INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON MINE CLEARANCE

GENEVA, 6 JULY 1995

Mr Chairman,

On behalf of the European Commission, may I congratulate you on your election to the chair of this most important and timely Intemational Meeting, and thank you for the opportunity to address some aspects of the mines problem. Of course, this is more than a problem, it is a tragedy which afflicts so many parts of the world and some of its most vulnerable people - poor families in remote rural areas which have been stricken by conflict for years, and who risk life and limb merely by walking a village path or by trying to work in fields, where terror and death have been indiscriminately sown instead of the seeds of new life.

First of all, I wish fully to support the earlier words of His Excellency Mr Jose Dicenta, who spoke on behalf of the Presidency of the European Union. Within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, the Commission is fully associated with the Joint Action concerning anti-personnel mines and ill be playing its appropriate role in contributing to its implementation, which includes the significant contribution to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund.

At the same time, the European Commission will be continuing its extensive activities in relation to mine clearance which have been pan of its considerable programme of development, rehabilitation and humanitarian aid projects, as well as scientific research.

Before roads can be reopened, before humanitarian relief can get through, before the fields can be cultivated again, before the basic means of life for large rural populations can be reestablished, - the mines have to be cleared. To this end, during the past 3 years, the European Commission has already spent some $30 million on mine-clearance projects 'M Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Mozambique, and Somalia. And it is examining the requirement for actions in other countries.

But with well over I 00 million mines laid, and with more being added each month, the international community faces a daunting challenge which can only be met by more intensive, and coordinated action. This International Meeting, with its specialist working groups, will be of enormous value in this process, drawing attention to problems of particular concern, and identifying centres of knowledge and expertise, so that, as appropriate, there might be division of labour, designated lead institutions, and sharper focus on areas of greatest need.

On the one hand, there must be firm action to halt the indiscriminate supply, and the indiscriminate and irresponsible use of mines, particularly anti-personnel mines, 'm areas of the world ravaged by conflict. We should ask where such mines are coming from today, and who exactly is still putting them down.

On the other hand, we have to find new ways of dealing with the mines already in place. The infested areas need to be accurately mapped; the mines themselves must be detected and precisely located; the characteristics of the mines and of the ground need to be understood; local populations have to be educated about the dangers around them; and the mines have to be destroyed. These tasks need to be undertaken with urgency and with a guarantee of reliability.

But, using present methods, it has been estimated that it would take 4,000 years just to clear Afghanistan ! I have to say that, given the scale of the problem that confronts us, a quantum jump in the cost-effectiveness of mine-clearance methods is required. It is clear that the indigenous capacities in the afflicted countries must be effectively engaged, and this requires both training and material resources. But in addition, and most importantly, we must harness the technical,financial and organizational capabilities within our regional institutions and the industrial nations.

The European Commission has already developed considerable mine clearance experience, working closely with United Nations agencies and Non Government Organizations m many parts of the world. At the moment, besides its on-going operational projects, it is conducting studies of the needs of certain of the most afflicted areas. It has knowledge and experience which it wishes to develop and share. In addition, the Commission's Joint Research Centre at Ispra, Italy, has been studying the state of technical knowledge in European industry relating to mine detection, and has itself made significant advances in researching new technologies for mine-detection. The Joint Research Centre has the potential to become a centre of excellence and coordination for this aspect of mine-clearance work.

Mr Chairman, while the scale of the humanitarian problem that confronts us is enormous, so too is our commitment to finding the necessary political and practical solutions.

Thank you.