with all it's military might, why won't America sign this treaty? i's most staunch ally (britain) as well as the vast majority of other countries have signed this no brainer of a treaty.
landmines are such cruel and cowardly weapons and serve only to dismember or kill children who stroll across mine fields which exist long after a military conflict. examples across africa and the balkans are everywhere. your thoughts?
1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (1997 Mine Ban Treaty)
Latest Ratifications: Burundi (22 Oct 03) , Sudan (13 Oct 03) , Greece (25 Sep 03) , Guyana (5 Aug 03) , Lithuania (12 May 03)
Latest Accessions: Papua New Guinea (28 Jun 04) , Estonia (12 May 04) , Turkey (25 Sep 03) , Serbia and Montegro (18 Sep 03) , Belarus (3 Sep 03)
Under Article 15, the treaty was open for signature from 3 December 1997 until its entry into force, which was 1 March 1999. On the following list, the first date is signature, the second date is ratification. Now that the treaty has entered into force, states may no longer sign it, rather they may become bound without signature through a one step procedure known as accession. According to Article 16 (2), the treaty is open for accession by any State that has not signed. Accession is indicated below with (a).
As of 5 Oct 04, 152 signatories/accessions and 143 ratifications or accessions (a).
9 have signed the treaty but not ratified, these are show in bold below.
Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 10:43 PM
There are several very nasty weapons at use in the world today, such as incendiary weapons, weapons that disperse bomblets that don't explode immediately and "precision munitions"! All these weapons cause great human suffering, and mostly to the civilian populations. If these weapons are allowed, then I don't see why other very nasty weapons like landmines shouldn’t be. One shouldn't try to sanitize warfare, because if people think war is just pushing buttons and precision guided missiles will kill the bad guys, then they are deluding themselves, and they will resort to war before exhausting all the diplomatic options!
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 10:46 PM
Hadi brings up a valid point. In essence a landmine is not much different than digging a pit, having sharp spikes pointed upwards and then disguising the pit as if it were solid ground, hoping that some enemy walks over it.
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 11:11 PM
In Vietnamese villages, the guerillas would dig pits, put a bunch of sharpened and pointed bamboo sticks in them and then urinate in them (as well as dumping any animal and human feces) so that any patrolling US soldiers would fall into them and die a slow death from septic poisoning.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like the idea of innocent people getting limbs blown off either. But there are plenty of terrible ways to die in war, and firing cruise missiles from afar is also "cowardly."
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 11:16 PM
often, these mines kill long after hostilities end and often, it is children who are injured and killed by these terrible inventions as they take shortcuts through villages. at least missiles have pinpoint accuracy just ask hamas..
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 11:17 PM
There is more than enough blame to go around in terms of leftover mines. Irresponsible bookeeping of mine deployments and general neglect have a big influence on those sad facts.
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 11:22 PM
so back to the topic, why do you think the only superpower feels the need to have landmines? mass canadian invasion or panhandling mexicans from the south?
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Re: Why won't America sign the landmine treaty? this is a disgrace.
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October 21 2004, 11:27 PM
If I remember correctly, I believe the US wanted to retain its landmines on the 38th parallel facing North Korea. I also think the US uses land mines to protect its base at Guantanimo Bay, Cuba.
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