LM Report 2003

Luxembourg

Mine Ban Policy

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997, ratified on 14 June 1999, and became a State Party on 1 December 1999. National legislation includes penal sanctions for violation of the treaty. In June 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that separate legislation to deal with import, export and transit of weapons, munitions and military equipment and technology was being developed. However, in December 2002 and again in March 2003 Luxembourg reported these were covered by a grand-ducal regulation of 31 October 1995, to which antipersonnel mines were added by a ministerial regulation of 7 April 1997.^[1]

Luxembourg attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002, and the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and May 2003. In November 2002, Luxembourg voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/74, which calls for universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. Luxembourg submitted its fourth Article 7 Report on 29 April 2003.^[2]

Regarding joint military operations with states not party to the Mine Ban Treaty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “Nobody is authorized to participate, actively or passively, in operations involving the use of antipersonnel mines.”^[3]

Luxembourg is a member of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its Amended Protocol II, and attended the Fourth Annual Conference of States Parties to the Protocol on 11 December 2002. It submitted an annual report as required by Article 13 of the Protocol on 31 March 2003.

Handicap International Luxembourg (HIL) continued to raise public awareness on the mine issue in 2002. As in previous years, it held an event on the Place d’Armes in Luxembourg City, on 5 October 2002, which included a “minefield carpet,” a photo exhibition on the landmine issue, and a shoe pyramid. HIL collected signatures on a petition against landmines. In September 2002, HIL opened its doors to the general public, for people to learn more about its work.^[4]

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling

Luxembourg has never produced or exported antipersonnel mines. Its stockpile of 9,600 antipersonnel mines was destroyed in 1997. Luxembourg has confirmed that it does not possess Claymore-type mines.^[5]

The 2003 Article 7 report lists 988 antipersonnel mines retained for training (494 M35 and 494 M16) at the end of 2002. Ten landmines (five of each type) were destroyed in 2002.^[6] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the retained mines are used to instruct military personnel preparing for peacekeeping operations, and ten are destroyed each year as part of destruction of obsolete munitions.^[7]

Mine Action Assistance

At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2003, Luxembourg stated that its provision of mine action funds is divided into three main areas: emergency aid (in 2002, this included mine risk education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and victim assistance in Angola), multi- and bilateral cooperation (in 2002, this consisted of a contribution to the UXO Lao clearance fund), and support to NGOs.^[8]

In 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided mine action funding totaling €1,161,865 (US$1,103,372).^[9] This is an increase from mine action funding of about €800,000 in 2001. Funding was provided for the following projects in 2002:^[10]

• Albania: €100,000 ($95,000) donated via the International Trust Fund for victim assistance.
• Afghanistan and Pakistan: €300,000 ($285,000) to HIL for mine risk education.
• Angola: €238,000 ($226,100) to HIL and Handicap International Belgium for victim assistance in Lubango and Viana.
• Croatia: €200,000 ($190,000) to the mine action center for mine clearance.
• Laos: €283,865 ($269,672) to the UNDP for clearance by UXO Lao.
• Sudan: €40,000 ($38,000) to the UN Mine Action Service for mine clearance.

In 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provided €1,182,664 ($1,123,531) to HIL for eight health care and disability projects, which include support for landmine survivors, in Cambodia, Laos, Nicaragua, Serbia and Montenegro (Kosovo) and Vietnam.

[1] Luxembourg response to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) questionnaire, 11 December 2002, p. 2; Article 13 Report, Form D, 31 March 2003.
[2] Article 7 Report, submitted 29 April 2003 (for calendar year 2002); Article 7 Report, 20 June 2002 (for calendar year 2001); Article 7 Report, 27 April 2001 (for calendar year 2000); Article 7 Report, 27 April 2001 (for calendar year 1999).
[3] Email from François Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 April 2003.
[4] Email from Christina Schuerr, HIL, 30 January 2003.
[5] Email from François Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 April 2003.
[6] Article 7 Report, Forms D and G, 29 April 2003.
[7] Email from François Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 April 2003.
[8] Intervention by Luxembourg, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and Socio-economic Reintegration, Geneva, 13 May 2003.
[9] Exchange rate €1 = US$0.95, used throughout this report. Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 6 January 2003.
[10] Email from François Berg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 18 April 2003.