Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Obama administration to ban antipersonnel landmines, on the Mine Ban Treaty's 14th anniversary.
The Mine Ban Treaty, which comprehensively prohibits antipersonnel landmines and requires their clearance and assistance to victims, entered into force in 1999, and was signed by 161 nations including the EU and all NATO members except the US.
Arms director at HRW, Steeve Goose said:
“The United States needs to accept that the world has moved on and there is no longer a place for antipersonnel mines,”
“The US has followed the key requirements of the treaty throughout its existence – no use, no production, no trade. Washington should stop clinging to antipersonnel mines as an unneeded contingency, and instead join US allies in the comprehensive ban.”
“The United States is already acting like it has given up antipersonnel landmines, but its actions need to be confirmed in its declared policy,”
“The US can meet its national defense needs and security commitments without antipersonnel mines.”
See HRW for full press release.
