Key developments since May 2003:In its fiscal year 2003-2004,
the UK provided mine action funding of £13.79 million ($22.5 million),
compared to £14.12 million the previous year. DfID completed an internal
review of its mine action policy in May 2004, which concluded that British
funding policy should continue to focus on four “main pillars.” In
2003, the UK re-evaluated the number of mines needed for training and
development purposes, and destroyed 3,116 mines. In March 2003, the Ministry of
Defence announced that Mk 7 and L3A1 antivehicle mines were no longer in use and
stocks would be destroyed. By February 2004, 3,577 of these types had been
destroyed, including 3,360 used in Iraq in explosive ordnance disposal
operations. Landmine Action had identified these mines as prohibited by the
treaty due to sensitive fuzes that cause them to function as antipersonnel
mines.
Key developments since 1999:The UK became a State Party on 1
March 1999. National legislation implementing the Mine Ban Treaty entered into
force the same day. From 1999 to 2003, the UK provided about $107 million for
mine action in at least 24 countries and regions. The UK has been actively
engaged in the intersessional work program, and served as co-chair of the
Standing Committee on Mine Clearance in 1999–2000. It has actively
promoted universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty. The UK completed destruction
of its stockpile of more than 2 millionantipersonnel mines on 19 October
1999, well in advance of the treaty deadline of 1 March 2003. At one point the
UK retained close to 5,000 antipersonnel mines for training purposes, but in
2003 decided the number was excessive to the need and destroyed 3,116 mines.
Since entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, there have been allegations of
attempted transfers of antipersonnel mines in the UK by Pakistani, Romanian, and
UK companies. The UK has stated that tripwires, breakwires and tilt rods are
not acceptable methods of detonating antivehicle mines, but has not made the
legal determination that such mines are prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty. The
UK has confirmed that transit of foreign antipersonnel mines through UK
territory is prohibited by the treaty and domestic law.
Mine Ban Policy
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland signed the Mine Ban
Treaty on 3 December 1997 and ratified it on 31 July 1998, becoming a State
Party on 1 March 1999.[1]
Ratification was combined with national implementation legislation—the
Landmines Act 1998—which, after some delay and at NGO urging, was passed
in time to fulfill the UK’s pledge to be one of the first 40 countries to
ratify the Mine Ban Treaty.
The UK has been a very active participant in the Mine Ban Treaty work
program. It has attended all annual meetings of States Parties since 1999, and
all intersessional Standing Committee meetings. The UK served as co-chair of
the Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Awareness and Mine Action
Technologies in 1999–2000. In 2002 and 2003, the UK chaired the
Sponsorship Program which assists representatives of developing countries to
attend treaty meetings, and has contributed funds for this purpose. The UK has
been active in the Resource Mobilization and Universalization contact groups, as
well as in preparations for the 2004 Review Conference.
The UK sees universalization of the Mine Ban Treaty as the best means of
combating the production, use, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel
mines.[2] In 2003, British
officials asked all States not party to the treaty what plans they had to ratify
or accede to the treaty.[3] In
2004, at the Universalization Contact Group’s suggestion, UK efforts have
been targeted to those countries which have shown an interest in joining the
treaty, using regional events (such as those in Austria, Lithuania and Japan) to
encourage non-members to
join.[4] In December 2003, the
UK voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 58/53, which calls for
universalization and implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty. The UK has voted
for similar pro-ban UN General Assembly resolutions each year since 1996.
The UK’s annual Article 7 transparency report was submitted on 30 April
2004. This is the UK’s sixth Article 7 report. None of the reports have
included Form J, which is available for voluntary reporting of other relevant
matters such as mine action funding and victim
assistance.[5]
Joint Military Operations and “Assist”
Ratification was accompanied by a formal declaration, repeated in Article 5
of the national legislation, which seeks to protect British troops from
prosecution for the “mere participation in the planning or execution of
operations, exercises or other military activity,” where non-States
Parties use antipersonnel mines. UK campaigners have expressed concern that
this language is so broad that it effectively only prohibits the actual laying
of mines by UK troops, in what would appear to be a contravention of the
treaty’s prohibition on assisting banned acts. The UK has offered many
explanations and clarifications in recent
years.[6]
In February 2004, the Ministry of Defence confirmed the UK’s position.
UK forces may not participate actively in the use or in any physical
activity specific to the laying of antipersonnel mines, nor gain benefit from
their use, and may not request their use in support of UK forces. However,
“the mere participation in the planning or execution” of activities
involving antipersonnel mines with States not party to the treaty is not
interpreted by the UK as prohibited by Article 1. The UK defines prohibited
activities as including: planning with others for the use of antipersonnel
mines, training others in their use, agreeing Rules of Engagement or operational
plans permitting their use in combined operations, requesting non-States Parties
to use antipersonnel mines, providing security or transport for antipersonnel
mines, and accepting orders that amount to assistance. But it has added that
any interpretation would take into account the military realities of the
battlefield at the time.[7] The
UK NGO, Landmine Action, continues to be concerned that Section 5 of the
Landmines Act 1998 could serve as a loophole in the prohibitions against use and
“assist.”
In one case of assistance which may violate the Mine Ban Treaty, the UK
government has stated that no further action is
required.[8] As noted in
Landmine Monitor Report 2003, DynCorp Aerospace Ltd was reported as
employing British ex-servicemen to maintain weapons stockpiles in Qatar, Bahrain
and Omar, including antipersonnel
mines.[9]
In February and May 2003, the UK stated at Standing Committee meetings that
transit of foreign antipersonnel mines through UK territory is prohibited by the
treaty and domestic law.[10]
Antivehicle Mines with Sensitive Fuzes and Antihandling Devices
The British position, restated at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in
September 2003, is that antivehicle mines with antihandling devices are not
covered by Article 2 of the Mine Ban Treaty, and should be considered in the
Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)
process.[11] At the Standing
Committee meetings in May 2003, the UK delegation said that this position is
based on legal examination of the treaty text and the treaty negotiations in
Oslo in 1997. The UK accepts that “humanitarian risks [are] presented by
some antivehicle mines,” and argues these risks should be addressed
instead of disputing which treaty covers antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes
and antihandling devices.[12]
In the CCW context, the UK has stated that tripwires, breakwires and tilt rods
are not acceptable methods of detonating antivehicle
mines.[13]
During discussion of Articles 1, 2 and 3 at the Standing Committee meetings
in June 2004, the UK said it had little difficulty with the substance of the
Co-Chair’s Non-Paper (which was mostly supported by the ICBL), but that
expert legal analysis would be needed in order to give a more definitive
response. However, the UK expressed concerns about the status of the paper and
any formal conclusions that might result, which could amount to amendment of the
treaty.[14]
Landmine Action has identified several antivehicle mines held by British
armed forces that may be detonated by the unintentional act of a person, and
would thereby be prohibited by Article 2 of the Mine Ban Treaty. These mines
include the Mk 7/4, Mk 7/7, L3A1, Bar mine, AT2, and
L25A1.[15] In March 2003, the
Ministry of Defence announced that Mk 7 and L3A1 antivehicle mines were no
longer in use and stocks would be destroyed. By February 2004, 3,577 of these
types had been destroyed, including 3,360 used in Iraq in explosive ordnance
disposal operations.[16]
The UK is a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) and its
Amended Protocol II, and attended the Fifth Annual Conference of States Parties
to the Protocol in November 2003. The UK has participated in annual conferences
of States Parties in previous years, and has supported CCW proposals on
explosive remnants of war and mines other than antipersonnel
mines.[17] A Parliamentary
motion on explosive remnants of war received substantial support in 2003. The
UK submitted its annual report required by Article 13 of Amended Protocol II in
October 2003, and has submitted annual reports in previous years.
Production and Transfer
Production of antipersonnel mines in the UK was not prohibited until entry
into force of the treaty on 1 March 1999, although some manufacturers had ceased
production earlier. The UK’s first Article 7 report stated that
production facilities had been converted or
decommissioned.[18] The partial
export moratoria of 1994 and 1995 were made comprehensive in 1996. Imports were
banned in May 1997.
The UK was previously a major producer and exporter of antipersonnel mines,
with at least four major manufacturers producing five types of antipersonnel
mine.[19] The UK was described
in 1993 as one of the “top 10” exporters of antipersonnel mines and
a primary source of advanced mine technology. British antipersonnel mines have
been found in many mine-affected countries, including Afghanistan, Angola,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Mozambique and Somalia, and were also exported to
other countries.[20] Mines were
also imported from Canada, France, and the US.
Since entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty, there have been allegations of
several attempted transfers of antipersonnel mines in the UK. In September
1999, a Romanian company allegedly offered for sale three types of antipersonnel
mine in the UK. In November 1999 and April 2002, Pakistan Ordnance Factories
allegedly offered two types of antipersonnel mine for sale. In April 2002, a
British company allegedly offered to supply antipersonnel mines in the UK, and
promoted mines at arms fairs in Greece and South Africa. Official
investigations were carried out in each case, but have led to no criminal
proceedings.[21]
Stockpiling and Destruction
The UK completed destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines on 19
October 1999. The UK’s original stockpile was estimated to be 2,103,626
in 1995. In 1997–1999, 1,277,882 were destroyed. Over this period,
several mines held by the UK were re-classified as antipersonnel and included in
the stockpile destruction program, including the HB876 which was used as a
submunition in the JP233 canister, and the L27 mine activated by breakwire.
HB876 mines were destroyed in
Germany.[22] At the time of the
first Article 7 report, for the period from entry into force to 1 August 1999,
there remained 74,957 mines.[23]
Mines Retained Under Article 3
In 1998, the UK said it intended to “retain about 4,000 anti-personnel
landmines,” but by the end of 2001 the number retained had increased to
4,949 with acquisition of more foreign antipersonnel
mines.[24] At the end of 2002,
this had declined to 4,899, with consumption of 28 C3 Elsie mines and 22 foreign
mines. How these mines were consumed (destroyed) was not
reported.[25] In March 2003,
the Ministry of Defence said that mines were retained for “training
explosives and mine detecting dogs; training military and civilian mine
clearance personnel; making relevant training films, videos, and posters;
testing and trials of mine clearance devices; and testing and trials of
protective clothing and
equipment.”[26]
At the Standing Committee meetings in May 2003, the UK delegation stated that
in 1999 it was difficult to estimate how many mines would be needed, and that
“we have found that our initial estimate of requirements is more than we
need. We are therefore planning to reduce our holding significantly in the near
future.[27] During 2003, 3,116
retained mines (2,088 Ranger and 1,028 C3 Elsie mines) were
destroyed.[28] The Ranger mines
had a shelf-life expiry of 1 August 2002, and the Elsie mines were also reaching
expiry.[29]
At the end of 2003, the UK retained 1,930 antipersonnel mines, all foreign
mines of unspecified type and origin. No mines were consumed for training or
development purposes in 2003. At the end of 2002, the UK retained 1,783 foreign
mines, suggesting (but not noted in the Article 7 report) that an additional 147
mines were acquired during 2003. The Ministry of Defence confirmed Landmine
Monitor that 147 mines “of foreign manufacture for the development of and
training in mine detection, mine clearance or mine destruction techniques”
were acquired in 2003. The Ministry added that the quantity of mines now
retained represents what it considers necessary to fulfill training
requirements.[30]
Claymore Mines
The PJRAD and M18A1 Claymore directional fragmentation mines are not
classified by the UK as antipersonnel mines. The UK’s Article 7 reports
have not noted these mines nor any modification to remove the victim-activation
mode which is prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty. In May 2001, the Ministry of
Defence told Landmine Monitor that tripwires have been destroyed which, along
with changes in instructions, are said to make physical adaptation of these
mines unnecessary.[31]
Foreign Stockpiles
According to a government statement to Parliament, neither NATO nor other
governments hold stocks of antipersonnel mines on UK
territory.[32] Regarding the
British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia, the UK’s position first
stated in March 2000 is that US antipersonnel mines are not stored on land, but
are stored on ships offshore which have “state immunity.” As the
ships are not under UK jurisdiction or control, the UK takes the view that it
has no obligation to have the mines removed or destroyed. However, the
government has accepted that if the mines were offloaded onto land, this would
amount to a breach of the
treaty.[33] In 2002, the
Landmines Act was extended to British Overseas Territories, which include Diego
Garcia.[34]
Mine Action Funding and Assistance
In the UK’s fiscal year 2003–2004, the Department for
International Development (DfID) provided mine action funding of
£13,734,582 ($22,443,680); this was a reduction from £14,124,712 in
2002–2003.[35] The total
for 2002–2003 revises a previous DfID estimate of £10.7 million which
was quoted in the Landmine Monitor Report 2003. The totals for
2002–2003 and 2003–2004 include Research and Development under
DfID’s new heading of Research and
Knowledge.[36] Not included in
the DfID total for 2003-2004 is €80,510 (£55,745 or $91,097) donated
by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2003 to fund the Handicap
International Phoenix project in
Kosovo.[37] This would bring
total 2003-2004 funding to £13.79 million ($22.5 million).
DfID provided the following itemization of funding in 2003–2004 for
five countries and five organizations:
Countries:
Afghanistan: £2 million ($3,268,200) to the UNMAS for demining
Angola: £117,650 ($192,252) to HALO for road verification
Cambodia: £271,250 ($443,250) to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG)
Iraq: £5,219,900 ($8,529,839) - £4,357,378 to UNMAS for demining,
£781,639 to MAG for demining in southern Iraq, and £80,883 to MAG for
MRE “preparedness”
North Caucasus: £60,000 ($98,046) to UNICEF for MRE and victim
assistance
Sudan: £1 million ($1,634,100) to UNMAS
Organizations:
HALO Trust: £32,402 ($52,948) for unspecified “other”
UNMAS: £2 million ($3,268,200) for core support
UNICEF: £650,000 ($1,062,165) for core support
UNDP: £600,000 ($980,460) for core support
Implementation Support Unit: £16,660 ($27,224) for the sponsorship
program
DfID adds a final category of expenditure, Research and Knowledge, which it
explains includes Research and Development, and various items of sponsorship and
publicity, funded with £1,766,720 ($2,886,997) in
2003–2004.[38]
UK funding of mine action is the responsibility of DfID, which has a planned
provision of £10 million ($16.3 million at 2003 exchange rate) for mine
action annually. Recently, however, substantial additional funds have been
granted during the course of the year.
In previous years, the UK had been changing gradually from bilateral funding
of country-specific programs to general funding of UN mine action agencies. In
May 2004, however, the UK announced a return to greater emphasis on bilateral
funding of country programs.[39]
Historical reporting of UK mine action funding is affected by changes in
sub-headings used to report funding in various years. The UK does not report
financial data on a calendar year basis.
In its fiscal years 1999-2000 to 2003-2004, the UK provided about £69.9
million ($106.9 million) in mine action funding: 1999-2000: £14.1 million
($23 million), 2000-2001: £16 million ($22.9 million), 2001-2002: £12
million ($17.3 million), 2002-2003: £14.1 million ($21.2 million),
2003-2004: £13.7 million ($22.5 million).
The UK has provided mine action funds for at least 24 countries and regions,
including Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia,
Croatia, Egypt, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq (and Northern
Iraq), Jordan, Kosovo, Laos, Lebanon, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Mozambique, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and
Yemen.[40]Since
fiscal year 2001–2002, DfID has provided £6.8 million to Afghanistan
via UNMAS (2001–2002: £3 million, 2002–2003: £1.8 million,
2003–2004: £2
million).[41]
For 2004–2005, DfID has estimated funding for mine action as between
£10 million and £15 million, depending on emergencies. DfID says that
it currently prioritizes mine action funding through dialogue with UNMAS, UNDP,
the Mine Action Support Group, and
NGOs.[42]
The Ministry of Defence also provides in-kind assistance to mine action NGOs,
although few details are reported. In February 2004, the Ministry donated 12
armored trucks to the HALO Trust for its activities in Afghanistan and
Kosovo.[43] In previous years,
in-kind assistance has been provided to mine action centers in Kosovo and in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.[44]
British forces on peacekeeping and military missions include mine clearance,
mine risk education and other mine-related activities among their duties. In
Iraq in 2003, UK forces were reported to be carrying out mine risk education for
schoolchildren in Basra.[45]
Funding Policy
DfID completed an internal review of its mine action policy in May 2004.
This concluded that British funding policy should continue to focus on four
“main pillars”: funding of humanitarian mine action primarily in the
poorest countries; improving the effectiveness of international mine action;
developing new mine clearance technologies; and universalization of the Mine Ban
Treaty. British policy favors projects which alleviate poverty and allow
affected countries to take increasing responsibility for the management of the
problem.[46]
Since 2000, funding has been channeled mainly through UN agencies. The
policy review maintains core funding of UN agencies, but will reduce funding of
UN country programs and increase funding of mine action NGOs, recognizing that
“NGOs have an important role to play in advocating and implementing mine
action.” There will be increased “mainstreaming of mine action into
development
programmes.”[47]
The UK has expressed concern that not enough is being done to assist in the
care and rehabilitation of mine survivors, and has earmarked “a
significant amount of financial resources to address this issue.” UK
policy does not separate out mine victims, but “focuses on assisting
disabled people, including anti-personnel mine victims, through bilateral
programs aimed at poverty eradication, healthcare and community-based
rehabilitation.”[48] No
disaggregated figures for victim assistance funding are
available.[49]
From 2004, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office plans to hold briefings for
all geographic officials dealing with mine-affected countries in order to
strengthen the integration of mine action policy into country programs. It will
also give specific briefings to new ambassadors to mine-affected
countries.[50]
Research and Development
In November 2003, DfID reported a total of £1.5 million ($2,451,150) for
various R&D projects in
2003–2004.[51]
Two R&D projects are currently funded. Minetech is a dual sensor mine
detector, for which planned expenditure in 2004–2005 was £750,000
($1,225,575). The second project is a low cost mine incinerator, involving the
commercial company Disarmco, for which 2004–2005 expenditure was estimated
at £250,000 ($408,525).[52]
From 1999 to 2003, the UK allocated approximately £6.2 million ($9.63
million), 1999-2000: £500,000 ($0.8 million), 2000-2001: £1 million
($1.43 million), 2001-2002: £1.3 million ($1.9 million), 2002-2003:
£1.6 million ($2.6 million), 2003-2004: £1.8 million ($2.9 million).
The funds were used for mine-related R&D, including military as well as
humanitarian demining, and contributions to the GICHD and ITEP, included within
DfID’s category of Research and
Knowledge.[53] The Defense
Evaluation and Research Agency, the Ministry of Defence, and the Mine
Information and Technology Centre, established in 1997, have carried out
mine-related R&D in the
UK.[54]
Nongovernmental Mine Action Funding and Assistance
Two British NGOs have been at the forefront of global humanitarian mine
action for over the past decade. The HALO Trust, established in 1988 and
headquartered in Scotland, employed over 5,000 local and 50 expatriate staff in
nine countries in 2003: Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Georgia, Kosovo,
Nagorno-Karabakh, Mozambique, Somaliland and Sri Lanka. The Mines Advisory
Group (MAG), established in 1992 and headquartered in Manchester, employed 1,902
local and 56 expatriate staff in 11 countries in 2003: Afghanistan, Angola,
Cambodia, Chad, DR Congo, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Viet Nam).
In 2003, Landmine Action started mine clearance in Sudan.
NGOs carrying out mine risk education include Cambodia Trust (Cambodia, Sri
Lanka), the Heather MillsHealthTrust, Landmine Action (Sudan),
and the Mines Awareness Trust (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo, Sri
Lanka, and Uganda).
British NGOs supporting survivor assistance programs in mine-affected
countries includeCambodia Trust (Cambodia, Sri Lanka), Handicap
International UK, the Heather Mills Health Trust, Hope for Children (Sri Lanka),
Jaipur Limb Campaign (Angola), Mercy Corps Scotland (Pakistan), Mines Awareness
Trust (Uganda), POWER International (Laos, Mozambique), Response International
(Pakistan), Soroptimist International UK, and War Child.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was obliged by legal action to
freeze its funding of mine action in July 2003. This resulted in postponement
of new applications, but replacement funding from other donors was found to
maintain support of projects in mine-affected
areas.[55] The Fund has also
sustained its campaigning role on explosive remnants of war and cluster
munitions. It sponsored a review of mine action, Mine Action After Diana:
Progress in the Struggle Against Landmines, published in July 2004 jointly
with Landmine Action.
The Diana Fund reports total funding in 2002–2004 of £2,547,540
($3,827,679 at 2002 exchange rate) over three years for mine
action.[56] Recipients included
Children of the Andes, HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group, Response International,
Mercy Corps Scotland and Hope for Children, with projects in countries including
Abkhazia, Angola, Colombia, Laos, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka.[57] The Diana Fund was
set up in January 1999. It has donated the equivalent of nearly $8 million to
mine action since then (1999: $1.7 million, 2000: $1.7 million, 2001: $0.8
million, 2002: $3.8
million).[58]
Other NGO Activities
In August 2003, HALO Trust was one of five mine action NGOs convening the NGO
Perspective on the Debris of War. The NGO Perspective’s aim was to
improve the effectiveness of mine action and to represent an NGO view that many
mine action programs are unnecessarily costly and complicated, with the result
that “under the current circumstances the obligations of the Ottawa Treaty
cannot be met.”[59]
In August 2004, MAG launched its “Put Your Foot Down” campaign to
remind the public of the dangers of mines to people in mine-affected
countries.
In November 2003, Landmine Action and its coalition members held an awareness
week that focused on explosive remnants of war and cluster munitions. Twenty
thousand signatures were obtained for the Clear Up petition, part of the Clear
Up campaign set up in February 2003 by Landmine Action and the Diana, Princess
of Wales Memorial Fund to raise awareness of the problems caused by cluster
bombs and other explosive remnants of war. During the year, more than 100,000
signatures were gathered under the Clear Up petition.
On 1 December 2003, Landmine Action took over management of the Sudan
Landmine Information and Response Initiative (SLIRI) from Oxfam GB. SLIRI was
established as a cross-conflict community-based mine incident data gathering
project. After training local deminers, SLIRI started clearance operations in
August 2003. Funding has been provided by the European Commission, Comic
Relief, and the Cooperative Bank. In 2004, Japan provided funding to extend
operations, and Jersey Overseas Aid started to fund a victim assistance training
program. SLIRI is also supported by UNMAS, the Government of Sudan and the
SPLM/A.[60]
In 2003–2004, Landmine Action also continued to work in partnership
with the Sri Lanka Campaign to Ban Landmines and Geneva Call on a cross-conflict
initiative to ban antipersonnel mines in Sri Lanka. A conference in Colombo was
organized on 26 July 2003, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka campaign, and a
joint parliamentary meeting was held on 16 December 2003 to discuss the landmine
situation in Sri Lanka. Landmine Action also supported other partners within
the South Asia region, working to build their capacity to raise public awareness
or to advocate for the antipersonnel mine ban.
Landmine Action was developed in 1999 from the UK Working Group on Landmines,
which campaigned from 1993 nationally and internationally for a total ban on
antipersonnel mines.
Landmine Problem
The only mine-affected area under the UK’s “jurisdiction or
control,” in the terms of the Mine Ban Treaty, is the Falkland Islands
(Malvinas). The treaty deadline for clearance of this mine-affected area is 1
March 2009. The Falklands were mined by British and Argentine forces during the
war of 1982.
In February 2004, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the UK is
“fully committed to destroying all AP mines in mined areas under UK
jurisdiction in accordance with the Mine Ban Treaty. We continue working
towards a UK-led study, to be funded by the Argentine Government, into the
feasibility of mine clearance in the
Falklands.”[61] However, no progress toward a feasibility study has been reported since
this intention was first announced in October
2001.[62] The announcement
followed more than three years of negotiations between the two governments. In
March 2003, the UK announced the creation of a National Mine Action Authority to
oversee future clearance work, which will respect International Mine Action
Standards, and repeated its commitment to “moving ahead as soon as
Argentine funds become
available.”[63] As
previously reported in the Landmine Monitor, the costs of the feasibility study
were to be shared between the two parties in proportion to the number of mines
laid by each.
The Falklands government has taken the view that countries such as Cambodia,
Afghanistan, Angola, and Mozambique, and Balkan countries, are more deserving of
scarce demining resources.[64]
Similar views have been expressed by the UK Ministry of
Defence.[65]
There are 117 minefields in the Falklands containing “an unknown number
of APMs,” according to the UK. There are 101 minefields covering 20 square
kilometers and containing 16,000 mines, according to the Falkland Islands
government.[66] The mined areas
are mainly beaches and peat areas, and are marked and fenced. The mine
contamination includes four types of antipersonnel mine and four types of
antivehicle mine.[67] Details
of warning measures are included in the UK’s Article 7 reports. An
explosive ordnance disposal center in Port Stanley provides warnings on the mine
danger to visitors and the local community. No casualties have been
reported.
In 2003, 50 antipersonnel mines which had become exposed were destroyed
within or on the boundaries of marked
minefields.[68] In
1997–2002, 248 antipersonnel mines were similarly destroyed in the
Falklands.[69] In the months
following the 1982 conflict, approximately 1,400 mines were cleared by British
forces.[70]
World War II mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) are occasionally found in
the UK, usually on the coastline. In March 2004, items of UXO were found and
safely detonated on a beach in
Scotland.[71] In October 2002,
a mine was discovered on a beach in Norfolk, reportedly one of 350,000 laid
around the coast during the
war.[72]
In August 2004, a “shocked” pensioner unearthed a suspected
landmine in his garden. The 79-year-old man was digging when he discovered the
device at his home in Royton, near Oldham. Police set up a 50-meter safety
cordon around his home and an Army bomb disposal squad was called and took the
two-inch device away.[73] The
same day, a suspected World War II antivehicle device was detonated on Teesside
beach.[74]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
From 1999 to March 2004, three British nationals were killed and another
twelve injured by mines and UXO. All cases occurred outside the UK. In 2003,
in Iraq, two British soldiers were killed and one injured by landmines or UXO
and a British civilian was also injured, according to media reports. On 31
March, a soldier was killed during explosive ordnance disposal, and on 30 April
a soldier was killed by a mine. Also in April, a BBC producer was injured and
his Iranian cameraman was killed by a mine. In November, a British soldier was
injured when a landmine exploded in the southern city of Basra. On 23 March
2004, four British soldiers were injured when a landmine exploded under their
vehicle while on patrol in
Iraq.[75]
According to the Ministry of Defence, injuries and fatalities among British
peacekeepers and military forces due to landmines are not compiled separately
from other casualties, but the Ministry was not aware of any serious injuries or
fatalities from the end of war in Iraq to February 2004, nor from January 2002
to February 2003.[76]
In 2002, two British civilians were injured, one in July 2002 while clearing
mines for BACTEC International in southern Lebanon, and the second in November
2002 in Sri Lanka.[77]
In 2001, one British soldier was killed and two were injured by mines/UXO in
Kosovo, and one was injured in Afghanistan. One civilian deminer was injured in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Landmine Monitor is not aware of any mine/UXO
casualties among British forces and British nationals in 1999–2000.
[1] The UK was hesitant to support a
comprehensive mine ban until May 1997 when the new Labour government announced a
moratorium on use (except “in exceptional circumstances”) and its
intention to destroy stocks by 2005. The exemption for exceptional
circumstances ended upon entry into force of the treaty of 1 March 1999. The UK
participated in all preparatory meetings of the Ottawa Process, but was not a
leader in developing or promoting the ban treaty. See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 673–675,
678–679. [2] Fax from Alasdair
Pennycook, Counter Proliferation and Arms Control Secretariat, Ministry of
Defence, 9 February 2004; Parliamentary answer by Foreign and Commonwealth
Office, Hansard, 4 November 2003, col.
543W. [3] Email from Jonah Anthony,
Security Policy Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 20 February 2004.
A similar effort was carried out in 1999–2000. See Landmine Monitor Report
2000, p. 745. [4] Ibid; Parliamentary
answer by Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 26 March 2004, col.
1120W. [5] See Article 7 reports
submitted: 30 April 2004 (for calendar year 2003); 30 April 2003 (for calendar
year 2002); 21 March 2002 (for calendar year 2001); 25 April 2001 (for the
period 1 April 2000–31 December 2000); 17 April 2000 (for the period 1
August 1999–1 April 2000); 26 August 1999 (for the period 1 March–1
August 1999). [6] See Landmine Monitor
Report 1999, pp. 675–678, and Landmine Monitor Report 2001, pp.
813–814. [7] Fax from Ministry
of Defence, 9 February 2004; Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
482–483. [8] Email from Jonah
Anthony, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 20 February 2004; Landmine Monitor
Report 2003, p. 483. Landmine Monitor asked the FCO on 30 January, 11 June and
2 July 2004 to elaborate on the investigations undertaken and the reasons for
the conclusion that no further action was
required. [9] “The Desert
Pong,” Private Eye (weekly magazine), No. 1072, 24 January–6
February 2003. [10] Interventions by
the UK, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention, 7
February and 12 May 2003; email from Peter Balmer, Proliferation and Arms
Control Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, 13 February
2003. [11] Intervention by the UK on
Article 2, Fifth Meeting of States Parties, Bangkok, 15–19 September 2003.
[12] Intervention by the UK, Standing
Committee on General Status, 16 May 2003; fax from Ministry of Defence, 9
February 2004. [13] Email from Reza
Afshar, Proliferation and Arms Control Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, 3 April
2003. [14] Intervention by the UK,
Standing Committee on General Status, 25 June
2004. [15] Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 817–818. [16] Email
from Reza Afshar, Ministry of Defense, March 2003; fax from Ministry of Defence,
9 February 2004, and email 16 February
2004. [17] Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 507. [18] Article 7 Report,
Form E, 26 August 1999. This refers only to production facilities for the HB876
(decommissioned in 1991) and Ranger (decommissioned by
1994). [19] The major producers and
types produced were: Thorn EMI Electronics (Ranger mines), Royal Ordnance (L1E1
and No. 6 mines), British Aerospace/Royal Ordnance (L9 bar mine), Hunting
Engineering (HB876). Other companies also produced mine components. See
Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
680–682. [20] The Arms Project
of Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights, Landmines: A Deadly
Legacy (New York: Human Rights Watch, 1993) pp. 104, 202, 225. See Landmine
Monitor Report 1999, pp.
683–684. [21] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2000, pp. 747–748, Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
507–508, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p. 485. In February 2004, the
UK company involved in the April 2002 case issued new denials: “Chemring
re-examines landmine allegations,” Daily Telegraph, 4 February
2004. [22] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, pp. 686–687, and Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
749. [23] Article 7 Report, Forms B
and G, 26 August 1999. The types held on 1 March 1999 were: HB876 (70,520),
inert HB976s (434), Ranger (2,088), C3 Elsie (1,056), and 859 foreign
antipersonnel mines. [24] Letter from
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to UK Working Group on Landmines, 27 April
1998; Article 7 Report, Form D, 21 March 2002. See also Landmine Monitor Report
2002, p. 509. [25] Article 7 Report,
Form D1, 30 April 2003. [26]
Parliamentary answer by Ministry of Defence, Hansard, 19 March 2003,
col.782W. [27] UK intervention on
Article 3, Standing Committee on General Status and Operation of the Convention,
16 May 2003. See www.gichd.ch
. [28] Article 7 Report, Form D, 30
April 2004. [29] An email from the
MoD in March 2003 refers to both types reaching expiry. Email from Reza Afshar,
Ministry of Defence, March 2003. See also Article 7 Report, Form D, 30 April
2003. [30] Email from Alasdair
Pennycook, Ministry of Defence, 8 April
2004. [31] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, pp. 815–816. [32] See
Landmine Monitor Report 2000, p.
752. [33] Fax from Ministry of
Defence, 9 February 2004, parliamentary answer by Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO), Hansard, 11 September 2003, col. 400W. See Landmine Monitor
Report 2000, pp. 752–753, Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 818, and
Landmine Monitor Report 2003, pp.
483–484. [34] See Landmine
Monitor Report 2001, p. 818. [35]
Emails from Andrew Willson, Department for International Development (DfID), 10
June and 22 September 2004. Exchange rate of £1 = $1.6341 (2003 average),
used throughout this report unless otherwise stated. US Federal Reserve,
“List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 2 January 2004. The UK’s
fiscal year begins in April. [36]
Email from and telephone interview with Andrew Willson, DfID, 22 September
2004. [37] International Trust Fund
for Demining and Victims Assistance (ITF), “Annual Report 2003,” p.
49; email from Sabina Beber, Head of International Relations, ITF, 16 April
2004. For the period 1 April–30 September 2004, a further £185,000
was allocated to this project. See the report on Kosovo in this edition of the
Landmine Monitor Report. [38] Emails
from Andrew Willson, DfID, 10 June and 22 September
2004. [39] Statement by Hilary Benn,
Secretary of State for International Development, Hansard, 10 May 2004, col.
2WS. [40] Data taken from previous
editions of the Landmine Monitor, at US$ exchange rates used in each report.
For funding before 1999 see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp.
689–694. [41] Parliamentary
answer by DfID, Hansard, 11 February 2004, col. 1467W; email from Andrew
Willson, DfID, 20 February 2004. These sources stated £4.8 million up to
2002–2003, to which Landmine Monitor has added 2003–2004
funding. [42] Email from Andrew
Willson, DfID, 20 February 2004. [43]
“MOD gifts armoured truck fleet for mine clearance operations in
Afghanistan and Kosovo,” M2 Presswire, 27 February
2004. [44] CCW Amended Protocol II
Article 13 Report, Form E, October
2004. [45] “UK troops lecture
Iraqi pupils on unexploded bombs,” Reuters, 17 May
2003. [46] Statement by Secretary of
State for International Development, Hansard, 10 May
2004. [47] Ibid. For UK mine action
funding policy in previous years, see Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
510–511, and Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.
486. [48] Email from Andrew Willson,
DfID, 20 February 2004. [49] Ibid;
Statement by John Wattam, Standing Committee on Victim Assistance and
Socio-Economic Reintegration, Geneva, 13 May 2003.
[50] Email from Jonah Anthony,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 20 February
2004. [51] Parliamentary answer by
DfID, Hansard, 12 November 2003, col. 314W. The final expenditure in 2003-2004
on these items is not reported by DfID, but is included in the Research and
Knowledge total of £1,766,720. Email from and telephone interview with
Andrew Willson, DfID, 22 September
2002. [52] Email from Andrew Willson,
DfID, 20 February 2004. [53] Email
from and telephone interview with Andrew Willson, DfID, 22 September
2002. [54] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 693, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp.
514–515. [55] Telephone
interview with Jo Bexley, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, 12 July
2004. [56] Ibid. This includes the
total of funds granted to two mine victim-related programs. Previously, it was
reported that £1,170,716 had been granted over three
years. [57] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2003, p. 488. [58] See Landmine
Monitor Report 1999, pp. 695–696. Financial data taken from previous
editions of the Landmine Monitor, at US$ exchange rates used in each
report. [59] Statement by the NGO
Perspective on the Debris of War, Lyons, France, 28 August
2003. [60] Email from Dylan Mathews,
Programme Coordinator, Landmine Action, 18 June
2004. [61] Fax from Ministry of
Defence, 9 February 2004. [62] Article
7 Report, Form F, 30 April 2003.
[63] Parliamentary answer by
Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Hansard, 5 March
2003, col. 1069W. [64] Email from Sam
A-Bailey, CSMM, Falklands Islands Government Office, London, 25 June
2003. [65] Fax from Ministry of
Defence, 9 February 2004. [66] CCW
Amended Protocol II Article 13 Report, Form B, October 2003; Article 7 Report,
Form F, 30 April 2004; email from Sam A-Bailey, Falkland Islands Government
Office, 25 June 2003. When depositing its first Article 7 report in August
1999, the UK included minefield
maps. [67] Antipersonnel mines present
include: P4B (Spanish origin), SB33 (Italian), FMK1 (Argentinian), No 4
(Israeli). Antivehicle mines present: C3B (Spanish), SB81 (Italian), No6 Mk1
(Israeli), Mk1/6 (US). Fax from Ministry of Defence, 9 February
2004. [68] Article 7 Report, Forms F
and G, 30 April 2004. [69] Fax from
Ministry of Defence, 9 February
2004. [70] Hansard, 30 November 1999,
Co. 160W. [71] “Mortars found on
beach are detonated,” Aberdeen Press & Journal, 13 March
2004. [72] Jerome Monahan Lindsey
Fraser, “Underground killers left behind by wars,” Guardian, 29
October 2002. [73] “Bomb dug
up,” Manchester Evening News, 5 August
2004. [74] “Bomb drama on the
beach,” Evening Gazette, 5 August
2004. [75] Michael Smith,
“Landmine kills British soldier,” Daily Telegraph, 2 May 2003;
“BBC cameraman dies in Iraq,” BBC, 3 April 2003; “Attacks
continue in Iraq despite U.S. assurances,” Associated Press (Iraq), 10
November 2003; Catherine Jewitt, “Teenage soldier in Iraq blast
horror,” The Northern Echo, 23 March
2004. [76] Telephone interview with
and email from Alasdair Pennycook, Ministry of Defence, 16 February 2004;
telephone interview with Reza Afshar, Ministry of Defense, 11 February
2003. [77] See Landmine Monitor Report
2003, p. 489.
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