Dermot Ahern
Question:68 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the action, if any, he has taken regarding the proliferation of landmines worldwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14897/95]
Written Answers. - Proliferation of Landmines.
Ireland is contributing actively to international action against the scourge of landmines, particularly anti-personnel landmines. Our approach reflects our opposition to the indiscriminate nature, production, stockpiling, use and trade of anti-personnel landmines. We are working to foster agreement on the objective of a total ban on this category of weapons. In this context, in 1994 Ireland co-sponsored Resolution 49/75D of the United Nations General Assembly which enshrines the eventual elimination of anti-personnel landmines as the ultimate goal of international efforts to solve the problem. We will continue to co-sponsor UN resolutions which promote this objective.
Ireland deposited its instrument of ratification of the Inhumance Weapons Convention on 13 March 1995 and participated as a State Party in the review conference on the convention which took place in Vienna from 25 September to 13 October. Ireland worked with others at the conference to strengthen and enlarge to the maximum extent possible the prohibitions and restrictions on the use of landmines contained in the convention and its Second Protocol which relates to landmines. The Irish delegation also co-sponsored proposals for the inclusion of provisions prohibiting or restricting the transfer of landmines and worked to extend the scope of the Protocol to non-international conflicts, to include provisions on verification and to provide for regular reviews of implementation in the future.
Some progress was made during the conference towards agreement on practical steps which would reduce the negative impact of landmines on civilians and facilitate the task of mine clearance in the wake of conflicts. However, the substantive positions of States Parties have not yet converged sufficiently to permit consensus on a strengthened Protocol. The review conference will therefore resume to continue its work in January and again in April-May 1996.
A strengthened Protocol will have to reconcile the perceptions of many countries, developed and developing, of the role of landmines in their national security policies on the one hand and the imperative humanitarian need to end the indiscriminate use of landmines on the other. As the sole international instrument which imposes legally binding obligations on states relating to the use of landmines, Protocol 2 to the Inhumane Weapons Convention has the potential to play a pivotal role in addressing the landmines problem. Together with its EU partners, Ireland attaches high priority to strengthening Protocol 2 and will continue to work actively to that end.
The House will wish to be aware that Ireland contributed £400,000 in bilateral support for demining activities in 1994. In addition to maintaining this level of funding for bilateral demining activities in 1995, Ireland will also make an initial contribution of £100,000 to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Demining.