Ethiopia accepts landmine ban
2004-11-29 12:15
Nairobi - Ethiopia on Monday handed over documents ratifying the 1999 Ottawa Convention to a landmine summit in Nairobi, becoming the 144th nation to accept the ban and elimination of the lethal devices, officials said.
"I am delighted that on the first day of this historic event, one of the world's most mine-affected states has joined the effort to end the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines," said Wolfgang Petritsch, Austrian diplomat to the UN in Geneva, who is presiding over the week-long summit.
"Ethiopians can now look forward to a brighter future without the terror of landmines," Petritsch said, noting that "Ethiopia must now destroy its existing stockpiles of anti-personnel mines within four years, clear mined areas within 10 years, and cease any use, production or transfer of the weapon immediately."
"Other states must now also rise to the challenge of assisting Ethiopia in fulfilling its obligations," he added.
The ratification brings to 144 the number of countries that have ratified the 1997 convention on anti-personnel mines, which bans their use, production, stockpiling and transfer, and calls for a mine-free world in the next 10 years.