The September 97 Petition.
All these Actions are growing stronger and STRONGER
Letter to UK Secretary of State, Robin Cook
Pressure to force the US to comply to a total ban at the forthcoming Ottawa process
Please, print out, sign and send it to the UK Secretary of State!
The Rt Hon Robin Cook
Secretary of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1 2AH
2 September 1997
Dear Secretary of State
On behalf of the member organisations of the UK Working Group on
Landmines we are writing to express our deep concern regarding the
latest US proposals and to seek your assurance that the British
government will be pushing for a comprehensive ban treaty in the
Ottawa process. As you know states will be meeting in Oslo next week
to finalise the draft treaty. The US government has made it clear that if
their proposals are not integrated into the treaty it will not sign. Instead
of
going to the table to negotiate for a full ban, it is disregarding the
previous
work and intent of over 100 participating states and a global tide of
public opinion. In our view this is an attempt to sabotage the process by
taking a disingenuous stance.
Of particular concern are the following US proposals;
- A permanent exception for use (and presumably the production,
stockpiling and trade) of certain types of anti-personnel mines - those
that are in mixed canisters that contain both anti tank and antipersonnel
mines. The Pentagon has said that this would allow the US to continue
to use its Gator, Volcano and MOPMS smart antipersonnel mines.
Exception clauses or re-classification for certain mine systems is wholly
unacceptable and will foul and undermine the process, leading to a
gutted and meaningless treaty.
- A permanent exception for Korea would allow the US to deploy new
dumb and new smart mines throughout the Korean peninsula. Whilst
the geopolitical situation in Korea may be unique, the requirement for and
the impact of the use of anti-personnel mines is not. If the US insists on a
geographic exception other states will surely do the same for their own.
- A lengthy delay of entry into force is being promoted by the US. One
option proposed is that 60 states ratify including all of the permanent five
and 75% of historical users and producers before entry into force. The
other is a nine year deferral period for key provisions. Both of these
options fly in the face of the notion that this treaty is intended to deal
with
a humanitarian crisis and the spirit of both the Ottawa process and the
December 1996 UN resolution calling for an international treaty as soon
as possible.
We believe that introducing exceptions on use, lengthy delays before
entry into force, and particular terms undermines the spirit and purpose
of the Ottawa process. This is a unique opportunity to protect future
generations from the misery and destruction caused by these weapons,
it cannot be allowed to fail. Those who desire to adhere only to limited
restrictions on anti-personnel mines should not be part of the Ottawa
process - that is the CCW approach, the failure of which, in fact, gave
rise to the Ottawa process.
Your government has stressed that it will negotiate constructively for an
international ban in the Ottawa process. As the Secretary of State for
Defence said what we are doing is not a gesture, but part of a
worldwide movement to outlaw a particular type of weapon which
should have been outlawed a long time ago . It would be a tragedy if
states allow a truly comprehensive ban treaty to be compromised simply
for one nation. We believe that all governments should work towards
the strongest possible treaty, without reference to the nature and
numbers of states signatory. As one of the leading nations in the
Ottawa process we look to the British government to uphold the spirit
and principles of this vital treaty by negotiating rigorously for a
comprehensive ban.
Given that a ban on anti-personnel mines was one of your first
undertakings after coming to office, underlining the strength of your
commitment to this major humanitarian initiative, we assume that
blocking the current US proposals would be entirely in line with British
government policy on this matter.
However in the light of the government s recent welcoming public
statements in favour of the US announcement we would appreciate
urgent, written clarification from your department regarding:
- The UK government s position on the US proposals outlined above
- The UK government s minimum requirements for signature to the
Ottawa treaty.
We look forward to hearing from you on this vital matter.
Yours sincerely
and...
The Management Committee of the UK Working Group on Landmines
Neil Thorns, Christian Aid
Fiona King, Save the Children
Clare Crawford, Mines Advisory Group
Kamala Achu, Jaipur Limb Campaign
Ann Feltham, Campaign Against the Arms Trade
CC. The Rt Hon George Robertson, Secretary of State for Defence
The Rt Hon Clare Short, Secretary of State, Department for International
Development
BACK to Multilingual Human Rights / Children's Rights - BOES.ORG Main INDEX
BACK to Land Mine Index