Key developments since May 2002: On 20 June 2003, the Parliament
passed legislation to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty. Legislative preparations
for accession had been delayed by the constitutional restructuring of the
country from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into the new state of Serbia and
Montenegro. The Ministry of Defense disclosed that Serbia and Montenegro holds
a stockpile of just over 1.3 million antipersonnel mines. The Mine Action
Center for Serbia and Montenegro estimated in March 2003 that 39 million square
meters of land may be contaminated by mines and cluster submunitions. Mine
incidents in southern Serbia have continued in 2002-2003, but it remains unclear
if these represent new use.
Mine Ban Policy
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) decided
on 20 April 2001 to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Legislative preparations for
treaty accession were delayed during 2002 by the constitutional restructuring of
the country as the new federal state of Serbia and Montenegro, which came into
effect on 4 February 2003.[1]
On 20 June 2003, the Parliament passed legislation to accede to the Mine Ban
Treaty and the law was published in the Official
Gazette.[2]
The FRY attended the Fourth Meeting of States Parties in September 2002, and
also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in February and May
2003. In November 2002, the FRY cosponsored and voted in favor of UN General
Assembly Resolution 57/74, which calls for universalization and implementation
of the Mine Ban Treaty. In the General Assembly First Committee, the FRY
representative stated that, as a country that has experienced the
“extremely harmful consequences of the use of this type of weapon,”
FRY “has actively joined the international efforts aimed at
eliminating” antipersonnel
mines.[3]
On 17 May 2002, the Engineer Department of the Yugoslav Army’s General
Staff held a discussion on the Mine Ban Treaty and the engineers’ demining
activities. The General Staff’s official newspaper reported that,
“our side had expressed an act of good will” in supporting the
decision to join the treaty, but also expressed concern that “the Yugoslav
Army still has no adequate substitute for anti-personnel
mines.”[4] In another
article, the head of the Engineer Department, Colonel Živojin
Mačužić, described production of “intelligent mines with
sensor-type self-destruction detonators” as a
priority.[5] An article
published in November 2002, described the development of a “Pljusak”
(pouring rain) system “for fast and remote
mining.”[6] Despite
requests for clarification by Landmine Monitor, it is not clear whether these
systems are for antivehicle mines only.
In response to concerns raised by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in
Serbia, the Ministry of Defense wrote on 29 January 2003 that “there is no
contradiction between the [positions] of the Federal Government and the VJ
General Staff.... ‘Modern intelligent mines with sensor self-destruction
detonators, as well as devices for their launching’, [are] something all
modern armies in the world possess and they are not the subject of the
Treaty.”[7]
The FRY was a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and
its 1980 Protocol II, but not Amended Protocol II. It attended as an observer
the Fourth Annual Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II in
December 2002.
Production, Transfer and Stockpiling
In January 2003, the Ministry of Defense
reiterated earlier statements that FRY has not produced mines since 1992, and
has not exported mines to other countries since
1990.[8]
On 29 January 2003, the Ministry of Defense provided the Helsinki Committee
with data on the Army’s stockpile of antipersonnel mines, indicating a
total of 1,320,621 mines.[9] At
the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, on 6 February 2003, Colonel
Vlado Radic repeated this number and reported that the stockpile is in good
condition, and stored at 23
locations.[10] Subsequently,
Colonel Radic stated that the stockpile contains seven types of antipersonnel
mine (PMA 1, PMA 2, PMA 3, PMR 2A, PMR 3, PROM 1 and
MRUD).[11]
Colonel Radic also stated that once financial resources have been obtained,
an initial quantity of 91,470 mines would be destroyed over a two-month period,
at an estimated cost of €380,000
($361,000).[12] He indicated
what Serbia and Montenegro can provide for the destruction (transportation,
equipment, manpower, and high standards), and what was needed (funding,
registration equipment, site preparation, safety and security measures, and
transportation from the 23 storage sites to the destruction site at military
facilities in Kragujevac).[13]
In January 2003, the Ministry of Defense clarified that the quantity of
90,000 mines previously reported as destroyed, had been designated for
destruction, but had not been destroyed due to lack of
resources.[14]
Use
Landmine incidents continued in southern Serbia in
2002 and 2003, but it remains unclear the extent to which these result from
earlier deployment by irregular anti-Serbian forces or represent new
use.[15] In 2002, the Serbian
Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded incidents involving 17 antipersonnel mines
and five antivehicle mines in the southern municipalities of Bujanovac,
Preševo, Medveđa and Kuršumlija. One of the antipersonnel mines
was activated by the victim, while the rest were detected and deactivated. Two
of the antivehicle mines were detonated by vehicles, while the rest were
deactivated safely.[16]
On 23 February 2003, a Serbian policeman was killed and two injured when
their vehicle drove over an antivehicle mine between the villages of Muhovac and
Breznica, near Bujanovac. A Serbian official blamed former rebels in
neighboring UN-administered Kosovo and demanded that they be arrested and handed
over.[17] Albanian militants
claimed responsibility for the incident, and threatened increased military
activity.[18]
Between 5 March and 31 December 2002, ten secret depots of weapons,
ammunition and other explosive ordnance were discovered in southern Serbia,
including 108 antipersonnel mines and 14 antivehicle mines of various models and
origins.[19]
Landmine/UXO Problem
Landmine Monitor Report 2002 noted that
information on the extent of contamination by mines and unexploded ordnance
(UXO) in FRY was incomplete. The Mine Action Center for Serbia and Montenegro
provided additional information in March
2003.[20] It estimated that 39
million square meters of Serbia and Montenegro may be contaminated by mines and
cluster submunitions. Unexploded cluster submunitions in 14 locations account
for 29 million square meters, and landmines account for 10 million square
meters.[21]
The most mine-affected area is in the vicinity of Jamena village, on the
tri-border with Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is estimated that there
are around 7,200 antipersonnel and 3,800 antivehicle mines in 103 minefields
from 100 to 3,000 meters wide and stretching for about 40,500 meters. The mined
area is partly covered by a dense oak forest, and partly by agricultural land
intersected by drainage canals. Due to the mines, the fields have not been
cultivated for over a decade; the canals are filled up and the land is often
flooded. The flooding contaminates drinking water in Jamena and other villages.
The Mine Action Center assumes that many of the mines have moved position
because of the flooding.
[22]
Serbian and Croatian demining experts jointly carried out general and
technical survey in the tri-border area. The Army presented all available
documentation on minefields placed in that area. However, minefields for which
there is no documentation were also found during the
survey.[23] In a press report
in January 2003, the Mine Action Center stated that the joint Serbian-Croatian
operations had established that about 10 square kilometers of land (mostly
forest and arable fields, but also village roads) were mined in the tri-border
area.[24]
The main locations of cluster submunition contamination are Sjenica (two
sites totaling 16 million square meters), Kopaonik (two sites totaling 6 million
square meters), Merdare (two sites totaling 3 million square meters), Niš
airport (three sites totaling 2 million square meters), Kraljevo (three sites
totaling 1 million square meters), Čačak (700,000 square meters) and
Vladimirci (200,000 square
meters).[25]
Additionally, there are 63 unexploded aerial bombs or other large-caliber
projectiles on 45 locations, covering an area of approximately 5 million square
meters. There are large caliber unexploded projectiles and aerial bombs buried
as deep as 20 meters in 36 locations. There are aerial bombs and large
projectiles at nine locations in the Danube
River.[26]
Mine Action Coordination
The Mine Action Center was formed on 7 March 2002
as part of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following the change in
name to Serbia and Montenegro, the Center’s director expects its status
and function to be redefined. The Center has acted as a coordinating mine
action body at the federal level and this role will probably continue. The
Center has proposed legislation pertaining to demining, collected data on mined
and suspected areas, developed projects for demining, and maintained databases
on these matters and on mine casualties. The Center has also been responsible
for obtaining funding.[27] Mine
clearance carried out by the Army is not within the Center’s area of
responsibility, and it keeps no records of Army clearance
operations.[28]
In 2002, the Center organized the training to international standards of 32
personnel in demining and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), ten for monitoring
and final inspection, three for general and technical survey, and two divers as
explosives specialists. In addition, two people were trained as demining
managers and two others were trained in database management. The Center obtained
computer and other equipment, protective equipment for deminers, and a field
vehicle.[29]
On 11 February 2003, the Center hosted the eighth meeting of the South-East
Europe Mine Action Coordination Council
(SEEMACC).[30]
The Center planned to expand its activities in 2003 to include various
programs of assistance to mine
survivors.[31]
Mine Action Funding
In 2001, the International Trust Fund for Demining
and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF) started directing some of the international
donations it receives to mine action in FRY. In 2002, the ITF provided a total
of $299,044 for mine action in Serbia and Montenegro. This funding included a
computer, other equipment, and a vehicle for the Mine Action Center; training
and equipping of 28 personnel in demining and EOD; survey of the tri-border area
near Jamena; and operations to locate aerial bombs and
projectiles.[32]
The Danube Commission funded survey and clearance of a section of the river
Danube, and Serbia’s Road Directorate funded survey of the river Sava.
In Montenegro, the ITF funded renovation and equipping of the Regional Center
for Underwater Demining, and a training course for ten personnel from Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro. It funded survey of the
mine-contaminated border between Montenegro and Croatia, which was completed in
December 2002.[33]
Mine/UXO Clearance
In southern Serbia, in the former Ground Safety
Zone, the Army and Serbian Ministry of the Interior from May 2001 to December
2002 deactivated or destroyed 6,654 mines and 223,058 items of UXO, including
cluster bombs.[34]
During 2002, the Mine Action Center organized the clearance of 3.5 million
square meters of land contaminated with mines and UXO. This excludes clearance
carried out by the Army at military facilities.
Slovenian and US teams visited Serbia on 1-6 April 2002 to help locate aerial
bombs and projectiles. Four locations were prioritized for attention: Belgrade
city center, Batajnica, Zvezdara and Avala. Disposal was due to start in 2003.
In the Danube near Novi Sad, 2.7 million square meters of the river bottom
were searched, and six large caliber projectiles were removed. The bed of the
river Sava near Ostružnica was also searched (800,000 square meters) with
no explosive objects found. Both operations were performed by the
PMC-Inžinjering Company of
Belgrade.[35]
In 2003, the Center planned to start the first phase of clearance of cluster
submunitions from Niš airport, in an area of 533,200 square meters. These
operations, scheduled for the first three months of 2003, were to be carried out
by the Bosnian NGO Stop Mines, and financed by the ITF. The second phase (1.1
million square meters) was due to be completed in
2003.[36]
Removal and disposal of aerial bombs from five locations (four in Belgrade)
started in 2003, financed by the US via the ITF. Operations to remove aerial
bombs from Lake Palić near Subotica were also planned for
2003.[37] It was planned to
clear nine minefields totaling 300,000 square meters in the Jamena border area,
and to remove cluster submunitions from an area of about 2 million square meters
on Mount Kopaonik.[38]
Mine Risk Education
In southern Serbia, the joint Army and Ministry of
the Interior Coordinating Body formed a group of demining experts tasked with
educating the local population to the dangers of mines and UXO, as well
discovering and destroying mines and UXO. This mine risk education was
coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), European
Commission, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, and local bodies and
NGOs.[39]
In 2001 and 2002, local and state-run media, with Coordinating Body
participation, carried out programs informing the population about the dangers
of mines and what to do. Local authorities, NGOs and others also participated
in the campaign. The Press Centers of the Federal and Serbian governments were
very active in this
campaign.[40]
Twenty-six billboards with mine risk education messages were posted in
Preševo and Bujanovac. Leaflets and other material were distributed, and
250 warning notices erected in the area of the former Ground Safety
Zone.[41]
The ICRC organized lectures and theater performances for the civilian
population in areas known or suspected to be mine-contaminated, including the
town of Bujanovac and 24 villages in its municipality, and Preševo and 21
villages in its municipality. There were 51 theater performances in 2002 and 26
lectures, reaching over 8,000 people. These events were conducted in both
Serbian and Albanian, depending on the local population. The ICRC also
cooperated with the Coordinating Body and the local authorities in Preševo,
Bujanovac and Medveđa to train volunteer mine risk educators from the local
population in all the contaminated settlements (minimum 30 volunteers per
training session).[42]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
In 2002, five people were injured in landmine and
UXO incidents; a significant reduction from the 32 reported casualties in
2001.[43] The ICRC recorded
three civilians injured in mine/UXO incidents in 2002, including two children.
In May 2002, a man stepped on an antipersonnel mine while collecting mushrooms
and sustained serious injuries. In July, two children were injured in an
incident involving UXO.[44] In
another reported incident, on 27 April, two soldiers were injured when their
vehicle detonated an antivehicle mine, near the village of
Dobrosin.[45]
In January 2003, two deminers from Serbia and Montenegro were injured during
a mine clearance operation in Lebanon; one lost a leg in the
accident.[46]
Casualties continue to be reported in 2003. In February, a Serbian policeman
was killed and two others injured when their vehicle hit an antivehicle mine
near Bujanovac.[47]
Survivor Assistance
The FRY had well-developed surgical and
rehabilitation services for mine survivors, as well as reintegration
programs.[48] However, the lack
of resources, caused by the economic situation, has affected the quality of
health care services. In 2002, several donor projects sought to improve the
quality of health care, including the supply of new equipment for surgical
centers in the Republic of Serbia, which was funded by the European Agency for
Reconstruction.[49] The
International Rescue Committee is also working with the Ministry of Health to
improve health services in southern
Serbia.[50]
The Institute for Prosthetics in Belgrade is a specialized center for
physical rehabilitation and prosthetics. In 2002, the Institute assisted 786
in-patients and provided 75,904 outpatient treatments. Twenty-eight disabled
war veterans, most of whom are mine survivors, are permanent residents of the
Institute; most are from Croatia and are refugees in Serbia with no family
support. The Institute is reported to have highly-trained staff, but a lack of
resources is limiting its capacity to provide high quality prostheses. No new
mine survivors were assisted in
2002.[51]
Handicap International (HI) assists persons with disabilities, including
landmine survivors, in Serbia. HI supports partner organizations, including
NGOs and associations for persons with disabilities, with medical and orthopedic
equipment and training. HI’s program includes capacity building and
empowerment of local associations of the
disabled.[52]
The local association, Dobra Volja (Goodwill), provides psychosocial
support to mine survivors, who are mostly refugees from Croatia and Kosovo. The
association has around 500 members, of which about 75 percent are mine
survivors. Dobra Volja organizes social functions, including literary
evenings and art exhibitions, and publishes a newsletter for its members.
Activities are limited by a lack of
resources.[53]
The Mine Action Center plans to expand its activities in 2003 to include
programs to assist mine survivors and their families. The center is collecting
data on mine survivors to identify assistance already received and future needs.
The data will be used to plan a project based on these needs. However,
implementation of any project is dependent on donor
funding.[54]
One of the main problems facing mine survivors in Serbia and Montenegro is
the lack of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. This
problem is exacerbated by high unemployment in the general
population.[55]
Disability Policy and Practice
In February 2001, the Ministry of Social Affairs
signed a Protocol on Cooperation with HI for the joint revision of problems
concerning persons with disability (PWDs) and their families. The Council of
the Government of the Republic of Serbia has been established, with the active
participation of PWDs, to propose a framework for identifying solutions to the
problems they face and to better implement their rights. Also underway is the
collection and processing of data on PWDs, which will enable the creation of a
database. Currently there is no precise information available on the number of
PWDs in Serbia. The sector for disabled war veterans, including mine survivors,
does not have data on persons injured during the wars of 1991 to 1999, although
it is estimated that there are around 5,000. The proposed database will include
statistics on disabled war
veterans.[56]
[1] Col. Vlado Radić, Military
Economic Affairs Sector, Ministry of Defense, “Project on Destruction of
APM Stockpiles in Serbia and Montenegro,” Standing Committee on Stockpile
Destruction, Geneva, 6 February 2003.
[2] Official Gazette (Službeni
list Srbije i Crne Gore Medjunarodni ugovori), No. 5, 20 June 2003, p.
40. [3] Statement by Dejan
Šahović, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, First
Committee, General Debate, UN General Assembly, New York, 9 October 2002.
[4] Dušan Marinović,
“Pending the Ratification of the Ottawa Treaty,” Vojska (weekly
magazine of the Yugoslav Army General Staff), 23 May 2002, p.
17. [5] Col. Branko Bošković,
“Model of Equipping the Engineer Corps for Modern Action,” Novi
vojni glasnik (military magazine), No. 1/2002, January 2002, pp. 28-34.
[6] Biljana Stojković,
“Necessity of Technical Modernization,” Vojska, 7 November 2002, pp.
8-9. [7] Letter from Major-General
Dobrosav Radovanović, Sector of International Military Cooperation and
Defense Policy, Federal Ministry of Defense, No. 87-10/1, 29 January
2003. [8] Ibid; see also, Landmine
Monitor Report 2002, p. 789. [9] Letter
from Major-General Dobrosav Radovanović, Federal Ministry of Defense, 29
January 2003. [10] Col. Vlado
Radić, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 6 February
2003. [11] The number of each type will
be revealed when the country accedes to the Mine Ban Treaty. Fax from Col. Vlado
Radić, 24 March 2003. [12] Exchange
rate €1 = US$0.95, used throughout this report. Federal Reserve,
“List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 6 January 2003. The mines
scheduled to be destroyed are: 90,000 PMA-1 mines, 930 PMR-2A and 540 PROM-1
mines. [13] Col. Vlado Radić,
Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 6 February 2003.
[14] Letter from Major-General Dobrosav
Radovanović, Federal Ministry of Defense, 29 January 2003. FRY stated at
the Standing Committees in May 2002 that 90,000 antipersonnel mines had already
been destroyed. Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
789. [15] For the original circumstances
of mine use against Serbian forces in southern Serbia, see Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, pp. 923-924 and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
789. [16] Serbian Ministry of Internal
Affairs, “Report for the period 1 January-31 December 2002,” No.
153, signed by Minister Dušan Mihajlović, 21 January 2003. See also
later section on Casualties. [17]
“Serb Officer Killed in Blast,” Kathimerini (Greek daily newspaper,
English Internet edition), 24 February 2003; “One Policeman Killed and Two
Injured by a Mine in Southern Serbia,” Europa Press, 23 February
2003. [18] “NATO, UN Rebut Serb
Claims as Ex-rebel Warns of Fresh Violence,” Kathimerini, 13 February
2003; “US, UN Deny Serb Allegations as Rebels Claim Responsibility,”
Kathimerini, 25 February 2003; “Serbs, Ethnic Albanians Brace for More
Conflict in Southern Serbia,” Kathimerini, 26 February
2003. [19] Serbian Ministry of Internal
Affairs, “Report: 2002,” No. 153, 21 January
2003. [20] The literal translation of
the title is the Center for Removing Mines and Other Unexploded Ordnance, but
the English version the Center uses is the Mine Action
Center. [21] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Director, Mine Action Center, Belgrade, No. 2948 13 March
2003. [22] Ibid.; Mine Action Center,
“2003 Mine Action Plan for the Republic of Serbia,” Belgrade, p.
2. [23] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, 13 March
2003. [24] Marko Albunović,
“To Work, As Soon As it Becomes Warmer,” Politika (daily newspaper),
26 January 2003, p. A14. [25] Mine
Action Center, “2003 Mine Action Plan for the Republic of Serbia,”
Belgrade, p. 2. [26] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, 13 March
2003. [27]
Ibid. [28] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, No. 5812, 7 May
2003. [29] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, 13 March
2003. [30]
Ibid. [31]
Ibid. [32] ITF, “Annual Report
2002,” pp. 19 and 36; email from Eva Veble, Head of International
Relations, ITF, 30 April 2003. [33] ITF,
“Annual Report 2002,” p.
36. [34] Letter from Nebojša
Čović, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman, Coordination Body
of the municipalities of Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa, 12 February
2003. The Coordinating Body is a joint organ of the Federal Government and the
Government of the Republic of
Serbia. [35] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, 13 March 2003; Mine Action Center,
“2003 Mine Action Plan for the Republic of Serbia,” p.
3. [36] Letter from Petar
Mihajlović, Mine Action Center, 13 March 2003.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Ibid; Mine Action Center,
“2003 Mine Action Plan,” p. 4.
[39] Letter from Nebojša
Čović, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, 12 February
2003. [40]
Ibid. [41]
Ibid. [42] Ibid; ICRC, “Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia: Facts and Figures on Recent ICRC Action,” 7 August
2002. [43] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 793. [44] Interview by Landmine
Monitor (Victim Assistance Research Coordinator) with Željko Ležaja,
Communications Assistant/Mine Awareness Coordinator, ICRC, Belgrade, 15 April
2003. [45] “Two soldiers injured
in land mine explosion near Kosovo border,” Associated Press, 28 April
2002. [46] “Miner Loses
Leg,” Danas, 13 January 2003, p. 3; Aleksandar Roknić, “VJ
Experts are Not in Lebanon,” Danas, 15 January 2003, p.
1. [47] “US, UN Deny Serb
Allegations as Rebels Claim Responsibility,” Kathimerini, 25 February
2003, “Serbs, Ethnic Albanians Brace for More Conflict in Southern
Serbia,” Kathimerini, 26 February 2003; Jovana Gec, “One policeman
killed, two injured in volatile south,” Associated Press, 23 February
2003. [48] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 834-836. [49] Information
provided by the Minister of Health, Professor Tomica Milosavljević, 16
January 2003. [50] Interview by Landmine
Monitor (VA Coordinator) with Gail Neudorf, Country Director, International
Rescue Committee, Belgrade, 15 April
2003. [51] Interview with Dr. Slavica
Eremić, Director, Institute of Prosthetics, Belgrade, 17 April
2003. [52] Interview by Landmine Monitor
(VA Coordinator) with Lucile Papon, Program Director-Serbia, HI, Belgrade, 16
April 2003. [53] Interview by Landmine
Monitor (VA Coordinator) with Gojko Dmitrović, Žarko Jokić, and
Nikola Barišić, mine survivors and members of Dobra volja, Belgrade 14
April 2003. [54] Interview with Petar
Mihajlović, Director, Mine Action Center, Belgrade, 16 April 2003.
[55] Observation based on discussions
with mine survivors, doctors, physical rehabilitation professionals, officials,
and NGOs, during a visit to Belgrade by Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance
Research Coordinator, 12-19 April
2003. [56] Information provided to
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia by Gordana Matković, Serbian
Minister of Social Affairs, 23 January 2003.