Key developments since May 2003:In 2003, the mine/UXO
contaminated area was reduced by 1.1 million square meters, less than
one-quarter of the planned reduction of 4.8 million square meters. The total
includes clearance of 310,800 square meters of land and reduction of 799,601
square meters through survey. A new mine action plan was announced in June
2004, which postponed the deadline for clearance of medium and high priority
areas from December 2005 to December 2006, and clearance of low impact areas
from December 2006 to December 2008. Albania reported that approximately 30,000
people in 39 villages received mine risk education in 2003. About $3.6 million
was spent on mine action in Albania in 2003, up from $2.8 million in 2002. In
2003, an integrated victim assistance strategy was adopted in Albania. In
September 2003, an income-generation project started in the mine-affected
districts for mine survivors.
Key developments since 1999:Albania ratified the Mine Ban
Treaty on 29 February 2000, and became a State Party on 1 August 2000. Specific
legislation to implement the treaty has yet to be adopted. Albania’s
stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines was destroyed by 4 April 2002, well
in advance of the treaty deadline of 1 August 2004. Albania has opted not to
retain any antipersonnel mines for training purposes. The northeast of the
country was heavily contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance from the
Kosovo crisis in 1999. The Albanian Mine Action Committee and the Albanian Mine
Action Executive were formed in October 1999, and strengthened in subsequent
years with assistance from UNDP. A national mine action strategy was produced
in June 2002 with the goal of freeing Albania from the effect of mines and UXO
by 2005. A new mine action plan was announced in June 2004, which postponed the
deadline for clearance of medium and high priority areas from December 2005 to
December 2006, and clearance of low impact areas from December 2006 to December
2008. From 2000 to 2003, some $10.4 million was donated to mine action in
Albania. The amount of financial assistance has been steadily increasing each
year. From 2000 to 2003, a total of 10.1 million square meters of land was
cleared or reduced through survey. From 1999 to July 2004, the AMAE database
records 269 mine/UXO casualties in northeast Albania.
Mine Ban Policy
The Republic of Albania signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 8 September 1998 and
ratified it on 29 February 2000, becoming a State Party on 1 August
2000.[1] Albania participated in
all the Ottawa Process meetings in 1996 and 1997; internal disturbances in the
country were cited as the reason for the delay in its signature of the
treaty.[2] Albania has voted in
favor of every pro-landmine ban UN General Assembly resolution since 1996,
including UNGA Resolution 58/53 in December 2003.
Law 8547 of 11 November 1999 and Decision 269 of 25 May 2000 gave legal force
to the Mine Ban Treaty in Albania, but did not include the penal sanctions
required by Article 9.[3]
Additional legislation being prepared in early 2000 was reported to be “an
objective for 2003.” But in March 2004, the Director of the Albanian Mine
Action Executive stated, “Albania still lacks the national legislation to
legally enforce the Ottawa Treaty in Albania. It remains an objective for
2004.”[4] A draft law on
humanitarian demining was said to be in
preparation.[5] In February 2004,
Albania’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva referred to domestic
law that “prohibits the unlawful production, stockpiling, use, import,
export, transfer and trading of all ordnance in Albania and imposes hefty
penalties of up to 20
years.”[6]
Albania attended the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2003, where
its delegation summarized progress in clearing mine-contaminated land and
integrating mine risk education and victim assistance in its mine action
operations.[7] Albania has
attended all of the annual meetings since 1999, as well as all of the
intersessional meetings. At the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in
February and June 2004, the delegation gave presentations on Albania’s
mine action program.
Albania’s annual Article 7 report was submitted on 30 April 2004,
giving details of progress in mine clearance, mine risk education and victim
assistance programs during 2003. This included the voluntary Form J. Two
previous Article 7 reports have been
submitted.[8]
Albania has not engaged in the extensive discussions that States Parties have
had on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2,
and 3. Thus, Albania has not made known its views on issues related to joint
military operations with non-States Parties, antivehicle mines with sensitive
fuzes or antihandling devices, and the permissible number of mines retained for
training. Perhaps most notably, the Albanian government has not expressed a
position on the legality of transit of antipersonnel mines through its territory
by a non-State Party, or on the legality of other States engaging in activities
involving antipersonnel mines on Albanian territory, despite one possible
instance in 1999 when Albania was a signatory to the Mine Ban
Treaty.[9]
Albania became a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)
and its Amended Protocol II in
2002.[10] It participated in the
Fifth Annual Conference of States Parties to the Protocol in November 2003.
Previously, Albania attended as an observer at the annual conference of States
Parties and the Second CCW Review Conference in December 2001. As of the end of
August 2004, Albania had not submitted the annual report as required by Article
13 of the treaty.
Production and Transfer
Production of antipersonnel mines was suspended in 1990 and officially ceased
in 1991. The two production plants—ULP Mjekës in central Albania and
KM Poliçan in the south—were converted to facilities for ammunition
demilitarization by 2002. Albania produced antipersonnel mines in substantial
quantities from 1967 to 1990, with technology acquired from China. Two types of
antipersonnel mine were produced: the POMZ-2 and PMD-6. Antivehicle mines were
also produced.[11]
Before 1975, Albania received large quantities of mines from the Soviet Union
and China.[12] According to the
United Nations, Russian antipersonnel and Chinese antivehicle mines found in
Kosovo after the 1999 conflict may have been transferred from
Albania.[13]
Stockpiling and Destruction
Albania’s stockpile of 1,683,860 antipersonnel mines was destroyed by 4
April 2002, in an internationally funded project carried out under NATO
auspices. The treaty-mandated deadline was 1 August 2004.
Until an inventory was carried out in 1999–2000 by the Armed Forces
under NATO guidance, the size of Albania’s stockpile of antipersonnel
mines was not known with confidence, in part because stocks were stored across
120 locations, some inaccessible by road, and stocks were not palletized. Also,
in 1997 an estimated 600,000 mines were looted during civil
disturbances.[14] For the
purposes of the stockpile destruction program, the total was set at 1,607,420,
plus or minus 10 percent, consisting of three types commonly found in
Commonwealth of Independent States
countries.[15] Another 76,440
antipersonnel mines were later discovered, bringing the total to
1,683,860.[16]
To ensure the rapid and efficient destruction of Albania’s stockpile of
antipersonnel mines, the NATO Partnership for Peace developed a Trust Fund
concept which has been used subsequently in other cases. This involves
agreement between two sponsors, in this case Albania and Canada, and the
formation of a Trust Fund to which donations are solicited. Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
contributed to the projected $790,000 cost of destroying the Albanian stockpile.
Funding was in place in January 2001 and operations started in May 2001. The
project was managed by the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency.
The destruction program was completed on 4 April 2002, well ahead of
schedule, and, reportedly, below the estimated cost, although the exact cost is
not known. It included destruction of the additional 76,440 antipersonnel mines
discovered, and destruction in situ of 8,100 antipersonnel mines on Sazan
Island. No accidents occurred to personnel involved in the
program.[17]
Albania has opted not to retain any antipersonnel mines for purposes
permitted by Article 3 of the treaty, having concluded that “there were no
justifiable reasons for retention of APM for training or any other purpose.
Therefore, the entire stockpile has been
destroyed.”[18]
Use and Landmine/UXO Problem
The most recent use of antipersonnel mines in Albania was in 1998 and 1999 in
the northeast of the country during the Kosovo crisis. Areas close to the
border with Kosovo were “contaminated with anti-personnel and anti-tank
mines as well as unexploded ordnance (UXO) of Serbian, UÇK [Kosovo
Liberation Army] and NATO
origin.”[19] Serb forces
laid antipersonnel and antivehicle mines along the 80-kilometer border,
affecting about 14 million square meters of Albanian territory. Serb artillery
also contaminated 16 areas up to 20 kilometers inside Albania, totaling 1.4
million square meters, according to previous
estimates.[20] In 1999, the
Albanian Armed Forces identified 102 affected areas totaling an estimated 15.25
million square meters. Thirty-nine villages with a population of 25,500 people
were affected, and a further 120,000 people were indirectly
affected.[21]
Albania reported in April 2004 that 4,599,262 square meters of land in the
northeast remained
mine-affected.[22] However,
because of low clearance results in 2003, it appears that the contaminated area
remaining at the start of 2004 was 5,121,599 square meters (see below).
Albania’s first Article 7 report described the mines and UXO as posing
not only a physical threat, but also having “a major impact on the already
harsh lives” of people living in the area. Mainly forest, agricultural
and grazing areas are affected, where subsistence activities predominate. Some
water sources are mined. Economic and infrastructural development is seriously
hampered. Villages and frequently used routes for travel into Kosovo are also
mine/UXO-contaminated. Border management and the ability to counter illegal
trafficking are adversely affected. There are no records of the mined
areas.[23]
In 1997, government forces laid mines to protect military depots throughout
Albania during widespread civil disorder. Albania has reported that Ministry of
Defense areas “mined as protective defensive measures” were cleared
before ratification of the Mine Ban Treaty in February
2000.[24] Despite the presence of
mines, military depots were looted and an estimated 2.2 million square meters of
land was contaminated with UXO, producing 15
“hotspots.”[25] By
the end of 2001, ten of these areas were reported to have been
cleared.[26] Albania reported in
April 2004 that the process of “mopping up the last remnants” was
still going on.[27]
Some of the 600,000 antipersonnel mines looted in 1997 may have been used in
criminal activities or smuggled into Kosovo for use by the ethnic-Albanian
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).[28]
In 1999, the UN Development Programme piloted a scheme for the collection of
looted mines and other ordnance in Gramsh district. In 2002, this was extended
to five other areas. By the end of the initial amnesty period on 4 August 2002,
nearly 700,000 items had been collected (reports did not distinguish between
mines and other items). In March 2003, Parliament approved a further amnesty,
of two years’ duration, for the collection of weapons including
antipersonnel mines.[29] Draft
legislation was put before Parliament in December 2003, but had not been
approved as of June 2004.[30]
Austro-Hungarian troops used mines in central Albania during the First World
War and in 1998 it was reported that they were still being discovered from time
to time. Italian, German and British forces used mines in Albania during the
Second World War. Albanian forces used mines in 1949 in the conflict with
Greece. At other times from 1945 to 1990, Albania planted mines on sections of
its borders with Yugoslavia and
Greece.[31]
Mine Action Coordination and Planning
The Albanian Mine Action Committee (AMAC) was formed in October 1999 as the
policy-making body for mine action, with responsibility for obtaining funding
and assistance.[32] The Albanian
Mine Action Executive (AMAE) was set up at the same time, to work under the
Committee’s direction. Structural weaknesses were soon recognized and in
April 2002 UNDP initiated a two-year project to strengthen mine action
structures and capacity in
Albania.[33]
Under the UNDP project, capacity increased from a very low base in
1999–2002, to a “fully functional AMAE” in 2003, including
four technical and operations advisors, and a regional office in northeast
Albania. This allowed introduction in 2003 of technical and safety standards
based on the International Mine Action Standards. The Information Management
System for Mine Action (IMSMA) database, installed in 2002, was fully staffed in
2003 and updated to version 3. In 2004, AMAE planned to integrate IMSMA
operationally and establish effective IMSMA capability in the regional
office.[34]
The UNDP project produced a national mine action strategy in June 2002 with
the goal of freeing Albania from the effect of mines and UXO by 2005 and
phasing-in the assumption of government responsibility for the problem by
2004–2005, when only low-impact areas were expected to
remain.[35] The new mine action
strategy was presented at the Standing Committee meetings in February 2003 and
was included in Albania’s April 2003 Article 7
report.[36] The report described
2002 as the turning point and 2003 as crucial for mine action in
Albania.[37]
In the strategy for 2003, technical survey was identified as a priority, in
order to “accurately delineate all of the minefields and battle areas of
northeast Albania.” Impact surveys were to be redone accurately, and
demining capacity was to be increased by additional mechanical and mine
detecting dog capabilities.[38]
Albania informed the intersessional Resource Mobilization Group that it has a
Poverty Reduction Strategy, but the AMAE report for 2003 makes no mention of
this Strategy or of the place of mine action within
it.[39]
Mine/UXO Clearance and Survey
The Mine Ban Treaty requires that Albania clear all mined areas as soon as
possible, but not later than August 2010.
In 2003, the amount of mine/UXO contaminated area reduced through survey and
clearance was 1,110,401 square meters, less than one-quarter of the planned
reduction of 4,836,000 square
meters.[40] At a regional meeting
in February 2004, Albania explained the shortfall asdue to extremely wet
weather in 2003 and difficult terrain in the extreme
north.[41] On 5 July 2004, the
AMAE Director said that a later demining plan for 2003 had targeted a reduction
of 1,957,000 square meters.[42]
In 2003, a total of 310,800 square meters of land was cleared; the initial
plan was 350,000 square meters. The total includes 149,512 square meters of
battle area clearance. The amount of area reduction achieved by survey was
799,601 square meters; the plan was 4,486,000 square meters. The breakdown for
impact survey and technical survey was not
reported.[43]
DanChurchAid(DCA) and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) were
responsible for all the mine clearance and reduction through survey achieved in
2003, with international funding channeled through the International Trust Fund
for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance (ITF), based in Slovenia. The AMAE
reports that “demining assets” increased in 2003. The two
organizations operated eight manual demining teams (six in 2002), three flails
(two in 2002), and one mine detecting dog
team.[44] According to the latest
information from DCA, in 2003 it manually cleared 126,117 square meters of land,
returning a total area to the community of 281,821 square
meters.[45] The AMAE, however,
reports that DCA cleared 78,710 square meters. DCA continued to work in Albania
in 2004, but the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action terminated operations at the
end of 2003 due to lack of
funding.[46]
No quality management was conducted in Albania before September 2002, when
the AMAE acquired this capacity and started sampling the backlog of cleared
land. By the end of 2003, 680,035 square meters had been quality controlled and
637,613 square meters were formally released to local communities. Quality
control of all land cleared in 2003 was completed as planned by April 2004, but
due to a fatal accident during training, handover of the land to local
communities was postponed.[47]
Because of the low results in 2003, the contaminated area remaining at the
start of 2004 was 5,121,599 square meters, instead of 1,396,000 square meters.
The impact of the low results in 2003 on the UNDP strategy’s detailed
targets for mine action in future years has not been reported. However, a new
mine plan was announced in June 2004, which postponed the deadline for clearance
of medium and high priority areas from December 2005 to December 2006, and
clearance of low impact areas from December 2006 to December 2008. Revised
survey and clearance targets for each year were not
given.[48] The definition of high
and medium impact, and the size of these areas were not given.
A new mine action plan was announced in June 2004, which postponed the
deadline for clearance of medium and high priority areas from December 2005 to
December 2006, and clearance of low impact areas from December 2006 to December
2008. Revised survey and clearance targets for each year were not
given.[49] The definition of high
and medium impact, and the size of these areas is not given.
Prior to the June 2004 revision, the AMAE planned in 2004 to clear 480,000
square meters of land, to complete the impact surveys (originally planned for
completion in 2003), and to complete 60 percent of the technical
survey.[50] Its overall objective
was stated as establishing “a sustainable mine action programme in order
to eliminate the effect of mines and unexploded ordnance in north-east Albania
by 2005.” To achieve this objective, the AMAE planned to create a legal
framework and policy for mine action by the end of 2004, and establish “a
credible and sustainable national mine action capability by
2005.”[51]
At the Standing Committee meetings in February 2004, the Albanian delegation
stated that mine action activities since 2000 had released almost 11 million
square meters of mine/UXO-contaminated land to communities in the
northeast.[52] The bulk of this
area reduction, more than 7 million square meters, was achieved in 2002. The
AMAE explained that the much larger amount of area reduction in 2002 than in
2003 was due to the large-scale impact surveys conducted in
2002.[53]
Albania’s April 2004 Article 7 report presents revised data on the
number of antipersonnel mines found and destroyed each year: in 2000: 718; in
2001: 2,016; in 2002: 2,197; in 2003:
1,873.[54]
The Albanian Armed Forces carried out some surface clearance as well as
survey during 1999 and 2000, the results of which have not been reported. The
clearance was not to international standards and “all the areas have to be
re-cleared.”[55]
International agencies first became involved in 2000. Mine action in Albania in
2000 was carried out by RONCO and HELP International; in 2001 by RONCO, HELP
International and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action; and in 2002 and 2003 by
DCA and the Swiss Foundation for Mine
Action.[56] Clearance data was
not fully recorded in the initial years; the reduction of contaminated area by 2
million square meters in 2000–2001 is described as an
estimate.[57]
Survey
The Level One survey of 1999 has provided the basis for mine action in
Albania to date, supplemented by additional information from incomplete impact
and technical surveys. The Level One survey was carried out by the Albanian
Armed Forces with assistance from CARE-funded
consultants.[58] AMAE has said
the survey “has proven to be of variable quality and accuracy” and
stated that it will “have to be confirmed by socio-economic impact
surveys.”[59]
Impact surveys were started by mine action operators, but the UNDP-assisted
planning process in 2002 concluded that these should be redone accurately by the
end of 2003.[60] This was not
achieved and in 2004 the AMAE reported that the impact surveys should be
completed by the end of the
year.[61]
Technical survey, begun on an ad hoc basis in 2000, was recognized by
the AMAE in 2002 as “necessary to assist the prioritisation process and to
better target limited clearance resources.” Technical survey of all
contaminated areas in the northeast of the country was planned to start by the
end of 2002.[62] In August 2003,
the UNDP started implementation of an EU-funded technical survey project planned
for completion in mid-2005.[63]
Albania’s April 2004 Article 7 report stated Handicap International would
carry out the technical survey and cites a completion target of the end of 2005.
Other mine action operators, such as DanChurchAid, strong opposed the survey as
an unnecessary expense, as they believed previous survey work already provided
sufficient information.[64] At
the Standing Committee meetings in June 2004, the Albanian representative
reported that the project had been suspended following a fatal accident during
training (see below).[65]
The AMAE reported that “by completing the technical survey project,
minefields and battle areas will be accurately defined.... Resource mobilisation
can be focused on accurate estimations of the threat and scarce clearance
resources can be tasked to clear according to priorities and suitability of
assets.”[66]
Mine Risk Education
The Albanian Mine Action Executive reported that approximately 30,000 people
in 39 directly-affected villages received mine risk education (MRE) in
2003.[67] MRE was carried out by
the Albanian Red Cross (ARC) with support from the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC), VMA-Kukesi, and UNICEF in 2003. A joint mine risk
education program conducted by ARC and the ICRC reached over 15,000 people
during 2003, including over 9,700 children, in mine-affected areas. MRE
activities included presentations and distribution in schools of
children’s games with an MRE
message.[68] The mine risk
education coordinators and volunteers consulted, and established permanent
relations with, the demining
organizations.[69] The ITF funded
an eight-month MRE campaign by
VMA-Kukesi.[70] UNICEF supported
the preparation by the Albanian Institute of Pedagogical Studies of two mine and
weapons risk manuals for students and teachers; UNICEF plans to distribute the
manuals throughout Albania free of
charge.[71]
Albania’s April 2004 Article 7 report summarizes mine risk education
activities since 2001. It reports that mine casualties continue to occur in
northeast Albania, and reiterates that marking and fencing of known
mine/UXO-contaminated territory has been problematic due to theft of marking
posts, difficulty of access to mined areas in the winter, and lack of
resources.[72]
The effectiveness of MRE activities was reviewed in August 2002 in a survey
covering all the priority villages identified by AMAE in Kukes district. It
showed good MRE coverage throughout the area but revealed that 70 percent of
people had an economic need to enter mine-affected
areas.[73]
A revised MRE strategy of August 2002 made the AMAE responsible for directing
and coordinating MRE in northeast Albania “as an integral part of the AMAP
[Albanian Mine Action Plan] in order to effectively reach all targeted groups by
2005.”[74] The activities
of all organizations carrying out MRE were to be integrated, including demining
organizations and village anti-mine committees. The revised strategyidentified as target groups economically active 15- to 30-year-olds and
people in remote villages, with research to be conducted on women as a potential
target group. Also included in the new MRE strategy was more permanent marking
of mine/UXO-affected areas. The Article 7 and AMAE reports for 2003 did not
describe implementation of this revised strategy during 2003. The April 2004
Article 7 report states that implementation is planned for
2004.[75]
The new mine action plan announced in June 2004 provides a budget and plan
for mine risk education through December 2006, which includes basing MRE on
International Mine Action Standards, taking a community approach, cooperating
with demining organizations, and including MRE in elementary school
curricula.[76]
UNICEF has been the lead UN agency for MRE in Albania since 1999. It has
deployed 7,000 mine-warning signs in northeast Albania, and trained educators
from local and international NGOs, as well as community leaders. During 2000,
MRE was included in the primary school curriculum. In association with the VMA
and CARE, UNICEF carried out mine risk education in 39 mine-affected villages in
the northeast. UNICEF has also lobbied donors for increased investment in MRE
and assistance to mine
survivors.[77]
The ICRC supported ARC program was launched in October 1999, which later
developed local branches in the mine-affected villages. In 2000, the network was
extended with local people trained to conduct MRE and also to collect mine
casualty data. Some of the methodologies used were exhibitions and a traveling
theatre. In February 2001, the ICRC made a film on women mine survivors and
several other media programs were broadcast to raise awareness of the mine
situation in Albania. These activities continued in 2002.
Mine Action Funding and Assistance
Landmine Monitor estimates that approximately US$3.6 million was spent on
mine action in Albania in 2003, compared to $2.77 million in
2002.[78] A total of $2.72
million was spent on mine clearance and survey in 2003, which exceeded both the
budget of $2.3 million and the 2002 total of $2.29
million.[79] Increased funding
was also directed to the mine action structure (2003: $445,326; 2002: $271,000),
to victim assistance (2003: $288,295; 2002: $135,000) and to mine risk education
(2003: $149,200; 2002: $71,000). These expenditures in 2003 also exceeded the
proposed AMAE budget of $420,000 for capacity building, $255,000 for victim
assistance and $91,000 for mine risk
education.[80]
In 2003, mine action funding in Albania consisted of:[81]
$445,326 for capacity building and coordination by the UNDP, donated by the
UK ($190,476) and UNDP ($100,000) in 2003, with additional funds provided by the
ITF, UK and UNDP in 2002
$1,152,822 for mine clearance/technical survey by the Swiss Foundation for
Mine Action, (FSD) donated by Germany, the US via ITF, FSD and private
donations
$1,571,847 for mine clearance/technical survey by DanChurchAid, donated by
Czech Republic, European Commission, US via ITF, and DCA.
$288,295 for victim assistance, donated by the US via ITF ($263,000) and by
the ICRC ($25,295)
$149,200 for mine risk education, donated by the US and UNICEF ($93,000) and
ICRC ($56,200)
The AMAE also reports that 2003 was the first year’s funding of $79,000
from the US Department of State of a project for the socio-economic
reintegration of mine survivors, implemented by the local NGO, VMA-Kukesi,
formerly the Mine and Weapons Victims Association. AMAE adds that about
$100,000 worth of surgical equipment to establish an orthopedic surgical
capability at Kukes Hospital was donated by the US Department of State via the
ITF, for the benefit of mine casualties and other trauma
patients.[82]
Funding information provided to Landmine Monitor by donors does not match
Albanian reports of contributions in some
cases.[83] The ITF reports that
in 2003 it directed $2,402,500 million to mine action in Albania, including
$2,155,100 for demining, $209,300 for victim assistance, $3,600 to support the
AMAE, and $34,500 for other projects including training in mechanical
demining.[84] Germany reported
€300,000 ($339,000) for SFD via the ITF. Switzerland reported $232,000,
including $135,000 for SFD and $97,000 for AMAE. Canada reported C$200,000
(US$145,600). The United States and the Czech Republic also report contributing
to mine action in Albania in 2003, but have not provided precise amounts.
According to one report, in 2003, the United States donated a flail machine, the
UN Mine Action Service donated a flail machine, and the Czech Republic donated a
mine detecting dog team.[85] The
European Commission and the United Kingdom did not report donations to mine
action in Albania in 2003.
For 2004, AMAE has budgeted $4.3 million: $3.5 million on technical survey
and clearance; $400,000 for capacity building; and, $400,000 for victim
assistance and mine risk
education.[86] UNDP has budgeted
$499,000 for its capacity building/coordination role in 2004, and $180,000 for
the physical rehabilitation of mine
victims.[87]
The new mine action plan announced in June 2004 included budgets for
2005–2008, as shown in the table below. A budget for victim assistance
was not included. In all cases, the funds available from national sources are
shown as zero and all funds are shown as coming from “other
sources.”
From 2000 through 2003, some $10.4 million was donated to mine action in
Albania, with increasing amounts each year (2000: $1.8 million, 2001: $2.2
million, 2002: $2.8 million, 2003: $3.6 million). In previous years,
international funding was directed primarily to the few foreign mine action
organizations working in Albania, with the AMAE receiving only very small
amounts of assistance, usually
in-kind.[89]
The ITF started channeling international donations to Albania in 2001. It
has donated a total of $5.8 million for mine action in Albania (2001: $2.5
million; 2002: $0.9 million; 2003: $2.4 million).
The government of Albania estimated that from 1998 to 2003 it had provided
material and other support for mine action, including victim assistance, in both
the northeast and the “hotspots” valued at
$1,583,600.[90] None of this
national funding is reported to have been expended in
2003.[91]
In 2003, four adult males were injured in mine/UXO incidents in northeast
Albania. Two casualties were caused by antipersonnel mines, one by UXO and one
by a fuse.[93] In 2002, two
people were killed and five injured in mine/UXO incidents.
Casualties continue to be reported in 2004. Four Albanians, aged 14, 16, 20
and 38 years, were killed by an antivehicle mine while gathering herbs about one
mile from the Macedonian border on 17 May. On 24 May, a KB-1 submunition
exploded during training of personnel for the technical survey project, killing
two people and injuring 18 others. An investigation followed, with the project
suspended pending its
completion.[94]
A record of landmine and UXO incidents/casualties is maintained by AMAE,
using IMSMA. Data is collected with the support of the ARC and VMA-Kukesi,
through anti-mine committees and mine risk education programs. Thirty-nine
villages in the mine-affected area are covered by this
network.[95] As of 8 July 2004,
the AMAE database contained information on 269 mine/UXO casualties in northeast
Albania since 1999; 34 people were killed and 235 injured. Included in the
database are two Albanian farmers killed in December 2002 in a cluster munition
explosion while grazing cattle on the Kosovo side of the border. Due to the
remoteness of some mine-affected areas, and the fact that some incidents may go
unreported, the actual number of casualties is expected to be
higher.[96]
Landmine/UXO/Cluster Munition Casualties 1999–8 July 2004
Total
Killed
Injured
1999
191
20
171
2000
35
4
31
2001
8
2
6
2002
7
2
5
2003
4
0
4
2004
24
6
18
Total
269
34
235
The group most affected by mine casualties is men of working age. Of the
total casualties, 237 are male and 20 are female; the sex of 12 was not
reported. Children under the age of 18 accounted for 73 casualties (27
percent), 132 were aged 19-39 (49 percent), 35 were aged 40-60 (13 percent),
eight were aged over 60 (3 percent), and the age of 21 was unknown (8 percent).
At the time of the incident, half of the casualties were farming, grazing cattle
or going to school.[97] The
majority of casualties were civilians; 22 casualties (8 percent) were deminers,
16 (6 percent) were military personnel, and 12 (4 percent) were police officers.
In September 2001, the Team Leader of the German demining group HELP, a Bosnian
national, was injured by a PMA-2 mine while monitoring work in the demining
area.[98]
Of those injured in mine/UXO incidents, injuries sustained include at least
46 amputations of a foot, 31 below-knee amputations, 15 above-knee amputations,
and 12 upper limb amputations. At least 11 survivors suffered fragmentation
injuries to the eyes, six received fragmentation injuries to the lower body and
legs, and 19 suffered fragmentation injuries to the upper body and
arms.[99]
Antipersonnel mines were the cause of 170 casualties (63 percent), 29 by UXO,
11 by antivehicle mines, six by cluster munitions, two by fuses, and the cause
of 31 casualties is not recorded; 20 casualties were the result of a training
accident. The location of mine incidents causing casualties included Tropoje
(123), Has (98, including the training accident), Kukes (40), and Kosovo (two);
the location of six casualties was not identified.
Comprehensive information on the number of people killed or injured by mines
and UXO in the so-called “hotspots” in other parts of Albania since
1997 is not known. In 2003, the AMAE and ICRC started to investigate casualties
in these areas. AMAE reported in June 2004 that there were an estimated 400
survivors of UXO incidents.[100]
According to military sources, between 31 March 1997 and December 1998, 60
people were killed and 114 injured in these
areas.[101] In 2000, several
children in the eastern town of Peshkopi in the district of Dibra were severely
injured and one child was
killed.[102] In July 2001, one
civilian was killed at Ura e Gjadrit, and in November, two young boys were
seriously injured at Suç in the district of Burrel in
“hotspots.”[103]
Survivor Assistance
In 2003, an integrated victim assistance strategy was adopted in Albania.
The strategy aims to build a sustainable victim assistance capacity by 2005.
The victim assistance strategy includes building local capacities in trauma
surgery and rehabilitation, and the economic reintegration of mine survivors
through a micro-financing
scheme.[104] Previously, in 2002,
AMAE appointed a medical doctor from the Kukes region as their mine risk
education and victim assistance officer to coordinate activities and develop a
plan of action for addressing the needs of mine
survivors.[105]
State facilities provide medical aid and treatment to mine casualties. The
main specialized facility is the Central University Military Hospital in Tirana.
The hospital has three departments: the Military Hospital, the Military Research
Institute, and the National Trauma Center. In the past, Handicap International
provided the Central University Military Hospital with orthopedic surgical
equipment.[106] Although Tirana is
only around 200 kilometers from the mine-affected areas, it takes more than five
hours to travel this distance by road, which makes access difficult for mine
survivors and their families. The government acknowledges that accessibility to
healthcare services is
problematic.[107]
The health infrastructure in the mine-affected areas is inadequate for the
treatment and rehabilitation of mine/UXO
casualties.[108] The
infrastructure is run-down and lacks basic equipment; most hospitals do not have
electricity 24 hours a day.[109]
After an initial intervention mine survivors are sent to specialized facilities
if needed, either in the capital, Tirana, or abroad. The Kukes regional
hospital is the main hospital in the mine-affected area. In early 2003, it was
reported that the hospital lacked X-ray and laboratory equipment, and monitors
for trauma patients.[110] Since
then, $100,000 worth of surgical equipment has been provided to the hospital
with the support of the ITF and US Department of State. In addition, in early
2004, training was organized for two surgeons and an anesthetist in
Slovenia.[111]
There are hospitals at the district level which have very basic equipment but
no intensive care units. Mine casualties can receive initial treatment at these
hospitals but more serious cases are transferred to
Kukes.[112] In 1999, in response
to the refugee crisis, the ICRC provided surgical supplies and medicines to
district hospitals and a medical post in northern
Albania.[113]
Mine clearance teams have the capacity to provide emergency first aid and
evacuation of mine casualties if required. All teams have a medic (who is often
a qualified doctor) and a driver with a fully equipped Land Rover. Deminers are
all trained in first aid.[114]
Physical rehabilitation is very limited as there are no rehabilitation
centers in the mine-affected area. There are only three physiotherapists at the
National Trauma Hospital in Tirana; all are medical doctors who received a
special nine-month training program. Physiotherapy appears to be unavailable in
the mine-affected areas.[115]
There are reportedly 12 other physiotherapists in Albania who were trained in
vocational high schools.[116] The
ICRC has stressed the importance of developing national capacities in physical
rehabilitation to benefit all persons with disabilities including mine
survivors.[117]
The National Prosthetic Center (NPC) in Tirana is the only facility providing
lower limb prostheses and other orthopedic devices to the physically disabled in
Albania. There is no capacity to produce upper limb prostheses. The NPC
employs six prosthetic technicians and three shoemakers. The Center is located
at the National Trauma Center within the Central University Military Hospital,
and is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense. From July 1998 to
January 2000, the NPC was renovated and refurbished, under the supervision of HI
and funded by ECHO, at a cost of approximately
$420,000.[118] All services are
free of charge, except for wheelchairs and crutches, which the patient must pay
for, if required. The running costs, including salaries, of the center are
covered by the National Trauma Center; however, due to the economic situation
there is no budget to cover the provision of material and components.
In 1998, a joint collaboration between the Military Hospital and the Swiss
Red Cross (SRC) began, with the SRC providing materials and components for the
production of artificial limbs until December 2000. Since January 2001, the
ICRC has provided technical assistance and materials. In addition to the supply
of components, the ICRC has been providing financial assistance to mine
survivors since 2000. The ICRC covers all the costs of transport, accommodation
and a daily allowance for mine survivors and one relative during the period
needed for fitting an artificial limb at the NPC in Tirana.
Since 2001, the NPC produced 486 prostheses, of which 184 were for mine/UXO
survivors: 134 prostheses in 2003 (30 for mine/UXO survivors); 168 in 2002 (71
for survivors); and 184 in 2001 (83 for
survivors).[119] The majority of
mine survivors assisted at the NPC are reportedly those injured in the
“hotspots.”[120]
There is no capacity in the mine-affected areas to assist the mine survivors,
including several children, who are sight-impaired as a result of their
injuries.[121]
On 28 November 2000, a two-year agreement was signed between AMAC and the ITF
to collaborate on mine victim assistance, including support for the fitting of
prostheses and rehabilitation for mine survivors at the Institute for
Rehabilitation in Slovenia.[122]
Since 2001, 85 mine survivors have been rehabilitated in Slovenia, including 33
in 2003. In a change of policy in 2003, only upper limb amputees or those with
difficult lower limb amputations are treated at the Institute in
Slovenia.[123] The ITF has
allocated $326,275 for survivor assistance programs in Albania since 2001:
$209,300 in 2003;[124] $16,975 in
2002;[125] $100,000 in
2001.[126]
There is no prosthetic and orthotic school in Albania to train technicians.
Consequently none of the technicians at the NPC have received formal training
qualifications; however, all have received on-the-job training. As part of an
Albanian/Turkish government assistance agreement, one technician received
training in Turkey. Technicians also accompany amputees who are sent to the
Institute of Rehabilitation in Slovenia where they actively participate in the
fitting and rehabilitation process under the supervision of Institute staff.
Two technicians received training in November 2003; in total 13 rehabilitation
trainings have been provided for NPC technicians since
2001.[127] In April 2001, the
ICRC provided two weeks prosthetic training to the director and six technicians
from the NPC at Otto Bock in
Italy.[128] The ICRC also funded
rehabilitation training for the NPC staff in June–July 2001 in
Slovenia.[129]
The possibilities for employment and economic integration of mine survivors
are limited, particularly in areas with high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Many mine survivors are from farming and agricultural communities.
The local NGO, VMA-Kukesi, has operated in northeast Albania since December
2000, providing psycho-social support for mine survivors and their families in
39 villages in the three mine-affected districts of Has, Kukes, and Tropoja.
Activities include logistical support to assist mine survivors access medical
care, counseling services, summer camps for children of mine survivors, lobbying
on rights of mines survivors, and vocational training and income-generation
activities. By July 2004, 228 mine/UXO survivors were registered members of
VMA-Kukesi.[130]
In September 2003, VMA, in collaboration with AMAE, started a new
income-generation project in the mine-affected districts with the support of the
ITF and the US State Department. The project aims to assist 40 households each
year for three years with community-based vocational training and interest-free
loans to establish income-generating activities. Loans will enable
beneficiaries to purchase cows, goats, chickens or beehives or develop other
agricultural activities. Beneficiaries are selected following a socio-economic
assessment of need by VMA staff; a socio-economic survey of all mine survivors
or families of those killed has been started but is limited by a lack of
resources. By July 2004, 46 cows had been provided to 29 mine survivors, and 90
percent of beneficiaries were making repayments on their loans. In addition, in
2003 VMA provided training for 50 mine survivors and their families on the
development and management of household economies, and UNICEF assisted another
seven mine survivors with bee-hives for income generation
activities.[131]
In another income generation initiative, from April to November 2001, the
ICRC provided $5,500 for the ARC “Shoemaker” project which trained
12 mine survivors from the districts of Has and Kukes to make
shoes.[132]
In December 2003, the US Embassy in Tirana hosted a “Night of a
Thousand Dinners” event which raised $23,000 to be used for the benefit of
child mine survivors or the children of mine
survivors.[133]
Two mine survivors from Albania participated in the Raising the Voices
training in Geneva in February 2004.
In 2003 and 2004, Albania submitted the voluntary Form J to report on victim
assistance activities with its annual Article 7 Report.
Following a visit to Albania in February 2003, Landmine Monitor’s
Victim Assistance Research Coordinator concluded that since the end of the
Kosovo crisis it would appear that donors have lost interest in this region and
many NGOs, who potentially could have assisted mine survivors, have left due to
a lack of funding.[134]
A study on mine victim assistance in 2003 identified several key challenges
to providing adequate assistance to mine survivors in northeastern Albania
including: facilitating access to appropriate healthcare and rehabilitation
facilities; the affordability of appropriate healthcare and rehabilitation;
improving and upgrading facilities for rehabilitation and psycho-social support;
creating opportunities for employment and income generation; capacity building
and ongoing training of healthcare practitioners, including doctors, nurses,
physiotherapists and orthopedic technicians; raising awareness on the rights and
needs of persons with disabilities; establishing an effective social welfare
system and legislation to protect the rights of mine survivors and other persons
with disabilities; obtaining sufficient funding to support programs and
supporting local NGOs and agencies to ensure sustainability of
programs.[135] In 2003, progress
was made in addressing these challenges.
Disability Policy and Practice
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for issues relating
to all persons with disabilities, including mine survivors.
Mine survivors are entitled to the same rights as all persons with
disabilities in Albania. People who become disabled as a result of injury are
entitled to disability payments that are paid at a rate of 85 percent of average
earnings. However, very few mine survivors are eligible for the monthly payment
as they were not employed at the time of being injured. For the majority of
people in the mine-affected areas their livelihood is based on working their own
land.[136] A one-year pension is
available to people injured in the performance of their duties, such as border
policeman or soldiers marking minefields. There is no statutory obligation to
provide prostheses to amputees. VMA-Kukesi is lobbying the government to amend
the law to allow mine survivors access to the Social Insurance
scheme.[137]
There are two other laws providing Ndihme Ekonomike (economic
assistance) to persons with disabilities in Albania. The 1993 Law 7710 provides
for cash assistance to poor families with an inadequate income or a disabled
family member. Law 8008 provides for cash assistance to persons with
disabilities. In 1998, the amount of economic assistance was set at L6,437
(about $55) per month for a family of six. However, the full provisions of the
laws have reportedly not been fully implemented. The average monthly payment is
reportedly about L3,200 ($27) per month. The economic assistance provided is
insufficient to meet the daily needs of
families.[138]
Handicap International’s program in Albania in 2004 is focusing on
capacity building of local disability organizations to promote better
interaction, raise awareness of disability issues, improve legislation and
existing services, and contribute to the social integration of disabled
persons.[139]
[1] Parliament approved ratification
unanimously and without reservation. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
699. [2] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 699. [3] The full title of the
latter is Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 269 “On Ban of Use,
Storage, Production and Transfer of the APM and their Destruction,” 25 May
2000. [4] Interview with Arben Braha,
Director, Albanian Mine Action Executive (AMAE), Tirana, 15 March 2004; Article
7 Report, Form A, 30 April 2003; interview with Jab Swart, Chief Technical
Advisor, UNDP, Tirana, 28 March
2003. [5] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, Tirana, 28 March 2004. [6]
Presentation by Albania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk
Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 11 February 2004. This is a
reference to Article 278 of the Albanian criminal code which imposes penal
sanctions for the “production of live weapons and ammunition, bombs, mines
or explosives without authorization from the government authorities” and
for the transfer of “weapons and live ammunition [and]
explosives.” [7] Statement of
Pavli Zeri, Deputy Minister of Defense, Fifth Meeting of States Parties,
Bangkok, 15-19 September 2003. [8] See
Article 7 reports submitted: 30 April 2004 (for calendar year 2003); 30 April
2003 (for calendar year 2002); 3 April 2002 (report dated 10 January 2002) (for
calendar year 2001). The initial report was due 28 January
2001. [9] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 51. In 1999, US Army engineer units reportedly deployed to Albania
with antipersonnel mines and their delivery systems as part of Task Force Hawk
to support operations in Kosovo. [10]
Parliament ratified the CCW on 25 July 2002, and the instrument of ratification
was deposited with the UN on 28 August 2002.
[11] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999,
p. 699. [12] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 700. [13] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, p. 560, citing UNMACC Threat Factsheet No. 1, 27 October
1999. [14] Some stocks were in poor
condition; over 90 percent were more than 30 years old. In one location, 80
tons of mines were stored in tunnels sealed in 1997 to prevent looting. In
April 2000, NATO personnel carrying out the inventory gained access to the
tunnels from armed civilian gangs controlling the area. Stocks were moved to 57
secure military locations. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p.
597. [15] The three types were:
“Mine AP Fragmentation” (930,050 items – an Albanian version
of the POMZ-2); “Mine AP Fibre” (132,100 items – a variant of
the PMN mine); and “Mine AP Wood/Bakelite” (545,270 items – a
variant of the PMD-6). See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 561, and Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 597. [16] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
51. [17] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 51–52. [18] Article 7
Report, Form D, 30 April 2003. [19]
Article 7 Report, 10 January 2002, Executive Summary and Section 3.
[20] See Landmine Monitor Report 2000,
pp. 562–563. [21] Presentation
by Albania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 11 February
2004. [22] Article 7 Report, Form C,
Table 1, 30 April 2004 (for calendar year
2003). [23] Article 7 Report, Executive
Summary and Section 3, 3 April 2002. See also, Article 7 Report, Appendix: The
Albanian Mine Action Programme, 30 April 2004; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
53; Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 67. The mine/UXO-contaminated areas
included PMA-1, PMA-1A, PMA-2, VPMA-2, PMA-3, PMR-2A and MRUD antipersonnel
mines, and TMM-1, TMA-4 and TMA-5 antivehicle mines. Almost all of the mines
were of Yugoslav manufacture. The following submunitions were identified: KB-1
(Serb origin), Mk118 (NATO origin), rocket M79 (Serb origin), M62 and other
unidentified rocket-launched grenades (Serb or KLA origin), unidentified
wire-guided missiles (Serb origin), and Mk83 (various types, NATO origin). See
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
52–53. [24] Article 7 Report,
Section 3, 3 April 2002. [25] See
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
701. [26] See Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 58. [27] Article 7 Report,
Appendix, 30 April 2004. In February 2004, it was reported that all the
hotspots had been cleared by the armed forces with US and NATO assistance.
“The Albania Mine Action Programme,” Reay Group, “Workshop on
the Implementation of the Ottawa Convention,” Bucharest, 2-3 February
2004. [28] See Landmine Monitor Report
2000, pp. 562–563. The estimate of 600,000 antipersonnel mines looted was
given by the then-head of explosive ordnance disposal in Albania on two
occasions in 2000. More recently, a report claims that 526,818
“weapons” (presumably not all mines) were looted. It goes on to
suggest this was the main source for the arming of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Ian Davis, “Small arms and light weapons in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia,” Saferworld, May 2002, p.
56. [29] Telephone interview with
Vladimir Malkaj, MDGSP Unit, UNDP-Albania, 9 September
2004. [30] “Disarmament,”
Kathimerini (English-language Greek newspaper), 17 December 2003. See Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 597, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
67–68. [31] See Landmine Monitor
Report 1999, p. 701. [32] The Albanian
Mine Action Committee is chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defense, and includes
representatives of the several ministries and of the UNDP, UNICEF, ICRC and
major donors. [33] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, pp. 53–54. [34]
Article 7 Report, Appendix, 30 April 2004 (for calendar year
2003). [35] Presentation on Albanian
Mine Action Program, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education
and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 5 February 2003.
[36] Ibid; Article 7 Report, Form F and
Annex C, 30 April 2003. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
68-69. [37] Foreword by Pavli Zeri,
Deputy Minister of Defense, to Article 7 Report, 30 April 2003. The report also
acknowledged previous limitations, which it attributed to poor funding,
coordination and uncertain legal
status. [38] National Mine Action
Planning Workshop Report, 17–18 June 2002, pp. 3-4,
25-27. [39] Resource Mobilization
Contact Group, “A review of resources to achieve the Convention’s
aims,” presented by Norway at the Standing Committee on General Status and
Operation of the Convention, Geneva, 25 June
2004. [40] Article 7 Report, Form G,
Table 3 and Appendix, 30 April 2004; AMAE, “Annual Report 2003,” 15
April 2004, p. 8; Presentation by Albania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance,
5 February 2003. [41] Presentation by
Albania, Reay Group Workshop, Bucharest, 2–3 February 2004. At this
meeting, Albania reported that a larger area-reduction total of 1,957,000 square
meters was achieved in 2003. However, the AMAE annual report for 2003 and
Article 7 report of 30 April 2004 state that 1,110,401 square meters were
released in 2003. [42] Telephone
interview with Arben Braha, AMAE, 5 July
2004. [43] AMAE, “Annual Report
2003,” p. 8. [44] Article 7
Report, Appendix, 30 April 2004. [45]
Email from Christina Svane, DCA, 18 August 2004. Previously, DCA reported that
in 2003 it cleared 205,909 square meters. Response to LM Questionnaire by DCA,
24 February 2004. [46] Presentation by
Albania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine
Action Technologies, Geneva, 22 June 2004, and interview with Arben Braha, AMAE,
5 July 2004. [47] Interview with Arben
Braha, AMAE, 5 July 2004. [48]
Presentation by Albania, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 5 February 2003;
Article 7 Report, Form F and Annex C, 30 April 2003.
. [49] AMAE, “Communicating
elements of plans to implement Article 5 of Ottawa Convention (draft),” 18
June 2004, pp. 6-8. [50] AMAE,
“Annual Report 2003,” 15 April 2004, p.
9. [51] Article 7 Report, Appendix, 30
April 2004; AMAE, “Annual Report 2003,” 15 April 2004, p. 5. As in
the original mine action strategy, the goal was to clear all high and medium
priority mine/UXO contaminated land by the end of 2005. The strategy included
the phasing-in of government responsibility by
2004-2005. [52] Presentation by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 11 February
2004. [53] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, 5 July 2004. [54] Article 7
Report, Form G, Table 2, 30 April 2004. Previously, it was reported that in
2001, 744 antipersonnel mines had been found and destroyed (see Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, pp. 57-58). [55] Article 7
Report, Appendix, 30 April 2004. [56]
See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 702, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp.
563-565. [57] Article 7 Report,
Appendix, 30 April 2004. [58] Article 7
Report, Section 1.2.3, 10 January
2002. [59] AMAE, “Albania Mine
Action Programme,” document distributed at Standing Committee meetings,
Geneva, May 2002, pp. 2-3. [60] AMAE,
“National Mine Action Planning Workshop” Report, 17-18 June 2002,
pp. 25-27. [61] AMAE, “Annual
Report 2003,” p. 9. [62] AMAE,
“National Mine Action Planning Workshop” Report, 17-18 June 2002,
pp. 25-27. Results of technical survey in 2003 are not included in the Article
7 report for 2003 or AMAE report for
2003. [63] Presentation by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 11 February 2004; Presentation by Albania,
Reay Group Workshop, Bucharest, 2-3 February 2004.
[64] Email from Steven Olejas, Mine
Action Team, DCA, 6 October 2004. Article 7 Report, Appendix, 30 April 2004
(for calendar year 2003), and AMAE, “Annual Report 2003,” p.
9. [65] Presentation by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 22 June 2004. The technical survey
project remained suspended as of 9 September 2004. Telephone interview with
Arben Braha, Director, AMAE, 9 September
2004. [66] AMAE, “Annual Report
2003,” p. 9. [67] Email to
Landmine Monitor (HI) from Arben Braha, AMAE, 26 August
2004. [68] ICRC, “Special Report:
Mine Action 2003,” p. 38. [69]
Article 7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2004 (for calendar year
2003). [70] Email from Sabina Beber,
Director of International Relations, ITF, 27 February
2004. [71] “Albania,” Things
that go Bang (e-bulletin), UNICEF, No. 11, December
2003. [72] Article 7 Report, Form I, 30
April 2004 (for calendar year 2003). The number of people who received MRE in
2003 has not been supplied by AMAE or other
organizations. [73] Article 7 Report,
Form I and Annexe E, 30 April 2003 (for calendar year 2002). See Landmine
Monitor Report 2003, p. 71. [74] Article
7 Report, Form I, 30 April 2004 (for calendar year
2003). [75] Article 7 Report, Form I, 30
April 2004 (for calendar year 2003), and AMAE, “Annual Report 2003,”
p. 10. [76] AMAE, “Plans to
implement Article 5,” 18 June 2004, p. 7.
[77] “Reducing landmine risk and
helping victims: UNICEF Albania,” Journal of Mine Action, Issue 7.1, 2003,
pp. 71-72. See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
58. [78] See Landmine Monitor Report
2003, pp. 69-70. In 2002, the AMAE included in its annual report funding
details for these organizations, but not in
2003. [79] AMAE, “Update on
Albanian Mine Action Program,” 5 May 2003, p. 3; “UNDP
Update,” Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 17 May 2003. FSD spent
$1,152,822 on clearance and survey in 2003, compared to $1,030,000 in 2002, and
DCA spent an equivalent of $1,571,847, compared to $1,261,995 in 2002. DCA
response to LM Questionnaire, 24 February 2004; SFD, “Albania Final Report
2003,” Annex B, 31 December 2003; Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.
69. [80] AMAE, “Update on Albanian
Mine Action Program,” 5 May 2003, p. 3; “UNDP Update,”
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 17 May 2003. The total AMAE budget for
2003 was $5,066,000. However, this included $2 million for the technical survey
project for 2003–2005, and in fact there was no expenditure on technical
survey in 2003. [81] AMAE, “Annual
Report 2003,” p. 14; SFD, “Albania Final Report 2003,” Annex
B, 31 December 2003; DCA response to Landmine Monitor questionnaire, 24 February
2004. [82] AMAE, “Annual Report
2003,” p. 14. AMAE has not clarified whether these amounts are included in
the US funding of $263,000 which it reports in tabular
form. [83] Unless otherwise noted,
information comes from the individual country reports in this edition of
Landmine Monitor Report. In some cases, the funding was for the country’s
fiscal year, not calendar year 2003. Landmine Monitor has converted the
currencies and rounded off numbers. [84]
Email from Sabina Beber, ITF, 27 February 2004; ITF, “Annual Report
2003,” pp. 36-39. ITF notes that the total of $2.4 million in 2003
included donations by the Czech Republic, European Commission, Germany, Albania,
the United States, and private
donors. [85] Presentation by Albania,
Reay Group Workshop, Bucharest, 2-3 February
2004. [86] Presentation by Albania,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, 5 February
2003. [87] “UNDP Mine Action
Projects: Funding Requirements (2004),” document distributed at Standing
Committee meetings, Geneva, 9–12 February
2004. [88] AMAE, “Plans to
implement Article 5,” 18 June 2004, pp. 6-8.
[89] Data as noted in previous Landmine
Monitor Reports. No financial data is available for
1999. [90] AMAE, “Plans to
implement Article 5,” 18 June 2004, p. 3.
[91] Statement by Amb. Vladimir
Thanati, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education, and Mine
Action Technologies, Geneva, 14 May 2003; interview with Arben Braha, AMAE, 5
July 2004. [92] The principal source of
information for this section was the AMAE database, provided in an email to
Landmine Monitor (HI) from Juliana Buzi, AMAE, 15 July 2004. Supplementary
sources are noted where
appropriate. [93] Interview with Veri
Dogjani, Mine Awareness and Victim Assistance Officer, AMAE, Tirana, 9 June
2004. [94] “Albanian court frees
Briton, Bosnian implicated in death of two Albanian de-mining trainees,”
Associated Press, 15 June 2004. [95]
Interview with Arben Braha, AMAE, and Jab Swart, UNDP, by Landmine Monitor
Victim Assistance Coordinator, Tirana, 24 February
2003. [96] Claude Tardif,
Ortho-Prosthetist, “Physical Rehabilitation Program Review:
Albania,” ICRC Geneva, 24–28 March 2003, p.
2. [97] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2004. [98] AMAE, “Monthly
Report,” September 2001. [99]
Specific details of injuries are not available for all mine
survivors. [100] AMAE, “Plans to
implement Article 5,” 18 June 2004, p. 1. In February 2003, the AMAE
indicated that the hotspots do not fall within its mandate. Interview with Arben
Braha, AMAE, and Jab Swart, UNDP, 24 February 2003; see Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 52. [101] Landmine Monitor
Report 1999, p. 703. [102] Mine
Awareness Coordination meeting, Tirana, 16 June 2000; email to Landmine Monitor
from UNICEF Albania, 16 June 2000. [103]
Interview with Capt. Emanuele Andreottola, Team Leader – Task Area 1,
AMODATT (NATO) Office, Tirana, 22 March 2002; “Post Operational
Report,” AMODATT, Phase 5, 2 October 2000–24 September
2001. [104] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2004. [105] Interview with Arben
Braha, AMAE, and Jab Swart, UNDP, 24 February
2003. [106] Claude Tardif,
“Albania,” ICRC Geneva, 24-28 March 2003, p.
6. [107] Council of Ministers,
“Progress Report for Implementation 2002, Objectives and Long Term Vision
of the NSSED, Priority Action Plan 2003,” Republic of Albania, Tirana, 8
May 2003; see also Hermine De Soto, Peter Gordon, Ilir Gedeshi, and Zamira
Sinoimeri, “Poverty in Albania: A Qualitative Assessment,” World
Bank Technical Paper No. 520, March 2002, pp.
68-73. [108] Report of the Albania
National Mine Action Planning Workshop, Tirana, 17-18 June
2002. [109] Interviews with Dr. Mark
Nufi, Director, Kukes Hospital, and Dr. Behar Kastrati, Kruma Hospital, by
Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance Research Coordinator, 25 February
2003. [110] Interview with Dr. Mark
Nufi, Kukes Hospital, 25 February
2003. [111] Article 7 Report, Form J, 30
April 2004; ITF, “Annual Report 2003,” p.
38. [112] Interview with Dr. Behar
Kastrati, Kruma Hospital, Kruma, 25 February
2003. [113] ICRC Special Report,
“Mine Action 1999,” ICRC, Geneva, August 2000, p.
33. [114] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, and Jab Swart, UNDP, 24 February
2003. [115] Interview with Dr. Veri
Dogjani, AMAE, 24 February 2003. [116]
Interview with Merita Myftari, Project Coordinator, HI, Tirana, 28 February
2003. [117] Claude Tardif,
Ortho-Prosthetist, “Physical Rehabilitation Program Review:
Albania,” ICRC Geneva, 24–28 March
2003. [118] Interview with Eliane
Santenac, Director, HI Albania, Tirana, 26 February
2001. [119] Rainer Knoll,
Ortho-Prosthetist, “Physical Rehabilitation Program Review:
Albania,” ICRC Geneva, 15.03–25.03.2004; interview with Dr Harun
Iljazi, Director, National Prosthetic Center, Tirana, 27 February 2003; Claude
Tardif, “Albania,” ICRC, 24–28 March 2003, pp. 3,
7. [120] Interview with Arben Braha,
AMAE, and Jab Swart, UNDP, 24 February
2003. [121]
Ibid. [122] ITF, “Annual Report
2001,” p. 18. [123] ITF,
“Annual Report 2003,” pp. 27, 37; email from Sabina Beber, ITF, 20
May 2004. [124] Email from Sabina Beber,
ITF, 27 February 2004. [125] Email from
Sabina Beber, ITF, 18 June 2003; and ITF, “Annual Report 2002,” p.
32. [126] Email to Landmine Monitor (HI)
from Eva Veble, ITF, 17 May 2002. [127]
ITF, “Annual Report 2003,” pp. 27, 37; email from Sabina Beber, ITF,
20 May 2004. [128] Claude Tardif,
“Albania,” ICRC, 24-28 March 2003, p.
9. [129] “Mine Action Year
2001,” ICRC Albania Fact Sheet; ITF, “Annual Report 2002,” p.
23. [130] Email from Jonuz Kola,
Executive Director, VMA-Kukesi, 15 July
2004. [131] Ibid and 16 July 2004; Mine
& Weapon Victims Association, “Annual Report 2003,” Kukes, p.
7. [132] “Mine Action Year
2001,” ICRC Albania Fact
Sheet. [133] Article 7 Report, Form J,
30 April 2004. [134] Observations of
Sheree Bailey, Landmine Monitor Victim Assistance Research Coordinator, during
visit to Albania, 22-28 February
2003. [135] For more information on mine
victim assistance in Albania see “Landmine Victim Assistance in South East
Europe,” HI, Brussels, September 2003, available at www.handicapinternational.be/downloads/ITFVAStudyfinalreport.pdf [136] Interview with Dr Veri Dogjani,
AMAE, 24 February 2003. [137] Mine
& Weapon Victims Association, “Annual Report 2003,” Kukes, p.
7. [138] Hermine De Soto, Peter Gordon,
Ilir Gedeshi, and Zamira Sinoimeri, “Poverty in Albania: A Qualitative
Assessment,” World Bank Technical Paper No. 520, March 2002, pp.
35-36. [139] Interview with Merita
Myftari, HI, 28 February 2003.
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