12/3/2004
France Organises International Conference On Fight Against Anti-Personnel Mines

An international conference on the bodies responsible for fighting against anti-personnel mines is being held on March 12 and 13 at the International Conference Centre at the initiative of the French National Commission for the Elimination of Anti-Personnel Mines (CNEMA). It will be opened by the minister delegate for international cooperation and Francophony, Mr. Pierre-André Wiltzer.

CNEMA was created by a law passed on July 8, 1998, to implement the Ottawa Convention. The international conference therefore marks an
important date —the fifth anniversary of the Ottawa Convention— and provides an opportunity to take stock of the efforts made by various
nations over the past half-decade.

Pursuant to this Convention, the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention and transfer of anti-personnel mines are now prohibited, except for a limited number of devices used for improving detection, destruction and mine-clearance
techniques.

Not all Party States have a structure similar to SNEMA. It therefore seems necessary to compare the various national experiences, the results obtained and to proceed with an in-depth exchange of information on the means put in place to guarantee that obligations ensuing from the Ottawa Convention are fulfilled.

That is the objective of the conference organized by CNEMA, to which 40 States have been invited, including donor States that are helping with mine clearance efforts and victim assistance, as well as countries that are victims of the scourge represented by anti-personnel mines.

After five years of effort, the objective of this conference is to ensure that after the period of initial enthusiasm, nations retain their vigilance in the fight against anti-personnel mines. It will also make it possible to begin reflecting on the debates that will be held during the Ottawa Convention review conference to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, this December.