Key
developments since May 2001: On 4 April 2002, Albania completed the
destruction of its stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines. No mines are
being retained for training or development purposes. Albania has identified a
total of 85 contaminated areas, totaling 14 million square meters of land. Lack
of funding has hampered clearance efforts. During 2001, a total of 302,000
square meters of land was cleared, including 744 antipersonnel mines. There
were nine new mine and UXO casualties in 2001, a significant reduction from the
previous year. Albania submitted its initial Article 7 Report in April
2002.
MINE BAN POLICY
The Republic of Albania signed the Mine Ban Treaty
on 8 September 1998 and ratified it on 29 February 2000, becoming a State Party
on 1 August 2000. Law 8547 of 11 November 1999 gave legal force in Albania to
its general obligations under the treaty, but does not include the penal
sanctions required by Mine Ban Treaty Article 9. Additional legislation said to
be in preparation in early 2000 remains
uncompleted.[1]Albania attended the
Third Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2001 in
Managua, Nicaragua. It also participated in the intersessional Standing
Committee meetings in January and May
2002.[2] In January, a progress
report on the stockpile destruction project was given and in May, the delegation
reported on the successful completion on 4 April 2002 of stockpile destruction
and also presented details of the mine clearance program (see later
sections).
The initial transparency report required by Mine Ban Treaty Article 7, due on
28 January 2001, was submitted to the United Nations on 3 April 2002 (though
dated 10 January 2002). It covers calendar year 2001. It contains detailed
information on the stockpile of antipersonnel mines and the destruction
program.[3]
On 29 November 2001, Albania voted in favor of United Nations General
Assembly Resolution 56/24M in support of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Albania is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) or its
Amended Protocol II. It was expected that Albania would accede to the CCW by
early 2002;[4] the relevant
ministries had forwarded the necessary documents to the Council of Ministers for
signature and ratification by Parliament, but the Prime Minister’s
resignation on 29 January 2002 halted the
process.[5] Albania participated
as an observer in the Third Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended
Protocol II and the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001.
In 2001 and the first half of 2002 there were no
reports of new use of mines within
Albania.[7]
Antipersonnel mine production officially ceased in 1991. Albania possessed
two antipersonnel mine manufacturing facilities – ULP Mjekës in
central Albania and KM Poliçan in the south. Neither facility still
possesses equipment unique to antipersonnel mine manufacture, and both have
converted their activities to ammunition demilitarization under the auspices of
government and NATO
projects.[8]
The Albanian government has not expressed a position on the legality of
transit of antipersonnel mines through its territory by a non-State Party, nor
on the legality of other States engaging in activities involving antipersonnel
mines on Albanian territory. In 1999, US Army engineer units reportedly
deployed to Albania with antipersonnel mines and their delivery systems as part
of Task Force Hawk to support operations in Kosovo. According to the source of
the information, most of the US Army units deployed from bases in Germany. At
the time of this deployment, Albania was a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty and
Germany was a State Party.[9]
STOCKPILING AND DESTRUCTION
At the Third Meeting of States Parties, Albania
announced, “The project of destroying the Albanian stockpile of
antipersonnel mines has already begun on 29 June 2001, and will progress to
completion by April
2002.”[10] Stockpile
destruction was completed on 4 April
2002.[11]
The stockpile destruction program, carried out in converted former
antipersonnel mine production facilities at ULP Mjekës, was completed ahead
of schedule, under the management of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Maintenance and Supply Agency
(NAMSA).[12] Albania’s
Article 7 Report indicated that Albania possessed four types of antipersonnel
mines, totaling 1,607,420 and “held at 57 different secure military
storage depots locations throughout
Albania.”[13] In the last
stages of stockpile destruction, an additional 76,440 antipersonnel mines were
discovered, so that a total of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines were
destroyed.[14]
The Albanian Armed Forces transported the mines from their stockpile
locations to the destruction facility, covering 410,000 kilometers in the
process. The NAMSA team also traveled to Sazan Island in the Adriatic Sea to
locate and destroy 8,100 antipersonnel mines by open detonation in a three-day
operation assisted by the US Navy 8th Mobile Explosive Ordnance
Disposal (EOD) Team from European Command (EUCOM) Sigonella. The program
included a two-day operation led by General Karoli, Commander of the Albanian
Land Forces, to recover mines from the former rebel stronghold of Lazarat in the
south of Albania, as well as 5,350 antipersonnel mines sealed in tunnels since
1997.[15]
The army transportation agency and ULP Mjekës declared that there were
no accidents during the stockpile destruction
program.[16]
The stockpile destruction program was the first NATO Partnership for Peace
Trust Fund project, and was co-sponsored by Albania and Canada, and financed by
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the
United Kingdom. Albania’s contribution was to provide office facilities
in Tirana for the NAMSA project supervision team and military transportation of
the mines. The project costs were offset by recycling of ferrous metals (1,100
tons, from which KM Poliçan is making manhole covers and Kurum
International is making steel reinforcing rods) and of TNT explosives (192 tons,
converted into about 2,000 tons of ammonite explosive for construction use).
The program is reported to have been completed at below the projected cost of
US$790,000 (approximately 45 US cents per
mine).[17]
Albania has chosen not to utilize the Article 3 exception. It has concluded
“there are no justifiable reasons for the retention” of
antipersonnel mines “for training or any other purpose,” and has
therefore destroyed its entire antipersonnel mine
stockpile.[18]
At the Standing Committee meetings in January 2002 there was discussion of
the possibility of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
transferring its stockpile of antipersonnel mines to Albania for destruction.
The Head of the Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE) said that Albania had
offered assistance and premises for transferring the stockpile for destruction,
but as of mid-May 2002 the FYROM had not
responded.[19]
LANDMINE PROBLEM
The existing mine problem derives from two sources:
looting in 1997 when mines and other weaponry were stolen from military storage
sites, and the 1998/1999 conflict in Kosovo which led to the Albanian border
area being contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) of Serbian,
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and NATO
origin.[20]
During the civil unrest and looting in early 1997, explosions in 15
ammunition depots killed
civilians[21] and contaminated
surrounding areas with UXO; these areas were termed “hotspots.”
Ismet Miftari, the chief of Albanian EOD, estimated in April and May 2000 that
600,000 antipersonnel mines were looted during the civil
disorder.[22] An extensive
national and international process of collecting and destroying looted weaponry
has been conducted in Albania since 1999. On 15 April 2002, Ana Stjarnerklint,
the UN Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Tirana, was
reported as saying that “150,000 weapons have been collected, 116,000 have
been destroyed, and 100,000 to 150,000 have been taken (smuggled) out of the
country.... This leaves about 250,000 still in circulation, and this is a
dangerously high level.” The same report referred to “500,000 light
weapons” being looted in
1997.[23] The reports of these
activities make no specific references to mines, but the UNDP technical
representative confirmed that the collections do include
mines.[24]
No information has been reported on how the collection and selection
processes are supervised. Albania’s Article 7 Report does not state
whether and how the Mine Ban Treaty prohibitions have been made known to the
population in general, or to the police and other officials involved in the
collection process.
In 1998 and 1999, areas close to the border with Kosovo were said to be
contaminated with antipersonnel and antivehicle mines as well as UXO of Serbian,
KLA and NATO origin.[25]
Albania’s Article 7 report states that mine contamination “is
limited to the Albania-Kosovo border.... During the Kosovo crisis in 1998-1999,
Serb military and paramilitary forces laid large numbers of mines along the
Kosovo border with northern Albania. In addition to defensive minefields within
Kosovo it was discovered that mines were also laid within Albanian territory as
a defensive measure, where topographical and tactical conditions made this
necessary, and also as an interdiction measure against assembly points and
infiltration routes being used by the
[KLA].”[26] The mines are a
combination of antipersonnel mines (PMA-1, PMA-2 and PMA-3 blast mines, PROM and
PMR-2A fragmentation mines) and antivehicle mines (TMM-1, TMA-4 and TMA-5),
almost all of Yugoslav
manufacture.[27]
A total of 85 contaminated areas have been identified, in the districts of
Tropojë, Has, and Kukës, totaling 1,400 hectares (14 million square
meters) of land. Contamination is reported of some 120 kilometers of border up
to 400 meters into Albania, as well as some isolated munition impact areas up to
20 kilometers beyond the
border.[28] The Article 7 report
provides details of each mine-contaminated
area.[29] These areas are mainly
forest, agricultural and grazing areas, with villages and frequently used routes
for travel over the border into Kosovo. At the Standing Committee meetings in
May 2002, the Albanian delegation described the mines and UXO as posing not only
a physical threat, but also having “a major impact on the already harsh
lives of those who live in the affected areas.... Nearly 120,000 people, mostly
living in abject poverty, whose livelihood depends on farming, herding,
gathering firewood and other subsistence activities and also obtaining essential
supplies across the border, are profoundly affected by the presence of mines and
UXO.”[30]
Marking and fencing of known mine- and UXO-contaminated areas has been
problematic due to inclement weather during winter months preventing access, a
lack of resources, and the theft of marking posts for use as fuel or
fencing.[31] In 2002, the UN
International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) plans to provide
3,000-5,000 signs for the re-marking of mine- and UXO-contaminated
areas.[32]
The Article 7 Report adds that there are no other known mined areas in
Albania. Ministry of Defense areas that had been “defensively
mined” were cleared by the Albanian armed forces before Mine Ban Treaty
ratification in February 2000.[33]
MINE ACTION COORDINATION AND PLANNING
The Albanian Mine Action Committee (AMAC) was
formed in October 1999 as the policy-making body for mine action, with
responsibility for obtaining funding and assistance, and prioritizing mine
action. The Albanian Mine Action Executive was established at the same time to
carry out mine action under AMAC direction, including producing a mine action
program, accreditation and quality assurance of all mine action (to UN
standards), survey and marking, investigation of all mine-related
accidents/incidents, and
data-gathering.[34]
In mid-2000 the UNDP formulated a proposal for addressing weaknesses in the
AMAE and AMAC, which it has supported since their establishment in 1999. The
proposal was revised in June 2001 and in September a UNDP-funded mission
assessed the capacities and needs for mine action in Albania. The AMAC was
described as having “virtually faded out over time” while the AMAE
had “neither the capacity nor capability of addressing any of the mine
action processes expected of a ‘Mine Action Center’.... Dedicated
and assured funding is non-existent. In effect the major result of the AMAE
since its inception has been to fund its own continued existence. No funds have
been available for the technical and operational control of mine action
activities, particularly mine
clearance.”[35]
In March 2002, Pavli Zëri, the Deputy Defense Minister and Head of AMAC,
told Landmine Monitor, “We know that we have made slow progress so far in
designing projects thanks to lack of experience, but professional assistance is
welcomed.” He said:
The legal department of the Ministry of Defense is preparing the draft for
institutionalization of AMAC/AMAE which will regulate the relations of the
institution including the management of funds. The draft is not yet approved by
the government.... The lack of the law created the lack of coordination with
other institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, local
authorities etc.... When everything will be regulated by the law the authority
of the mine action body will be raised and the Mine Action Plan will be better
implemented.... The law will force other institutions to be involved and give
whatever contribution might be needed, even if it is a modest
one.[36]
The UNDP-Albania program aims to support the development of a national mine
action program, increase AMAE’s capacity, with particular reference to the
International Mine Action Standards and standing operating procedures for
humanitarian demining, evaluate capacities for victim assistance and
rehabilitation, and establish a mine casualty data-collection
system.[37] With UNDP support a
Chief Technical Advisor was appointed in April 2002, with an Information Officer
to be appointed in June 2002. The intention was to complete the national mine
action plan by July 2002 and “have the AMAE fully operational by December
2002, including operational Information Management System for Mine Action
(IMSMA), external quality management and administrative cells. In addition to
this, a regional office will be established in Kukes to coordinate mine action
at field level.”[38]
MINE ACTION FUNDING AND ASSISTANCE
On a number of occasions, Albanian authorities have
criticized the lack of funding for mine action in Albania. In January 2002,
Pavli Zeri claimed that there had been “little progress on the clearance
of mines and unexploded ordnance.... Support from the international community
for humanitarian demining has been very limited and there currently appears to
be little prospect of progress in
2002.”[39] In June 2002,
the Albanian Minister of Defense was quoted as saying: “On 29 February
2000, Albania signed and ratified the Ottawa Treaty banning antipersonnel mines
and demilitarized its landmine industry. And from April 2001 to the present, we
have fully destroyed the entire stock of antipersonnel mines, two years before
the deadline. But regardless of the efforts made by committed antipersonnel
mine professionals and the support of several loyal donors, financing and
assistance for this antimining activity has been sporadic, resulting in low
demining figures.”[40]
Similarly, a September 2001 report from the Ammunition Management Ordnance
Disposal Advisory Training Team (AMODATT) declared: “Whilst Albania has
made a visible effort to tackle all aspects of mine action, international
support to demining efforts has been inadequate. The AMAE is effectively
non-functional and is critically under
resources.”[41]
About US$2.2 million was donated for mine action in Albania in 2001. The
United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) mine action investments database
records donations in 2001 from Austria (US$100,000), Canada (US$98,442), Germany
(US$325,000), Norway (US$100,024), and Switzerland
(US$853,000).[42] In addition, in
its fiscal year 2001, the United States provided US$684,401, through the
International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victim Assistance (ITF) based in
Slovenia, to support demining operations in
Albania.[43]
The majority of international funding in 2001 and 2002 was provided directly
to mine action organizations working in Albania, rather than to the AMAC or AMAE
for allocation. Some of the donations have been identified as contributions to
the NAMSA stockpile destruction project (Austria, Canada, and Norway).
Switzerland reports funding of US$605,000 for mine clearance in northern
Albania, and US$125,000 of in-kind support for mine clearance, US$18,000 in
support for the AMAE, and US$105,000 for the stockpile destruction project.
Germany donated US$325,000 for mine clearance in Tropojë district, which
was conducted by the German NGO, HELP
International.[44]
The International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victim Assistance started
channeling funds for mine action in Albania in 2001, after concluding an
agreement with the government on 28 November
2000.[45] The ITF has also
provided in-kind computer equipment, software, and financial support to
AMAE.[46]
In March 2001, Germany donated 17 metal detectors to the ITF for demining
operations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Before the
detectors were distributed to the mine action centers, training was provided by
the ITF. On 27-29 May 2000, five Albanian demining experts were trained in
Tirana by members of the Civil Protection Department of the Slovenian Ministry
of Defense.[47] Also within the
ITF framework, in February 2002 funding was provided for two years for two
Geographical Information System specialists to implement the IMSMA (Information
Management System for Mine
Action).[48] The Geneva
International Center for Humanitarian Demining reinstalled the IMSMA software at
the mine action center in Albania in
2001.[49]
As the AMAE had no funds for July and August 2001, the UNDP provided
temporary funding. At the end of August a chief technical advisor was employed,
with funding from UNDP between September and December 2002 (US$24,000). One of
the adviser’s first duties was to raise funds to enable AMAE to operate
normally.[50] From June 2001
through March 2002 Switzerland donated US$18,000 for AMAE office maintenance.
UNICEF funded a mine awareness adviser from July 2001 to April 2002
(US$27,383).[51]
For 2002, mine action funding includes the following: Switzerland has
provided US$300,000 via the ITF, which has attracted a similar amount from the
US in matching funds; the US$600,000 donation has been channeled to the Swiss
Federation for Mine Action to resume battle area clearance, including cluster
bomb strike zones, in Kukës and Has districts. This operation started on 2
April. DanChurchAid, a Danish NGO, has funding of US$550,000 (received from
ACT-Holland and ACT-Geneva, from private donations, and taken from its own
sources) for general and technical surveys, clearance of minefields, and data
gathering on socio-economic priorities in Tropojë district. This operation
started on 8 April 2002. Germany has allocated US$270,000 for “integrated
mine action” in Albania in
2002.[52] The UNDP will provide
assistance budgeted at US$669,060; this capacity building by UNDP has a
shortfall of US$150,000 for 2002. For the demining program there is a shortfall
of US$64,000, as of May
2002.[53]
To increase mine clearance capacity in Albania, UNMAS has transferred
substantial equipment from Kosovo. Some of the equipment will be handed over to
the AMAE, and some used to establish a humanitarian demining capability in the
Albanian Armed Forces.[54]
At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2002 the Albanian delegation said
that “until now very little of the mines and UXO threat on the
Albania-Kosovo border has been cleared.... A realistic estimate indicates that
Albania can be rid of the effects of mines within 3 years for a modest budget of
US$5-7 million. This needs, however, to be confirmed by impact and technical
surveys.”[55]
SURVEY AND PRIORITIZATION
Albania’s Article 7 Report provides the
following new information: the “General Mine Action Assessment (formerly
incorporating Level 1 Surveys) is ongoing. This is the responsibility of the
Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) with assistance by CARE funded consultants in
1999.”[56] The assessment
identified the extent of contaminated areas, but how the survey process was
carried out is not known. The AMAE states that: “The initial General
Surveys undertaken by AAF assets and by the CARE funded contractor has proven to
be of variable quality and accuracy and have to be confirmed by socio-economic
impact surveys.... The shortcomings in the General Surveys have been compounded
by the lack of resources to undertake further detailed technical surveys. It is
considered that enhanced technical survey effort is necessary to assist the
prioritisation process and to better target limited clearance
resources.”[57]
According to the government, technical survey began on an ad hoc basis in
2000 and on a more organized basis in
2001.[58] As of early 2002,
approximately 15 percent of the contaminated area identified had been subjected
to technical survey and the government said, “This process has produced
encouraging results both in identifying mine and UXO affected areas more
accurately and also in the area reduction process. It is hoped to continue the
process in 2002.”[59]
However, in January 2002, Arben Braha, the AMAE Director, said that due to
lack of funding and support the AMAE was not able to organize a technical
survey.[60] In March 2002, a
local representative of the Swiss Federation for Mine Action claimed, “A
technical survey is very much needed due to the fact that the last one was
carried out in 1999. No funds are provided since it takes a lot of time and
money. If a general survey is conducted I believe that the mined area can be
reduced.”[61]
The AMAE has been provided with the IMSMA database system, but existing maps
do not meet IMSMA requirements and computer equipment is inadequate due to lack
of funding. At the request of AMAE, the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) gave technical assistance by setting up hardware and installing
software.[62] On 23 March-5 April
2002 members of the AMAE attended a training course on the IMSMA system in
Tirana, with participants from other countries. In previous years, Albanian
staff have attended other courses on IMSMA.
MINE/UXO CLEARANCE
During 2001, three mine clearance organizations
operated in Albania: HELP International, the Swiss Federation for Mine Action,
and RONCO. They cleared a total of 30.2 hectares (302,000 square meters of
land, destroying in the process 744 antipersonnel mines, 25 antivehicle mines,
and 115 items of UXO. The Article 7 Report describes the rates of clearance as
“disappointing...small-scale and [reliant] on basic manual clearance
methods which, though offering high levels of clearance confidence, are slow and
not particularly cost-effective.... These operations have cleared a total of
less than 50 hectares in the past two years, which has made little impact on the
global problem within Albania representing less than 3 percent of the total
contaminated area.”[63]
In 2001, the HELP operation had two eight-man demining teams operating beside
a road at Qaf-Morine in Tropojë District. These teams are made up of
experienced Bosnian team leaders and locally recruited and trained deminers.
The Article 7 Report described this operation as “methodical and...of
acceptable quality, however it has been extremely slow. The HELP Project
Manager has been investigating the provision of both mechanical and Mine
Detection Dogs (MDD) support for the future, subject to sufficient funding in an
attempt to accelerate clearance rates.” HELP had cleared 1.84 hectares
(18,400 square meters) by 31 October 2001, destroying in the process 146
antipersonnel mines and three items of
UXO.[64]
The Swiss Federation for Mine Action (SFMA) started training local staff in
April 2001, with mine clearance and battle area clearance (BAC) starting on 21
May 2001 in five areas in the Kukës and Has districts. Four manual teams
were constituted of locally recruited and trained deminers, each under the
supervision of an expatriate. The main emphasis was on clearance of KB-1
submunition strike areas using search instruments. These areas had been
surface-cleared by Army teams in 1999. Two large areas affected by
antipersonnel and antivehicle mines were also cleared. SFMA introduced
explosive detection dogs in October 2001 to accelerate clearance rates.
Although this was achieved, the benefit was compromised at the end of October
when it was found that the dogs were failing to detect the TMM-1 antivehicle
mine. By 31 October, the SFMA had cleared 17.63 hectares (176,300 square
meters), destroying in the process 269 antipersonnel mines, 25 antivehicle mines
and 112 items of UXO, of which 102 were KB-1
submunitions.[65] By the end of
the year the SFMA had cleared 190,854 square meters destroying in the process
308 antipersonnel mines, 26 antivehicle mines and 137 items of
UXO.[66]
The RONCO operation started on 22 May 2001 in the area of Has Qafe Prushit,
close to the border crossing, where operations have been going on for two years.
It used limited mechanical support to manual teams made up of experienced
deminers from Bosnia. In spite of the integrated nature of the operation,
progress was limited. The Article 7 Report suggests this may have been because
of the inappropriateness of the mechanical equipment
selected.[67] The RONCO operation
ended on 20 October 2001, with 10.73 hectares (107,300 square meters) cleared
and 329 antipersonnel mines found, according to the Article 7
Report.[68]
By the end of 2001, the Armed Forces had cleared ten of the fifteen
“hotspots” resulting from the munitions explosions during civil
unrest in 1997. A local NATO officer described this as an outstanding
achievement in view of the Army’s limited resources. Of the five
remaining hotspots, it was planned to clear one near Burrel by the end of May
2002. The other hotspots are in the areas of Selic, Klos, Pilur and Picar
(Gjirokastër). They are not fenced or guarded and the civilian population
still has access to them, resulting in casualties in
2001.[69]
MINE AWARENESS/MINE RISK EDUCATION
UNICEF is the lead UN agency for mine risk
education in Albania. Its objectives include reducing the risk of mine/UXO
accidents, developing mine risk education training programs for school teachers,
and enhancing community projects through local organizations. In 2001, UNICEF
supported the mine risk education activities carried out by CARE in northern
districts, including a two-day seminar for 84 teachers in the Tropojë
district. Training of teachers will be continued by a cascade system, with
UNICEF training Ministry of Education staff to act as trainers in the 11 highest
risk areas. A needs assessment survey started in 2001 is continuing in 2002, to
feed into a national mine risk education strategy planned for 2002. The UNICEF
program also includes support for the Mine Victims Association and social
reintegration of survivors, and provision of signs for re-marking dangerous
areas.[70]
The AMAE appointed a mine risk education officer in mid-2001. Organizations
that have carried out mine risk education in Albania in 2001 include CARE, the
ICRC, and the Albanian Red Cross. These activities included poster campaigns,
visits to school and community facilities, and television, press and radio
campaigns.[71]
TheICRC and Albanian Red Cross launched a joint mine risk education
program in October 1999. This program has developed to work now with local
branches focusing on high-risk group in mined areas, notably children and
farmers. Owing to economic pressures, the local population knowingly enters
dangerous areas in search of firewood and grass for use in winter months,
travels over the border into Kosovo where prices are lower, and sometimes
attempts to clear mines and UXO themselves. One aim of the Red Cross campaign
is to change behavior by offering other solutions to meet these
needs.[72]
At local level, villages in the affected areas are visited by mine risk
education instructors. In 2001, 29,020 people were contacted in the affected
districts of Tropojë, Has, Kukës and also Shkodra. Activities
included an interactive play, “Bear Trap,” performed by local
professionals in 33 villages to 2,614 children and 460 adults in 2001.
Promotional material, posters and games have been distributed. The instructors
also have the role of collecting information on mine/UXO casualties for the
AMAE.[73]
In February 2001, the ICRC made a film on mine survivors in Tropojë and
Has districts. The film, “Women and Mines in Albania,” was
broadcast on 8 March by international TV channels. In April, a 30-minute
program on the Red Cross activities was broadcast nationally. In June, a
compilation of reports called “Mines in Albania” was produced and
broadcast by CNN International, EBU and 8 Mont Blanc TV stations. In November
2001, a report on UXO casualties was broadcast by three main Albanian TV
channels.[74]
According to a local ICRC fact sheet of March 2002, it has helped secure
funding from Switzerland for the Swiss Federation for Mine Action and from
private donors for Dan Church Aid in 2001-2002. In the process, the ICRC is
attempting to establish an integrated approach linking mine risk education with
clearance and humanitarian work in
general.[75]
LANDMINE/UXO CASUALTIES
In 2001, nine new mine/UXO casualties were reported
by the ICRC. One adult male was killed and three others were injured, and five
boys were injured.[76] Most were
the result of UXO explosions.[77]
This number is a significant reduction from the 35 new casualties reported by
ICRC in 2000.[78]
A record of landmine and UXO incidents is maintained by the AMAE in Tirana.
However, due to the remoteness of some mine-affected areas, and the fact that
some incidents go unreported, the actual number of casualties is expected to be
higher.[79] The number of ICRC
mine/UXO data collectors also reduced considerably in
2001.[80]
At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2002, the Albanian delegation
reported that “since 1999 there were 197 mine accidents in which 211
persons were injured and 25
killed.”[81] UNDP reports
that mine casualties since 1999 “number almost 200 separate incidents with
over 230 casualties representing some 20 percent of all civilian casualties
arising from mines and UXO contamination engendered by the Kosovo
crisis.”[82]
In September 2001, the Team Leader of the German demining group HELP, a
Bosnian national, was injured by a PMA-2 mine while monitoring work in the
demining area.[83] An AMODATT
team leader reported that due to non-marking or removal of markings around sites
contaminated by mines/UXO in the 1997 civil disorder, people have access to the
sites and tampering with the explosives. As a result, one civilian perished at
Ura e Gjadrit in July 2001 and two young boys were seriously injured at
Suç, Burrel, in November
2001.[84]
SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE
State facilities provide immediate medical aid and
treatment to mine casualties. After the first intervention mine survivors are
sent to specialized facilities if needed, such as eye or burns clinics. As in
previous years, the Albanian Prosthesis Center in Tirana received no financial
support from the State, due to continuing bureaucratic difficulties in the
handover of financial responsibility from the Ministry of Finance to the
Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense, which is responsible for the
administration of the Center. At the Center, ten staff cover the whole
country’s needs for prostheses. The Center works closely with the ICRC
and there is an agreement to prioritize mine survivors for
treatment.[85]
In January 2002, the government submitted the voluntary Form J in its Article
7 report, giving information on victim assistance. The report stated,
“There has been some limited success in the area of Victim Assistance
although this has largely centered on the provision of prosthesis to mines
victims... There is currently very limited capability for support to families of
victims, counselling or retraining of
victims.”[86]
During 2001, the Albanian Prosthesis Center fitted 59 mine survivors (45 men,
five women, and nine children) with artificial limbs. The ICRC is the only
international organization providing raw materials for the production of
artificial limbs at the Center. In April 2001, the ICRC funded the training in
Italy of seven Albanian Prosthesis Center staff as prosthesis technicians. The
ICRC also provided leather for the production of orthopedic shoes for mine
survivors.[87]
On 28 November 2000, a two-year agreement was signed between the Albanian
Mine Action Center and the ITF to collaborate on demining and mine victim
assistance. In 2001, the ITF allocated approximately US$100,000 for victim
assistance programs in Albania, which included support for the rehabilitation
for 39 Albanian mine survivors at the Slovenian Rehabilitation Institute and the
training of seven Albanian Prosthesis Center staff in June-July 2001 in
Slovenia.[88] In 2002, 25 mine
survivors will receive
assistance.[89]
To assist with the economic reintegration of mine survivors, the ICRC
supported the “Shoemaker” project initiated by the Albanian Red
Cross. In the project, 12 survivors from the northern districts of Has and
Kukes were taught how to make shoes over a period of eight months. The training
started on 2 Apriland lasted until November
2001.[90]
Included in the UNDP program of mine action assistance for 2002 is the
evaluation of national capacities for victim assistance and rehabilitation, and
the establishment of a mine casualty data-collection system. The UNDP has
budgeted US$50,000 as a contribution to the World Health Organization for victim
assistance in Albania in
2002.[91]
DISABILITY POLICY AND PRACTICE
There is no disability provision specific to mine
survivors, but they are entitled to the same rights as all persons with
disabilities in Albania, which includes a monthly payment of approximately US$80
(equivalent to a monthly salary in the public sector). In addition, a one-year
pension is available to people injured in the performance of their duties, such
as border policeman or soldiers marking minefields. There is no statutory
obligation to provide prostheses to
amputees.[92]
[1] Interview with Ledia Hysi, Head of Legal
and Consular Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tirana, 25 October
2001. [2] Ambassador Ksenofon Krisafi, the
Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, headed the delegation
in Nicaragua. In January, the delegation included Amb. Krisafi, Pavli Zëri,
the Deputy Minister of Defense and Head of the Albanian Mine Action Committee,
and Major Frederik Beltoja, Chief of Integration Division, Ministry of Defense.
In May, it included Pavli Zëri, Arben Braha, Amb. Vladimir Thanati, and
Mira Schneider from the UN Mission in
Geneva. [3] Mine Ban Treaty Article 7
Report, submitted on 3 April 2002, dated 10 January 2002, covering calendar year
2001. [4] Interview with Ledia Hysi, Head
of Legal and Consular office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tirana, 25 October
2001. [5] Interview with Armand Skapi,
Acting Head, United Nations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tirana, 7
March 2002. [6] For details of past
production and transfer see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 699 and Landmine
Monitor Report 2000, p. 560. [7] Interview
with Arben Braha, Director, AMAE, Tirana, 17 May
2002. [8] Article 7 Report, Section 5, 3
April 2002. [9] Major Scott C. Johnson,
“Strategic Mobility, the Force Projection Army, and the Ottawa Landmine
Treaty: Can the Army Get There?” A student monograph submitted to fulfill
the requirements of the School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command and
General Staff College, 15 February 2001. The author identifies his source in
footnote 94 (p. 48): “Matt Pasvogel, interview by author, 9 January 2001.
Captain Pasvogel was an engineer company commander who deployed with Task Force
Hawk. His unit deployed with both MOPMS and Volcano mine dispensing equipment
and mixed self-destructing AP/AT mines. Munitions that were not employed during
the mission, but were available in Albania for use if the need did
arise.” [10] Statement of Ksenofon
Krisafi, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Third Meeting
of States Parties, Managua, Nicaragua, 18-21 September
2001. [11] Email from William D. G. Hunt,
NAMSA Project Supervisor, 4 April
2002. [12] Interview with William D. G.
Hunt, NAMSA Project Supervisor, Tirana, 4 April 2002, and email, 4 April
2002. [13] Article 7 Report, Section 2, 3
April 2002; see Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 597, where it was noted that
the PMD-6 wood and bakelite variants were counted as one
“type.” [14] Email from
William D. G. Hunt, NAMSA Project Supervisor, 4 April
2002. [15] Interview with William D. G.
Hunt, NAMSA Project Supervisor, Tirana, 4 April 2002, and email, 4 April
2002. [16] Information confirmed in email
from William D. G. Hunt, NAMSA Project Supervisor, 4 April
2002. [17] Interview with William D. G.
Hunt, NAMSA Project Supervisor, Tirana, 4 April 2002, and email, 4 April
2002. [18] Article 7 Report, Section 4.1,
3 April 2002. [19] Interview with Arben
Braha, Director, AMAE, Tirana, 17 May
2002. [20] Article 7 Report, Executive
Summary, 3 April 2002. [21] See Landmine
Monitor Report 1999, pp. 701-702. [22] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 597. It is not clear if this estimate has been
confirmed by subsequent events. [23] Alban
Bala, “Balkan Weapons Round-up,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 15
April 2002, www.reliefweb.int, accessed on 22 April
2002. [24] Interview with Shkëlqim
Sina, National Technical Representative, UNDP Small Arms and Light Weapons
Control, Tirana, 17 May 2002. [25] Article
7 Report, Executive Summary, 3 April
2002. [26] Article 7 Report, Executive
Summary and Section 3, 3 April 2002. [27]
Article 7 Report, 3 April 2002, Section 3, and “Operation Summary,”
Swiss Federation for Mine Action, December
2001. [28] AMAE, “Albania Mine
Action Program,” report circulated at Standing Committee meetings in May
2002, p. 1. [29] Article 7 Report,
Sections 3 and 9.2, 3 April 2002,; for a description of the nature of the
mine/UXO-contaminated areas and the effects on the local population, see
Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 598. [30]
“Albania Mine Action Programme,” presented at Standing Committee on
Mine Clearance, Mine Awareness and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 28 May
2002. [31] Article 7 Report, Sections 3
and 9.2, 3 April 2002. [32] “Mine
Awareness Education in Albania,” UNICEF,
(undated). [33] Article 7 Report, Section
3, 3 April 2002. [34] Ibid., Section
1.2.2. [35] “Mine Action in
Albania,” Government of Albania and UNDP, reference ALB/02/001 (undated),
pp. 8-9. [36] Interview with Pavli
Zëri, Head of AMAC and Deputy Minister of Defense, Tirana, 23 March
2002. [37] “Assistance to the
National Mine Action Programme in Albania,” UNDP,
undated. [38] “Mine Action in
Albania,” Government of Albania and UNDP, reference ALB/02/001 (undated),
p. 9. [39] Article 7 Report, Executive
Summary, 3 April 2002. [40]
“Albania: Kosovo land-mine legacy still scars territory,” Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 June 2002, www.reliefweb.int, accessed on 19 June
2002. [41] “Post Operational
Report,” AMODATT, Phase 5, 2 October 2000 - 24 September
2001. [42] “Multi-year Recipient
Report: Albania,” UNMAS Mine Investments database, accessed on 12 May
2002. [43] US Department of State,
“To Walk the Earth in Safety,” November 2001, p.
23. [44] “Annual Donor Report for
Germany: 2001,” UNMAS Mine Investments database, accessed on 8 May
2001. [45] “ITF Signed
Administrative Agreement with Albania,” Press Release, International Trust
Fund, 28 November 2000, www.sigov.si/itffund/news, accessed on 12 June
2001. [46] “Annual Report 2001,
International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance,” p.
16. [47] “Germany Donates Mine
Detectors,” Newsletter No. 6, International Trust Fund, July 2001, p.
5. [48] Interview with Arben Braha,
Director, AMAE, Tirana, 5 April 2002. [49]
“Update on Activities between January and December 2001,” Geneva
International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, 31 December 2001, p.
4. [50] “AMAE report,”
September 2001. [51] Interview with Arben
Braha, Director, AMAE, Tirana, 5 April
2002. [52] “Current and Planned
Donor Activity for Germany,” UNMAS Mine Action Investments database,
accessed on 8 May 2001; ACT stands for Action for Churches
Together. [53] “Albania Mine Action
Program,” AMAE, document distributed at Standing Committee meetings,
Geneva, May 2002, p. 7. [54] “Mine
Action in Albania,” Government of Albania and UNDP, reference ALB/02/001
(undated), p. 8. [55] “Albania Mine
Action Programme,” presented at Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine
Awareness and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 28 May 2002, original
emphasis. [56] Article 7 report, submitted
on 10 January 2002, Section 1.2.3. [57]
“Albania Mine Action Program,” AMAE, document distributed at
Standing Committee meetings, Geneva, May 2002, pp.
2-3. [58] Article 7 Report, Section
1.2.3., 3 April 2002. [59]
Ibid. [60] Interview with Arben Braha,
Director, AMAE, Tirana, 10 January
2002. [61] Interview with Alex Van Roy,
Project Manager, Swiss Federation for Mine Action, Kukes, 26 March
2002. [62] ICRC Fact sheet, Mine Action
2001, ICRC Tirana. [63] Article 7 report
for calendar year 2001, submitted on 3 April 2002, Section
1.2.4. [64]
Ibid. [65]
Ibid. [66] Annual Report 2001,
International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance, p. 16, and
“Operation Summary,” Swiss Federation for Mine Action, December
2001. [67] Article 7 Report, Section
1.2.4., 3 April 2002. [68] The ITF
reported this as 108,773 square meters cleared and 267 mines and 19 UXO found.
Annual Report 2001, International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance,
p. 16. [69] Interview with Captain
Emanuele Andreottola, Team Leader - Task Area 1, AMODATT (NATO) Office, Tirana,
22 March 2002, and “Post Operational Report,” AMODATT, Phase 5, 2
October 2000 - 24 September 2001. In October 2000, the AMODATT mission replaced
the NATO Explosive Ordnance Disposal Ammunition Storage Training Team (EODAST)
dispatched to Albania to assist the Albanian armed forces with Albania’s
significant EOD problem. [70] “Mine
Awareness Education in Albania,” UNICEF,
(undated). [71] Article 7 Report, Section
9.1, 3 April 2002. [72] ICRC Fact Sheet,
“Mine/UXO Awareness Program–Albania–Year 2001,” March
2002; ICRC, “Albania: Mine Clearance, Mine Awareness,” 11 April
2002. [73] ICRC Fact Sheet,
“Mine/UXO Awareness Program–Albania–Year 2001,” March
2002; and ICRC, “Albania: Demining and Mine Awareness Program,” 13
July 2001. [74]
Ibid. [75] ICRC Fact Sheet,
“Mine/UXO Awareness Program–Albania–Year 2001,” March
2002; and ICRC News, “Albania: Dealing with the Legacy of Mines,” 5
July 2001. [76] Statistics compiled by
ICRC in collaboration with Arben Braha, Director, AMAE, in January
2002. [77] Interview with Arben Braha,
Director, AMAE, Tirana, 10 January
2002. [78] ICRC Fact Sheet,
“Detailed Statistics on Mine/UXO Incidents in Albania,” 7 February
2001. The US State Department reported 31 mine casualties in 2000. US Department
of State, “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” November 2001, p.
23. [79] “Albania: Dealing with the
legacy of mines,” ICRC News, 01/26, 5 July
2001. [80] Interview with Paul-Henri
Morard, Head of Delegation, ICRC Albania, Slovenia, 2 July
2002. [81] “Albania Mine Action
Program,” presented at Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine
Awareness and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 28 May
2002. [82] “Mine Action in
Albania,” Government of Albania and UNDP, reference ALB/02/001 (undated),
p. 4. [83] “AMAE report,”
September 2001. [84] Interview with Capt.
Emanuele Andreottola, Team Leader - Task Area 1, AMODATT (NATO) Office, Tirana,
22 March 2002, and “Post Operational Report,” Ammunition Management
Ordnance Disposal Advisory Training Team (AMODATT), Phase 5, 2 October 2000-24
September 2001. [85] Interview with Harun
Iljazi, Head of Orthopedics Center, Tirana, 12 February
2002. [86] Article 7 Report, Form J, 3
April 2002. [87] “Mine Action Year
2001,” ICRC Albania Fact Sheet. [88]
Annual Report 2001, International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victim
Assistance, p. 18. [89] Interview with
Arben Braha, Director, AMAE, Tirana, 10 March
2002. [90] “Mine Action Year
2001,” ICRC Albania Fact Sheet. [91]
“Assistance to the National Mine Action Programme in Albania,” UNDP,
undated. [92] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 602.
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