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Country Reports
MOLDOVA, Landmine Monitor Report 2001
 
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MOLDOVA

  Key developments since May 2000: Moldova ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on 8 September 2000 and it entered into force on 1 March 2001. Moldova has begun discussions on a project with the NATO Partnership for Peace Program for the destruction of its landmine stockpile. Demining teams cleared 1,658 mines and UXO in 2000, and 450 mines and UXO between January and May 2001. Between May and August 2000, a Moldovan demining unit carried out mine clearance operations in the safety zone of the Transdniester peacekeeping mission, clearing some 85 hectares of previously unused agricultural land.

Mine Ban Policy

Moldova signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997. On 27 April 2000, its Parliament ratified the treaty,[1] which the President signed on 14 June 2000.[2] On 8 September 2000, during the UN Millennium Summit, President Luchinskiy submitted the instruments of ratification to the UN.[3] The Mine Ban Treaty entered into force for Moldova on 1 March 2001. Moldova has begun work to develop implementing legislation for the Mine Ban Treaty; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a request to the Ministry of Defense about its plans for implementation of the treaty and destruction of mines in Moldova. Moldova’s first transparency report required by Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty is due by 28 August 2001.

Moldova did not attend the Second Meeting of States Parties in September 2000, nor has it attended any intersessional Standing Committee meetings related to the treaty because of lack of resources.[4] Moldova was able to take part in the February 2001 seminar on the “Destruction of PFM-1 Mines” in Budapest, with the support of Canada. Moldova voted for the UN General Assembly resolution in support of the Mine Ban Treaty in November 2000, as it had in previous years.

In April 2000, the Parliament also ratified the Convention on Conventional Weapons and all of its Protocols, including Amended Protocol II.[5] Moldova deposited its instrument of ratification for Amended Protocol II on 16 July 2001. The government did not participate in the Second Annual Conference of State Parties to Amended Protocol II in Geneva in December 2000.[6]

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling

Moldova is not believed to have produced, imported or exported antipersonnel mines. It inherited its mine stocks from the USSR, and the army has approximately 12,000 antipersonnel mines.[7] Types of antipersonnel mines thought to be in Moldavian arsenals include: PMN, PMN-2, PMN-4, OZM-72, MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, MON-200, PFM-l, PFM-1S, and POM-2S. The deadline for Moldova to complete the destruction of its antipersonnel mine stockpile is 1 March 2005.

Previously, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Moldova would be able to destroy 10,000 mines on its own, but would need international support for the other 2,000.[8] But after ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty Moldova began exploring options with NATO and its Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) for a joint project for mine destruction. The destruction of mines in Moldova was discussed during the international seminar on the destruction of PFM mines held in Budapest in February 2001. The Budapest seminar was followed by a visit by NAMSA officials to Moldova on 5-9 February for meetings with representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense. Canada and the Netherlands proposed that a Trust Fund for destruction of Moldovan stocks be established after the NAMSA visit, led by the Netherlands and supported by NAMSA. This would be the second such project undertaken as a part of the Partnership for Peace Trust Fund initiative, following a project launched in Albania to destroy some 1.6 million antipersonnel mines.

On 22 February 2001 the Political-Military Steering Committee of Partnership for Peace met with representatives of the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence to discuss the results of the NAMSA visit and proposals for the safe destruction of Moldova’s mines and munitions.[9] Work began on the development of a Memorandum of Understanding to cover the destruction project, which will also deal with site remediation. Material assistance and training will be given to Moldovan military engineers to carry out the destruction of the nearly 12,000 antipersonnel mines. Moldovan Foreign Minister Nikolai Cermomaz and NATO official Peter Markey signed the memorandum on 28 June 2001 in Brussels. Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom have pledged funds.[10]

Mine Clearance and Mine Awareness

Moldova is still affected by mines and UXO from World War II and the Transdniester conflict in 1992. The Ministry of Defense and the Police Demining Teams of the Ministry of Interior Affairs carry out the demining of Moldova territory. For clearance purposes, Moldavian territory is divided into four areas of responsibility; the demining teams from First, Second and Third Infantry Brigades and one team from the Engineers Department of the Ministry of Defense are responsible for demining these areas.

Demining teams cleared 1,658 mines and UXO in 2000. Between January and May 2001, 450 mines and UXO were cleared. [11]

Between May and August 2000, a Moldovan demining unit carried out mine clearance operations in the safety zone of the Transdniester peacekeeping mission in the area of Poghrebya. Over 345 mines and other explosive devices (including 326 antipersonnel mines) were found and neutralized in approximately 85 hectares of valuable but previously unused agricultural land. The government of Moldova reports that it has cleared all the landmines on this territory laid during the Transdniester conflict in 1992 and has thanked the U.S. government for its assistance in providing equipment and training for Moldovan deminers.[12]

Moldova received humanitarian demining training in 1999 and 2000 through the U.S. Department of Defense's “Train the Trainer” program, which provided $114,000 in humanitarian demining assistance, including training of Moldovan mine clearance personnel.[13] 

There are no systematic mine awareness programs in Moldova. During mine clearance operations, deminers meet with the local population and provide information about what to do if they come upon mines or UXO.

Landmine Casualties and Survivor Assistance

There is no new public information on mine incidents. Statistics on mine casualties are not public information. There is only sketchy information on mine incidents in local media.[14] On 14 April 2000, the parliament enacted laws to protect the rights of the disabled and war victims. At the same time, because of limited resources, Moldova has dismantled some of elements of it social protection system for military veterans and war victims.[15] In response, there have been strikes and other actions by veterans and disabled groups. According to national law, veterans must have full support from the government and local authorities for accommodation, but many families of veterans and the disabled do not have houses.[16]

Pridnestrovie Moldavian Republic

The Transdniester region of Moldova declared independence in 1990 and calls itself Pridnestrovie Moldavian Republic (PMR), although it is not internationally recognized. Fighting broke out between Moldova and PMR in 1992 and both sides used landmines.

PMR officials do not accept laws and international agreements signed by Moldova as binding. Although there has been no activity related to the Mine Ban Treaty, the President of PMR Igor Smirnov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Valeriy Litskay have indicated a willingness to discuss the landmine situation in the region. Over the past months, officials from the UN, the EU, OSCE, the U.S., Canada, and various European countries met with PMR leaders to discuss possible ways for the withdrawal of Russian forces from PMR, demilitarization of the region, and the destruction of stockpiles of mines, ammunition and other weapons.

In November 2000, ICBL–Ukraine began raising awareness of the landmine issue within the PMR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliament, providing copies of previous Landmine Monitor Reports and other landmine-related information in both English and Russian.

Pridnestrovie was the scene of heavy fighting during World War II, and there remain an unknown number of German and Soviet mines and UXO still scattered about old battlefields. UXO constitutes a more serious threat than landmines, the most dangerous areas being those where trench battles took place. A substantial amount of UXO contamination has been found in the Ribnitsa, Dubosary, Tiraspol and Bendery regions. The PMR Ministry of Defense has one engineer battalion, which is responsible for demining operations. Also Russian engineer units take part in mine action on PMR territory.[17]

On 29 July 1992, in accordance with a peace agreement reached in Moscow, a Tri-Partite Control Commission started its work. Peacekeeping forces are composed of a Russian peacekeeping battalion and Helicopters wings, one battalion each from Moldova and PMR and an International Military Observer Team, with ten officers from Ukraine. The peacekeeping forces operate under the authority of the Joint Control Commission, which is co-chaired by Moldova and PMR. The JCC coordinates all peacekeeping activities including humanitarian demining.

The peacekeeping mission has had good results with Moldova deminers in the “Safety Zone,” but PMR officials disagree with policies of Canada, the U.S. and other donor countries, which provide support only for Moldovan military engineers, and not for others who provide demining operations in Moldova/Pridnestrovie and in the Safety Zone.[18]

During the peacekeeping missions in PMR, Russian peacekeepers collected more than 300 small arms, 72,000 explosive devices and cleared more 11,000 landmines and UXO.[19]

During 2000, PMR provided support for medical and social rehabilitation for victims of war and military conflicts, including of veterans of all the various conflicts. The government of PMR provided special cars for war disabled.[20]

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[1] Resolution of the Parliament of Moldova, #973/14, 27 April 2000.
[2] Letter from the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ICBL-Ukraine, 23 June 2000.
[3] Report of the Daily Press Briefing of the Office of the Spokesman for the UN Secretary General, 15 September 2000.
[4] Letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova to ICBL-Ukraine, 5 November 2000.
[5] Resolution of the Parliament of Moldova, #973/14, 27 April 2000.
[6] Letter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova to ICBL-Ukraine, 20 January 2001.
[7] Statement of Vladimir Lupan, Deputy of Head Department of European Security and Military Policy, Foreign Ministry of Moldova, at the First International Conference on Landmines in Russia and the CIS, Moscow, 27-28 May 1998.
[8] Interview with Vladimir Lupan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 17 February 2000.
[9] NATO Press Release, “Safe Destruction of Anti-Personnel Landmines and Munitions in Moldova,” 27 February 2001.
[10] Alexander Mineyev, “NATO to help Moldova eliminate toxic liquid oxidant,” ITAR-TASS (Brussels), 28 June 2001.
[11] Telephone interview with Valerio Chiveli, officer in the Department of European Security and Military Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 21 June 2001.
[12] US Department of State, Media Note, “Global Humanitarian Demining: Removal of Landmines in Moldova,” 6 September 2000.
[13] This included US$71,000 in FY 1999 and US$43,000 in FY 2000. U.S. Department of State, “Demining Program Financing History,” dated 24 October 2000. See also, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, Media Note, “Global Humanitarian Demining: Removal of Land Mines in Moldova,” 6 September 2000.
[14] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp. 776-777.
[15] Report of the Union of Afghan War Veterans of Moldova, November 2000.
[16] “Our net – Moldova,” Information agency report, 15 December 2000.
[17] Statement of Vladimir Bodnar, Head of Defense Commission of the Parliament of PMR, 22 January 2001.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Igor Petrov, “Results of Peacekeeping Missions in Pridnestrovie,” Olvia Press Agency Report, 28 March 2001.
[20] Sergey Nedelchik, “The President of Transdniester Moldovan Republic met with the families of those who died in Afghan war,” Olvia Press Agency Report, 22 November 2000.