Falklands : OTTAWA CONVENTION : DE-MINING : EXTENSION REQUEST BY UK
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 05.06.2008 (Article Archived on 19.06.2008)
The British Government has, as provided for by the Ottawa Convention, sought a 10-year extension of the deadline for the UK to meet its obligation under the Convention to clear all anti-personnel landmines in mined areas under its jurisdiction and control.
PRESS RELEASE FROM GOVERNMENT HOUSE: 4 JUNE ’08
OTTAWA CONVENTION : DE-MINING : EXTENSION REQUEST BY UK
The British Government has, as provided for by the Ottawa Convention, sought a 10-year extension of the deadline for the UK to meet its obligation under the Convention to clear all anti-personnel landmines in mined areas under its jurisdiction and control. The only mined areas under UK jurisdiction and control are in the Falkland Islands. The extension request will be considered by States Parties to the Convention in November ’08.
The UK extension request points to the significant environmental, technical and geographical challenges that any de-mining operation in the Falklands would face. It indicates how, in contrast with mined areas elsewhere in the world, the humanitarian and socio-economic impact of the minefields in the Falklands is negligible – and it refers to the statement of 9 May ’08 posted by the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) on its website, which states inter alia that FIG would prefer the money to be spent on removing landmines from needier parts of the world.
The Feasibility Study on the clearance of landmines in the Falklands, completed in October ’07, concluded that clearance of the mines would be challenging but technically possible. But the study highlighted the serious environmental damage to the Islands’ fragile eco-system that de-mining would cause and the major remediation effort that would be required as a consequence. The influx of a large number of de-miners and heavy machinery for an extended period of time would also cause disruption and be a strain on the Islands’ small community.
The UK extension request points out that the mined areas are clearly marked, fenced and monitored and pose minimal risk to the community. There have been no civilian injuries from the mines since 1982.When landmines do surface and pose a threat in and around the mined areas, they are cleared by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team that is permanently based here. The mined areas cover just over 13 sq. km, representing 0.1% of the land used for farming; so their economic impact is negligible.
The UK is not alone in submitting an extension request. At least 16 other countries are also expected to do so before the November 2008 meeting of States Parties.
The UK is the third largest donor to international mine clearance operations, contributing around £10 million a year. This demonstrates the UK’s firm commitment to the Ottawa Convention.
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