Key developments since May 2002: In May
2003, at an arms fair in Brno, the Czech company Policske Strojirny reportedly
displayed and offered for sale Horizont PD-Mi-PK antivehicle mines in
tripwire-activation mode. The ICBL believes such mines are prohibited by the
Mine Ban Treaty. The Czech Republic has decided to withdraw from stockpiles
“old-fashioned antivehicle mines” and replace them by “newer,
less dangerous devices.”
Mine Ban Policy
The Czech Republic signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3
December 1997 and ratified it on 26 October 1999, becoming a State Party on 1
April 2000. National implementation legislation entered into force on 3
December 1999.
The Czech Republic inherited the antipersonnel mine production facilities of
the former Czechoslovakia. Production halted in 1989, and a previous moratorium
on transfer was made permanent in 1997. The Czech stockpile of antipersonnel
mines at the time of entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty was reported to
total 324,412. Destruction of the stockpile was completed on 15 June
2001.[1] The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs informed Landmine Monitor in June 2003 that the Czech Republic
does not possess “antipersonnel directional fragmentation munitions,
including Claymore-type of
munitions.”[2]
The Czech Republic participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in
September 2002, where its delegation stated “the Czech Republic’s
firm conviction that the Ottawa Convention is the only viable comprehensive
framework for achieving a mine-free world. Therefore, we...are ready to not
only meet all our obligations but also to help others to fulfill their demining
plans.”[3] The Czech
Republic also participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in
February and May 2003.
In November 2002, the Czech Republic voted in favor of UN General Assembly
Resolution 57/74, which calls for universalization and implementation of the
Mine Ban Treaty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that in 2002, the Czech
Republic promoted the Mine Ban Treaty in discussions with Albania, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and
Ukraine.[4]
The Czech Republic submitted its fifth Article 7 transparency report on 30
April 2003.[5]
The Czech Republic is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons
(CCW) and its Amended Protocol II, and submitted its annual Article 13 Report on
15 October 2002. It attended the Fourth Annual Conference of States Parties to
the Protocol on 11 December 2002.
The working group of the ministries of defense and foreign affairs,
established in 2001 to address issues related to the Mine Ban Treaty and CCW,
has continued to meet, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports no specific
outcomes.[6]
Mines Retained Under Article 3
According to the April 2003 Article 7 report, the Czech Republic retained
4,849 antipersonnel mines at the end of 2002: 1,375 of type PP-Mi-Sr, 3,344 of
type PP-Mi-Sr-II, and 130 of type
PP-Mi-S1-M.[7] This is the same
number as reported last year.[8]
The intention is to use the mines for training deminers and testing new demining
and protective equipment. With the restructuring of the armed forces in 2003,
however, there is not currently a specific plan for their
use.[9]
Antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes and antihandling devices
At the Fourth Meeting of States Parties, the Czech delegation stated:
“Referring to mines other than antipersonnel mines which can also endanger
significantly civilian population, I am pleased to announce that the Czech
Republic has decided to withdraw from equipment old-fashioned antivehicle mines
as from the beginning of next year and replace them by newer, less dangerous
devices.”[10] In March
2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, “In the framework of the
current reform of armed forces, all useless and old-fashioned ammunition,
including some types of anti-vehicle mines, will be eliminated. The elimination
schedule depends on the available resources. At this stage, the Czech Republic
is not able to give more detailed information on the
subject.”[11]
The ICBL has expressed concern that some Czech antivehicle mines, in
particular those with tripwires and tilt rods, may function as antipersonnel
mines, and therefore should be considered prohibited under the Mine Ban Treaty.
Czech authorities have previously expressed the view that antivehicle mines with
sensitive fuzes are not covered by the Mine Ban Treaty, and stated that they do
not possess any antivehicle mines with sensitive antihandling devices which can
explode from the unintentional act of a
person.[12]
In May 2003, at the IDET (International Exhibition of Defence and Security
Technology and Special Information Systems) arms fair in Brno, the Czech company
Policske Strojirny reportedly displayed and offered for sale Horizont PD-Mi-PK
antivehicle mines in tripwire-activation
mode.[13] The ICBL believes
that such mines with tripwires are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty.
Asked to comment on this matter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs replied,
“The Ottawa Convention does not concern the anti-vehicle mines.
Therefore, we cannot agree that exhibition of this type of mines implies
contravention of the Ottawa
Convention.”[14]
In response to a similar incident in May 2001, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs stated in April 2002 that it did not consider the use of tripwires with
an antivehicle mine to be a violation to the Mine Ban Treaty: “PD-Mi-PK
has been considered as the legitimate military equipment which is covered and
according to our understanding can be used within restrictions of the Amended
Protocol II.”[15] It said
it advised the company to consult before exhibiting the mine in
future.[16]
Landmine Problem and Mine Action
Two former Soviet military zones in the Czech
Republic were contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The Mlada
zone was cleared by June 2000. Clearance of the Ralsko zone (covering about 250
square kilometers) was first scheduled for completion in 2001, but with the
discovery of an additional contaminated area of 3,500 hectares, the completion
date was extended to the end of 2003.
In March 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that clearance of
the original areas of contamination had been completed. It said an area of
88,439,349 square meters had been cleared, and “6,628 pieces of
engineering ammunition and ammunition elements were found and destroyed,”
including antipersonnel
mines.[17] At the Fourth
Meeting of States Parties, the Czech delegation reported that in the first half
of 2002 more than 13,000 items of UXO and mines were discovered and destroyed at
Ralsko.[18] The Article 7
Report of 31 December 2002 reports 304,743 UXO destroyed at
Ralsko.[19]
Regarding the newly discovered contaminated area at Ralsko, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said in March 2003, “Following the cabinet regulation Nr
95 from the 22 January 2003, clearance of another area of some 3,500 hectares is
now taking place.”[20]
UXO from World War II is also discovered in other parts of the Czech
Republic, such as the Ralsko and Milovice former military areas. In 2002, 5,949
mines, hand grenades and projectiles, and over 26,000 items of UXO were found
and destroyed.[21]
Mine Action Assistance
In 2002, the Czech Republic provided $50,000 for
demining near the Lukavac River in Croatia, via the International Trust Fund
(ITF). It also reports donating $10,000 for the NATO Partnership for Peace
project to destroy Albania’s antipersonnel mine stockpile. Two KMT 6 mine
clearance ploughs valued at CZK310,000 (approx. $11,000) were supplied to the
government of Lebanon.[22] In
2003, the Czech Republic donated $50,000 to the ITF for mine clearance in
Albania by DanChurchAid.[23]
Czech units continue to serve in the international KFOR operation in Kosovo,
which includes demining when operationally
necessary.[24]
Landmine/UXO Casualties and Survivor Assistance
In 2002, two people were killed and ten injured in
UXO incidents in the Czech
Republic.[25]Four
people were killed and one person injured in two separate incidents in 2001. In
February 2001, the Ministry of Defense estimated that 200-300 people have been
involved in mine and UXO accidents since
1960.[26]
The Czech health insurance system is compulsory and covers medical treatment
and compensation in case of disability and loss of
income.[27]
[1] Additional quantities were destroyed
before entry into force. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 677 and Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 224. [2] Fax
from Jiří Svoboda, United Nations Department, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, 10 June 2003. [3] Statement by
Ambassador Alexander Slabý, Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, Fourth
Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 16-20 September
2002. [4] Fax from Jiří
Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 June
2003. [5] Article 7 Report, 30 April
2003 (for calendar year 2002); Article 7 Report, 3 May 2002 (for calendar year
2001); Article 7 Report, 30 June 2001 (for the period to 30 June 2001); Article
7 Report, 30 April 2001 (for the period to 30 April 2001); Article 7 Report, 15
August 2000 (for the period to 1 July 2000).
[6] Letter from Jiří
Svoboda, UN Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 March
2003. [7] Article 7 Report, Forms B and
D, 30 April 2003. [8] Two years ago,
4,859 antipersonnel mines were reported as retained, suggesting that ten mines
have been used. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists that none of
the mines have been used and that the correct number is still 4,859. “Any
different figure must have been due to an administrative failure and should be
corrected.” Fax from Jiří Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, 10 June 2003; letter from Jiří Svoboda, 27 March
2003. [9] Telephone interview with
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Mácha, Strategic Planning Division, Ministry
of Defense, Prague, 5 May 2003. [10]
Statement by Ambassador Alexander Slabý, Fourth Meeting of States
Parties, 16-20 September 2002. [11]
Letter from Jiří Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 March
2003. [12] See, Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 222-223. [13] German
Initiative to Ban Landmines, “Czech arms producer suspected of violating
the Ottawa Convention,” accessed at
www.landmine.de [14]
Fax from Jiří Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 June
2003. [15] Fax from Josef Vitek,
International Organizations Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 April
2002. [16] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 223, and Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
677. [17] Letter from Jiří
Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 March 2003; fax from Jiří
Svoboda, 10 June 2003. [18] Statement by
Ambassador Alexander Slabý, Fourth Meeting of States Parties, 16-20
September 2002. [19] Article 7 Report,
Forms C and G, 30 April 2003. [20]
Letter from Jiří Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 March
2003. [21] Ibid; fax from
Jiří Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 June
2003. [22] Ibid; Response to
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe questionnaire, 13 December
2002, p. 3. [23] “CzechRep
subsidises mine clearance, this year in Albania,” CTK Daily News (press
agency), 18 June 2003. [24] CCW Amended
Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form E, 15 October
2002. [25] Letter from Jiří
Svoboda, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 27 March
2003. [26] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 225-226. [27] For more details
see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 226.