ELIMINATING THE THREAT OF ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES

ELIMINATING THE THREAT OF ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES

"Every year land mines kill or maim more than 25,000 people -- children, women, farmers peacefully going about their business. That is why, since I called for the global elimination of land mines in 1994, the United States has been at the forefront of the effort to ban them -- not just in words, but in actual, concrete deeds. I believe...that every man, woman and child in this world should be able to walk the Earth in safety."

President Clinton
The White House
September 17, 1997

President Clinton has been deeply committed to ending the threat to civilians posed by anti-personnel landmines (APL). To that end, and consistent with its global commitments, the Clinton Administration took a number of important steps toward eliminating the use of anti-personnel landmines altogether, ending anti-personnel landmine exports and strengthening the international restrictions on anti-personnel landmines use. The United States leads the world in programs to help remove landmines and to teach others how to avoid landmine injury.

A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

U.S. Steps Toward Eliminating Anti-Personnel Landmines

Anti-Personnel Landmine Exports

Tightening Anti-Personnel Landmine Use Restrictions

U.S. Humanitarian Demining Programs

TIMELINE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

December 1997

President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright appoint a Special Representative for Global Humanitarian Demining and announce the Demining 2010 initiative.

September 1997

President Clinton announces that the United States will end the use of anti-personnel landmines outside Korea by 2003. Directs a program of anti-personnel landmine alternatives with the objective of ending their use in Korea by 2006. Also directs an aggressive alternatives program for our mixed anti-tank systems and has made clear that we will sign the Ottawa Convention by 2006 if we can identify and field alternatives to our anti- personnel landmines and mixed anti-tank systems by then.

May 1996

President Clinton directs that 3.3 million "long-lived" (non-self-destructing) anti-personnel landmines be removed from the active stockpile and destroyed, retaining only those long-lived anti-personnel landmines needed for the defense of Korea and for training. Also directs the Department of Defense to undertake a program of research and procurement of anti-personnel landmine alternatives that would permit the United States to end its use of anti-personnel landmines as soon as possible.

September 1994

In his U.N. General Assembly address, President Clinton calls for the eventual elimination of anti-personnel landmines.

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