Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-07-06-Speech-3-314"
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"en.20050706.28.3-314"2
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Mr President, I am honoured today to have the opportunity to open this debate on ‘a world without landmines’. Support for international mine action is one of the most important political priorities of the European Union and I am genuinely grateful for the efforts of the European Parliament in helping to ensure that this issue has not dropped down the international agenda.
In pursuit of our aims, we have demonstrated both political and financial commitment to making them a reality. We will continue to do so. The European Union has sought to promote all efforts likely to contribute to the goal of the total elimination of anti-personnel landmines, including through joint action and diplomatic démarches, dialogue with third-party countries, as well as activity in international fora.
There is still much to be done. The European Union has and will continue to back policy in this area with resources. Financially it is projected that the total European Union assistance for mine action under our 2005-2007 strategy will amount to at least EUR 140 million, which will be linked to the European Union’s wider development goals. Member States are backing this up with additional bilateral funding to countries in need.
It is clear that where there are landmines, there is little prospect for development. The very presence of mines exacerbates poverty by preventing the productive use of land and infrastructure, while the cost of treating injured survivors of landmine accidents drains the poorest nations of already scarce resources. This is why humanitarian de-mining is particularly important. We will continue to support mine action focused on the poorest countries. Future mine action will depend strongly on incorporating mine action into countries’ development plans. Failure to do so will adversely affect the hopes to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which will be such a focus of the Millennium Review Summit in September.
Let me conclude by saying that the European Union is determined to achieve the complete elimination of the threats posed by the landmines, by promoting universality, destroying stockpiles, clearing mines and assisting victims. We do so in close cooperation with the international community, be it governments, international organisations or, indeed, non-governmental organisations. Let us continue to take concerted action until the last anti-personnel mine is cleared from the face of the earth and the target of zero landmine victims is finally achieved.
The European Union took an active role during the First Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction in November 2004, which was referred to as the 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World. The European Union considers that the First Review Conference of the Convention was an important milestone to take stock of what has been achieved up to now in implementing the Convention and identifying what needs to be done to renew the commitment of States Parties in eradicating the inhumane effects of anti-personnel mines.
There is a risk that we may lose sight of the importance of this issue when debating safely today in the heart of Europe or, for that matter, in New York or Geneva. I would therefore like to set the scene for this afternoon’s debate with a reminder of the extent and the severity of the problem and why it is important that the European Union and the European Parliament continue to play such a leading role.
It is estimated that between 15 000 and 20 000 people are killed or injured by landmines each year. These deaths and injuries take place in more than 80 countries around the world, from Angola to Zimbabwe and even closer to home in the Balkans. Astonishingly, this equates to more than 40 casualties per day, a figure which I am sure everyone here today will agree is simply unacceptable. The vast majority of these casualties occur in countries no longer in the grip of conflict. However, landmines do not recognise the end of hostilities. It is a horrible truth that millions of anti-personnel mines still exist and, in some parts of the world, are still being laid, affecting the poorest people in the poorest countries, the people least able to deal with the threat and the people most in need of our help and support.
Anti-personnel landmines are merciless and indiscriminate. They cannot be accurately targeted; they do not distinguish between soldiers and civilians, adults or children. The injuries inflicted by landmines on those unfortunate enough to come into contact with them are truly horrific. This is no mistake. Anti-personnel landmines have been designed to maim rather than kill their victims. The victims of landmines suffer horribly, being literally blown to pieces. Put simply: landmines cause deprivation, random death and untold suffering in many innocent civilian populations.
So it is right that the international community should take action and that the European Union should be amongst the front-runners. The Ottawa Convention or ‘Mine Ban Treaty’ prohibiting anti-personnel landmines has enjoyed wide international support and there are now 152 signatories. Much progress has been made to combat the scourge of these terrible weapons since the Convention’s entry into force in 1999. The Convention is a success story. Before the Convention, 34 nations were thought to be trading in anti-personnel mines. Now, apart from some illicit activity, virtually no such trading is taking place. 54 nations used to produce anti-personnel landmines; today 15 nations are thought to have the capacity to produce mines, but most of these countries are not actually doing so. Seven years ago mines were used in 19 countries; now it is probably 5. Effectively, the ban on these anti-personnel mines is global because of the huge and appropriate stigma now attached to the use of these weapons.
Over 37 million stockpiled anti-personnel mines have now been destroyed. Large areas of the world have been cleared of mines and made productive again. These are achievements that the international community can be proud of and would never have come about were it not for the Mine Ban Treaty. But that does not mean we should relent on our objective for a complete universalisation of the Ottawa Treaty and we must work towards an agreement to ensure that the comprehensive action plan at the Nairobi Review Conference is implemented fully.
Standing here today before you, I am particularly proud and grateful for the role that the European Union has played in the fight against anti-personnel landmines. The European Union has helped maintain political cooperation as well as practical assistance. I fully support the European Union’s goal to ‘drastically reduce the lingering threat and impact of landmines in the context of increased local security and regional confidence’. Some may argue that the European Union’s target of ‘zero victims’ is too optimistic and is, indeed, unachievable. But it must remain our goal and we are committed to work towards reaching this target.
The European Union’s 2005-2007 mine action strategy operates on the basis of three thematic objectives: to reduce the anti-personnel landmine threat, to alleviate mine-victim suffering and aid socio-economic reintegration and to enhance local and regional impacts of effective mine action capacity."@en1
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