YouSaid · the spoken record

Kung

lines on the record
9
first
1996-08-15
most recent
1996-08-15
sittings or episodes
1
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un-security-council

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  1. “It is our view that anti-personnel mines must be banned and severe restrictions placed on anti-vehicle mines. In early October, at a conference in Ottawa, Canada, representatives from many countries will meet to debate new forms of action and determine new ways of achieving the common goal of eliminating anti-personnel mines. For the ICRC this is a most welcome development, and we are convinced that such national and regional initiatives will pave the way for achieving a genuine consensus in favour of a ban. The alternative will be countless new victims, further destruction of economic and development potential and endless pouring of truly enormous amounts of money for demining, the end result of which will be more mines and not fewer. We sincerely hope that the world community will take the only humane and the only logical decision.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  2. “This is being increasingly recognized by States: over 60 nations already support a global ban on anti-personnel land-mines. Multinational forums, such as the Organization of African Unity, the Organization of American States and the European Parliament, have also endorsed such a ban. The ICRC participated in the conference that led to the amendment of Protocol II of the 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Although major efforts were certainly made to arrive at the best possible consensus, the ICRC fears that the amended Protocol will not significantly reduce the extent of the land- mine problem for reasons that were made known at the time by the ICRC, by a number of States themselves and by a large number of organizations.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  3. “In studying some 26 post-Second World War conflicts, including all the international ones, this study found that mines could rarely be used, even by professional armies, in accordance with military doctrine and that their effect on the tactical situation was at best marginal. In many situations, their military effect was even counterproductive for the user. We would be pleased to provide a copy of this study to those of you who wish to have one. We are also aware that obstacles to solving the land- mine crisis include existing and prospective commercial contracts, the huge bulk of land-mines already laid or stockpiled and their continued manufacture. Unless firm action is taken, the number of innocent victims will continue to grow and recovery of countries after war will be further hindered.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  4. “Land-mines also severely hamper the universally accepted need to provide aid to the victims of conflict, for the suspected presence of mines hinders humanitarian operations, depriving whole communities of access to essential emergency relief. The preponderant argument against a total ban is the military utility of anti-personnel land-mines, which is written into the military doctrine of most armies. As international humanitarian law is based on a balance between military and humanitarian needs, the ICRC has long had extensive contacts with the military in order to arrive at a balanced judgement on any issue. We therefore decided to commission a study by senior military officers, both retired and active, from a number of armed forces, to look specifically at the military use and effectiveness of such weapons.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  5. “Secondly, statistics from our hospitals and orthopaedic centres show that the majority of victims are civilians, including thousands upon thousands of women and children. We have also consistently seen a dramatic rise in land-mine deaths and injuries at the end of hostilities, when displaced persons try to return to their homes and rebuild their normal lives. There is no doubt in our minds of the inherently indiscriminate nature of this weapon. Then there are the profound economic consequences provoked by these weapons: whole regions needed to support and feed large communities of people, often located in the poorest parts of the planet, are closed to agricultural, social and economic development. A severe deprivation of resources can last for decades since the cost and time required to demine these areas is truly phenomenal.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  6. “The ICRC is convinced that mine-clearance, although essential, can never be seen as the solution to the problem, for it will not significantly improve the present situation as long as mines continue to be used. The ICRC has very rarely called for the ban of a specific weapon, and therefore only does so if it is sure that very weighty reasons require such a step. First, our surgeons, who have had many years of experience in treating war wounds, have stressed that anti-personnel land-mines cause by far the worst injuries of all conventional weapons. They are very difficult to treat, require multiple operations and usually result in maiming or death. It is certainly arguable that the nature of the injury is excessively serious when compared with the military purpose of such mines.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  7. “Mines are also frequently found in areas very far removed from their original point of emplacement due to the effects of rain or soil movements. Not only does the presence of mines hamper our efforts to bring relief to victims of war, frequently entailing expensive airlifts of relief supplies rather than the use of roads, but also Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel have been killed and injured by mines on roads which were supposed to be safe. The ICRC is convinced that major efforts must be made to clear the mines that have already been laid, a task which the Secretary-General has estimated will cost about $33 billion. However, although tens of millions of dollars are being spent each year on clearance, far more mines continue to be laid than can be removed.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  8. “Although the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) does not itself undertake mine clearance, it is often called upon to give advice as to the priority areas to clear in order to enable humanitarian relief to reach those in need and in order to enable a war-torn country to begin its reconstruction. We also undertake a number of mine-awareness programmes. However, the fact that we are present in these areas also means that we are fully aware of the total insufficiency of these measures. The extreme difficulties involved in mine clearance, which make it a very time-consuming, dangerous and expensive task, cannot be overestimated. The ICRC has seen that even establishing the presence of minefields frequently depends on anecdotal indications by locals of where an animal or a person was blown up by one.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source

  9. “Mr. Kung: First, let me thank you, Mr. President, for having extended to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) this invitation to come and address the Council about a subject of great concern not only to all present here, but to millions of people throughout the world. That subject is the very serious problems caused by the widespread use of land-mines. With 64 countries affected by land-mines and approximately 24,000 victims of such mines every year, there is no doubt that mine clearance is a priority for the world community.”

    1996-08-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3689 (1996) · source