NGO criticized Turkey for landmines
NGO criticized Turkey for landmines
An international NGO working to eliminate usage of landmines criticized Turkey for being in violation of the Mine Ban Treaty for more than two years.
The Geneva-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) issued a 78-page report titled The Landmine Monitor 2010 last week and directed criticism at the Turkish state for its failure to destroy its landmine stockpile by March 2008, the deadline agreed on as part of its ratification of the treaty.
The excellent record on stockpile destruction was tarnished when Belarus, Greece and Turkey failed to meet their March 1, 2008 deadline and Ukraine missed its June 1, 2010 deadline. Each of these states parties was not only unable to meet its deadline, but each still had a very large number of mines left to destroy at the time of its deadline (about 3.4 million for Belarus, 1.6 million for Greece, 2.5 million for Turkey and 6.1 million for Ukraine), the NGOs statement said.
According to the NGOs statement Turkey, said in June that it reduced its stockpile to 266,143 antipersonnel mines, and added that it expected complete destruction by the end of 2010. ICBL did not find this official statement a firm commitment.
The report also cautiously acknowledged the allegations of the use of banned landmines by the Turkish military. There are highly disturbing allegations that members of the armed forces in Turkey used antipersonnel mines in 2009; these are currently the subject of a legal investigation by Turkey, the report read.
The Geneva-based International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) issued a 78-page report titled The Landmine Monitor 2010 last week and directed criticism at the Turkish state for its failure to destroy its landmine stockpile by March 2008, the deadline agreed on as part of its ratification of the treaty.
The excellent record on stockpile destruction was tarnished when Belarus, Greece and Turkey failed to meet their March 1, 2008 deadline and Ukraine missed its June 1, 2010 deadline. Each of these states parties was not only unable to meet its deadline, but each still had a very large number of mines left to destroy at the time of its deadline (about 3.4 million for Belarus, 1.6 million for Greece, 2.5 million for Turkey and 6.1 million for Ukraine), the NGOs statement said.
According to the NGOs statement Turkey, said in June that it reduced its stockpile to 266,143 antipersonnel mines, and added that it expected complete destruction by the end of 2010. ICBL did not find this official statement a firm commitment.
The report also cautiously acknowledged the allegations of the use of banned landmines by the Turkish military. There are highly disturbing allegations that members of the armed forces in Turkey used antipersonnel mines in 2009; these are currently the subject of a legal investigation by Turkey, the report read.
