[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 86 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         GLOBAL LANDMINE CRISIS

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                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 30, 1994

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, over the last quarter century, as we have 
tried to limit the nuclear threat, the more immediate threat has proved 
to be no bigger than a cigarbox and cheaper than its contents--the 
antipersonnel landmine.
  Landmines are the real weapons of mass destruction, killing 1,200 
people a month. Small, simple and cheap, they are among the most cruel 
and deadly weapons used today.
  It is ironic that while we labored so hard to stop the nuclear 
threat, we have done almost nothing to halt the spread of these 
indiscriminate and insidious weapons.
  In the short term, there is little we can do to stop the killing. For 
example, even if we do see the beginning of the end in Bosnia, the 
millions of landmines that have been spread throughout the country will 
prolong this war for decades. And the innocent will suffer--whether 
it's farmers trying to plow their fields or children playing in the 
woods.
  That is why it is so urgent that we seek an international ban on 
these weapons. In some countries, it will take more than their annual 
GNP to remove mines. It costs $300 to $1,000 to clear a landmine. 
Multiply this by the 85-100 million scattered throughout the world and 
the scope of this crisis becomes clear.
  If this problem was present in our own country, and our own children 
were being killed and maimed in our backyards and playgrounds, we would 
see a ban tomorrow. Please join me in sponsoring legislation that I am 
introducing today to seek an international ban on these indiscriminate 
killers.

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