The remarks came during a conference in Cambodia to assess progress on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised the work of mine clearance and destruction around the world. “But the threat persists,” he clarified in a press release, adding: “This concerns in particular the resumption of the use of antipersonnel mines by certain parties to the Convention, as well as the delay taken by certain parties in their commitments to destroy these weapons. »
Mr. Guterres called on the 164 signatories – which include Ukraine, but not Russia and the United States – to “fulfill their obligations and guarantee respect for the Convention”. Mr. Guterres' remarks were delivered by UN Under-Secretary-General Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana. AFP contacted his office and a spokesperson for Mr. Guterres to ask whether the remarks were aimed at Ukraine in particular, but received no immediate response. Furthermore, the Ukrainian delegation present at the conference did not respond to AFP's questions regarding mine supplies from the United States.
“Very important.” Last week, Washington announced that the United States would send mines to kyiv, which was immediately criticized by human rights organizations. The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden is trying to give Ukraine a decisive advantage before the new US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mines were “very important” in stopping Russia's attacks.
Any transfer of mines to Ukraine “will leave a deadly legacy for Ukrainian civilians for generations to come,” said Tamar Gabelnick, director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). , a network of NGOs working to eradicate antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions. “The ICBL calls on the United States to reconsider its plan to transfer antipersonnel mines to Ukraine, and the Ukrainian government to honor its obligations under international law and reject this deadly gift,” Ms. Gabelnick added in a statement. press release sent to AFP.
The conference is being held in Cambodia, one of the most mined countries in the world, the victim of a civil war that lasted more than 30 years starting in the 1960s. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told the conference that his country still had to clear 1,600 km² of land, which is affecting the way of life of more than a million people. Since 1979, around 20,000 people have been killed in Cambodia by mines and other unexploded ordnance, while twice as many have been injured. The ICBL said Wednesday that at least 5,757 people were victims of mines and explosive remnants of war around the world last year. And 1,983 of them were killed. Civilians account for 84% of all recorded casualties, according to the ICBL.
© Agence France-Presse
