New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive

The Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon D.A.M. Graham, today described the outcome of he Inhumane Weapons Convention Review Conference, which ended in Geneva this morning, as Disappointing.

However, he says the amended Protocol contains a number of features which should, over time, contribute to alleviating the horrific problems anti-personnel mines are causing worldwide.

The conference, which focussed on revising international legal restrictions on landmines, agreed to extend the restrictions on landmines to civil wars as well as international conflicts. It also agreed to:

• Ban the production and use of non-detectable mines
  
• Ban transfers of these mines and any others prohibited by the Protocol
  
• Ban the transfer of any mines to non-state entities
  
• Ban the transfers to states which are not party to the Protocol, unless they abide by its rules

There are also additional controls on the way in which long-lived mines can be used and limited additional controls on anti-tank mines that are remotely delivered.

Mr Graham said that the New Zealand delegation to the Geneva conference stressed NZs unequivocal support for an immediate ban on anti-personnel mines and outlined the NZ Governments recent decision to ban their operational use.

However, the final result in Geneva falls well short of what I would have liked, which is the immediate ban on all anti-personnel landmines, he says.

It is also disappointing that the implementation of some of the new controls will be deferred for nine years. We argued consistently that they should take effect immediately.

Mr Graham says NZ had anticipated that the outcome of the conference would not be satisfactory, but it placed a high priority on keeping the landmines problem to the forefront of international attention.

On that score our efforts have met with reasonable success, he says.

There will now be yearly meetings, where we can keep up the pressure for a ban, and a further Review Conference in 2001.

In the meantime we shall take every opportunity to promote and work with other like-minded countries to achieve a complete ban on all anti-personnel landmines, he says.

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