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Country Reports
JORDAN, Landmine Monitor Report 1999

JORDAN

Mine Ban Policy

On 11 August 1998, Jordan signed the Mine Ban Treaty, and subsequently ratified on 13 November 1998. It was only the third nation in the Middle East to sign and ratify. Jordan was an active participant in the treaty’s preparatory meetings, endorsed the pro-ban treaty Brussels Declaration in June 1997 and participated fully in the Oslo negotiations. It voted in favor of the pro-ban 1996 UN General Assembly resolution, and the pro-treaty 1997 UNGA resolution. Yet it did not sign the treaty when it opened for signature in Ottawa in December 1997. At the treaty signing, Jordan’s Ambassador to Canada Samir Khalifeh stated, “We unfortunately will not be able to sign the Convention at this stage, but we believe that, in time, as the Middle East achieves greater stability, through the establishment of a comprehensive and just peace, we will be better placed to sign this noble document.”[1] The Ambassador added that Jordan was already working to fulfill the spirit of the treaty through its demining efforts.

On 11 July 1998, in Amman, Her Majesty Queen Noor told the opening session of the First Middle East Conference on Landmine Injury and Rehabilitation, “I would like to begin by announcing with great pride and hope that as of this morning the Jordanian cabinet has approved the signature of the Ottawa Convention.”[2] It formally signed one month later. Jordan and Her Majesty Queen Noor have emerged as the most visible proponents of a landmine ban in the region.

Jordan has yet to enact domestic implementation legislation, and it does not appear that the Parliament has considered the issue.

Jordan is not a party to the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling, Use

According to the Commander of the Royal Corps of Engineers, Jordan is not an antipersonnel landmine producing country,[3] and there is no evidence that Jordan has ever produced. Likewise, Jordan is not known to have ever exported antipersonnel mines. Her Majesty Queen Noor told the July Landmine Conference, “Jordan...has never and will never export” antipersonnel mines.[4]

Jordan has imported mines in the past. The United States supplied 35,972 antipersonnel mines from 1973-1975, including 29,970 non-detectable M14 blast mines, and 6,002 M18A1 Claymore mines.[5] Jordan has also imported mines from Belgium (PRB M35) and the UK (No. 3 and No. 5 AP mines),[6] but details are not available.

Jordan maintains a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, but details on the size and composition are unknown.

The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) has previously used a variety of landmines manufactured in Belgium, UK and the United States for defensive purposes. According to a United Nations survey, Jordan has laid minefields using antitank mines of M-15 (US), M-19 (US), No. 6 (UK), and SACI (unknown) types, as well as antipersonnel mines of M-14 (US), No. 3 (UK), No. 5 (UK) and PRB M35 (Belgium) types.[7]

According to the Commander of the Royal Jordanian Corps of Engineers, Jordan has not laid new mine fields since 1973.[8]

Landmine Problem

Jordan is considered one of the most landmine-affected countries in the Middle East.[9] Estimates of the number of planted landmines vary. One document obtained from the Corps of Engineers, dated February 1999, puts the number of planted landmines at 303,431.[10] A recent press report published in the Jordan Times on 31 January 1999 puts the number of planted landmines at 216,000.[11] A 1998 U.S. State Department report cites a U.N. estimate of 206,193.[12]

A recent United Nations report found a total of 492 minefields in Jordan, mainly in the Jordan Valley and the Northern front, along the borders with Israel and Syria. Most of these fields date from the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1967.[13] Mines were also laid by Israel in the Wadi Araba area; according to a document prepared by the Royal Corps of Engineers, Israel laid a total of 66,219 landmines.[14]

A document obtained from the JAF reveals that approximately 15,000 hectares remain mined.[15] In a recent speech Her Majesty Queen Noor said that “about ten percent of our population lives in areas still dangerous and economically unproductive because of landmines. Scarce agricultural lands and some of the most beautiful and sacred landscapes in Jordan, especially in the Jordan River Valley, remain scarred and forbidden because of the danger of mines.”[16]

One problem, highlighted by UNICEF Mines Focal Point Coordinator Tehnaz Dastoor, is that “landmines in Jordan are transferred to populated areas by floods, by animals...or by children or adults who remove signs delineating mine fields.”[17]

Mine Action Funding

Nations that have supported Jordan’s demining program include Norway, the United States, and Canada. Last year, Norway contributed $1 million worth of demining equipment to Jordan.[18] The U.S. provided $1.2 million from 1996-1998, and pledged another $2.7 million in early 1999.[19]

On 23 February 1999, Her Majesty Queen Noor received Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik at Bab Al Salam Palace. The Queen and the Prime Minister discussed Norwegian cooperation for demining in Jordan. As a result of this meeting Norway has promised to provide Jordan with a new mine clearance machine.[20]

Mine Clearance

In December 1997, the Permanent Mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations submitted a request to the Mine Action Service (UNMAS) for either financial or material support of the mine clearance program.[21] The request included a list of items ranging from protective equipment and metal detectors, to large mine clearance machines An assessment mission was conducted in Jordan by UNMAS in January 1999.

The first phase of a three-phase operation to clear Jordan of landmines began on 15 March 1993, in accordance with King Hussein’s objective to have all mines removed from the country by the year 2000.[22] According to the estimation of retired General Muhammad Ma’ayteh, a former commander of the Corps of Engineers, Jordan will have to spend close to $100 million to complete this operation.[23] Phase 1, completed in March 1995, cleared thirty minefields containing over 14,000 mines releasing more than 3 million square meters for cultivation. Phase 2 commenced in May 1995. The operation has cleared 58 minefields releasing 4 million square meters of land for cultivation.[24] In July 1997, Her Majesty Queen Noor said the demining program in the Jordan Valley has “cleared 146 minefields with 64,000 mines, freeing up 3,100 acres of land for cultivation, mineral excavation and tourism.”[25]

Mine clearance is undertaken solely by the Royal Corps of Engineers utilizing both hand clearance and mechanical clearance techniques. Destruction and removal activities are concentrated in three main areas: the northern border with Syria, the Jordan Valley, and the Wadi Araba.

Mine Awareness

Military sources confirm that all mine fields and border areas are well marked and in many cases fenced with clear “Beware Mines” signs to alert civilians not to approach the area.[26] The Royal Corps of Engineers is the sole military side responsible for marking the mined areas.

General awareness campaigns were launched in the past two years via Jordanian television and radio stations, and newspapers. The awareness campaign has been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Royal Corps of Engineers, and other non-governmental organizations. According to ICRC representatives in Jordan dissemination sessions and presentations were held throughout the past two years for school children, teachers and the general public in Amman and other Governorates to discuss the threat of landmines. These sessions have been a result of collaboration between the Jordan Red Crescent and the Ministry of Education.

Landmine Casualties

Records maintained by the JAF report that over 400 civilians have been killed and that several thousand have been injured by mines.[27] The JAF reports that 176 military personnel have been killed by mines since 1967. Since the demining program began in March 1993, twenty-four soldiers have been injured but none killed.[28] Reports made public in the local press in 1997 and the first half of 1998 referred to a minimum of ten civilian casualties, mostly children who were killed or maimed in scattered incidents of mine and UXO explosions.[29] There have been no reports in the local press of landmine casualties since the beginning of 1999.

Landmine Survivor Assistance3[0]

There are two major government health care providers for landmine victims in Jordan: the Royal Medical Services and the Ministry of Health hospitals. The former is the main health care provider for all acting and retired military personnel, including landmine survivors and deminers injured while in action. It has three centers located in the cities of Amman, Eidon, and Karak. All three centers provide surgical care, prosthetics and orthotics services. The Ministry of Health has two centers located in Amman and Irbid that provide both surgical, prosthetic and orthotics services to civil servants. There are other medical clinics and smaller first aid facilities located across the country, however, surgical help is available only in the major city hospitals. The Ministry of Social Development runs one center for rehabilitation and vocational training in Amman This facility provides services to all handicapped and persons with special needs, including landmine victims.

Despite these facilities many landmine victims do not benefit from such services. Many victims live in remote areas and others are discouraged by the bureaucracy associated with receiving care. Those who do persist with treatment are often unable to receive proper prosthetic treatment as a result of shortages in parts and artificial limbs.

To help remedy this situation, Her Majesty Queen Noor announced the introduction of the Bill of Rights for Landmine Survivors.[31] The Bill of Rights contains ten rights “consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and based on collective wisdom of world religions as well as in conformity with UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.” The Bill of Rights recognizes landmine survivors right to comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation. The Bill also recognizes the people’s right to an environment that allows freedom of movement and transportation in a safe and secure manner. In terms of victim support the Bill identifies the right of a victim’s family to receive all necessary relief and support services. The Bill of Rights is, in theory, an important step forward for landmines victims. It remains to be seen whether the rights identified in the Bill are implemented effectively.

<MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA | QATAR>

[1]Statement of Ambassador Samir Khalifeh at the opening session of the Mine Ban Treaty conference in Ottawa, December 1997.

[2]Opening speech of Her Majesty Queen Noor at the first Middle East conference on Landmines injury and rehabilitation, “Surviving the Scourge of Landmines” held in Amman, Jordan, 11-12 July 1998.

[3]Personal interview conducted in July 1998.

[4]Opening speech of Her Majesty Queen Noor at the first Middle East conference on Landmines injury and rehabilitation, “Surviving the Scourge of Landmines” held in Amman, Jordan, 11-12 July 1998.

[5]U.S. Army, Armament, Munitions, and Chemical Command (USAMCCOM), Letter to Human Rights Watch, 25 August 1993, and attached statistical tables. In her remarks in July 1998, Queen Noor stated that Jordan has not imported AP mines since 1974.

[6]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, (New York: United Nations Publications 1998), p. 7.

[7]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, (New York: United Nations Publications 1998), p. 7.

[8]Personal interviews conducted in July 1998 and January 1999.

[9]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, p. 7.

[10]Jordanian Armed Forces official paper presented at the Arab Conference on the Dangers of Mines and Precautionary measures, Beirut, Lebanon, 11-12 February 1999.

[11]Hind-Lara Mango, “UNMAS endorses Jordan’s demining efforts: ‘We think that the standards maintained by the Royal Corps of Engineers here are exceptional,’” Jordan Times, 31 January 1999.

[12]U.S. State Department, Hidden Killers, September 1998, p. A-2.

[13]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, p. 7.

[14]Document obtained from the Royal Corps of Engineers by Kamel Saadi in July 1998.

[15]Document obtained from the Royal Corps of Engineers - July 1998, and the Jordanian Armed Forces official paper presented at the “Arab Conference on the Dangers of Mines and Precautionary measures,” Beirut, Lebanon, 11-12 February 1999.

[16]Opening speech of Her Majesty Queen Noor at the first Middle East conference on Landmines injury and rehabilitation, “Surviving the Scourge of Landmines” held in Amman, Jordan, 11-12 July 1998.

[17]Hind-Lara Mango, “UNMAS endorses Jordan’s demining efforts.”

[18]“Norway’s PM praises Jordan’s demining efforts, pledges continued support to United World College”, 24 February 1999.

[19]“Demining Program Financing History,” U.S. Department of State, February 1999.

[20]“Norway’s PM praises Jordan’s demining efforts, pledges continued support to United World College”, 24 February 1999

[21]United Nations Mine Action Service assessment mission to Jordan, terms of reference, 22 January 1999.

[22]Document obtained from the Royal Corps of Engineers by Kamel Saadi in July 1998.

[23]Personal interview conducted on 24 January 1999.

[24]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, p. 8.

[25]Opening speech of Her Majesty Queen Noor at the first Middle East conference on Landmines injury and rehabilitation, “Surviving the Scourge of Landmines” held in Amman, Jordan, 11-12 July 1998.

[26]Ibid.

[27]Document obtained from the Royal Corps of Engineers by Kamel Saadi in July 1998.

[28]Wolfgang Hirsch, Point Paper: Jordan, p. 8.

[29]Jordanian weekly, Hawadeth Al Sa’ah, 13 May 1997; Jordanian daily, Al Arab al Yom, 19 May 1997; Al Dustour daily 25 December 1997; Al Arab Al Yom, 26 February 1998, and 10 March 1998.

[30]Information on landmine survivor assistance is based on a field study undertaken by Kamel Saadi for the Landmine Survivors Network.

[31]Bill of Rights Declaration for Landmines Survivors dated 11 July 1998.