[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 14, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H2610-H2611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 WARS ARE TEMPORARY; LANDMINES ARE NOT

  (Mr. CAPPS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, last month the United Nations Association in 
my district sponsored an essay contest for high school students on the 
subject of eliminating land mines.
  Land mines are a piece of military weaponry designed to help end 
wars, but wars are temporary and most mines are not, writes first place 
winner Andrew Feitt, a 9th grader from Santa Barbara's Laguna Blanca 
School.
  Second place winner Nikolaus Schiffman, a 12th grader from Santa 
Barbara High School also hit the nail on the head when he wrote, Canada 
showed such leadership when it hosted the Ottawa Conference in October 
1996, and hopefully the United States will make similar gestures.
  It is time to eradicate all land mines before they do the same to us, 
says third place winner and 9th grader, Geren Piltz from Carpenteria 
High School.
  Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the President's announcement 
that he will seek an international ban on land mines, but we have seen 
little progress. It is time to get serious about land mines. It is time 
to join the Canadian process. As my three constituents made clear, we 
must live without land mines.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the essays to which I referred:

                 Wars Are Temporary, But Mines Are Not

                  (By Andrew Feitt, Santa Barbara, CA)

       The devastating technology of land mines is one that 
     plagues the battlefields and trouble spots of our century. 
     They are a piece of military weaponry designed to help end 
     wars, but wars are temporary, and most mines are not. Even 
     when the conflict draws to a close and old enemies become 
     friends, the mines remain, destroying the lives of simple 
     men, women, and children who might never suspect their hidden 
     presence. Yet what can the U.N. do to end this problem? The 
     global community has tried before, and failed. Will anyone be 
     able to cure the spreading plague of mine warfare?
       Every fifteen minutes, it is estimated, a mine explodes and 
     every day some seventy people die as a result. Nor are these 
     combatants, for since the end of the Second World War ninety 
     percent of those killed were civilians. Official government 
     estimates put the number of mines at over 100,000,000, but 
     they acknowledge there could be many more lying in wait, as 
     of yet undetected. According to Paul Davis, land mines are 
     ``. . . the greatest violators of international humanitarian 
     law, practicing blind terrorism . . . they never miss, strike 
     blindly, and go on killing long after hostilities have 
     ended.'' According to the Protocol II of the UN Inhumane 
     Weapons Convention of 1980, landmines are, like chemical and 
     biological weapons, to be strictly regulated. Many, however, 
     wish to go further believing landmines should be banned 
     outright, like chemical and biological weapons. Other 
     countries, in which landmines constitute a great deal of 
     their exports, believe they should only be regulated. Which 
     side should the U.N. take?
       The major supporters of a total ban on all mines, the 
     Scandinavian countries, Ireland, Belgium, and New Zealand, 
     favor an immediate end to production. They are a vocal, if 
     small and seemingly unimportant group, especially when lined 
     up against those from the other extreme, the major producers. 
     China is the most visible, one of the last strongholds of 
     Communism, ever at odds with the Capitalist West. A 
     compromise must be reached if ever any action on landmines is 
     to be taken.
       At the 34th North American International Model United 
     Nations Conference, held in Georgetown earlier this year, a 
     topic raised was that of `smart' mines. I myself had the 
     opportunity to attend this conference, and this particular 
     idea was well-thought and logical. `Smart' mines, like 
     `smart' bombs, are weapons of war that can be programmed, 
     i.e. in this case to deactivate themselves after a certain 
     time period has elapsed. For example, if a conflict broke out 
     between North and South Korea, the opposing armies could lay 
     `smart' mines on the demilitarized zone, activate them, then 
     have them deactivated after nine months. Thus the effects 
     would not be lingering. The best solution to ending the 
     civilian casualties would be a U.N. resolution, passed by the 
     Security Council, banning outright the production, import, 
     and export of all forms of conventional landmines, though not 
     `smart' mines, and a gradual reduction of those currently in 
     stock. Thus the only potential opponent to this, China, might 
     grudgingly consent or abstain, not wishing to see some of its 
     trading privileges revoked. Already the United Kingdom has 
     declared a moratorium on conventional mine export, excluding 
     the self-destruct or self-neutralizing `smart' mines. The 
     rest of the world should follow their example.
       However, mere resolutions are not the only answer. Even 
     when conventional mines are banned, many others will remain. 
     Acting through non-governmental organizations such as the 
     International Red Cross, the U.N. must help to provide 
     immediate relief to the beleaguered nations. As well, U.N. 
     affiliated organizations like the United Nations Institute 
     for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) could also be of some 
     assistance. Those countries most ravaged by landmines most 
     often are those with recent, now resolved, conflicts, and 
     often have U.N. observer forces there, whose duties could be 
     expanded to landmine location and destruction.
       Thirdly, in order to better address this issue in the world 
     community, an ad hoc body of military and industrial analysts 
     should be established whose sole duty would be to constantly 
     review landmine removal efforts around the world at pinpoint 
     potential trouble spots where large civilian populations are 
     located near dormant minefields. This tribunal could also be 
     entrusted with reviewing the efforts of member nations to end 
     landmine production, and, if a nation fails to comply, 
     suggest some form of economic retribution to the Security 
     Council.
       Of course, there is always the ever-present question. Who 
     will pay for all this? Certainly the United Nations, already 
     deep in debt, could not afford to fund all these efforts. 
     There are many nations, such as the United States, that may 
     begin paying back its debt when it sees the U.N. is moving in 
     a productive direction. As well, there are numerous private 
     companies, possibly seeking to invest in such countries as 
     Vietnam, that may fund landmine removal if the minefield 
     occupies the terrain they wish to build on. In 1993, it was a 
     British mine-producing company that sought the U.N.'s 
     permission for landmine removal. Once the U.N. begins this 
     endeavor, there will be little shortage of donations for a 
     noble cause.
       In conclusion, while landmines remain an ever-present 
     threat to peace and global security, the campaign against 
     them grows stronger every year.
                                                                    ____


                            A Call to Disarm

          (By Nikolaus Matthias Schiffman, Santa Barbara, CA)

       Recently, much international attention has focused upon the 
     possibility of the instillation of a worldwide ban on the 
     production and utilization of antipersonnel mines. Not too 
     long ago, the general consensus of the people of the world 
     was that landmines were a horrific yet necessary part of 
     military warfare; however--partly due to the recent 
     developments in Somalia--people's general awareness of the 
     devastation and hardship caused by landmines has greatly 
     increased, and, thanks to the efforts of the United Nations 
     and many other non-governmental organizations, the prospect 
     of the complete elimination of landmines no longer seems like 
     a utopian ideal, but instead, a realistic goal to work 
     towards for the year 2000 (a). As an economic and military 
     superpower, it is imperative that the United States assumes a 
     leading role in the United Nations' continuing efforts to 
     establish a ban on antipersonnel landmines.
       It is estimated that every year, there are more than 25,000 
     incidents of people being killed or maimed by landmines, and 
     in most of these cases, the victims are innocent civilians 
     who are living in countries without sufficient medical 
     facilities to deal with the injuries (b). Because of the 
     sheer scope and frequency of these incidents, the United 
     Nations are usually unable to be of direct assistance to the 
     victims. Instead, many non-governmental organizations, such 
     as the International Red Cross, play a key role in helping 
     the victims of landmines. To this extent, many lives and 
     limbs have been saved because a landmine victim was able to 
     get medical help in time (c).
       Working with other governments, the United Nations has 
     helped to educate civilians about the dangers of landmines. 
     For example, in January of 1996, the UN Department of 
     Humanitarian Affairs teamed up with the Government of Bosnia-
     Herzegovina to set up the Mine Action Programme. Plans like 
     the Mine Action Programme devote time and money to educating 
     and increasing people's awareness of landmines, to gathering 
     information and data about the possible locations of 
     landmines, to mechanically removing landmines, and to 
     training specialists who can remove the mines (d). Without 
     programs such as these, the situation with landmines would be 
     much worse than it is today. The United Nations has provided 
     great assistance to countries like Cambodia that lack the 
     technology to properly deal with the problem (e). However, 
     these efforts are not enough. Something else must be done.
       Every day, more landmines are planted in the earth than are 
     removed (f). As long as

[[Page H2611]]

     countries continue producing and planting landmines, people--
     innocent civilians--will continue to get blown up by them. 
     The casualties and fatalities resulting from landmines will 
     not go away until a worldwide prohibition is put into effect. 
     Some countries, including the United States, have been 
     reluctant to endorse a total ban on landmines, claiming that 
     landmines hold an important role in military warfare. Defense 
     Secretary William Perry said in April of 1996 that the use of 
     antipersonnel landmines by American troops facing North Korea 
     have helped to prevent war (g). However, Perry's logic is a 
     bit self-defeating. Every landmine planted in South Korean 
     soil will come up again sometime, at the possible cost of a 
     human life, and despite the cheap production costs of 
     landmines, which can be purchased for as little as three 
     dollars each, they are much more expensive to remove. The 
     cost of removing a single landmine can exceed one thousand 
     dollars (f). Surely, there must be military alternatives to 
     the use of landmines.
       Recently, the United States has been making some 
     indications that it is willing to support a total ban on 
     landmines. On January 20, 1997, President Clinton announced 
     that he will be pursuing a total ban on landmines through a 
     United Nations conference rather than through an outside 
     summit or conference. In this way, it is more likely that 
     certain countries, such as China and Russia, that have been 
     reluctant to agree to a worldwide ban on landmines will be 
     more likely to sign a treaty in agreement (g).
       As the strongest military power in the world, the full 
     support and leadership of the United States is necessary if a 
     worldwide ban on landmines is to occur. Canada showed such 
     leadership when it hosted the Ottawa Conference in October of 
     1996, and hopefully, in the future the United States will 
     make similar gestures in an effort to curb the production of 
     landmines (h). If significant progress is made in the next 
     year, it is possible that we may see all legal production of 
     landmines cease before the next millennium.
       The United Nations plays a major role in helping to reduce 
     the destructive effects of landmines. Working with individual 
     governments, agencies such as the UN Department of 
     Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Department of Humanitarian 
     affairs have provided healthcare and education to the people 
     at risk from landmines. As more and more are becoming aware 
     of the senselessness of landmines, the United Nations is 
     gaining support in its quest to achieve a ban on the terrible 
     weapon.
       Eventually, a ban on landmines will be enacted. However, as 
     history tends to repeat itself, it is important that the 
     nations of the world learn from their mistakes, and one can 
     only hope that when the next cruel, senseless weapon comes 
     around, we will have the wisdom and the courage to stop its 
     carnage before it starts.
                                                                    ____


          The United Nations and the Elimination of Land Mines

                   (By Geren, Piltz, Carpenteria, CA)

       Globally, it is frightening to think that nuclear land 
     mines are in development. Looking back in history we learn 
     that the land mine, an important weapon of World War II, was 
     an encased explosive charge sometimes laid on the surface of 
     the ground, but usually buried just below the surface. It was 
     triggered by the weight of a passing vehicle or men, by the 
     passage of time, or by remote control. The case is generally 
     circular or square, made of metal or, to combat the magnetic 
     detector, of wood, cardboard, glass or plastics. There are 
     two types of mines: the antitank, to immobilize tanks and 
     other vehicles, and the antipersonnel, to kill soldiers.
       The ancestor of the antitank mine was the artillery shell, 
     buried by the Germans late in World War I to stop British 
     tanks. The antitank mines were developed in Great Britain, 
     the Soviet Union and the United States between 1919 and 1939. 
     They usually contained only five or six pounds of TNT. They 
     could stop a light tank, but had to be used in twos or threes 
     against anything heavier. The true antitank mine, and the 
     first antipersonnel mine, appeared early in World War II. It 
     was an economical way of stopping an enemy or restricting his 
     movements. In 1943 it had become a standard form of warfare. 
     In the Korean War, both the North Korean and the United 
     Nations armies used land mines extensively. In the Vietnam 
     War, the Claymore mine came into general use. Claymores are 
     made of plastic and are small and light. They contain a high-
     explosive substance and metal pellets that can be aimed in 
     any direction and which have a range of 250 ft. The Claymore 
     can be pushed into the ground or hung from trees, about 36 
     in. off the ground. A trip wire sets off the charge. Today, a 
     standard U.S. army antitank mine contains between 6 and 12 
     lbs. of TNT.
       The antipersonnel mine is also triggered by weight. They 
     generally contain from 1 to 4 lbs. of explosives and can blow 
     off a man's hand or foot or kill him with flying fragments. 
     They may be a one-stage, simple blast type that explodes in 
     place, or a two-stage fragmentation mine that first fires a 
     container into the air, and then releases a fragmenting 
     explosive charge.
       It is time to eradicate all land mines before they do the 
     same to us. Accidents are all too common since a land mine is 
     detonated by disturbing a trip-wire attachment to the mine, 
     or by a delayed-action mechanism. Innocent men and women, 
     whose lives, safety, and freedom we are defending, are being 
     threatened by land mines. And what about the children? Their 
     roads and playing fields are strewn with land mines. Curious, 
     and adventuresome, kids wander unknowingly into dangerous 
     situations. Millions of children throughout the world suffer 
     needlessly from lack of food, water and medical care, as 
     billions of dollars are spent on armaments. We take steps to 
     immunize children from diseases, yet we expose them to the 
     possibility of death on their own playgrounds. It has been 
     said that human beings are the softest and weakest targets in 
     war. The innocent always seem to suffer. Our world leaders 
     seem so busy with the vast game of politics that they are 
     forgetting the reason nations and governments exist: to 
     insure the survival of people, to protect their children, to 
     prevent terror. Why gamble with our children and with future 
     generations? Unfortunately, throughout history, nations have 
     sought security by gathering the most powerful weapons 
     available, or so it seems. Land mines do not make us any more 
     secure.
       With today's technology, we see a grotesque collection of 
     chemical and biological weapons. Land mines pollute the 
     environment with chemical leakage as well as heavy metals. 
     Recovery is expensive and often not very effective. We need 
     everyone's commitment to eliminate land mines. Everyone is 
     affected by, and can affect, public policies. Serious 
     dialogue can keep alive the basic nerves of our democratic 
     society. As a voice of today's young people, I am actively 
     involved in making our society healthier. If the nerves of a 
     people are dead, then their political vitality is sapped. My 
     own view is, as a conscientious human being, that all warfare 
     is senseless and that young and old alike should look 
     carefully at present strategies for national and world 
     security. We are capable of better protecting our people by 
     taking global action. I hope to see the day when national 
     security is not measured in military terms. As Americans we 
     have built a dynamic and prosperous society, yet we seem 
     unable to think of, or work for alternatives to war. 
     Conflicts such as war can be solved peacefully. Everyone 
     wants to live. Everyone loves their children. Small steps are 
     important because they can have far-reaching effects. 
     Challenge the experts. Land Mines: we can LIVE without them.

                          ____________________