Statement of Ireland about anti-personnel land mine:

New York, 28 september,1994

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The UN must demonstrate that it has the will to bring to justice those responsibile for crimes against humanity - summary executions, torture, rape and mutilation.

If we fail to do this we will have failed to learn the lessons of Yugoslavia and Rwanda. And we will risk their repetition.

There is a need for states to exercise greater responsibility and restraint in their arms transfers. Already the UN Register of conventional Arms has lead to greater transparency.

But I believe that we should now go further.

That is why Ireland has proposed that the United Nations should elaborate a code of conduct for Conventional Arms Transfers which would set out common principles to be observed in this area.

It is my hope that the General Assembly will now decide that work on such a code be put in hand.

The lives of millions of people have been put at risk and large areas rendered unsafe as a result of the indiscriminate use of landmines. Since last year, many governments have introduced moratoria on the export of anti-personnal mines. I welcome President Clinton's call for an agreement to reduce the number and avilability of these mines.