministry
of Defense has indicated it will disclose the quantity of AP mines in its
stockpiles as soon as international donors are identified who are ready to
assist Belarus in the destruction of these
stockpiles.[16] Belarus is
currently negotiating with potential international donors to assist in this
matter.
The Belarus Ministry of Defense has identified the priorities in destruction
of landmine stockpiles and disclosed the quantity of the types of mines to be
destroyed first: one million PFM-1 landmines (BLU-43/B and BLU-42/B
type).[17] Officials indicate
the budget for destruction could be considerably reduced if the equipment was
provided as in-kind assistance by other governments. One of the technologies
badly needed by the Belarus government is the one to destroy AP mines BLU-43/B
and BLU-42/B.[18]
In accordance with Protocol II of the CCW, in 1996-1998 Republic of Belarus
destroyed some 5,000 AP mines of different types and also some 1,000 booby
traps.[19]
Use
The Belarus Ministry of Defense states that AP
mines are not used on Belarus territory, for border defense or
otherwise.[20]
Landmine Problem
Belarus has a problem with landmines leftover from
World War II. There are an unknown number of World War II vintage German and
Soviet mines scattered about old
battlefields.[21] In particular
the Vitebsk, Gomel and Minsk regions where the major WWII battles were fought
are mine affected. No records exist of the mined areas and no research has been
conducted yet in this respect. Mined areas are marked as soon as they are
located. Recently most of the UXO have been found in the Brest, Gomel, Mogilev,
Minsk and Vitebsk regions. The Vitebsk region is the most
affected.[22]
Mine Clearance
No national program on humanitarian mine action
currently exists in Belarus. The organization and co-ordination of mine
clearance is done by the Department of Engineer Forces in the Main Headquarters
of the Belarus Military Forces. There are forty-four mobile military groups that
belong to the engineers' detachments of the Belarus army that are currently
undertaking mine clearance and training operations in Belarus. For example, five
districts in the Brest region and two districts in the Grodno region are served
by two mobile military groups of six deminers.
Almost every day the groups are called to clear UXOs. Two specially equipped
automobiles are used to deliver the groups to the location of detected UXO. Just
recently the group cleared over one hundred UXOs, including AP mines, in the
Baranovichi district, Brest region. UXOs are destroyed by explosion either on
the spot or taken to a safe area for
destruction.[23]
Annually, thousands of AP mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) left
after World War II are lifted from the Belarus soil. From 1991 until 1997 some
120,000 UXOs (including 1,000 AP mines) were
cleared.[24] In 1996, 10,703
UXOs were cleared at a cost of more than
$100,000.[25]
The total area cleared in Belarus from 1991 until 1997 is 300 square
kilometers (most of it had not been used for agricultural or production purposes
before clearance). The location of areas recently cleared: Krupsky district,
Minsk region, Dubrovensky district, Vitebsk region, Baranovichi district Brest
region. The cost of mine clearance is $12,000 per square kilometer. The records
of areas cleared are maintained and these records are
accessible.[26] The major
obstacle to a more effective mine clearance program is lack of funding.
The population has benefited from the clearance. The cleared land is used in
most cases for agricultural purposes, but also construction and production
purposes.
Mine Awareness
The demining groups use mine clearance operations
for education aimed at UXO victim prevention. Deminers meet with the local
population and educate them on the rules of behavior when they come across mines
or other UXO. This policy has resulted in an absence of UXO victims on the
territories served by the groups during six recent
years.[27] However, no
systematic work has been done in this respect.
There are two nongovernmental organizations in Belarus which work on the
landmine issue. The Belarus Support Center for Associations and Foundations
(SCAF) was founded in 1996. Its mission is to promote the development of civic
society in Belarus through providing support to NGO initiatives. The Belarus
Campaign to Ban Landmines (BCBL) was initiated by SCAF in 1998 to support public
education programs regarding the landmines crisis and to support efforts toward
a comprehensive, worldwide ban on landmines.
SCAF has received a positive reaction from the Belarus Ministry of Education
and the Belarus Ministry of Defense which have agreed to collaborate in the
development and initiation of mine awareness education programs in Belarus
schools.[28]
Landmine Casualties
The landmine victims in Belarus can be divided
into three groups. The first group comprises civilians who were affected by
landmines during the Second World War when they were children. For example, just
in the Rechitski District, Gomel region there are sixteen disabled people who
stepped on landmines in 1941-1945. The second group comprises former military
personnel affected by landmines during the Afghanistan war in the 1980s. The
third group includes civilians affected by UXOs left after the Second World War.
In 1997 two children were killed and twelve people (including two children)
were injured by landmines. In 1998 two people were killed and six
injured.[29]
The following cases serve as examples:
Sergei Sidorenko (born in 1976) was injured by an UXO in the forest near the
village of Voitovo, Vitebsk district, Vitebsk region on 19 November 1997. Both
his legs were affected. It took less than three hours to get medical help and
surgical care. No psychiatric counseling was received. He was able to return to
his work five months after the injury had been received. The health care was
provided free of charge and he was also receiving financial support while
disabled.[30]
Victor Nakhaev (born in 1963) was injured by an UXO near the village of
Levki, Orsha District, Vitebsk region on 4 April 1998. He lost his left arm. It
took a quarter of an hour to deliver him to the hospital. The first surgery was
done one hour after the incident. There was another surgery one month later. The
health care was provided free of charge. No psychiatric counseling was received.
He has not been provided with a prosthetic device yet and needs assistance in
this respect. He is disabled and has not returned to his work. He receives
pension from the government (some $10 a month). He was also assisted in
receiving a new apartment.[31].
Two students, Alexey Dralov and Alexey Toliadonok (both born in 1981), were
killed by UXO in 1998 near the railway station in Kruglevschina, Dokshitsi
district, Vitebsk
region.[32]
Nikolai Kovalev (born 1976) was injured by an UXO in the field of the
collective farm named after M.Frunze, Rechitsi District, Gomel region on 22
August 1997. He and three of his colleagues, who received minor injuries, were
collecting potatoes.[33]
The example of Retchitsa district in the Gomel region could demonstrate the
effect of the AP landmines on the life of the population of one of the 200
districts in Belarus. In the 1960s, some thirty pupils from the local school
were killed and three injured by the AP
landmines.[34] The disabilities
of fifteen people in the district are caused by the AP landmines explosions that
took place before 1996.[35]
In all cases it took less than three hours to get medical help and less than
one hour to get surgical care. Each disabled person is assisted through
individual programs of rehabilitation. However due to the current economic
crisis, this care is not adequate.
Survivor Assistance
Medical, surgical, rehabilitation and
reintegration services are available for landmine victims/survivors in Belarus
through the network of central, regional and local hospitals and other health
care institutions co-ordinated by the Belarus Ministry of Health.
Medical facilities (ability to stop bleeding, resuscitate from shock with
fluids, relieve pain, and arrange for transport to a surgical facility) are
available through the local and regional hospitals. However, due to the lack of
funding, most of them are currently experiencing shortages. Surgical facilities
are available through public hospitals throughout the country.
Prosthetic and rehabilitation facilities are available in Belarus. The
Belarus Prosthetic-Rehabilitation Centre (BPRC) is the main producer and
supplier of prosthetics. This network has the capacity to produce 259
wheelchairs and 1,220 prosthetic devices monthly. During ten months in 1998 some
1,670 prosthetic devices and 1,053 mobility devices were produced. They are
distributed through the regional and local departments of social welfare among
those who need them. The BPRC network has high potential for increasing the
production and exporting prosthetic and mobility devices to other countries. It
also welcomes co-operation with international donors and counterparts to improve
its services to the UXO victims/survivors in
Belarus.[36]
A private agency in support of the veterans of the war in Afghanistan was
initiated by Victor
Sivochin.[37] His organization,
“La Makha,” is developing individual programs of support and
rehabilitation for Afghanistan war veterans affected by AP mines and other
weapons. There are no particular social and/or economic reintegration programs
for landmine survivors currently available in Belarus. However, the Act on
Local Governments allows and encourages the private, public and non-governmental
organizations to provide support to those who may need it.
The Law on Psychiatric Counseling has been just adopted by the Belarus
parliament and hopefully will result in better services to be provided to AP
mines victims/survivors. A national disability law exists in Belarus: "Law on
Social Protection of People With Disabilities in the Republic of
Belarus."[38] According to this
law, the National Council on the Problems of Disabled and Handicapped
co-ordinates the activities aimed at implementation of the law. It comprises top
executives of the main ministries dealing with the problems of the disabled
(Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education,
etc.). The council is headed by the First Deputy of the Prime Minister of
Belarus.[39]
The law ensures tax reduced status of enterprises producing technical and
other devices for the disabled. The profit of any enterprise in Belarus used for
production of devices for the disabled or for providing services for disabled is
tax exempt.[40]
The rehabilitation of the disabled is made according to his or her individual
rehabilitation program, developed and approved by a special committee. The
individual rehabilitation program is an official document that is to be followed
by governmental, non-government and private agencies. The disabled receive
medical and surgical care free of charge. They also receive a discount for major
medicines.[41]
The disabled are guaranteed to receive secondary, professional and higher
education free of charge. The employment of disabled is protected by the state.
The state also assists enterprises in equipping the workplaces for the disabled
with needed devices.[42] The
disabled are provided with a technical or any other device needed free of charge
as soon as it is part of the individual rehabilitation program. Those who in
line with their rehabilitation program get transportation devices (for example,
automobiles) also get support for their maintenance and
repair.[43]
The main agency responsible for protection and social reintegration of people
with disabilities is the Belarus Ministry of Social Protection.
[1] Statement by H.E. Mikhail
Khvostov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Belarus to Canada, at the Landmines Treaty Signing Conference, Ottawa, 3
December 1997. Belarus officials have told Landmine Monitor that it may cost
$50 million to destroy stocks and clear mines.
[2] Statement of Mr. Ivan
Grinevic, Third Secretary at the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus at
the Regional Conference on Landmines, Budapest, 26-28 March 1998.
[3] Interview with Piotr
Zhushma, Vice-Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs and Relations
with CIS, House of Representatives, National Assembly of the Republic of
Belarus, Minsk, 22 February 1999.
[4] Statement by H.E. Mikhail
Khvostov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Belarus to Canada, at the Landmines Treaty Signing Conference, Ottawa, 3
December 1997.
[5] Interview with Ivan
Grinevic, Third Secretary at the Belarus Foreign Ministry, Minsk, 15 February
1999.
[6] Statement of Sergei
Martynov, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus at
the Conference on Disarmament, 11 February 1999.
[7] Statement by Bulgarian
Ambassador Petko Draganov to the Conference on Disarmament, undated but February
1999.
[8] Letter # 17/1043 from the
Belarus Ministry of Defense to the Support Center for Associations and
Foundations ( SCAF), “About Information on Landmine Issues,” 24
November 1998. Also, interviews with Ignaty Misuragin, Colonel, Head of
Department of Engineer Forces, Belarus Ministry of Defense and Sergei Luchina,
Colonel, Deputy Head of Department of Engineer Forces, Belarus Ministry of
Defense, Minsk, 21 January 1999.
[9] U.S. Department of State,
Outgoing Telegram, Unclassified, Subject: landmine export moratorium demarche, 7
December 1993. More recently, the Belarus government indicates that a
misunderstanding was caused by incorrect translation of the statement made by
the representative of the Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Budapest
Landmine Conference in March 1998, when the statement made in Russian,
“Belarus doesn’t produce antipersonnel mines,” was translated
as, “Belarus will discontinue production of antipersonnel mines.”
[10] Statement of Mr. Ivan
Grinevic, Third Secretary at the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Belarus at
the Regional Conference on Landmines, Budapest, 26-28 March 1998.
[11] U.S. Department of
State, Outgoing Telegram, Unclassified, Subject: landmine export moratorium
demarche, 7 December 1993.
[12] Decree # 335 of the
President of the Republic of Belarus, “Introduction in the Republic of
Belarus Moratorium on Export of Landmines, ” 22 August 1995.
[13] Decree # 628 of the
President of the Republic of Belarus, “About the Prolongation of
Moratorium on Export of Landmines Till the End of 1999,” 4 December
1997.
[14] Decree #27 of the
Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, “About State Control Over
Transit Through the Territory of the Republic of Belarus Specific Goods,”
10 January 1998.
[15] Statement by H.E.
Mikhail Khvostov, Ottawa, 3 December 1997.
[16] Interview with Ignaty
Misuragin, Colonel, Head of Department of Engineer Forces, and Sergei Luchina,
Colonel, Deputy Head of Department of Engineer Forces, Belarus Ministry of
Defense, Minsk, 21 January 1999.
[17] Letter #1274/18 from the
Belarus Ministry of Foreign Affairs to SCAF, 1 February 1999 and Letter #17/70
from the Belarus Ministry of Defense to SCAF, 26 January 1999.
[18] Interview with Sergei
Luchina, Colonel, Deputy Head of Department of Engineer Forces, Minsk, 21
January 1999.
[19] Interview with Sergei
Luchina, Colonel, Deputy Head of Department of Engineer Forces, Minsk, 21
January 1999.
[20] Letter #17/1043 from the
Belarus Ministry of Defense to SCAF.
[21] U.S. Department of
State, Hidden Killers: The Global Problem with Uncleared Landmines,
1993.
[28] The following agencies
have made a commitment to promote mine awareness education in Belarus: 1) Main
Department of General Secondary Education, Belarus Ministry of Education; 2)
Department of Engineer Forces, Belarus Ministry of Defense; 3) BCBL/SCAF.
[29] Interviews with Ignaty
Misuragin, Colonel, Head of Department of Engineer Forces, and Sergei Luchina,
Colonel, Deputy Head of Department of Engineer Forces, Minsk, 21 January
1999.
[30] Interview with Sergei
Sidorenko, Sirozh, Vitebsk Region, 17 December 1998.
[31] Interview with Victor
Nakhaev, Levki, Orsha District, Vitebsk region, 18 December 1998.
[32] Interviews with
relatives of Alexey Dralov and Alexey Toliadonok, Kruglevschina, Dokshitsi
district, Vitebsk region, 19 December 1998.
[33] Interview with Nikolai
Kovalev, M. Frunze, Rechitsi District, Gomel region, 21 December 1998.
[34] Data is provided by
Vitaly Kovalev, Rechitsa, Gomel region.
[35] Interviews, Rechitsa
district, Gomel region, 11-12 January 1999.
[36] Letter # 12-17/458 from
the Belarus Ministry of Social Protection to SCAF “About Co-operation with
NGO SCAF”, 13 November 1998; BCBL Interviews with Representatives of the
Belarus Prosthetic-Rehabilitation Centre network, 18-20 November 1998.
[37] N. Nalivaiko,
“There is a Hope for Afghanistan Veterans”, Republic, 30 May
1998.
[38] Law on Social Protection
of People With Disabilities in the Republic of Belarus, 25 November 1991.
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