Key developments since May 2003: Uruguay completed destruction of its
antipersonnel mine stockpile on 15 September 2004, more than a year in advance
of its treaty-mandated deadline. Uruguay states that it is developing national
implementation legislation.
Key developments since 1999: Uruguay ratified the Mine Ban Treaty on
7 June 2001 and the treaty entered into force on 1 December 2001. Uruguay
started stockpile destruction in 2000, and completed it on 23 September 2004. In
2002 and 2003, Army deminers took part in the UN peacekeeping mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mine Ban Policy
Uruguay signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 3 December 1997, ratified on 7 June
2001, and the treaty entered into force on 1 December 2001. After announcing
its support for a total ban on antipersonnel landmines in December 1995, Uruguay
participated actively in the Ottawa Process, including the 1997 Oslo treaty
negotiations. Uruguay has voted in favor of every annual pro-ban United Nations
General Assembly resolution since 1996, including UNGA Resolution 58/53 of 8
December 2003.
In its most recent Article 7 report (dated 14 April 2004, but posted by the
UN on 8 June 2004), Uruguay states that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Ministry of Defense are collecting information on other countries’
implementation legislation, in order to present a project of law to the national
legislature.[1] This was
Uruguay’s third Article 7
report.[2]
Uruguay has attended only some of the annual Meetings of States Parties (in
2000, 2001 and 2002) and intersessional Standing Committee meetings (in May 2003
and February 2004). At the February meeting, Uruguay updated States Parties on
progress in stockpile destruction, noting recent destruction events. It said it
had 1,131 mines left to destroy, would meet its treaty deadline, and would keep
500 for training purposes. It offered to assist others in stockpile
destruction.[3]
Uruguay has not engaged in the extensive States Parties discussions on
matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1, 2, and 3,
but in April 2002, the Army told Landmine Monitor that Uruguay, “does not
participate, nor does it plan to participate, in military exercises in which
antipersonnel mines are
used.”[4]
Uruguay is a State Party to Amended Protocol II (Landmines) of the Convention
on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but it has not participated in an annual
conference of States Parties since December 1999 and did not submit an Article
13 report in 2003.
Uruguay reports that it has never produced, exported, or used antipersonnel
landmines. It is not
mine-affected.[5]
Stockpiling and Destruction
Uruguay completed destruction of its stockpiled antipersonnel mines on 15
September 2004, more than a year ahead of the treaty-mandated deadline of 1
December 2005 and in time for the 2004 Nairobi Review
Conference.[6]
The total number of antipersonnel landmines stockpiled by Uruguay and number
destroyed have unfortunately varied depending on the source and date of the
information. According to its April 2004 Article 7 Report, Uruguay had a
stockpile totaling 1,483 antipersonnel mines of two types, both of Belgian
origin. (1,278 M-35 and 205 NR-409), and it had destroyed a total of 1,025
antipersonnel mines (453 M-35 and 572
NR-409).[7] In 5 May 2004, the
country destroyed another 200 antipersonnel mines (100 M-35 and 100
NR-409)[8], leaving a stockpile
of 1,283 antipersonnel mines (1,178 M-35 and 105 NR-409).
Chronology of Destruction of Uruguay’s Antipersonnel Mine Stockpile
The stockpile was destroyed by open detonation without international
assistance at the Polígono de Destrucción de Munición en
Abras de Castellano in Maldonado, and at the Army’s Second Engineer
Battalion - Material and Armament Service in Florida, 100 kilometers north of
Montevideo.[21] The Landmine
Monitor researcher was present for some destruction events.
Between April 2002 and April 2004, 797 mines (400 M-35 and 397 M-409) were
transferred from the Materials and Armament Service to the Center of Instruction
for Engineers for
destruction.[22]
According to its April 2004 report, Uruguay intends to retain 500
antipersonnel mines for training: 400 M-35 and 100 NR-409
mines.[23] In May 2003, Uruguay
reported that mines retained would facilitate participation in humanitarian mine
clearance operations within UN peacekeeping
missions.[24] In August 2002,
eighteen Army officers participated in a humanitarian demining training, which
included use of live antipersonnel
mines.[25] From 2 June to 4
July 2003, twelve Army officers participated in a training course that also
included live antipersonnel
mines.[26]
The Army has reported that it does not have Claymore mines nor does it have
antivehicle mines fitted with antihandling
devices.[27]
Mine Action Assistance and Casualties
Uruguayan Armed Forces personnel have participated in mine action programs in
Central America, Angola (1995-1997), Cambodia (1992-1993), Mozambique
(1993-1994), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (2001 to date). In 2002 and
2003, Uruguay contributed 28 Army deminers as part of a contribution to the
United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(MONUC).[28] In 2004, it
deployed ten deminers to
MONUC.[29]
A total of 91 Army personnel were trained in humanitarian demining between
1996 and 2004, including seven in
2004.[30]
According to the Army, two soldiers have been injured while participating in
peacekeeping missions. One officer lost his leg in June 1996 while
participating in mine clearance in Angola. Another Army officer lost some
fingers in a mine
incident.[31]
[1] Article 7 Report, Form A, 8 June
2004. [2] See Article 7 Reports
submitted: 8 June 2004 (for the period April 2002-April 2004), 3 December 2002
(for the period April 2001-April 2002), and 23 April 2002 (for the period April
2001-April 2002). [3] Remarks to the
Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, Geneva, 12 February 2004 (Landmine
Monitor/HRW notes). [4] National Army
response to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, undated, received in April
2002. [5] Article 7 Report, Form E, G,
8 June 2004; Article 7 Report, Form H, 23 April 2002; National Army Responses to
Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, May 2001 and February
1999. [6] Email from Mayor Franco
Cugini, Vice Director, Engineer’s Training Center (Centro de
Instrucción de Ingenieros C.I.Ing), 6 October 2004; Article 7 Report,
Form J, 8 June 2004. [7] Article 7
Report, Forms B and G, 8 June
2004. [8] Ibid., Form
F. [9] Army Response to Landmine
Monitor, February 1999. See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p.
311. [10] Army Response to Landmine
Monitor, May 2001. [11] Letter (Nota
N° 014/F/01) from Col. W. Purtscher, Chief of the Department of Engineers,
Uruguayan Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff, to Landmine Monitor, 25 July
2001. [12] Landmine Monitor witnessed
the destruction of ten NR-409 in a symbolic destruction, but this does not seem
to have been counted in the Article 7
report. [13] Article 7 Report, Form B
and G, 23 April 2002. According to the report, between April 2001 and April
2002, 228 stockpiled antipersonnel mines were destroyed (53 M-35 and 175 NR-409
mines). [14] See Landmine Monitor
Report 2002, p. 517. [15] The
destruction event was witnessed by Army personnel, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs
official and Landmine Monitor. The destruction was originally scheduled to
destroy 278 antipersonnel mines (172 M-35 and 106 NR-409 mines). Article 7
Report, Form F, 23 April 2002. [16]
See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.
490. [17] National Army response sent
by Col. W. Purtscher Chief of the Department of Engineers, Uruguayan Armed
Forces Chiefs of Staff to Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, 23 December
2003. [18] Article 7 Report, Forms B
and G, 8 June 2004. [19]
Ibid. [20] Email from Mayor Franco
Cugini, Vice Director, Engineer’s Training Center, 6 October
2004. [21] See Landmine Monitor Report
2001, p. 388. [22] Article 7 Report,
Form D, 8 June 2004; Telephone interview with Col. Wile Purtscher, Chief of the
Department of Engineers, Uruguayan Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff, 21 July
2004. [23]
Ibid. [24] Intervention by Uruguay,
Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction, 15 May
2003. [25] National Army Response to
Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, 29 November
2002. [26] Army Response to Landmine
Monitor, 23 December 2003. [27] Army
Response to Landmine Monitor, February
1999. [28] Army Response to Landmine
Monitor, 23 December 2003. Landmine Monitor had previously reported that 18
deminers were serving with MONUC. See Landmine Monitor Report 2003, p.
490. [29] National Army Response to
Landmine Monitor Questionnaire, 20 August 2004; Army Response to Landmine
Monitor, 23 December 2003. [30] Army
Response to Landmine Monitor, 20 August
2004. [31] See Landmine Monitor Report
1999, p. 312.
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