Ireland to be among first to sign new Treaty banning landmines

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr David Andrews, T.D., will sign the new international convention banning landmines in Ottawa next week. "In recognition of our role in promoting an international ban on anti-personnel landmines, Ireland will be among the first States to sign the new Treaty," Mr Andrews said. It is expected that more than one hundred Premiers and Foreign Ministers will gather in Ottawa for the signing of a Convention seen as a major advance for the cause of disarmament.

Addressing a Conference on landmines organised by Pax Christi, Mr Andrews said that Ireland had been one of small number of countries working tirelessly to obtain agreement on this Convention. "The challenge of the Ottawa Treaty is to secure a future free of anti-personnel mines. This means ensuring that no new mines are laid and dealing with the consequences of the use in the past of these obscene weapons".

Mr Andrews said that the next priority was to achieve the rapid entry into force of the Convention and to maximise the number of countries adhering to its provisions. He said that the Government would be seeking the early approval of Dail Eireann for the ratification of the Convention. "In 1997, Ireland committed one million pounds to mine clearance and mine victim assistance. This represents a significant component of our development cooperation budget this year."

"The one hundred and eight nations negotiating at Oslo have concluded a comprehensive and inclusive Convention with the capacity for universal application. It only remains for those countries which were absent from Oslo to join the large majority of the world's governments - as some have indeed done in the interim since Oslo - in signing but also in ratifying this Convention."

While visiting Canada for the signing of the Treaty, Mr Andrews will also visit Grosse Ile, the island in the St. Lawrence River which operated a quarantine area for Irish emigrants arriving in Canada before and after the Great Famine. Mr Andrews will lay a wreath at the Famine Memorial on Grosse Ile. Top