Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-12-13-Speech-4-145"
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"en.20011213.11.4-145"2
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"The Commission shares Parliament’s concern about the humanitarian, economic and social problems caused by a variety of unexploded ordnance such as cluster bombs and the particular difficulties of clearing contaminated areas.
A number of studies on cluster bombs show that no less than 10% of delivered cluster bomblets fail to explode on impact and that the remaining unexploded ones tend to have effects similar to anti-personnel landmines. They also are victim-activated and provoke fatal or disabling injuries as serious as those caused by landmines.
The Commission has taken due note of the proposal submitted by the International Committee of the Red Cross to address the problems caused by cluster bombs and other 'explosive remnants of war' at the review conference of the UN Convention on the Prohibition or Restriction on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.
This approach is broadly shared by the EU. At the review conference, which is being held in Geneva from 11 to 21 December 2001, the EU will present a common position on the issue of the unexploded remnants of war, requesting concrete steps to address this issue under the CCW framework. With this in mind, we have carried out diplomatic
to prepare the ground for a successful outcome of the Geneva meeting. Parliament's initiative is therefore particularly timely and welcome. The Commission will closely follow developments at the CCW review conference.
On an operational level, the Commission is already providing an indirect but tangible contribution to the reduction of the threat posed by cluster bombs and other unexploded ordnance through the legal and budgetary instrument of the anti-personnel landmines regulation. Mine clearance carried out under this regulation encompasses
clearance of other unexploded ordnance. We are already engaged in such broader clearance activities in countries such as Laos and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Kosovo, where the anti-personnel landmine problem is very clearly connected to unexploded ordnance pollution. Mine clearance is also supported as part of ECHO-funded humanitarian aid in many countries and as part of development activities when we are carrying out ECHO-financed reconstruction work or building roads, etc. in a number of countries.
A week ago, in Kabul, I saw de-mining activities funded by ECHO. Through two organisations we have employed something like 1 500 to 2 000 local Afghan staff who are continually working on de-mining. We walked on marked paths in areas where I counted 30 to 40 recent non-exploded cluster bombs. They do not necessarily stay on the surface of the ground. If a neighbouring cluster bomblet explodes it may bury a few others and functionally they become anti-personnel landmines. They have three functions: armour penetration capability, spraying shards of shrapnel from the casing, and starting a fire.
It was a very morbid experience but it gives me real satisfaction that we are funding this kind of activity on a large scale. Certainly this is a main priority in the present situation where we are working to make it possible for the refugees to return home safely."@en1
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