landmines
...twelve countries overseas. These countries include: Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom (Stockpiling of antipersonnel mines,www.hrw.org). Many of these countries are not a part of the Ottawa treaty so it is fine to allow them store their mines in these countries overseas. A major eye opener is the fact that many of these countries are actually participating in the mine ban treaty. This is because they believe that the mines are under the jurisdiction of the U.S.A and do not feel that the mines should be removed or destroyed. Furthermore the signing of the U.S.A would put much pressure on other countries to sign the treaty as well. According to Richard Lloyd, “If America comes on board it is much more likely that Russia will (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens).” It is crucial to have the signing of Russia, to clamp down on the escalating arms trade in Russia. If they made it illegal for brokers and manufacturers to deal with mines it would affect the supply of mines and users (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens). Also the U.S secretary of State, Madeleine Albright said the U.S signing of the treaty would put pressure on the last few mine producing countries like Romania and Pakistan (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens). It is clear that it is essential for the United States of America to sign the treaty because it is the sole state that could influence the majority of the countries who have yet signed. With the help of the U.S.A the treaty could be much more effective. It could help save hundreds of thousands of lives and help put an end to antipersonnel mine use. The Mine Ban Treaty must be signed as it does many things for civilians. It will help stop the constant injury and death. Many individuals are often maimed for the rest of their lives because of these antipersonnel mines. There are thousands of new mine casualties each month (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens). The treaty will put an end to the production and to the stockpiling of antipersonnel mines. These individuals that live in the mine-contaminated countries are forced to live their lives using carefully plotted out pathways. This is due to the low cost and easy deployment of the mines. The mines are usually set out in elaborate labyrinths that trick even skilled de-mining crews (When and why have antipersonnel mines been used, www.mines.gc.ca). The antipersonnel mines, because they are extremely cheap and affordable are often the weapon of choice for the poorer countries. The United Kingdom who is a part of the Mine Ban Treaty has doubled their commitment to mine clearance and has decided to put in Î10 million a year in research and development as a part of the treaty (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens). Also the Ottawa convention has discovered that with the destruction of over one hundred million mines there will be significantly less mines in circulation in ten years time (Russell Gez, Landmine Treaty yet to deliver protection for citizens). This is a large benefit for those who live in unstable countries, as it will be harder to get a hold of antipersonnel mines. It is important to know that Cambodia was the only country out of all mine-affected countries that had a decrease in mine casualties in 2001, 813 died compared to 847 year previous (NAM’s Kuala Lumpur Decleration: Mine users and producer “deplore” Mine use, www.icbl.org/news/2003). All the others had an increase in mine casualties. This is a problem that is on the rise and must be dealt with immediately. With the signing of the Treaty by all the countries many peoples lives could and will be saved. Lastly, it is important to sign the Ottawa Treaty so that the countries that still produce and use antipersonnel mines can be stopped. In the last five years the main producers of landmines were the U.S.A, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Vietnam, Germany,...