Key developments
since March 1999: Austria continued to play an active role in promoting
universalization and effective implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. It
developed the reporting format for Article 7 reports, and has been an important
player in the intersessional work program. The government has approved an
increase in mine action funding to US$2 million in 2000.
Mine Ban Policy
Austria signed the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) on 3
December 1997 and deposited its instrument of ratification at the United Nations
on 29 June 1998. The Austrian Federal Law comprehensively banning AP mines
entered into force on 1 January 1997, and, with penal sanctions for violations,
served as the implementing legislation for the MBT in
Austria.[1] Since the Austrian
government was already committed to a total ban on AP mines, it was able to play
a crucial role during the “Ottawa Process,” including drafting the
successive working texts of the Treaty.
Austria submitted its initial Article 7 report on 29 July, covering the short
period from 1 March 1999 - 30 April 1999. Its second report, covering 30 April
to 31 December 1999, was submitted on 28 April 2000; there was no updated
information to report.
For many years Austria has made efforts to sensitize other countries to the
landmine issue, and to universalize the MBT by encouraging more countries to
join and fully implement its provisions. During 1999 the Austrian government
made particular efforts to achieve a coordinated EU policy on AP mines, and also
issued a number of statements condemning landmine use, particularly by the
Yugoslav army in Kosovo. The Foreign Ministry believes these efforts have
helped to increase the number of countries ratifying the
MBT.[2]
Austria took the lead in developing the format for Article 7 reporting, which
was then adopted at the First Meeting of States Parties (FMSP) in Maputo in May
1999.[3] The Austrian
government welcomed the release of the Landmine Monitor Report 1999 at
the FMSP, and considers the information contained in the report as valuable for
the regular work in the Foreign Ministry on mine ban
issues.[4]
Austrian representatives from Vienna and its permanent mission to the United
Nations in Geneva have participated fully in all intersessional meetings of the
MBT’s Standing Committees of Experts. Austria has contributed in
particular to the SCEs on Stockpile Destruction and on the General Status and
Operation of the Treaty. At the first SCE meeting on General Status, held in
January 2000, Austria was one of the governments that reiterated that under the
definitions of the treaty antivehicle mines (AVM) with antihandling devices
which function like AP mines – which may explode from an unintentional act
of a person -- are banned under the MBT, noting that this is also consistent
with the diplomatic
record.[5]
On 27 July 1998 Austria ratified Amended Protocol II (1996) of the Convention
on Conventional Weapons (CCW), which entered into force for Austria on 27
January 1999.[6] It submitted
the required Article 13 report on 11 October 1999. The government participated
in the First Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in
December 1999.
Concerning the possibility of also dealing with AP mines in the Conference on
Disarmament (CD), Austria has stated recently that it continues to support
“all efforts that might contribute to the total elimination of
anti-personnel mine world-wide, in all appropriate international fora, including
the Conference on Disarmament, provided these efforts are in support of and
consistent with the Ottawa
Convention.”[7]
Production
Production, export and use of AP mines were
formally renounced in September 1995 under a prohibition order that was later
superseded by the national legislation. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce has
stated on several occasions that there has been no production of AP mines in
Austria since 1945.[8] This
does not include command detonated directional fragmentation (Claymore-type)
mines, which are not banned by the MBT, and which continue to be produced
today.[9]
Command detonated mines (or “charges” as they are now called in
Austria) are considered AP mines under the treaty if used with a tripwire. The
Chamber of Commerce stated early in 1999 that the Austrian Federal Army holds
only command-detonated directional fragmentation
charges.[10] More recently, the
Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs confirmed that stocks of directional
fragmentation AP mines in the Austrian Federal Army have been modified by
closing the inlet for the AP mine fuse to prohibit use in tripwire
mode.[11] Dynamit Nobel Wien
issued the following statement on 9 May 2000:
The Company DNW/DNG produces and distributes for more than 15 years
Directional Fragmentation Charges and Anti Vehicle Charges. Since 1991 over
180,000 charges of this kind have been manufactured and delivered mainly to
European countries. Only minor test quantities have been delivered into other
countries outside Europe. Although the above-mentioned products have not been
banned under the Mine Ban Treaty of Dec. 3rd 1997, DNW/DNG has acknowledged the
worries and the meaning of the treaty and began to modify its products in a way
that they were even succeeding the requirements of the 1997 treaty.
- In future there will be no production, sales or trade with mechanical
firing devices that can be tripwire operated.
- Development of ignition systems that can only be command operated.
- Since 1997 the DFC 19/29 are furnished with one firing well only
(previously two wells) with a fixed built in electrical detonator to prohibit
trip wire operation.
DNG/DNW fully supports the Austrian Government with its obligation to observe
the keeping of the 97 Treaty and provides periodically information on its
activities.[12]
Transfer
The transfer of AP mines is banned in Austria
under the MBT and the preceding national legislation. Any import, export or
transfer of any type of mine is tied to a strict system of licenses under the
War Material Act. The Federal Ministry of the Interior, under whose
jurisdiction this falls, stated initially that there were no requests for
transfer licenses during 1999 and up to April
2000.[13] Dynamit Nobel Wien
indicated that it submitted a request for an export license in July 1999, which
has not been processed.[14] The
Ministry of the Interior has since confirmed that one application was received
in 1999, which has not been
processed.[15] The Chamber of
Commerce states that there is strict control and monitoring of sales of
directional fragmentation mines/charges, including strict checks on end-use; any
such mines exported have been adapted so that they can only be command-detonated
and re-conversion for use with tripwires is ruled
out.[16]
A consignment of directional fragmentation mines/charges was exported to
Norway in 1997.[17] The
official Austrian response is that the license to export these was issued before
1996 and that the mines were not prohibited by the Austrian federal
law.[18] This has been the
subject of parliamentary questions to all relevant Ministers; they stated that
the decision was taken in accordance with the law applicable at the
time.[19] A meeting between the
Legal Division of Austrian Red Cross, the Austrian Federal Army, Ministry of the
Interior, Dynamit Nobel Graz, Irmtraud Karlsson MP and the Chamber of Commerce
(at the latter’s invitation) revealed that directional fragmentation AP
mines had been exported to Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Brazil and the
Netherlands; the export to Norway was in spring 1997; only those AP mines
delivered to Brazil were physically adapted to prevent
tripwire/victim-activation. The representative from the Ministry of the
Interior considered that both tripwire-activated and command-detonated AP mines
were exempted from prohibition under Austrian law; hence the permit for their
export to Norway. This meeting took place on 3 December 1997, the same day that
the MBT opened for signature in
Ottawa.[20]
Official sources state that the dissemination of production and export data
on armaments is protected by Austrian
law[21] (although Dynamit Nobel
Wien has in fact released some such data on the export of directional
fragmentation mines/charges as noted above). The Austrian government has been
asked to reconsider this and provide information in the spirit of transparency
embodied in the MBT, which Austria did so much to bring
about.[22]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that, as a neutral country, Austria is
keen to prevent any violations of the MBT and has denied transit to NATO
countries either across its territory or through its airspace of any transport
containing any weapons, in spite of NATO requests to do so during the 1999
bombing of Yugoslavia.[23]
Stockpile and Destruction
The Austrian government has stated that the
“destruction of all anti-personnel mines belonging to the armed forces has
been completed in
1996.”[24]
Austria’s AP mine stocks included 116,000 US M14 mines, classified in
Austria as Schuetzenminen M14, which were destroyed by the end of
1995.[25]
The current stockpile of mines includes directional fragmentation charges
modified to be MBT-compliant, and antivehicle mines. The quantities, dates and
details of modification of these mines are not included in either of
Austria’s two Article 7 reports. In this respect Austria adheres strictly
to the requirement of the reporting format for Article 7 for details of
“APMs destroyed after entry into force” (Form G). However, as these
directional fragmentation charges previously formed part of the AP mine
stockpile, it would enhance the effectiveness of Article 7 as a transparency
measure if Austria reported information the details of modifications to the
weapons under the section for “supplemental information.”
On the topic of antivehicle mines with antihandling devices that may function
as antipersonnel mines, and therefore be prohibited by the MBT, the Ministry of
Defense stated in May 2000 that it “possesses only such types of anti-tank
mines (including anti-vehicle mines) as are compatible with the content of the
agreement concerning the ban on the deployment, stockpiling, manufacture and
transfer of APMs and their destruction (so-called Ottawa Convention), as well as
other national regulations and international
obligations.”[26]
Other sources list several Austrian antivehicle mines with antihandling
devices of potential concern: the ATM 6, ATM 7, ATM 2000E, PM 83 and Pz MI 85 M,
all because of sensitive fuzing; the AVM, SCRAM 95, SMI 21/11C and SMI 22/7C
because of IR sensors; the Model 67 and Model 75 because of secondary fuze wells
for antihandling devices, and finally the PM 3000, which possibly has a built-in
antihandling device.[27]
The Ministry of Defense states, “The mines of types PM 83 and PzMi 85M,
which may be equipped with tilt rod fuses, are not known here. For this reason
the Ministry of Defense cannot give an opinion on whether they would be
permitted in agreement with the Austrian Republic's international legal
obligations."[28] It does not
mention the other mines of concern.
The ICBL has called upon states parties to report under Article 7 on Claymore
mines and steps taken to insure command detonation only as well as information
on antivehicle mines with antihandling devices that may function as AP
mines.[29]
Mine Action and Victim Assistance
In addition to playing a leading role in the
Ottawa Process, the Austrian government has also viewed mine action and victim
assistance as critical elements of the ban movement. Speaking at the FMSP in
Maputo in May 1999, Dr. Benita
Ferrero-Waldner[30] (who was
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs at the time and has since become Foreign
Minister) said, “In our assessment there is not only a need for increased
funding for mine action, but simultaneously for further improvement in
international co-ordination and co-operation. We support the central
co-ordinating role of the United Nations, in particular through the United
Nations Mine Action Service, and acknowledge the first results of their as well
as our common efforts. However, we view strengthening co-ordination and
co-operation as an on-going endeavour that still offers considerable potential
for refinement.”[31]
The draft Federal Budget for 2000 introduced a specific budget line for
humanitarian mine action and increased the proposed sum for assistance from the
previous annual figure (since 1996) of US$1.25 million (ATS 18 million) to $2
million (ATS 30 million). This was subsequently approved by the government. The
Foreign Ministry is currently reviewing its policy on mine action funding and
victim assistance, to be finalized in August
2000.[32]
In recent years Austria has supported a wide range of mine action programs,
via direct financial assistance and in-kind contributions, including donations
to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations, and
research and development into technologies related to demining. In April 2000,
the Foreign Minister said that in the past “Austria has supported programs
and projects in the countries which are the focus of Austrian Development
Co-operation. These are Mozambique, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Kosovo and Croatia.... The co-operation in the field of mine action with
internationally recognized NGOs such as Handicap International, Mines Advisory
Group or Norwegian People's Aid has proved very helpful in the past. There is
also a need to promote the relevant activities within the framework of the
UN.”[33] Governmental
financial and in-kind contributions to mine action and victim assistance in 1999
and 2000 are in Table 1.
Table 1. Austrian governmental financial and in-kind contributions to
mine action and victim assistance 1999-2000:[34]
Country
Year
Donations in ATS (US$)
Project
Namibia
1998-1999
300,000
Support to NGO demining program (MAG)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1999
($419,171)
Support NGO demining program (NPA) in Sarajevo
Cambodia
1999
($308,166)
Support to NGO demining program in Kompong Thom (MAG)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1999
($99,000)
Support NGO demining program (HI) in Bihac
Cambodia
2000
($267,913)
Support to NGO demining activities (MAG) in Kompong Thom
EU Program
Palestinian Authority
1999
-
EOD-training for 4 Palestinians in Austria
Palestinian Authority
2000
-
Train the trainers program for EOD personnel in West Bank and Gaza.
[35] As part of its general
promotion of the Mine Ban Treaty, the Austrian government provided financial
support to delegations from the Cape Verde islands, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Rwanda
and Uganda,[36] and has
supported the Landmine Monitor with grants of $80,000 in 1999 and again in
2000.[37]
Governmental support to international organizations in recent years for
mine-related activities is summarized in Table 2:
Table 2. Austrian governmental support to international organizations for
mine-related
activities[38]
Organization
Year
Donations in ATS (US$)
Project
ICBL
1999
1,000,000
Support for Landmine Monitor
WEU
1999
400,000
1 Expert Geographical Information System for WEU Mine Survey program in
Croatia (in kind assistance) (EU Mine Action in Croatia)
ICRC
1999
500,000
Mine awareness program in Kosovo
UNHCR
1999
2,500,000
Mine related activities in Kosovo
Slovenian Trust Fund (ITF)
2000
600,000
Mine action programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Research and Development
The Austrian company Schiebel produces a wide
variety of mine detectors and systems. It is currently concentrating on
developing the CAMCOPTER, an unmanned, remote controlled mini-plane to detect
mines from the air. Initially designed to detect antitank mines, it is now
being refined to detect AP mines. Schiebel says it is trying to bring down the
cost of the CAMCOPTER in order to put it within reach of humanitarian
organizations, either by sale or lease, but to do this military involvement is
needed. It considers the EU spending on research and development too little to
get results within a short period of around five years.
Schiebel works closely with other research and development efforts, such as
the EU FP4-ESPIRIT program whose objectives are set out in a March 2000 draft
memoranda.[39] It is also
involved in the “Angel” project, under Spanish management, which is
trying to combine different technologies to create a complete demining system,
and in the “Pice” project, mainly funded by Sweden, which aims to
develop a hand-held device, which combines a metal detector with ground
penetrating radar, to reduce the false alarm rate in mine detection. To date,
the Austrian government has provided no funding for this research and
development, nor has the EU. Most of the testing is done in cooperation with
the United States Army in the USA, the Austrian Army abroad, and elsewhere where
demining is being carried
out.[40]
Non-governmental Organizations
Austrian NGOs, including Austrian Aid for Mine Victims (AAMV), UNICEF,
Care-Austria, the Austrian Red Cross, Caritas-Austria, Dreikonigsaktion, and
Friedensburo, support mine action and victim assistance programs in a number of
countries. AAMV, Caritas, the Austrian Red Cross and ORF (the Austrian
broadcasting company) participated in a national fundraising campaign
“Neighbor in Need” to help mine victims in Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Cambodia.
AAMV has helped to raise funds for MAG projects in Cambodia, Namibia and the
Sudan. In 1999/2000, it funded victim assistance projects in Cambodia; $11,740
was donated to Jesuit Services-Cambodia for income generating projects and
vocational training, with a further $3,000 for wheelchairs etc. AAMV has
received a donation of $69,000 (ATS 1 million) from the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra,[41] which has been
earmarked for humanitarian mine action and victim assistance support in 2000.
The Rotary club in Salzburg-West donated $4,200 (ATS 60,000) to AAMV for mine
action, and Rotary-Klosterneuburg donated $3,500 (ATS 50,000) for mine action in
Kosovo.
The UNICEF-Austria committee produced the German version of the UNICEF film
“The Silent Scream” to be shown in schools in Austria. The Austrian
Committee has also produced a user's guide and a summary of the MBT adapted for
children, with the intention of raising awareness of the problem. The Austrian
Committee fundraised for landmine-related UNICEF programs and contributed
$69,000 (ATS 1 million) to mine awareness programs in Bosnia and Croatia, as
well as $61,000 (ATS 886,250) to mine awareness and rehabilitation programs in
Mozambique.[42]
Care-Austria provided $18,500 (DM 40,000) for a project in 1999 in Gornji
Vakuf, central Bosnia, demining the local water supply pipeline and the bus
station.[43]
The Austrian Red Cross provided victim assistance in the Banja Luka area of
the Bosnian Serb Republic, from March 1998 to April 2000. By the end of 1999,
170 mine victims were aided and fifty-four artificial limbs supplied. The Red
Cross provided the equipment and technology for production of the prostheses,
while the local manufacturers provided materials and labor. The cost per
artificial limb was $700 (DM 1,500).
It also supported rehabilitation programs and income-generating projects for
mine survivors in Bosnia. The funding of this program was divided into two
phases: from March to September 1999, $45,000 (ATS 650,000) was provided by the
1998 Nachbar in Not (Neighbors in Need) fundraising effort in Austria; from
September 1999 to April 2000 the Austrian Red Cross allocated $69,000 (ATS 1
million) to this project.[44]
Between January 1999 and May 2000, Caritas-Austria contributed ATS 5,096,540
(US$352,000) to mine victim assistance projects. In Cambodia, it contributed to
projects involving mine awareness in Pursat province via the Mines Advisory
Group, an income-generating project for women carried out through AAMV, and via
help packs, wells and housing grants through the Jesuit Service-Cambodia. In
Croatia it funded Caritas-Zagreb for the medical and psychological
rehabilitation of mine victims and Caritas-Djakovo for medical rehabilitation
and computer training for mine victims. In Bosnia Caritas-Austria funded the
Jesuit Service-Bosnia for the rehabilitation of elderly mine victims. In Sudan
it co-funded the MAG project for training an OSIL demining team. The Carinthia
branch of Caritas funded prostheses and rehabilitation for three Kosovar boys
with double amputations, and rebuilt their homes and some others in Kosovo. The
Entwicklungshilfe Club contributed $15,000 to victim assistance funding Jesuit
Services-Cambodia projects building bamboo housing, with Misereor as
partner-organization, starting in November 1999.
Dreikonigsaktion and other Catholic organizations were involved in several
mine-related activities during 1999: the ‘Three Kings Action’ run by
the Catholic Church youth movement, the Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam project (together
with the Catholic Women's movement, the Diocesan Committee for the World Church
and the development program of the Diocese Graz-Seckau). In previous years
Dreikoningsaktion supported the South African Campaign to Ban Landmines with
$17,000 (ATS 250,000) and a rehabilitation project for mine victims in Gulu
(Uganda) with $7,000 (ATS
100,000).[45]
[1] Federal Law on the Ban on
Anti-personnel Mines, Bundesgesetzblatt I, no.
13/1997. [2] Interview with Dr. Gerhard
Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col. Hans Hamberger, Section for
Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Verification, Ministry of Defense, Vienna,
20 March 2000. [3] Interview with Dr.
Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col. Hamberger, Ministry of
Defense, Vienna, 20 March 2000. [4]
Interview with Dr. Wernfried Koeffler and Dr. Gerhard Doujak, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Vienna, 19 April
2000. [5] Oral statement of the Austrian
Delegation, Standing Committee of Experts on the General Status and Operation of
the Convention, Geneva, Switzerland, 10-11 January
2000. [6] Budesgesetzblatt III, no.
17/1999. [7] Report of the Permanent
Mission of Austria to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1
December 1999, p. 2. [8] Interview with
Dieter Skalla, Department for Defense Economy, Chamber of Commerce, 2 March
1999; Letter from the Austrian Chamber of Commerce to Austrian Aid for Mine
Victims, 8 December 1997. [9] Eddie
Banks, Antipersonnel Mines: Recognizing and Disarming, (London: Brasseys, 1997),
pp. 45-59; annual volumes of Jane’s Military Vehicles and Logistics;
United States Department of Defense database ((http://www.demining.brtrc.com);
Norwegian People’s Aid database (www.angola.npaid.org/minelist); both
accessed 25 May 2000. These sources indicate Austria produced up to fifteen
types of directional fragmentation mines, one of which has been found in
Angola. [10] Telephone interview with
Dieter Skalla, Chamber of Commerce, 2 March
1999. [11] Interview with Dr. Doujak,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col. Hamberger, Ministry of Defense,
Vienna, 20 March 2000, and subsequent telephone interviews and emails,
March-April 2000. [12] Letter from H
Richter, Managing Director, Dynamit Nobel Wien, to Austrian Aid for Mine
Victims, 8 May 2000. [13] Interview with
Dr. Schnabl, Ministry of the Interior, Vienna, 30 March
2000. [14] Interview with Herr Richter,
Director of Dynamit Nobel Wien, Vienna, 8 May
2000. [15] Telephone message from Dr.
Schnabl, Ministry of the Interior, 22 May
2000. [16] Interview with Dr. Lohberger,
Chamber of Commerce, Vienna, 28 March 2000; Dr. Lohberger was formerly an
executive at Dynamit Nobel Graz). [17]
Nils-Inge Kruhag, “Norges store minebloff,” Dagbladet (Norwegian
daily newspaper), 28 August 1997. [18]
Interviews with Dr. Koeffler and Dr. Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Vienna, 19 April 2000, and with Dr. Schnabl, Ministry of the Interior, Vienna,
30 March 2000; Nils-Inge Kruhag, “Norges store minebloff,” 28 August
1997. [19] Interview with Dr. Doujak,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vienna, 4 May
2000. [20] Alexander Lang, Report 18
December 1997 of meeting, Felixdorf, 3 December
1997. [21] Interview with Dr. Alfred
Schnabl, Head of Department II/13 (War Materials), Ministry of the Interior,
Vienna, 30 March 2000; Interview with Dr. Rudolph Lohberger, Chamber of
Commerce, Vienna, 28 March 2000. [22]
Interview with Dr. Koeffler and Dr. Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vienna,
19 April 2000. [23]
Ibid. [24] MBT, Article 7 report,
submitted on 29 July 1999, covering 1 March 1999-30 April
1999. [25] Telephone interview with Lt.
Col. Hamberger, Ministry of Defense, 4 March 1999 and with Alexander Lang, Legal
Division, Austrian Red Cross, 8 June 2000; Alexander Lang, “Report of
meeting between the Austrian Red Cross, Federal Army, Dynamit Nobel Graz,
Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of the Interior, and Irmtraud Karlsson MP,
Felixdorf, 3 December 1997,” 18 December
1997. [26] Letter from Lt. Col.
Hamberger, Ministry of Defense, 9 May
2000. [27] Mark Hiznay and Stephen
Goose, Human Rights Watch Fact Sheet, “Antivehicle Mines with Antihandling
Devices,” Prepared for the SCE on General Status of the Convention,
Geneva, 10-11 January 2000, p. 4. [28]
Letter from Lt. Col. Hamberger, Ministry of Defense, 9 May
2000. [29] ICBL letter to Foreign
Minister, 20 December 1999, in preparation for the January 2000 SCE on General
Status and Operation of the Treaty. [30]
Interview with Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner, Vienna, 28 March 2000. Foreign
Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, whose Ministry is in charge of the funding of
these projects, is herself the daughter of a landmine victim. She has given
personal assurances that the government remains committed to outlawing AP mines
worldwide. [31] Speech by Dr. Benita
Ferrero-Waldner to the First Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty,
Maputo, Mozambique, 3 May 1999. [32]
Interview with Dr. Koeffler and Dr. Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vienna,
19 April 2000. [33] Answer to a
Parliamentary Question by Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner, 12 April
2000. [34] Email from Dr. Doujak,
Foreign Ministry, 24 May 2000; abbreviations: MAG – Mines Advisory Group,
NPA – Norwegian People’s Aid, HI – Handicap
International. [35] Interview with Dr.
Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col. Hamberger, Ministry of
Defense, Vienna, 20 March 2000. [36]
Email from Dr. Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 17 February
2000. [37] Interview with Dr. Gerhard
Doujak, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Lt. Col. Hans Hamberger, Ministry of
Defense, Vienna, 20 March 2000, and telephone interview with Dr. Doujak, 26
April 2000. [38] Email from Dr. Doujak,
Foreign Ministry, 24 May 2000; abbreviations:UNDP – United Nations
Development Program, UNICEF – UN International Children’s Emergency
Fund, UNOCHA – UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Action, ICBL
– International Campaign to Ban Landmines, WEU – Western Economic
Union, ICRC – International Committee of the Red Cross, UNHCR – UN
High Commissioner for Refugees, ITF – International Trust Fund, EOD
– Explosive Ordnance Disposal, UNMAS – UN Mine Action
Service. [39] European Commission,
Humanitarian Demining Technologies: R&D and Support Projects, Draft Document
on EU Mine Action, ref DG INFSO B4, March
2000. [40] Interview with Dr.
Schrottmayer and Leopold Skalsky, Schiebel, 20 March
2000. [41] This donation was pledged on
stage at the Musikverein on 30 December 1999, after the New Year’s
Concert, which is traditionally reserved for the Austrian Federal
Army. [42] Letter from Sylia Trsek,
UNICEF-Austria, 23 March 2000. [43]
Letter from Astrid Wein, Program Coordinator, Care-Austria, 29 February
2000. [44] Letter from the Press
Department, Austrian Red Cross, 4 February
2000. [45] Letter from Johannes Trimmel,
Project Leader, Dreikonigsaktion, 9 February 2000.
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