Key developments since May 2004: Mongolia’s Program of Action
for 2004-2008 lays out a step-by-step approach aimed at accession to the Mine
Ban Treaty in 2008. In October 2004, the then-President of Mongolia denounced
the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of landmines during an official
visit to Canada. At the same time, Mongolia stated its intention not to deploy
its antipersonnel mines. Mongolia has indicated that it will submit a voluntary
Article 7 transparency report. A NATO workshop held in Ulaanbaatar in June 2004
concluded that detailed assessment of long-abandoned military sites was needed,
and recommended that Mongolia develop an action plan for survey, clearance and
rehabilitation of the sites; no progress was reported by May 2005.
Mine Ban Policy
Mongolia has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In October 2004, during an
official visit to Canada, then-President of Mongolia Natsagiin Bagabandi
discussed the question of Mongolia’s accession to the Mine Ban Treaty and
stated:
“Mongolia denounces the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of
all types of landmines and supports the efforts undertaken by the international
community to ban this dangerous and indiscriminate weapon. Mongolia has been
pursuing a step-by-step approach on the issue of acceding to the Ottawa
Convention. At the initial stage we focused on attending international
conferences and seminars related to landmines, on training our landmine experts
and studying the Ottawa Convention in conjunction to the specifics of our
country. Now we are examining the conditions, time and expenses required for
the destruction of the stockpiled APMs [antipersonnel mines] in possession of
Mongolian Armed Forces.”[1]
A joint statement issued by Mongolia’s President and Canada’s
Prime Minister Paul Martin stated that “Mongolia will submit, on a
voluntary basis, a national report on the status of its anti-personnel mines.
Mongolia also states its intention not to acquire, transfer or deploy its
anti-personnel mines.”[2]
In September 2004, the government approved a Program of Action for 2004-2008
that prioritizes accession to the ban treaty, noting that,
“Mongolia’s accession to the Convention is only a matter of
time.”[3] The Program of Action
includes a series of step-by-step actions to be taken toward acceding to the
Mine Ban Treaty, starting with discussions between the ministries of defense and
foreign affairs to formulate the plan, which will then be submitted to the
Mongolian State Security Council for approval. The plan of the two ministries
includes the following elements:
In cooperation with other countries, including Canada, the government plans
to formulate a strategy to implement its step-by-step accession to the Mine Ban
Treaty in 2008.
In 2005, the ministries of defense and justice will initiate amendments to
the Law on State Secrets, to exclude landmines (currently listed as a state
secret) from the list and place details regarding the number of stockpiled
antipersonnel mines in the public domain.
In 2005-2008, the government plans, with international assistance, to assess
the condition of its antipersonnel mine stockpile, and the time and finances
required to destroy the mines.
In 2007, the government plans to submit a voluntary national transparency
measures report, in accordance with Article 7 of the Mine Ban Treaty, in
response to UN General Assembly Resolution 58/53, which called upon non-States
Parties to voluntarily submit such reports.
Mongolia was one of 25 non-States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty that
participated in the First Review Conference in November-December 2004 in
Nairobi. Mongolia’s representative, Col. Chimeddorj Sosorbaram of the
Ministry of Defense, made a statement in which he confirmed the
government’s intention to pursue the “step-by-step” accession
plan.[4]
Mongolia voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 59/84 on 3 December
2004, calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban
Treaty. It has voted in favor of every annual pro-ban treaty UNGA resolution
since 1998.[5]
Mongolia participated in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in
Geneva in June 2004, but not in June
2005.[6] During the June 2005
intersessional meetings, the ICBL met with Mongolia’s Ambassador to the UN
in Geneva, who affirmed that the political will to join the treaty existed at
the highest levels in Mongolia, and indicated that resources for stockpile
destruction was the main
concern.[7]
The ICBL’s Diplomatic Advisor, retired Ambassador Satnam Singh,
undertook a special advocacy mission to Mongolia in September 2005. He met
with the Chief of the Armed Forces, the State Secretary in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, parliamentary
leaders and others. It became clear that a key step is amendment of
Mongolia’s secrecy law, so that the government can declare its stockpile
and begin preparations to destroy
it.[8]
Mongolia is party to the original Protocol II of the Convention on
Conventional Weapons (CCW), but has not ratified Amended Protocol II on
landmines. Mongolia attended the Sixth Annual Conference of States Parties to
Amended Protocol II on 17 November 2004 as an observer. In May 2004, the
government told the UN Secretary-General that it was actively considering
ratification of Amended Protocol
II.[9]
The Mongolia Red Cross Society (MRCS), together with representatives from the
International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, organized a roundtable
series of meetings on landmines in 2004, including with the General Armed Forces
of Mongolia in March, Ministry of Defense in May, and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in June. To conclude the series, in November 2004 MRCS organized a
meeting of all interested parties in which government officials exchanged views
on the Mine Ban Treaty and concluded that much work was needed to support the
government’s efforts to join the ban treaty, including increased
cooperation with local media, and training on mines for military
officials.[10]
As noted above, in October 2004 Mongolia stated its intention not to acquire,
transfer or deploy its antipersonnel
mines.[11] Mongolia re-stated, in
December 2004 and May 2005 that it has never produced or exported antipersonnel
mines, and while it has a large operational stockpile, has never used
antipersonnel mines in the past.[12]
Mongolia’s stockpile includes 11 types of antipersonnel mines (including
the Soviet-manufactured PMN, OZM-3, POMZ mines) and antivehicle mines, all
obtained from the Soviet Union in the 1960s and
1970s.[13] Mongolia re-confirmed it
commitment to safely store its stockpiled
mines.[14]
Landmine/ERW Problem and Clearance
Emplaced minefields have not been reported in Mongolia, but extensive
contamination by explosive remnants of war (ERW) has been reported. According
to a NATO workshop report, there are 187 abandoned military sites in Mongolia
covering 414,000 hectares (4,140 square kilometers). Land on and around these
sites cannot be used for agricultural or any other purpose due to military
dumps, including landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), and 40 percent of the
land is said to be seriously eroded. In addition, Mongolia has some 150,000
hectares (1,500 square kilometers) of UXO-contaminated former battlefield areas
from World War II, and 91,000 hectares (910 square kilometers) of present and
past military sites of the Mongolian Armed
Forces.[15]
The NATO workshop, Rehabilitation of Former Military Sites, held in
Ulaanbaatar on 1-3 June 2004, was attended by officials from Mongolia’s
ministries of foreign affairs, defense and environment, and General Staff, as
well as members of parliament.[16]
Officials from the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Defense spoke of the
financial and technical constraints faced by Mongolia in organizing clearance of
the abandoned military sites.[17]
The workshop concluded that a more detailed assessment of the sites was needed,
and recommended that the government develop an action plan for clearance and
rehabilitation of the sites, and identify clearance priorities according to
criteria, including environmental and humanitarian risk and possible economic
benefits.[18] However, in May 2005,
ministry officials said that no discussion of the NATO recommendations had taken
place, and there had been no surveys of mine/ERW contamination or clearance
operations in 2004 and through May
2005.[19]
The Ministry of Defense Engineering Department responded to two calls during
the reporting period. In July 2004, UXO was found in scrap metal at a factory
in Darkhan City and was disarmed by the Engineering Department. In April 2005,
in Bulgan province, the Engineering Department found and disarmed two grenades
and six bombs in the area of a 1930s
battleground.[20]
Landmine/UXO Casualties
No human or animal mine/UXO casualties were reported
in 2004 or to May 2005.[21] The
last known UXO casualty was in 2000 when a man was
killed.[22]
[1] Statement by Natsagiin
Bagabandi, then-President of Mongolia, during his visit to Canada, 23-28 October
2004.
[2] Joint Statement on an expanded
partnership between Canada and Mongolia, issued by Prime Minister Paul Martin
and President Natsagiin Bagabandi, 20 October 2004.
[3] Interview with Shagdar
Rinchenmyadag, Disarmament Officer, Department of Multilateral Relations,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005; interview with Col.
Chimeddorj Sosorbaram, Director of Strategic Management and Planning, Ministry
of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005; Government of Mongolia, “Mongolian
Government’s Action Plan for 2004–2008,” 2004.
[4] Statement by Col. Chimeddorj
Sosorbaram, Ministry of Defense, Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World (First
Review Conference), Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[5] Mongolia abstained from voting
on the first such resolution in 1997.
[6] Previously, it attended
intersessional meetings in January 2002, February 2003, February 2004 and June
2004, as well as annual meetings of States Parties in September 2002 and
September 2003.
[7] Email from Amb. Satnam Singh,
ICBL Diplomatic Advisor, 28 June 2005.
[8] Email from Amb. Satnam Singh,
ICBL Diplomatic Advisor, 9 September 2005; see also, “It’s a
minefield,” Mongol Messenger, 14 September 2005.
[9] Letter to Kofi Annan, United
Nations Secretary-General, from Amb. Baatar Choisuren, Permanent Representative
of Mongolia to the UN in New York, 3 May 2004.
[10] Interview with Sainnyambuu
Tsolmon, Program Officer, Mongolian Red Cross Society, Ulaanbaatar, 17 May 2005;
interview with Myadagmaa Tserendagva, Program Coordinator, Mongolian Red Cross
Society, Ulaanbaatar, 16 May 2005.
[11] Joint Statement on an
expanded partnership between Canada and Mongolia, issued by Prime Minister Paul
Martin and President Natsagiin Bagabandi, 20 October 2004.
[12] Interview with Shagdar
Rinchenmyadag, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005; statement
by Col. Chimeddorj Sosorbaram, Ministry of Defense, First Review Conference,
Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[13] Presentation to MRCS
Workshop by Col. Lhagva Gantumur, Engineering Department, General Staff of Armed
Forces, Ulaanbaatar, November 2004. Previously, several Mongolian officials have
said no mines have been imported since 1985; one, in 2004, said that none had
been acquired in the past ten years. See Landmine Monitor Report 2004,
p. 1069.
[14] Interview with Shagdar
Rinchenmyadag, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005; statement
by Col. Chimeddorj Sosorbaram, Ministry of Defense, First Review Conference,
Nairobi, 3 December 2004.
[15] NATO, “Rehabilitation
of Former Military Sites,” NATO/CCMS Workshop, Report No. 267,
Ulaanbaatar, August 2004, para. 5.3.
[16] Meetings with Lt. Col.
Donrov Ganbaatar, Department for Foreign Relations, Ministry of Defense,
Ulaanbaatar, 16 May 2005; Col. T. Narankhuu, Department of Strategic Management
and Planning, Ministry of Defense, Ulaanbaatar, 16 May 2005.
[17] NATO, “Rehabilitation
of Former Military Sites,” NATO/CCMS Workshop, Report No. 267,
Ulaanbaatar, August 2004, para. 5.4.
[18] NATO, “Rehabilitation
of Former Military Sites,” NATO/CCMS Workshop, Report No. 267,
Ulaanbaatar, August 2004, para. 4.
[19] Interview with Lt. Col.
Donrov Ganbaatar, Department for Foreign Relations, Ministry of Defense,
Ulaanbaatar, 16 May 2005; interview with Chimed Gonchigsumlai, Deputy Director
of Strategic Planning and Policy Implementation Department, Ministry of
Environment, Ulaanbaatar, 17 May 2005.
[20] Interview with Lt. Col.
Engel Gantulga, Engineering Department, Ministry of Defense and General Staff of
Armed Forces, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005.
[21] Interview with Lt. Col.
Engel Gantulga, Ministry of Defense and General Staff, Ulaanbaatar, 15 May 2005;
interview with Chimed Gonchigsumlai, Ministry of Environment, Ulaanbaatar, 17
May 2005.
[22] For more information on
casualties and survivor assistance, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p.
1070.
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