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Committee: Special Political General Assembly Resolution 53-31
Topic: Landmines
Determined to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines, that kill or maim over 2000 people every month, mostly innocent civilians and especially children, obstruct economic development, and inhibit the return of refugees to their homes;
Believing it is necessary to do the utmost to contribute to the challenge of removing anti-personnel mines placed throughout the world, and to assure their destruction;
Wishing to do the utmost in providing assistance for the care and rehabilitation, including the social and economic reintegration of mine victims;
Recalling the Ottawa Convention Treaty signed in December 1997;
Realizing that the Ottawa Convention became international law in 1998 once the parliaments of 40 countries ratified the treaty, and that this treaty is, as of March 1, 1999, binding on all countries which have signed the treaty (currently 134 countries);
Further realizing that the treaty compels the signatory nations to ban the production, export and deployment of landmines;
Deeply disappointed that the following countries have not signed the treaty: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Chad, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Finland, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yugoslavia;
Firmly believing in the idea that the harmful effects of landmine usage should be
on the backs of the producers of landmines;
Seriously concerned that signatory countries such as Angola, Cambodia, Senegal and Sudan continue to lay mines;
Fully appreciative of the following nations which once produced landmines and which have now signed the Ottawa Treaty: Argentina, Austria, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, the UK abd the USA;
1. Calls upon all nations to sign and ratify the Ottawa Treaty by January 1, 2000;
2. Further calls upon the International Campaign to Ban Landmines to develop a formula and a procedure to assess fees for the following costs: education, demining, care and rehabilitation of victims, and that these fees be assesssed to landmine producing countries;
3. Additionally suggests that the formula developed by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines assess landmine producers who have not signed the Ottawa Treaty at twice the rate as those landmine producers who have signed the treaty;
4. Recommends that the governments of Angola, Cambodia, Sudan and Senegal refrain from any further landmine deployment or face sanctions as a result of non-compliance with the treaty.