Key developments
since March 1999: The Mine Ban Treaty entered into force for Slovenia on 1
April 1999. The Slovenian International Trust Fund raised $24.3 million dollars
in 1998-1999, which has supported the demining of 3.15 million square meters of
mine-affected land in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ITF had also supported the
treatment of 172 mine victims in Slovenia in 1999-2000 and another fifty victims
in Bosnia. Slovenia began stockpile destruction in April 1999 and had
destroyed 8,104 mines by 30 September 1999.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of Slovenia signed the Mine Ban
Treaty (MBT) on 3 December 1997 and deposited its instrument of ratification at
the United Nations on 27 October 1998. The treaty entered into force for
Slovenia on 1 April 1999. Slovenia has not enacted domestic implementation
legislation.
Foreign Minister Dr. Boris Frlec headed Slovenia’s delegation to the
First Meeting of States Parties to the MBT in May 1999, where he said,
“There are also some cases in which the Ottawa Convention has not been
fully respected and abided by. There should be a strong message from our First
Meeting that State Parties should fully comply with all relevant provision of
the Convention. We are also deeply concerned by the fact that we are witnessing
the practice of planting new mine fields in some crises areas by certain
countries, which are thus endangering the existing peace efforts and aggravating
the overall humanitarian
situation.”[1]
Slovenia participated in the intersessional work of the MBT, attending one
each of the meetings of the Standing Committees of Experts on Mine Clearance,
Stockpile Destruction and Technology and both meetings of the SCE on General
Status and Operation of the Convention. It submitted its initial Article 7
report on 7 September 1999, covering the period 1 April to 30 September
1999.[2]
Slovenia participated in the second regional conference on landmines in
Zagreb, Croatia, in June 1999. It hosted the third regional conference in
Ljubljana on 21-22 June 2000. Foreign Minister Peterle, who opened the
conference, made the recommendation that the Slovenian International Trust Fund
(ITF, discussed below) “acquire the status of an agency for demining in
southeastern Europe within the framework of the Stability
Pact.”[3]
Slovenia has been active in promoting the universalization of the MBT, via
organizations such as the UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe.[4] In December 1999 it
voted for UN General Assembly Resolution 54/54B calling for universalization and
full implementation of the MBT, as it had with previous pro-ban UNGA
resolutions.
Slovenia is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but has
not yet ratified Amended Protocol II. In December 1999 Slovenia took part as an
observer in the First Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II, and
at the landmine conference in Ljubljana in June 2000 a representative of the
Foreign Ministry stated that Slovenia “is preparing to ratify the Protocol
II....”[5]
Slovenia supports efforts to deal with the issue of landmines in the
Conference on Disarmament, which it believes “should serve as an
instrument for furthering of political momentum of the international community
which could contribute in a great deal towards the universalisation of the
Convention.”[6]
Production, Transfer and Use
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that the
country has never manufactured AP mines, including Claymore-type
mines.[7] Slovenia has no AP
mine production facilities but does manufacture components for practice mines
intended exclusively for non-combatant educational and training purposes; the
number and nature of these components is not
known.[8] It does not take part
in the research, development or production of alternatives to AP mines. The
country has never exported or imported AP mines. Its mines were inherited from
the stockpiles of the former Yugoslav People’s
Army.[9]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows of no data indicating recent usage of
AP mines in Slovenia.[10]
Stockpiling and Destruction
On 1 December 1998, not long after the
ratification of the MBT, the Defense Minister reported on an implementation plan
for the destruction of antipersonnel mines, and the Slovenian Army Chief of
Staff issued the order for destruction of its AP mine stocks to the Slovenian
Army on 14 April 1999.[11]
At the FMSP in May 1999, Foreign Minister Frlec said, “[W]e consider
the destruction of stockpiled mines to be an important aspect of the
implementation of the Convention. Destruction of mines is in our view in
particular an act of improved confidence among neighboring
states...”[12]
From April 1999 through September 1999, Slovenia destroyed 8,104 of its
initial stockpile of 171,898 antipersonnel mines. The total mines stockpiled,
those destroyed and the quantity retained for training purposes permitted by the
MBT are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Quantities of mines stockpiled, retained, destroyed and to be
destroyed,
[14] Methods used are
disassembling, explosion and incineration, carried out by the Slovenian Army in
compliance with its safety standards (SSNO 1976 and 1980) and in accordance with
“Slovenian law about environment
protection.”[15] To date,
Slovenia has received no assistance from other countries in destroying its AP
mine stockpile.[16]
The 7,000 mines retained are to be used for training deminers in Slovenia
and, through ITF, in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declares
that there are no mine stockpiles on Slovenian territory that belong to other
countries, and no non-state groups possess stocks of AP
mines.[17]
Mine Action Funding
The Slovenian government has felt that a regional
approach would be the most effective means of mine action and allocated US$ 1.3
million to establish the International Trust Fund (ITF), in March
1998.[18] The Foreign Minister
said at the time that the government has “followed a regional approach and
decided to assist the most mine affected country in the region of South Europe:
Bosnia and Herzegovina.... We are glad to note that there is a growing support
for the Trust Fund.... The key to the success of our endeavors is also the
partnership co-operation that has been established with the mine afflicted
country – with BH. Success in BH will enable the Trust Fund to act
regionwide, thus assuming the role of a regional
project.”[19]
The ITF has an implementation office in Sarajevo, which coordinates
activities on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and prepares
monthly reports on demining
activities.[20] The selection
of demining projects depends on both entities (Republika Srpska and the BH
Federation) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The grantors themselves make decisions
on the allotment of funds. If grantors are unwilling to do so, the ITF Director
designs a costing plan in compliance with priorities obtained from the local
structures and makes it available to the Advisory Board for
adoption.[21]
In June 1999, at the Zagreb Regional Conference, the Slovenian delegation was
headed by Roman Kirin, State Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and President of the Managing Board of the
ITF,[22] who announced the
expansion of the ITF to assist with mine action in the Republic of Croatia and
in Kosovo. An agreement was reached with the Croatian Mine Action Center
(CROMAC) on a Croatian donation to the ITF of $1 million, that would be doubled
with matching funds from the United
States.[23]
In the course of 1998 and 1999, ITF obtained grants from twenty-one
countries, three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and seven companies, as
shown in Table 2 below.
Table 2. Donations to the International Trust Fund
1998-1999[24]
Grantor
Amount (US$)
Date
Daewoo
29,805
5 January 1999
Rehabilitation Institute of Slovenia
39,541
November 1998
Qatar
199,980
23 March 1999
Liechtenstein
13,628
16 March 1999
Switzerland
862,527
12 April, 7 December 1999
Kuwait
250,000
23 April 1999
Republic of Slovenia
1,662,335
28 December 1998; 4 April, 7 July, 7 December, 9 December 1999
Norway
2,599,635
3 May, 19 July 1999
Canada
746,758
19 May 1999
Rotary Club Ljubljana
5,235
29 July 1999
Red Cross of Slovenia
59,711
9 Aug and 21 Oct 1999
Germany
1,645,463
12 December 1998; 3 September, 8 November, 9 November, 6 December
1999
Great Britain
833,000
19 October 1999
Czech Republic
107,000
28 December 1998, 19 Oct 1999
Hungary
3,000
25 October 1999
Bosnia and Herzegovina
555,555
26 October 1999
Japan
1,000,000
27 October 1999
Acord 92
4,543
16 November 1999
Republic of Croatia
1,000,000
16 November 1999
SPEM
50,102
17 November 1999
Luxembourg
51,586
26 November 1999
Mrs. Lynn Montgomery
42,554
6 December 1999
CARE International
97,557
6 December 1999
Republic of Ireland
64,000
7 December 1999
Siemens
10,737
8 December 1999
Otto Bock
7,894
8 December 1999
Denmark
100,000
9 December 1999
France
93,600
9 December 1999
Adria Airways
31,718
8 December 1999
Subtotal 1998 and 1999
12,167,573
United States of America
(matching funding)
12,167,573
TOTAL
24,335,146
In February 2000 Sweden decided to contribute US$300,000 to the ITF; half is
earmarked for national capacity building and half for demining projects in BiH
primarily to facilitate the return of the
displaced.[25]
Over a two-year period the U.S. donated $28 million, with a requirement for
matching funds; this means that for every dollar of U.S. funds spent by the ITF
it has to raise an equal amount in matching donations. The Trust Administrative
Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the United States on U.S.
matching donations was signed on 4 November
1998.[26]
The ITF reports that in 1999 it supported the demining of 3,156,003 square
meters, which is approximately two-thirds of the mine-affected area in Bosnia
and Herzegovina. In these operations, 1,001 mines and 815 UXO were found. 80%
of the demining operations were carried out by commercial companies and 20% by
NGOs (for details on mine clearance, see report on Bosnia and
Herzegovina).[27]
Research and Development
A new R&D project involving nuclear quadropole resonance technology for
mine detection was launched in 1999, undertaken by an international consortium
of academic institutions, which have applied to the European Union and Stability
Pact for financial support of the
project.[28] The project
anticipates field testing of NQR devices in the mine-polluted areas of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, but is in the preparatory stage at present.[29]
Landmine Problem
Slovenia’s Article 7 report in September
1999 stated that there are no areas in Slovenia “that contain
anti-personnel mines.”[30]
The ITF Bulletin stated: “There are no mine-polluted areas in Slovenia,
nor are there areas suspected to be mine-polluted. The mines laid by the
Yugoslav People’s Army and many UXOs [unexploded ordnance] left behind
after the brief War of Independence in 1991, were removed in 1992....Over 18
different battle locations, covering the area of 1,500 hectares were thoroughly
surveyed. They found 600 AP
mines.”[31] However, the
same issue of the ITF Bulletin stated, “In the areas where the fighting
had taken place, unexploded grenades, mines, bombs and other explosive devices
remained, and they still occasionally inflict accidental death or physical
disablement on children, construction workers or
collectors”.[32] It has
not been possible to get further information of the extent of the mine/UXO
problem remaining in Slovenia today.
Mine Victim Assistance
In addition to removing landmines from affected
areas, one of the main tasks of the ITF is rehabilitation of landmine victims.
In talking about the ITF, Dr. Jadranko Prlic, Foreign Minister of BH, said,
“The provision of the Memorandum of Understanding [for the IFF], by which
at least 50 % of the Program of mine victim rehabilitation will be carried out
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is also significant. The competent authorities in
Bosnia and Herzegovina will take part in the selection of the patients - mine
victims, as well as in providing special trainings for physicians, engineers and
technicians and in designing educational program for mine victim
rehabilitation.”[33]
Through special programs and therapies, mine victims are assisted in their
reintegration into society. In order to provide rehabilitation, the Center for
Rehabilitation of Mine Victims has been set up within the Slovenian Institute
for Rehabilitation (founded in 1954 in Ljubljana) and provides medical
rehabilitation, prosthetics, orthopedics and speech rehabilitation. The
Institute overall has 450 employees and treats about 10,000 patients a year,
treating a wide array of problems, including: amputations, spinal and head
injuries, bruises, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders and cerebral
paralysis.[34]
The Rehabilitation Center began operation in May 1998, and its program has
two components: the rehabilitation of twenty patients per month who come from
the BH Federation and Republika Srpska, and training for physicians and
technicians from both entities so they can carry out rehabilitation programs
independently. The rehabilitation procedure itself involves cooperation between
the Center and the two political entities, as the programs are also carried out
in medical institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first patients from
Republika Srpska joined the rehabilitation program on 3 November 1998. By the
end of May 1999, the Center for Rehabilitation of Mine Victims treated
ninety-three patients.[35]
Two NGOs took part in the program, Landmine Survivors Network and the
International Rescue
Committee.[36] In addition to
therapy, once a week patients participate in seated volleyball matches and
swimming, as well as other activities during their stay. The staff of the
Center have permanent close contact with the Ministries of Health of the BH
Federation and Republika Srpska. As a result, three orthopedic technicians and
one therapist from Republika Srpska went through training at the Center from 24
January to 30 April 1999.[37]
The Boston-based Center for International Rehabilitation has applied for funding
to provide computer-based distance-learning on prosthetics and orthotics to
Slovenia’s Institute for
Rehabilitation.[38]
By the end of February 2000 a total of 205 mine victims had been treated in
Slovenia altogether (33 in 1998, 151 in 1999, and 21 in 2000 by the end of
February), and another 50 were treated in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.[39]
[1] Speech of Dr. Boris Frlec, Minister of
Foreign Affairs, at the First Meeting of States Parties (FMSP), Maputo,
Mozambique, 3-7 May 1999. [2] Mine Ban
Treaty Article 7 Report, submitted 7 September 2000, covering 1 April 1999-30
September 1999. [3] Researcher notes
from “Ljubljana Regional Conference on Landmines,” Ljubljana,
Slovenia, 21-22 June 2000. [4] Letter
from Janez Lenarcic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ljubljana, 13 January
2000. [5] Researcher notes,
“Ljubljana Regional Conference on Landmines,” 21-22 June 2000.
However, in May 2000 an official said the government does not regard
ratification to be a high priority since the MBT covers the same area of
prohibition. Letter from Primoz Seligo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ljubljana,
5 May 2000. [6] Letter from Janez
Lenarcic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 January 2000; Report of the Permanent
Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), 15 February 1999, p.
3. [7] Ibid.; Report to the OSCE, 15
February 1999, p. 3. [8] Article 7
Report, Form E, 7 September 1999; Letter from Janez Lenarcic, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, 13 January 2000. [9]
Letter from Primoz Seligo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4 May
2000. [10] Letter from Janez Lenarcic,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 January
2000. [11]
Ibid. [12] Statement of Dr. Frlec, FMSP,
Maputo, Mozambique, 3-7 May 1999. [13]
Article 7 Report, Form B, 7 September
1999. [14] Researcher notes,
“Ljubljana Regional Conference on Landmines,” 21-22 June
2000. [15] Article 7 Report, Form F, 7
September 1999. [16] Letter from Janez
Lenarcic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 January
2000. [17] Letter from Primoz Seligo,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4 May
2000. [18] ITF Bulletin, April 1999, p.
1. The full name of the ITF is the “International Trust Fund of the
Republic of Slovenia for Demining, Mine Clearance and Assistance to Mine Victims
in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” [19]
Speech by Dr. Frlec, FMSP, Maputo, Mozambique, 3-7 May
1999. [20] ITF Bulletin, July 1999,
p.2. [21] Interview with Jernej
Cimpersek, Director of ITF, Zagreb, 17 January
2000. [22] The ITF Managing Board is
made up of four representatives from Slovenia and three from BH, and meets three
to four times per year; its president is from the Foreign Ministry. The most
important body is the Advisory Board, represented by all grantors and headed by
the U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia. ITF operates in Bosnia and Herzegovina in
accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Republics of
Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was signed on 11 December
1998. [23] Letter from Primoz Seligo,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 March
2000. [24] A Survey of Grants to ITF in
1998 and 1999, ITF Office, Ljubljana, 10 February
2000. [25] Memorandum of Understanding
between Republic of Slovenia (ITF) and Kingdom of Sweden (SIDA), 10 February
2000. [26] ITF Bulletin, April 1999, p.
3. [27] Letter from Eva Veble, Deputy
Director for International Affairs, ITF, Ljubljana, 20 March
2000. [28] The consortium is made up of
the following institutions: Jozef Stefan Institute (Ljubljana), King’s
College (London), Rudjer Boskovic Institute (Zagreb), Faculty of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science (Zagreb), Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical
Technology (Ljubljana) and Quantum Magnetics company
(U.S.). [29] Letter from Janez Lenarcic,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 13 January
2000. [30] Article 7 Report, Form C, 7
September 1999. [31] ITF Bulletin, July
1999, p. 4. [32] Ibid; see also:
“Slovenia,” Journal of Mine Action, 1, 4.1 (Spring issue) 2000, p.
82; Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 31 and 647, which described Slovenia as a
mine-affected country, drawing on the UN Demining Database for this
information. [33] See ITF website
www.sigov.si/itffund. [34] ITF Bulletin,
July 1999, p. 7. [35]
Ibid [36] Letter from Eva Veble, ITF,
Ljubljana, 20 March 2000. [37] ITF
Bulletin, July 1999, p. 7. [38] See
http://www.worldrehab.org/partners/slovenia.htm. [39]
Letter from Eva Veble, ITF, Ljubljana, 20 March 2000.
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