The
Falklands/Malvinas, administered by the United Kingdom but claimed by Argentina,
have been a disputed territory since the nineteenth century. The islands’
landmine problem stems from the 1982 conflict, during which both parties laid
thousands of antipersonnel and antitank mines, including remotely-delivered
mines. Mined areas are located mainly at the beaches and in peat areas; these
areas are for the most part, adequately marked and
fenced.[1]
Both Argentina and the UK are States Parties to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and
since the islands are under the authority of the United Kingdom, the U.K. is
obliged, under Article 5 of the treaty, to clear the island territory of
antipersonnel mines by 1 March 2009, ten years after the treaty entered into
force.
The number of mines laid during the conflict and the number of minefields
vary according to the source.[2]
A March 2002 report to Landmine Monitor from the Ministry of Defence of the UK
estimated that 18,000 mines were laid during the war, including 14,000
antipersonnel mines, and that Argentine forces laid a total of 127
minefields.[3] The UK cleared
some 1,400 mines immediately following the conflict, but the clearance was
suspended after several injuries to mine clearance
personnel.[4] The UK reported
in October 2001 that there were “117 minefields containing either
anti-personnel, anti-vehicle mines or a combination of
both.”[5] But in March
2002, the Foreign Office said there are 101
minefields.[6]
According to an Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, approximately
20,000 antipersonnel mines and 5,000 antitank mines were laid in the islands in
1982.[7]
The Falkland Islands government reports, “The 120 minefields...cover an
area of 20 km2. They have all been fenced and are no-go
areas.”[8] The main
problem areas for landmines are Darwin, Port Fitzroy, Fox Bay, Goose Green, Port
Howard, and especially around Port Stanley, while the beach at Yorke Bay is
reported to be totally
inaccessible.[9] According to a
retired Argentine Admiral, Carlos Büsser, there are also minefields near
Port Stanley that the UK laid during War World Two that were not
cleared.[10]
Following three and a half years of negotiations, on 11 October 2001,
Argentina and the UK and agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the
establishment of a feasibility study on mine clearance in the
islands.[11] A UK-Argentine
Working Group was set up, and in November 2001 the MOU was jointly sent to the
Secretary General of the United Nations, for distribution to the 56th Session of
the General Assembly.[12]
The feasibility study will include three phases: a preliminary phase, the
main study, and a final report that should include recommendations to both
governments for future action according to the obligations of the Mine Ban
Treaty.[13] According to the
MOU, the costs of the feasibility study will be shared by both parties, in
direct proportion to the number of mines laid by each party during the 1982
conflict. Thus, Argentina will be responsible for most of the financial costs,
while it is expected that the UK will take care of technical aspects of the
study. Total costs of the feasibility study are estimated at $2 million; in
2002, Argentina budgeted $1 million for the
study.[14]
The joint Working Group met for the first time in Buenos Aires on 3-4
December 2001.[15] According to
the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the three phases of the feasibility
study should take 18 months; no start date had been set as of March
2002.[16]
In early March 2002, the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence, Geoffrey
Hoon, met with the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Ruckauf, and
Minister of Defense, Horacio Jaunarena, in Buenos Aires and, according to a
media report, discussed the agreement to carry out the feasibility study. Hoon
stated, “We very much welcome the agreement in principle. What we need to
explore now are the practical ways in which it can be implemented. I do not
believe that there are any stumbling blocks, it is a question of finding
practical ways to implement the policy which we have agreed
upon.”[17] The UK also
made a contribution of $19,000 to CAECOPAZ (Argentine Center for Training in
Peace Operations) for humanitarian demining
training.[18]
An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operation Center in Port Stanley provides
warnings about the landmine danger to the islands’ communities and
visitors. Full details of warning measures are included in the Mine Ban Treaty
Article 7 Report submitted by the UK in March
2002.[19]
No mine casualties were reported in the Falklands/Malvinas in 2001 or the
first half of 2002.
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
423. [2] Four types of antipersonnel
mines were used in the conflict: No.4 (Israel); SB-33 (Italy); FMK-1 plastic
blast mine (Argentina); and P-4-B (Spain). See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
367. [3] Fax from Foreign and
Commonwealth Office of the UK, 20 March
2002. [4]
Ibid. [5] UK, Convention on Conventional
Weapons Amended Protocol II Article 13 report, Form B, October
2001. [6] Fax to Landmine Monitor (UK)
from United Nations Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, 20
March 2002. [7] Landmine Monitor
(Argentina) interview with Guillermo Rossi, Directorate of Malvinas and South
Atlantic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Buenos Aires, 10 April
2002. [8] “Diplomatic
Issues,” Falkland Islands Government, available at www.falklands.gov.fk,
accessed on 5 May 2002. [9] Alejandra
Conti, “Malvinas: there are minefields,” La Nación, 17 June
1999, p. 4. [10] Admiral (Ret.) Carlos
Büsser, “Malvinas, hoy: la visita del ministro de defensa
Británico y el desminado de las Malvinas,” Cuadernos, No.4, Buenos
Aires, undated.
http://www.lanuevahuella.com.ar/malvinasydefensa/Busser_c4.htm. [11]
Interview with Guillermo Rossi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 April
2002. [12] See “Acuerdo con Gran
Bretaña para desminar las Malvinas,” 12 October 2001. At
http://www.terra.com.ar/canales/politica/27/27736.html. [13]
Ibid. [14] Interview with Guillermo
Rossi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 April 2002; see also, “Desminado
binacional en Malvinas,” Página 12 (Buenos Aires), 12 October
2001. [15] Response to Landmine Monitor
questionnaire by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, 4 April 2002.
See Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto,
Comunicado de Prensa No. 316/2001, “Reunión entre la Argentina y el
Reino Unido sobre el desminado en las Islas Malvinas,” 5 December 2001.
http://
www.mrecic.gov.ar/ministerio/prensa/316dic05.html. [16]
Fax from Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, 20 March
2002. [17] Mercopress News Agency, 14
March 2002. [18] “British Minister
of Defense arrived and talked of ‘reconciliation’,”
Clarín (Buenos Aires), 15 March
2002. [19] UK, Article 7 Report, Form I,
submitted on 21 March 2002 for calendar year 2001.