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Table of Contents
Country Reports
Czech Republic , Landmine Monitor Report 2003

Czech Republic

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.