Key developments since May 2003:In 2003, Italy provided
€5.11 million ($5.8 million) in mine action funding, nearly 50 percent
less than the previous year. In February 2004, it was announced that, for
2004–2006, the Trust Fund for Humanitarian Demining will receive a total
of €7.65 million, a large reduction from recent allocations. In September
2003, Italy became co-chair of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction.
As EU President in the second half of 2003, Italy undertook diplomatic
démarches with 39 States not party to the Mine Ban Treaty, and in
its own capacity undertook five démarches.
Key developments since 1999:Italy became a State Party to the
Mine Ban Treaty on 1 October 1999. Parliament had already approved a national
law banning antipersonnel mines in October 1997. Italy possessed a stockpile of
7.1 million antipersonnel mines, substantially larger than any other EU member.
The destruction program began in February 1999 and was completed in November
2002. Italy served as co-rapporteur then co-chair of the Standing Committee on
Stockpile Destruction from September 2002 to December 2004. Italian funding of
mine action from 1999–2003 totaled about €27.1 million ($26.3
million); of this, victim assistance projects received about $4.5 million.
Italy established a Trust Fund for Humanitarian Demining in 2001.
Mine Ban Policy
Italy signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 23
April 1999, becoming a State Party on 1 October
1999.[1] Previously, on 29
October 1997, Parliament approved Law 374/97 banning antipersonnel mines. With
amendments, this was used for implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty when the
ratification legislation (Law 106/99) was approved on 26 March 1999. The
Italian legislation is more stringent than the Mine Ban Treaty in some
respects.[2]
Italy has been an active participant in all of the annual Meetings of States
Parties, and the intersessional Standing Committee meetings. Italy became
co-rapporteur of the Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction in September
2002, and co-chair in September 2003; it will serve until the Review Conference
in November/December 2004. At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September
2003, as then-President of the European Union (EU), Italy confirmed support for
international mine action as one of the EU’s political priorities. It
stressed that “undiminished efforts aimed at eradicating anti-personnel
mines worldwide are still
required.”[3] At the
February 2004 intersessional meetings, the Italian delegation gave an update on
diplomatic efforts by Italy as EU President to promote universalization of the
treaty and compliance with Article 7 reporting
requirements.[4] Italian
funding of mine action for 2004–2006 was also announced (see later
section). In March 2004, Italy participated in a meeting called by the French
Commission Nationale pour l’Elimination des Mines Anti-personnel to
discuss implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty and Article 8.
Before Italy’s presidency of the EU (1 July–31 December 2003),
the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines proposed priorities for the Presidency:
support for universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, efforts
to stop ongoing use of mines and increased funds for humanitarian mine
action.[5] The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs assured the Campaign that its proposals “reflect the
intended inspiring principles for the Italian Government’s action in this
area, which we have already begun to illustrate within the EU from these early
weeks.”[6] As EU
President, Italy undertook diplomatic démarches with 39 States not
party to the Mine Ban Treaty, and in its own capacity undertook five
démarches with the two EU members (Finland, Greece) and three
accession countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Poland) remaining outside the
treaty.[7] Steps to promote
Article 7 reporting were undertaken with Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire,
Eritrea, Namibia and Nauru.[8]
In previous years, Italy has also made efforts to universalize the treaty.
In 2002, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported diplomatic initiatives
involving Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and the US, and contacts with non-State
actors.[9] In October 2002, the
Senate approved a motion calling on the government to promote the treaty with
non-State actors.[10]
In December 2003, Italy voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution
58/53, which calls for universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty. Italy has voted for similar General Assembly resolutions since 1996.
As EU President at the time, Italy also coordinated UNGA Resolution 58/127,
which calls for increased assistance for mine action; the resolution was
approved by consensus on 19 December 2003.
Italy submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report on 27 April 2004.
The report notes no changes from the previous report, except for mine action
funding given on the voluntary Form J. There have been four previous Article 7
reports.[11]
As a result of lobbying by the Italian Campaign on the fifth anniversary of
entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, the parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Commission voted unanimously on 24 March 2004 to call on the government to
coordinate with the Campaign its participation in the Review Conference. The
resolution called for wide participation of civil society, parliamentarians and
NGOs; encouragement for States not party to the treaty to accede, with special
reference to NATO members; and for considerable increase in mine action funding
in 2005–2006. In April 2004, a similar resolution was presented by a
center-left party in the Senate.
Italy has participated in the extensive States Parties’ discussions on
matters of interpretation and implementation regarding Articles 1, 2, and 3 of
the Mine Ban Treaty. At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Italy confirmed
previous statements that national legislation permits joint military activities
with non-States Parties only if the activities are compatible with Article 1 of
the Mine Ban Treaty. The armed forces “continue to receive strict
instructions to abstain from participating in actions contrary to the letter and
spirit of the Ottawa
Convention.”[12] In
February 2003, Italy said that Italian troops in Afghanistan were given written
instructions to that effect.[13]
On the related issue of the legality of transit of antipersonnel mines, Italy
has stated that under national legislation, transit is allowed only for the
purpose of destruction of
mines.[14] In March 2003, the
Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines sought assurances from the Ministry of Defense
that US antipersonnel mines were not transported via the Italian rail network in
the run-up to the war in Iraq, and asked if US had given assurances that any
logistical support would be compatible with Italy’s obligations under the
Mine Ban Treaty. On 13 May the Ministry replied that, although not a State
Party, the US was fully aware of States Parties’ treaty obligations, and
that, “The issue had been commented upon in the context of the work of the
CCW Conference held in Geneva from 10 to 14 March, to which the US is a State
Party.”[15]
Regarding the Article 2 issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes and
antihandling devices, at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Italy confirmed
that its legislation defines as a prohibited antipersonnel mine “any
munition or device which can be placed on, under, inside or near the ground or
any surface area, and designed or adaptable–by means of specific
mechanisms–so as to explode, cause an explosion or release incapacitating
substances as a consequence of the presence, proximity or contact of a
person.” Italy stated, “This definition also therefore includes
antivehicle mines with anti-handling devices which are assimilated to
antipersonnel mines.”[16]
In previous statements of this position, Italy has encouraged other States
Parties to explore all possibilities, via a “best practices”
approach, for moving forward on this
issue.[17]
Italy is a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and
its Amended Protocol II, and attended the Fifth Conference of States Parties to
the Protocol in November
2003.[18] Italy submitted its
annual report as required by Article 13 of the protocol on 10 November 2003. It
has submitted Article 13 reports and attended annual conferences in previous
years. In other CCW work, Italy qualified its support for a legally-binding
instrument on explosive remnants of war by rejecting any retroactive
responsibility for the clearance of existing
remnants.[19]
Seizures of Mines and Criminal Use
On 29 January 2004, a parcel containing two antipersonnel mines was seized by
Carabinieri (military police) at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. The
mines were not armed and were fuzeless although they did have electric
detonators. The parcel was addressed to a man in Genoa who said he had ordered
the mines on the internet from a US company. He was questioned and his house
was raided but no other mines were
found.[20] In another incident
on 10 March 2004, a mine was placed at a side entrance of the Town Hall in
Gairo, near Nuoro, in Sardinia. It was removed safely by Explosive Ordnance
Disposal (EOD) personnel.[21]
Another antipersonnel mine was found in the parking lot of a shopping center in
the outskirts of Rome on 23 March 2004. The mine was removed and rendered safe
by EOD personnel.[22]
On 12 December 2003, a mine was fixed to the door of a trade unionist’s
car in Sardinia, with an intimidating note. The mine was removed by EOD
personnel and found to be fuzeless. A newspaper report of this incident linked
it to the theft of explosives and landmines from a military depot in Campu Mela,
near the Sardinian town of Sassari in April
1997.[23] Five people were
apprehended in July 1997 and later sentenced for theft. Much of what was stolen
has been recovered. For instance, 25 mines were found in a house in Cardedu in
May 2002, and eleven antipersonnel mines and one antivehicle mine were
discovered in Cardedu on 17 June
2002.[24] On 7 March 2004, 49
MK2 antipersonnel mines were found by Carabinieri in a cave in Sardinia,
and in May 2004, another 37 mines were found buried in
Ogliastra.[25] There had been
no prosecutions under Italy’s domestic ban legislation as of September
2004.
Production and Transfer
In November 1993, the government ceased authorizing the export of
antipersonnel mines. In August 1994 it declared a moratorium on production and
export which was made permanent in October 1997 by Law 374/97. Italy’s
former role as a major producer and exporter of antipersonnel mines was detailed
in the Landmine Monitor Report 1999. Three companies – Valsella,
Tecnovar, and Misar – specialized in producing and exporting mines and
mine-related products. Valsella produced ten main types of antipersonnel mine,
Tecnovar two types, and Misar four main types. Italian mines have been found in
Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, DR Congo, Egypt, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Morocco, Mozambique, Pakistan, Somalia, South Africa, and
Sudan.[26]
The conversion or de-commissioning of Valsella and Tecnovar production
facilities was noted in Italy’s second Article 7
report.[27] No such information
on Misar has been included in any of Italy’s Article 7 reports, nor in any
edition of the government’s Registro delle Mine (Register of
Mines).[28] Misar’s mine
production capacity was sold to Società Explosivi Industriali (SEI),
which is controlled by a Paris-based group. The Ministry of Defense states that
Misar/SEI has replied to the Ministry’s inquiry and satisfied the legal
requirements, but the reply has not been
disclosed.[29] Italian
legislation required anyone in possession of live or inert landmines to declare
them within four months and hand them in within another three months, but does
not empower the authorities to carry out inquiries or
searches.[30]
Stockpiling and Destruction
Italy possessed a stockpile of 7.1 million antipersonnel mines, substantially
larger than any other EU member. The stockpile was composed of approximately
6.5 million warfare mines and 600,000 practice
mines.[31]
The destruction program began in February 1999 and was completed in November
2002, as required by the national legislation and in advance of the Mine Ban
Treaty deadline (October 2003). It took place at two military plants in Italy,
including a German company based at one of the plants. A full account of the
destruction process was given at the Standing Committee meetings in February
2003.[32] Notably, Italy
destroyed its stocks of the MUSPA and MIFF mines, which another State Party,
Germany, does not classify as an antipersonnel mine and has not destroyed.
During the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Italy’s military
representatives pointed out the expertise gained by destroying such a large
stockpile could be used for other countries’ stocks of similar mines or
adapted to deal with other types, including the
PFM.[33]
Mines Retained Under Article 3
Italy’s April 2004 Article 7 report states that 811 warfare mines were
retained for permitted purposes at the end of 2003, indicating no consumption of
mines during 2003 and 2002. The armed forces retain 803 warfare mines and the
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre at Ispra holds eight warfare
mines.[34] No mention is made
of practice mines retained, which were recorded in the previous Article 7 report
as totaling 7,181.[35] In May
2002, Italy told Landmine Monitor that the practice mines were inert and not
capable of functioning as antipersonnel mines, and therefore did not have to be
included in Article 7
reporting.[36] The
government’s Register of Mines of 10 October 2003 notes a total of 6,584
mines retained, including 811 warfare mines and 5,773 practice
mines.[37] Italian law permits
the retention of up to 8,000 antipersonnel mines for training and development
purposes.
Landmine/Unexploded Ordnance Problem
Each year EOD personnel from different forces are called upon to remove or
deactivate some 3,000 explosive remnants of war dating mostly from World War II
and, in mountainous regions mainly in the north, from World War I. In 2003, EOD
operations resulted in the temporary evacuation of some 80,000 people. In
September 2003, 9,300 people were evacuated from an urban area in Turin during
operations to render safe two bombs dropped in August 1943 and found during
excavations at the local
stadium.[38]
In 1999, Italian territorial waters in the Adriatic Sea were contaminated
with munitions, including cluster bombs, jettisoned by NATO aircraft returning
from operations over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. NATO declared that 235
munitions were jettisoned, of which 202 had been located by March 2000, after
which clearance operations were renewed. There were reports of injuries to
Italian fishermen. Fishing was embargoed, and compensation awarded to fishermen
and shipowners.[39]
Mine Action Funding and Assistance
Governmental
In 2003, Italy provided a total of €5,114,126 ($5.79 million) in mine
action funding.[40] This was
substantially less than the total of €9.91 million in
2002.[41] The decrease of
nearly 50 percent contrasts with Italy’s promotion of UNGA Resolution
58/127, which urged States to provide increased mine action funding, and with
statements made by Italy at the Standing Committee meetings in February 2003,
that stressed the importance of continuity in funding of mine
action.[42]
Funding of €2.58 million was provided via the Trust Fund for
Humanitarian Demining (€9.81 million in 2002). An additional €2.95
million came from the Mediterranean and Middle East Division of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs for the emergency situation in Iraq, and €85,670 came from
the Ministry’s regional divisions for Croatia and the Organization of
American States.[43] Funding
for mine action was distributed to seven countries and three organizations:
Angola: €700,000 ($792,050), including €500,000 through the UNDP
for planning and coordination and €200,000 through UNICEF for integrated
mine action
Azerbaijan: €200,000 ($226,300) to develop national mine action
capacity, through UNDP
Bosnia and Herzegovina: €400,000 ($452,600) through UNDP for
coordination
Croatia: €193,000 ($218,380), including €168,000 to CROMAC for
mine clearance and €25,000 for the rehabilitation center in Rovinj
Iraq: €2,946,171 ($3,333,592), including €2,446,171 via UNMAS
for emergency demining and €500,000 via UNDP for mine action including
victim assistance in Nassirya province, where Italian troops are deployed.
Sudan: €102,285 ($115,735) via UNMAS for emergency mine
action[44]
Yemen: €200,000 ($226,300) through UNDP for integrated mine
action
Organization of American States: €100,000 ($113,150) for mine action
in Costa Rica and Honduras, and €60,670 ($68,648) for victim assistance
and mine risk education in Colombia, Ecuador and
Perú.[45]
Geneva Call: €100,000 ($113,150) via UNMAS for universalization
initiatives with non-State actors
Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining: €112,000
($126,728), including €67,000 for the Sponsorship Program, and
€45,000 for the Implementation Support Unit
Landmine Monitor calculates that Italian governmental funding of mine action
from 1999 to 2003 totaled €27.12 million ($27 million).
Italian Government Funding of Mine Action 1999–2003 (in
millions)[46]
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Total
Trust Fund
€2.582
€9.810
€2.582
€14.974
MFA
€4.766
€1.703
€3.046
€0.100
€2.528
€12.143
Total
€4.766
€1.703
€5.628
€9.910
€5.110
€27.117
Total in US$
$5.1
$1.6
$5.1
$9.4
$5.8
$27
Landmine Monitor estimates Italian mine action funding from 1995 to 2003 to
be about $50 million.[47] The
UNMAS mine investments database records total Italian governmental funding for
mine action in 1999–2003 as $23.8 million, and in 1995–2003, $30
million.[48] Countries
benefiting from Italian mine action funding in previous years include Cambodia,
Chad, Ethiopia, Laos, Lebanon, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia (Kosovo).
The Landmine Monitor estimates that in 1999–2003 victim assistance
projects received about $4.5 million in funding from the Italian government
(1999: $1,586,042; 2000: $1,320,000; 2001: $1,145,537; 2002: $95,000; 2003:
$379,811).[49]
The Trust Fund for Humanitarian Demining was proposed in 1999 by the Green
Party, with the aim of L50 billion ($23.15 million) funding in 2000. Approval
was delayed until February 2001, and funding levels were reduced. Italian
involvement in mine action has also been guided by the National Committee for
Humanitarian Mine Action (Comitato Nazionale per l’Azione Umanitaria
Contro le Mine, CNAUMA), set up in February 1999. Guidelines for mine action
were produced in July 1999. CNAUMA works under the guidance of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and is composed of representatives from several ministries and
NGOs and others.[50]
In February 2004, it was announced that, for 2004–2006, the Trust Fund
for Humanitarian Demining will receive a total of €7.646 million, a large
reduction from recent allocations, which have averaged about €5 million
per year.[51] The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs originally requested €36 million over the three-year
period. As this was being debated through Parliament in October–December
2003, the Italian Campaign lobbied extensively for adequate funding, including a
special hearing with Nobel Laureate Jody Williams before the Human Rights
Committee in the House of Deputies, and press releases and media interviews.
Letters and petitions from many NGOs and others were passed to the President of
the House of Deputies on 5
December.[52] Although these
efforts prompted the Foreign Affairs Commission of the House to vote unanimously
for a resolution urging the government to continue promoting the mine ban and
supporting mine action with the amount requested by the Ministry, the funding
request was denied.[53] Later
amendments in the House and Senate to restore funding levels were
unsuccessful.
In May 2004, it was decided that Trust Fund allocations would be revised, in
order to exclude Iraq, which receives much Italian funding from other sources.
For 2004, funding was due to be allocated for mine action in the following
countries: Afghanistan: €84,000 (credit for purchase of Italian mine
detectors); Angola: €699,500 (€499,500 through UNDP and
€200,000 through UNICEF for MRE); Azerbaijan: €150,000 (UNDP);
Bosnia and Herzegovina: €500,000 (UNDP); Croatia: €250,000
(bilateral); Eritrea: €84,000 (credit for purchase of Italian mine
detectors through UNDP); Sudan: €200,000 (through UNMAS); Tajikistan:
€60,000 (UNDP); and Yemen: €150,000. In addition, funding was
allocated via UNMAS for mine action by the following organizations: GICHD:
€112,000; OAS: €100,000; Geneva Call: €100,000 for work on
non-State actors; Landmine Monitor: €25,000; Italian Campaign to Ban
Landmines: €25,000. The remaining €40,500 were to be used to cover
costs for the person dealing with the administration and release of funds within
the Cooperation division of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.[54]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that it planned to renew its
request for €12 million to be budgeted for mine action in
2005.[55]
In 2003, Italian armed forces on peacekeeping missions carried out clearance
of mines and UXO in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iraq. In
Afghanistan 3,410 antipersonnel mines and 69 antivehicle mines were found and
destroyed; in Bosnia and Herzegovina 155 antipersonnel mines and 30 antivehicle
mines were found and destroyed; and in Iraq three fragmentation bombs and one
missile warhead were
destroyed.[56] Similar
activities were carried out in previous years, including mine risk education and
training in mine/UXO clearance, in additional countries including Albania,
Angola, Kosovo, Kuwait, Pakistan and Timor
Leste.[57]
At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties, the Ministry of Defense said that
every contingent of the Italian Armed Forces in operational theaters includes an
EOD capacity. The use of explosive and mine detecting dogs is being developed,
and expected to be fully operational by
2008.[58]
Nongovernmental Support for Mine Action and Survivor
Assistance[59]
In 2003, the Mine Action Unit of the NGO, InterSos, carried out clearance and
mine risk education activities in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and Iraq, and mine risk education in Pakistan. In previous years, InterSos has
worked in these countries and also in Kosovo, the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia.[60]
In 2002, the Italian NGO Movimondo continued to support the Nicaraguan
army’s demining program with a mine risk education project, as part of a
food security project by
Movimondo.[61] In 2001, CESVI
(Cooperazione E Sviluppo, Cooperation and Development) supported demining in
Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Eritrea. The private company Appalti,
Bonifiche, Costruzioni (ABC) carried out mine clearance in Croatia from
1999–2001.[62]
Several Italian NGOs are involved in survivor assistance programs including,
in 2003, Intersos, AVSI, CUAMM, and Emergency. In 2003, InterSos continued
assisting mine/UXO victims and other disabled people in its orthopedic center in
Menongue, Angola, treating 117 people of whom 97 were mine victims. The center
was set up in 1998 to provide services including physical rehabilitation,
therapy, prosthesis fitting and continuing medical
care.[63] AVSI (Associazione
Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale) continued in 2003 a program started in
July 1998, providing medical rehabilitation for war victims in northern
Uganda.[64] The NGO, CUAMM,
provides medical care in Northern Angola but did not record any mine injury
patients in their hospitals in
2003.[65]
Emergency continued its victim assistance programs in Afghanistan, Cambodia,
and Iraq during 2003. In Afghanistan, Emergency has a surgical center in Kabul,
a general hospital and an obstetrics and gynecology ward in Anabah, and 24 first
aid posts/public health
centers.[67] Emergency has
operated in Cambodia since 1998; the “Ilaria Alpi” Emergency
hospital and five first aid posts are located in
Battambang.[68] In Iraq,
Emergency has two surgical centers in Iraqi
Kurdistan.[66]
The Toscana region of Italy has an extensive international medical
cooperation program which includes in 2004 a project to assist child mine
victims from Yemen. Eight children per year will be hospitalized in Toscana to
receive treatment. Toscana will also undertake a joint project with the Italian
Red Cross for the medical assistance, both in situ and in Toscana, of
Iraqi children affected by war.
[69]
Since 1999, the Italian Red Cross has helped to finance rehabilitation and
victim assistance centers in Afghanistan (Kabul), and Ethiopia (Addis Ababa).
The Italian Red Cross has not supplied Landmine Monitor with information on its
more recent mine-related activities.
Landmine/UXO Casualties
On 17 July 2004, a 70-year-old man died and another was seriously injured in
the Venice province when a piece of UXO they were handling exploded. The
ordnance probably dated back to World War I. The man belonged to a cultural
association collecting remnants of
war.[70]
In January 2003, three Italian tourists were killed and a fourth injured by
an antivehicle mine in the Niger desert close to the Algerian
border.[71] In April 2003,
several Italian soldiers were injured when their vehicle hit a mine in Khost
Province, Afghanistan.[72] In
May 2002, an Italian soldier was killed by an antivehicle mine in the Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. No other Italian civilian or military mine
casualties have been reported since 1999.
[1] Italian policy on landmines started to
change in 1993. Production and export were halted in 1994, and from 1995
Parliament worked closely with the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines on
legislation for a comprehensive national ban on antipersonnel mines. Although
participating in all preparatory meetings of the Ottawa Process, Italy initially
favored negotiations within the Conference on Disarmament. By the time of the
Brussels conference in June 1997, Italy was fully committed to the Ottawa
Process. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
712–713. [2] Law 374/97 has a
wider definition of antipersonnel mine than the Mine Ban Treaty. It includes
dual-use mines and mines with antihandling/anti-manipulation devices. It
requires a six-month government report on implementation. But it lacks any
inspection and monitoring mechanism, or commitment to mine clearance.
Reconciling Law 374/97 with the Mine Ban Treaty delayed Italy’s
ratification of the treaty. Despite attempts by some to weaken the national
ban, it was agreed that, where the two differed, the stronger legislation should
prevail. For details of the ratification process, see Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 713–715. [3] Statement
by Amb. Carlo Trezza, Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament
in Geneva, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15 September
2003. [4] Statement by Amb. Carlo
Trezza, Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the
Convention, Geneva, 9 February
2004. [5] Italian Campaign to Ban
Landmines, “Promoting a truly mine-free world – The role of the
Italian Presidency of the European Union,” June 2003, www.campagnamine.org. [6]
Letter from Alfredo Luigi Mantica, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, MFA ref.
006/1139, 30 July 2003. “... le considerazioni ivi formulate riflettono i
principi cui il Governo italiano intende ispirare la sua azione nello specifico
settore, che abbiamo avuto cura di illustrare in ambito comunitario fin da
queste prime settimane.” [7] Fax
from Paolo Cuculi, Counselor, Office for Multilateral Political Affairs and
Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7 January 2004. In May 2004, the
President of the Senate Human Rights Commission also wrote to the Polish Prime
Minister urging prompt ratification of the treaty, pointing out that several
neighboring countries had acceded. The Italian Campaign has also urged Poland
to ratify the treaty without delay, and called on the EU Presidents in 2004
(Italy and the Netherlands) to make special efforts encouraging Finland, Latvia
and Poland to become States Parties without
delay. [8] For details of the
demarches, see European Union entry in this
report. [9] Alfredo Luigi Mantica,
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, in “Report of CNAUMA meeting,”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 October
2002. [10] “Mozione sulle mine
antiuomo,” Senate, 15 October
2002. [11] See Article 7 reports
submitted: 27 April 2004 (for the period 17 October 1998–31 December
2003); 16 April 2003 (for the period 17 October 1998–31 December 2002); 2
May 2002 (for the period 17 October 1998–31 December 2001); 30 April 2001
(for the period 17 October 1998–31 December 2000); 29 March 2000
(reporting period stated “as of 31 January
2000”). [12] Statement by Italy,
Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15 September 2003.
[13] Statement by Italy on Article 1,
Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 7 February 2003. [14] Oral
remarks to the Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the
Convention, Geneva, 11 May 2001. [15]
Letter to the Italian Campaign to Ban Landmines from Ministry of Defense, 13 May
2003. [16] Statement by Italy, Fifth
Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15 September 2003.
[17] Statement by Italy on Article 2,
Standing Committee on the General Status and Operation of the Convention,
Geneva, 7 February 2002. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
305–307. [18] When Italy
ratified Amended Protocol II on 13 January 1999, it deposited interpretative
statements with the effect of weakening the effect of the word
“primarily” in the Protocol’s definition of an antipersonnel
mine, bringing the Protocol’s definition closer to that of the Mine Ban
Treaty. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
716. [19] Report of meeting of
National Committee for Humanitarian Mine Action, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29
October 2002, and telephone interviews with Paolo Cuculi, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, March 2003. [20]
“Compra Due Mine su Internet, Allarme a Fiumicino” (“Man buys
two mines on the internet. Alarm raised in Fiumicino”), AGI (news agency)
29 January 2004. Police in Genoa and Rome stated that no further details could
be disclosed as investigations were still ongoing. Letter from Col. Alberto
Raucci, Comando Regionale Carabinieri Liguria, 24 March 2004; email from Maj.
Giorgio Manca, Public Information Office, Comando Generale Arma dei Carabinieri,
Roma, 31 March 2004. [21]
“Nuoro: Mina antiuomo davanti al comune di Gairo” (“Nuoro:
landmine found outside Gairo town hall”), Agr (news agency), 10 March
2004. [22] “Roma, allarme bomba
alla Romanina: Era una mina antiuomo” (“Rome: bomb alert at the
Romanina Shopping Centre: it was an antipersonnel mine”), ADN-Kronos (news
agency), 23 March 2004. [23]
“Trovate in un anfratto 49 mine antiuomo” (“49 antipersonnel
mines found in a cave”), L’Unione Sarda (newspaper), 8 March
2004. [24] “Sette anni fa il
clamoroso furto nel deposito militare vicino a Sassari” (“Seven
years ago, clamorous theft in a military warehouse near Sassari”),
L'Unione Sarda, 8 March 2004. [25]
“Nuoro: scoperte in una grotta 49 mine antiuomo” (“Nuoro: 49
antipersonnel mines found in a cave”), Agr (news agency), 7 March 2004;
“Sardegna: Trovate mine antiuomo rubate” (“Sardinia: Stolen
antipersonnel mines found,” Agr, 31 May 2004. Antipersonnel and
antivehicle mines were also recovered in August 1997 and April
1998. [26] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 717–729. These companies were formed between 1969 and 1977.
Until the late 1980s, they achieved large-scale production and sales, favored by
permissive export regulations, banking support and public financing of weapons
development. Sales efforts moved increasingly to export markets, focusing on
conflict areas. Valsella set up a branch in Singapore and entered into
partnerships that allowed assembly of Valsella mines in Singapore. Singapore
Technologies continues to produce copies of Italian mines to this day. Tecnovar
exported to, and licensed production in, Egypt, from where mines found their way
to Afghanistan and Rwanda. Misar licensed production to factories in Spain
(Expal), Portugal (Spel), Greece (Elviemek), Pakistan (POF), and
Australia. [27] Article 7 Report, Form
E, 30 April 2001. [28] Article 7
Report, Form E, 16 April 2003: “National Military Authorities, in charge
of collection and destruction of APMs owned or possessed by any civilian at the
moment of entry into force of Law 374/97, have never received any report from
MISAR.” [29] Telephone interview
with Col. Oliva, Ministry of Defense, 2 May 2003; see also Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, p. 670. [30] Law 374/97,
Article 3, 29 October 1997. Misar did hand in plans and technologies in its
possession; no Misar sales were recorded after
1995. [31] Several different totals
have been given: 7,123,672 (6,529,811 warfare mines, 593,861 practice mines) in
Registro delle Mine, Terrestrial Armaments General Directorate, Ministry of
Defense, 10 October 2003, p. 5; 7,122,811 (6,529,811 warfare mines, 593,000
practice mines) in “Destruction of the Italian Antipersonnel Mine
Stockpile,” Ministry of Defense, Standing Committee on Stockpile
Destruction, Geneva, 6 February 2003; 7,122,739 (6,529,838 warfare mines,
592,901 practice mines) in Article 7 Report, Form B, 2 May 2002; 7,117,126
(6,529,809 warfare mines and 587,317 practice mines) in Article 7 Report, Form
B, 29 March 2000. The main types of active mine were: PMC (2,068,193), AUPS
(1,738,781), VAR 40 (1,420,636), MAUS-1 (623,755), Valmara 69 (410,027), Mk 2
(216,546), KB44 (21,840), MUSPA (10,160), MIFF (6,400), MUSA (1,760), VS-50
(180), VS-JAP (160) and Claymore (86). There were also large quantities
described as “out of
order.” [32] Presentation by
Italy, Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 6 February 2003. See also
Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 306, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
298–299. [33] Intervention by
Ministry of Defense representative at National Committee for Humanitarian Mine
Action meeting in Rome (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on 30 October
2003. [34] Article 7 Report, Form D,
27 April 2004. [35] Article 7 Report,
Form D, 2 May 2002. [36] Landmine
Monitor (HRW) interview with Italian delegation at intersessional meetings,
Geneva, 31 May 2002. [37] Registro
delle Mine (Register of Mines), Terrestrial Armaments General Directorate,
Ministry of Defense, 10 October 2003, p.
5. [38] “L’Italia
disseminata di ordigni inesplosi. A 60 anni dai bombardamenti i ritrovamenti di
residuati sono quasi dieci al giorno” (“Unexploded ordnance
scattered over Italy. Sixty years after the bombings, almost 10 explosive
remnants of war are found every day”), Metro (newspaper), 29 September
2003. [39] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 722–723. [40] Report
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from meeting on mine action priorities for
2004, Rome, 2 February 2004; Article 7 Report, Form J, 27 April 2004. Exchange
rate for 2003 of €1 = $1.1315, used throughout this report. US Federal
Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January
2004. [41] Article 7 Report, Form J,
16 April 2003. The Mine Action Investments database records Italian funding in
2002 as US$9.9 million. www.mineaction.org , accessed on 2 April
2004. [42] Statement by Italy,
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action
Technologies, Geneva, 5 February
2003. [43] Report by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs from meeting on mine action priorities, 2 February 2004;
Statement by Italy, Standing Committee on General Status, 9 February
2004. [44] Funding for Sudan was
diverted from the UNMAS rapid response program based in Brindisi (Italy) due to
the humanitarian emergency and Sudan’s ratification of the Mine Ban
Treaty, and to ensure continuity to Italy’s previous funding of mine
action in Sudan. Report from a meeting of the National Committee for
Humanitarian Mine Action, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome, 30 October
2003. [45] Article 7 Report, Form J,
16 April 2003, “Current and Planned Donor Activity for Italy,” Mine
Action Investments database; telephone interview with Raffaella Pavani,
Counselor, Americas Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 17 May
2004. [46] Data taken from previous
editions of the Landmine Monitor, using the US$ exchange rates from each annual
report, except funding in 1999 and 2002 was recalculated in Euros and converted
to US$ by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Error in conversion of 2002
corrected by Landmine Monitor. [47]
See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, Executive Summary, p. 55. Funding from
1995-1997 was about $10.5 million, and in 1998 about $12
million. [48] “Multi-year Donor
Report: Italy,” Mine Action Investments
database. [49] Data taken from
previous editions of the Landmine Monitor, using the US$ exchange rates from
each annual report. [50] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, pp. 719–720, Landmine Monitor Report 2000, pp.
668–669, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
307–308. [51] Statement by
Italy, Standing Committee on General Status, 9 February
2004. [52] “Finanziaria:
solo briciole per lo sminamento umanitario” (“Only the crumbs
left for humanitarian demining”), www.vita.org, 21 October 2003. NGOs sending
letters of support included the ICBL, Austrian Aid for Mine Victims, Geneva
Call, HI, Jesuit Refugee Service–Cambodia, Medico International, MAG, and
Women's International League for Peace and
Freedom. [53] Law 350/03, Table C, 24
December 2003. [54] Ministry of
Foreign Affairs note circulated at meeting of National Committee on Humanitarian
Mine Action, 22 September 2004. [55]
Meeting of the Trust Fund for Humanitarian Demining, Rome, 20 May 2004.
Landmine Monitor notes. [56] CCW
Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form F, 10 November
2003. [57] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 730–731, Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p. 680, Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 310, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
299–300. [58] Presentation by
Col. Mario Amadei, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15–19
September. [59] For fuller details of
these projects in 2003, see relevant each entries in this
report. [60] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 727, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p.
310. [61] Interviews with Vincenzo
Pira, Movimondo, 11 and 26 March
2003. [62] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 731, Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 727, and Landmine Monitor Report
2002, pp. 310–311. Movimondo, CESVI and ABC did not respond Landmine
Monitor requests for more recent information on their
activities. [63] Response to LM
Questionnaire from Mine Action Unit, InterSos, 5 February 2004. For details of
the InterSos program in Angola in previous years, see earlier editions of the
Landmine Monitor. [64] Response to LM
Questionnaire from Davide Naggi, Gulu Field Office, AVSI Program Coordinator, 1
March 2004. Data collected thanks to close cooperation with local hospitals,
Gulu Regional Orthopedic Workshop and Engineering Department of the UPDF 4th
Division. For details of the AVSI program in Uganda in previous years, see
earlier editions of the Landmine
Monitor. [65] Email from Roberta
Gambalonga, CUAMM, 11 March 2004. [67]
Response to LM Questionnaire from Sandro Greblo, Desk Officer for Afghanistan,
Emergency, 31 March 2004. [68]
Response to LM Questionnaire from Sonia Riccelli, Desk Officer for Cambodia,
Emergency, 28 March 2004. [66]
Response to LM Questionnaire from Donatella Farese, Desk Officer for Iraq,
Emergency, 3 March 2004. For fuller details of these projects in 2003, see
reports for each country in this edition of the Landmine Monitor. For details
of Emergency programs in previous years, see earlier editions of the Landmine
Monitor. [69] Email from Paola Salvi,
Right to Health and Solidarity Policies Department, Tuscany Region, 16 April
2004. [70] “Veneto: esplode
ordigno bellico a San Donà, 1 morto e 1 ferito” (“Veneto: ERW
explodes in San Donà: one man dies, one is injured”), ADN-Kronos,
17 July 2004. [71] “Niger,
iniziato trasferimento delle salme dei turisti italiani” (“Niger
starts transfer of Italian tourist corpses”), Repubblica (daily
newspaper), 5 January 2003. Friends, family and colleagues of one of the
fatalities, a renowned eye surgeon, started a fundraising initiative through the
Italian Campaign for an Intersos mine clearance project in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. [72] “Several
injured as Italian military vehicle hits mine in Afghan southeast,”
Islamic Republic of Iran External Service, 26 April 2003.