the Islamic Republic of Iran before the High-Level International Meeting on

Mine Clearance, Geneva, 6 July 1995

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

Allow me at the outset to congratulate you and express the confidence that under your leadership the results of the deliberations of this important meeting will enable international community to strengthen its activities in the field of mine clearance. I also wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Secretary-General and his colleagues in the Department of Humanitarian Affairs for taking the initiative in convening this high level International Meeting on Mine Clearance, which is both timely and indispensable.

The world is, of course, amassed by various types of weapons and there exist no weapon which can be considered as human-friendly. There is also no doubt that the suffering caused by weapons of mass destruction and particularly nuclear weapons is by no means comparable to any other weaponry. But every day, landmines with their lethal nature, simplicity of production, extent of use and collateral effects cause untold suffering and misery to innocent civilians including women and children around the world. Moreover, the agony and tragedy emanating from them go well beyond times of conflict and pose a tremendous threat to human life in post conflict situations and invariably disrupt social and economic reconstruction programs. It is, therefore, fully justified to urgently mobilize all means possible to arrest this humanitarian nightmare.

It is a painful fact that more than 110 million landmines have been laid in various countries in every part of the globe. It is even more distressing that, as noted by the GA resolution 49/215, the number of mines being laid each year exponentially outweighs the number that can be cleared. During last year alone, 2-5 million new mines were laid, while the United Nations could provide assistance in the clearance of only 100,000 mines. This illustrates that parallel with efforts to clear mine-fields, we need to adopt more fundamental measures.

It should be born in mind that many of the problems associated with landmines, including their widespread and even unbridled use by countries and groups, are inherent in the nature of mines, as inexpensive and effective defensive mechanisms to prevent infiltration of adversary, particularly in border areas. Cognizance of this fact leads us to a more realistic starting point for a comprehensive approach to address this problem. The strategy should thus include agreement on international norms and standards on laying of mines, such as refraining from the use of plastic and other types of not-easily-detectable mines, recording the location of mine-fields and, when possible, provision of fences and warning signs to protect civilians.

Indeed, international norms and regulations as well as mechanisms for promotion of international cooperation in the field have not been developed in a fashion commensurate with the pace of proliferation and laying of landmines. This meeting as well as the forthcoming review conference of the 1980 Inhuman Weapons Convention should be fully utilized for this purpose. It is our view that humanitarian aspects of protocol II of the convention, in particular international cooperation for mine clearance should be strengthened.

In this context, one of the most important priorities is to ensure the exchange of scientific and technological information, technology, equipment and material.

The first problem in this regard is the fact that advancement of technology in the field of mine clearance methods lags behind mine manufacturing technology. The prevailing methods of prodding and metal detection are slow, time consuming, and inapplicable in many areas and cases. Many countries have undertaken research for improvement of these out-dated and stressful methods. These efforts need to be coordinated and compounded in order to save time, prevent duplication and allow interaction among experts. We believe that the United Nations Mine Clearance Program provides a suitable center for coordination and planning, as well as exchange of information and technology. We hope that industrialized countries, which have made headway in this field, would assist the United Nations humanitarian efforts in this fundamental way.

The second problem is that even the existing deficient technology has been out of reach where it is most needed. Mine-stricken states have had serious difficulty in gaining access to existing technology and equipment. Machinery, developed by advanced states, such as armored excavators and mine sweepers can substantially reduce the number of human casualties associated with mine clearance especially in heavily infested areas. But they are conveniently categorized as military and not humanitarian items, falling under tough and discriminatory export control regimes, thus becoming practically inaccessible.

We need to decide, once and for all, on the predominance of the humanitarian character of this problem over its military aspects. That decision entails exchange of expertise and information as well as provision of technology, equipment and devices to all states, particularly the mine-stricken countries.

It is indispensable for any serious United Nations program to facilitate the access of mine-stricken countries to such machinery and technology. All states, particularly those who have the required technology and equipment for mine clearance, should declare to the Department of Humanitarian Affairs the kind of assistance, both financial and technical, that they will provide to UN Programs in this regard. The establishment of a central database in the DHA is a step in right direction. The database needs to be extended to include information on state of the art technology for mine clearance available in various countries, and the type and extent of restriction each applies for access by other states to this technology. This information is a necessary first step for enhancing our collective ability to deal with this menace at the global level.

It is also essential that Department of Humanitarian Affairs, immediately after receiving an appeal by mine-stricken countries, provide all essential assistance including expert advise, financial support and materials and equipment.

Mr. President,

My country appreciates the depth and magnitude of the many problems associated with mine clearance in post conflict cases. During the Iran-Iraq war, nearly 16 million landmines and unexploded sub-munitions were laid in Iranian territory temporary occupied in different stages of the war, covering more than 4 million hectares. I have mentioned unexploded sub-munitions since both experience and research have shown that they are very similar to landmines in terms of effects and consequences. Over the past six years, we have embarked upon a massive mine clearance operation in order to enable civilians displaced by the war to return to their homes and resume normal life. We have succeeded to neutralize and destroy 200,000 mines and 1.7 million sub-munitions, that is more than one third of all mines and sub-munitions laid in our country.

However, lack of access to maps of mine-fields as well as to advanced equipment and technology have not only slowed down our efforts, but also have caused unacceptable casualties both among those involved in clearance operations, and more regrettably among innocent civilians.

My country therefore welcomes recent UN initiatives in the area of mine clearance. These initiatives signify the awareness of international community of the urgency and complexity of the issue at hand; an issue that can only be effectively addressed by concerted international cooperation. To achieve this, soliciting financial support will not suffice. We need to concentrate on advancing and sharing the technology and expertise in order to arrive at the safest and quickest ways of mine clearance. The Islamic Republic of Iran, having gained experience and expertise in this area in the past several years through hard work and tremendous sacrifice, is for its part fully prepared to provide training and advisory services to the United Nations.