Key developments
since March 1999: Officials have acknowledged that Mongolia maintains a
stockpile of antipersonnel mines. Officials have also stated that no
antipersonnel mines have been deployed by Mongolian forces.
Background
Mongolia is a landlocked country located between
Russia and China, traditionally aligned with and dependent on the former Soviet
Union. The USSR withdrew it troops stationed in Mongolia, as well as its
technical and financial assistance, between 1989 and 1992. Since then, the
foreign and defense policy of Mongolia has profoundly changed:
“Maintaining friendly relations with the Russian Federation and the
People’s Republic of China shall be a priority of Mongolia’s foreign
policy activity. It shall not adopt the line of either country but shall
maintain in principle a balanced relationship with both of them and shall
promote all-round good neighborly
co-operation.”[1]
Mine Ban Policy
Mongolia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty.
In his statement to the UN General Assembly on 5 November 1999, Prime Minister
Rinchnnyamyn Amarjargal stated that the government of Mongolia
“fully shares the aspirations to ban anti-personnel landmines and
welcomes the entry into force of the Ottawa
Convention.”[2] The
Ministry of External Relations has said that Mongolia “remains committed
to the ultimate goal of banning anti-personnel landmines as a most injurious and
indiscriminate type of weapons. However, due to national security considerations
Mongolia, at this stage, is not in a position to sign the Landmine Ban
Convention and accede to the Amended Protocol II to the CCW [Convention on
Conventional Weapons]. The length of Mongolia’s border (8,158 km), the
size of its population (2.3 million) and the financial constraints it is now
facing made it choose a phased approach towards the landmine
ban.”[3]
In a letter to Landmine Monitor researchers dated 21 April 2000, Minister of
External Relations Ms. Nyamosor Tuya said, “Mongolia stands for the
prohibition of anti-personnel mines – a most indiscriminate and inhumane
type of weapon – and supports the international community’s efforts
and initiatives being undertaken in this respect.... At this stage Mongolia,
however, has adopted a phased approach towards the prohibition of anti-personnel
landmines. As we have a vast territory, long borders and scarce population,
joining the 1997 Ottawa Convention on banning anti-personnel landmines at
present without obtaining other means of protection, would directly affect our
national security interests. Nevertheless, being supportive of the noble
objective of banning landmines, we are seeking ways and means to accede as early
as possible to the above
convention.”[4]
Mongolia was one of just eighteen countries that abstained in the vote on the
1997 UN General Assembly resolution supporting the Mine Ban Treaty, but voted in
favor of the pro-Mine Ban Treaty UNGA resolutions in 1998 and December
1999.[5]
Mongolia did not send a representative as an observer to the First Meeting of
States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in Mozambique in May 1999. Mongolia has
not participated in any of the ban treaty Intersessional Standing Committee of
Experts meetings in Geneva, though many non-signatories have done so.
In meetings with Landmine Monitor researchers, representatives of the
Ministry of External Relations stated that they had reviewed the Mongolia
country report in Landmine Monitor Report 1999, and believed that the
commitment of Mongolia to an eventual total ban on landmines was not
sufficiently emphasized.[6]
Mongolia is a state party to the original Protocol II on landmines of the
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW); however, it has not yet ratified the
1996 Amended Protocol II. Mongolia participated as an observer in the First
Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in Geneva in December
1999. The Mongolian representative at that conference told the ICBL that
Mongolia was actively looking at ratification of the amended
protocol.[7] However, an
official in the Ministry of External Relations subsequently said that no major
change regarding accession to Amended Protocol II should be expected, at least
in the very short term.[8]
Mongolia is a member of the Conference on Disarmament, but its position on
negotiating a ban on antipersonnel mine transfers in that forum is not
known.
Production and Transfer
Officials from both government and military
institutions state that Mongolia has never produced or exported
landmines.[9] One Mongolian
diplomat has said that Mongolia imported most of its antipersonnel mines in the
1960s and 1970s from the USSR; he asserted that Mongolia has not imported any
antipersonnel mines in at least ten
years.[10]
Stockpiling
The Landmine Monitor Report 1999 stated
that it was unknown if Mongolia had a stockpile of antipersonnel
mines.[11] Mongolian military
and diplomatic officials have now confirmed the existence of an antipersonnel
mine stockpile, though the government has not revealed the number or types of
mines.[12] Indeed, there seem
to be contradictory indications regarding the size and purpose of the AP mine
stockpile. Several officials have said that Mongolia possesses antipersonnel
mines only for training
purposes.[13] This would appear
to be at odds with the Mongolian position as expressed in various official
statements stressing the need for antipersonnel mines for national security
considerations and border
defense.[14]
The retention of mines for training only would imply a very small stockpile,
while an operational stockpile for protection of borders would imply a very
large stockpile for Mongolia. Possession of stockpiles of mines for training
has sometimes been incorrectly understood by Mongolian officials as an
impediment to the accession to the Mine Ban
Treaty.[15]
It is also known that Soviet troops stockpiled landmines at their Army bases
on Mongolian territory.[16]
Use
Mongolian officials maintain that Mongolian armed
forces have not used antipersonnel mines in the past. They state that all mines
have been and are kept in stockpiles, and that none have been deployed on the
border areas.[17] One official
noted that with more than 80% of the land used for pasture by nomads, Mongolia
has considered the risk of casualties too
great.[18]
Landmine/UXO Problem
Both civil and military institutions insist that
there is not a landmine problem in the country. The Ministry of Defense said
that it has no data on damage or casualties caused by
landmines.[19] Independent
officials, including NGO and UN agency representatives, were unable to recall
any reports that would have indicated an antipersonnel mine-related
problem.[20]
There have been some reports of problems arising from alleged Japanese use of
mines in Mongolia during World War II, and alleged Soviet use in the early 1970s
to deter Chinese invasion, but these have not been
confirmed.[21]
Officials acknowledge that there is a problem with unexploded ordnance (UXO)
left in and around former Soviet military
bases.[22] A 1996 study and
documentary prepared by the Ministries of Defense and Environment concluded that
there are no confirmed minefields in Mongolia, including along its borders, but
there are unexploded ordnance and landmines at abandoned Soviet
bases.[23] The documentary,
intended to assess damage caused to the environment in areas around former
Soviet Army bases, clearly shows the presence of unexploded ordnance and other
debris lying everywhere on the sites. It also shows rows of landmines that were
abandoned, especially TM 57 antitank
mines.[24]
A Mongolian defense official told Landmine Monitor
that in the early 1990s a Soviet team carried out a mission to ensure that all
former Soviet military sites had been adequately
cleared.[25] He also said that
in the winter of 1998 NATO representatives visited some sites and concluded that
there was not a landmine problem in
Mongolia.[26] However, the U.S.
Embassy told Landmine Monitor that it was unaware of any such NATO
mission.[27]
In May 1999 a team of experts from the United States traveled to Mongolia to
conclude an agreement to undertake a survey of areas suspected to be
contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance left by Soviets troops. The
team left Mongolia, however, just days after arriving, apparently as the result
of a misunderstanding between Mongolian civil and military authorities. It
appears that the U.S. team arrived without a specific mandate to conclude an
agreement on clearing unexploded devices in the absence of an acknowledged
landmine problem. Thus, no agreement was concluded and no survey was carried
out. There is no documentation filed in the U.S. Embassy on the results of this
mission nor is a particular follow-up
envisaged.[28]
There are no ongoing efforts to clear the areas affected by UXO. There are
no programs, governmental or non-governmental, to enhance awareness of the UXO
problem.
Unexploded ordnance has caused injuries, including three civilians in
1998.[29] There is no procedure
for reporting casualties caused by UXO. An official stated that casualties are
not systematically reported and registered by the engineering department of the
Ministry of Defense.[30]
[1] Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the
United Nations, Concept of Mongolia’s Foreign Policy, 1994.
www.undp.org/missions/mongolia/fpguide.htm. [2]
Mongolian Prime Minister Amarjargal, Statement to the Fifty-Fourth Session of
the UN General Assembly, New York, 5 November
1999. [3] Fax communication from Mr. D.
Zorigt, Deputy Director, Department of Policy Planning and Co-ordination,
Ministry of External Relations, to Landmine Monitor, 28 October
1999. [4] Letter to Landmine Monitor
researcher from External Relations Minister, Ms. N. Tuya, 21 April
2000. [5] Mongolian officials have
stated that the December 1999 UNGA vote does not indicate any change in their
position regarding accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. Interview with Mr. R.
Mounkhou, Officer, International Organization Department, Ministry of External
Relations, Ulaanbaatar, 13 March 2000. Also, Letter to Landmine Monitor
Researcher from Ms. N. Tuya, External Relations Minister, 21 April
2000. [6] Interview with Mr. D. Zorigt,
Deputy Director, Department of Policy Planning and Co-ordination, Ministry of
External Relations, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 28 October 1999; interview with Mr.
R. Mounkhou, Officer, International Organization Department, Ministry of
External Relations, 13 March 2000. [7]
ICBL meeting with Mr. G. Jargalsaikhan, First Secretary to the Permanent Mission
of Mongolia in Geneva, 17 December 1999. Notes taken by Stephen Goose, Human
Rights Watch. [8] Telephone interview
with Mr. R. Mounhkou, Ministry of External Relations, 24 April
2000. [9] Interview with
Lieutenant-Colonel Bayar Batzorig, Chief, Foreign Relations Department, Ministry
of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 9 November 1999; telephone interview with Ms. S. Oyun,
Member of Parliament, 17 April 2000. She said that budget documents submitted to
Parliament have never mentioned
“landmines.” [10] ICBL
meeting with Mr. G. Jargalsaikhan, Mission of Mongolia in Geneva, 17 December
1999. [11] Landmine Monitor Report 1999,
p. 491. [12] ICBL meeting with Mr. G.
Jargalsaikhan, Mission of Mongolia in Geneva, 17 December 1999. Interviews with
Lieutenant-Colonel Batzorig, Ministry of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 9 November 1999;
with R. Mounkhou, Ministry of External Relations, Ulaanbaatar, 13 March 2000;
with Mr. Sanduijav, Advisor, Ministry of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 24 March
2000. [13] Interviews with
Lieutenant-Colonel Batzorig, Ministry of Defense, 9 November 1999; With R.
Mounkhou, Ministry of External Relations, 13 March 2000; with Mr. Sanduijav,
Ministry of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 24 March
2000. [14] See, for example, the Prime
Minister’s statement to the UN, 5 November 1999, at footnote 2. Also, the
need for mines for border defense was stated by Mr. G. Jargalsaikhan, Mission of
Mongolia in Geneva, in meeting with ICBL, 17 December
1999. [15] Interview with Mr. Sanduijav,
Ministry of Defense, 24 March 2000. He stressed the need for Mongolian Armed
Forces to keep mines for such a purpose. The Mine Ban Treaty (Article 3)
permits retention of AP mines for demining training and research
purposes. [16] “The Earth
Wound,” documentary commissioned by the Ministry of Environment in 1996,
shows Soviet landmines at former Soviet Army bases in Mongolia. Interviews with
Mr. Ts. B. Adyasuren, Counselor, Ministry of Environment, Ulaanbaatar, 3 March
2000, and Mr. Shagrdarsuren, journalist, Ulaanbaatar, 6 March 2000. Both
participated in the documentary research
survey. [17] ICBL meeting with Mr. G.
Jargalsaikhan, Mission of Mongolia in Geneva, 17 December
1999. [18] Interview with Mr. Sanduijav,
Advisor, Ministry of Defense, 24 March
2000. [19] Letter to Landmine Monitor
researcher from General Ts. Dashzeveg, Headquarters of Mongolian Armed Forces,
14 April 2000. [20] Interviews with Ms.
S. Enkhtuya, Program Associate, United Nations Development Program, Ulaanbaatar,
19 November 1999; Ms. Gabriela De Vita, UNICEF, Ulaanbaatar, 6 November 1999;
Ms. Lynn W. Roche, Second Secretary, Embassy of the United States of America,
Ulaanbaatar, 10 November 1999; Marc Laporte, Save the Children – UK,
Ulaanbaatar, 11 November 1999; Mr. Chris Johnstone, Canadian Honorary Consul to
Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 11 November 1999; Mr. D. Tumurtogoo, Academician, Rector
of the Mongolian State Pedagogical University, Ulaanbaatar, 21 February
2000. [21] U.S. Department of State,
Hidden Killers, December 1994, p. 19, said, “A slight problem with
landmines in Mongolia exists in the east and north-eastern areas of the country.
These regions were heavily mined by the Japanese during World War II, and many
of the mines remain active.... There are occasional human fatalities.”
Yet, the follow-up report, Hidden Killers, September 1998, p. A-2, listed
Mongolia as not mine-affected. Lt. Col. Batzorig told Landmine Monitor that the
Soviet Army placed antitank mines on the border with China, and removed them
when it withdrew from Mongolia in 1992. Interview with Lieutenant-Colonel
Batzorig, Ministry of Defense, 9 November
1999. [22] From July 1966 to December
1992, the Soviet Army had bases covering 414,000 square hectares of land in 15
provinces and in 4 districts of Ulaanbaatar. Map of Soviet installations in
Mongolia, obtained by Landmine
Monitor. [23] “The Earth
Wound,” documentary commissioned by the Ministry of Environment in 1996.
Interviews with Mr. Ts. B. Adyasuren, Counselor, Ministry of Environment, 3
March 2000, and Mr. Shagrdarsuren, journalist, 6 March 2000. Both participated
in the documentary research survey which was carried out in Baganuur, Choir,
Mandalgov and various parts of Dornod
province. [24] It is not known if these
mines are still active. [25] Interview
with Mr. Sanduijav, Ministry of Defense, 24 March
2000. [26]
Ibid. [27] Letter from Mr. Mark W.
Willis, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United States, Ulaanbaatar, 14
April 2000. [28] Interview with Mark W.
Willis, Deputy Chief of Mission and Lynn W. Roche, Second Secretary, Embassy of
the United States, Ulaanbaatar, 10 November
1999. [29] Interview with
Lieutenant-Colonel Batzorig, Ministry of Defense, 9 November 1999. US
Department of State, Hidden Killers, December 1994, p. 19, said, “There
are occasional human fatalities” from landmines laid by Japan in World War
II in the east and north-eastern areas of the country. The report also stated,
“In the area where these incidents occur, few adequate medical facilities
are available.” [30] Interview
with Mr. Sanduijav, Ministry of Defense, 24 March 2000.
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