Doc. 8174

16 July 1998

Anti-personnel landmines and their humanitarian implications

Reply to Recommendation 1343 (1997)

from the Committee of Ministers

adopted on 2 July 1998 at the 638th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies

The Committee of Ministers took note of Recommendation 1343 (1997) on anti-personnel landmines and their humanitarian implications. The Committee of Ministers shares the concerns of the Parliamentary Assembly on the use of anti-personnel landmines, notably in Europe. It welcomes the fact that a large number of countries signed the Ottawa agreement of October 1997

The Committee of Ministers recalls that the question of anti-personnel landmines was raised at the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Strasbourg, 10-11 October 1997. The humanitarian implications of their use was included on the agenda of the 7th ministerial session of the Council of Europe’s EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement held in Monaco on 24 and 25 November 1997.

A Resolution was adopted requesting that a prospective study be undertaken on concrete pilot actions in liaison with the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the Council of Europe EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement and the interested national organisations, in order to develop the integration of space technologies and ground techniques so as to act at the level of prevention, by improving the means of detecting landmines and of remote sensing and tele-control of the areas covered by anti-personnel mines.

The Committee of Ministers is, however, of the opinion that it is not for the Council of Europe to take up this problem; it is already being dealt with by the United Nations.