[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               LANDMINES

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in one of the newspapers I was reading this 
morning, there was an editorial speaking about the U.S. position in 
saying that they will work to lead an effort toward the demining of 
antipersonnel landmines around the world, an effort that is already 
well underway in a number of countries, which is supported partly by 
the United States in the millions of dollars in humanitarian demining 
efforts.
  I agree with the President. I agree with the administration's efforts 
to seek more money for demining.
  We have so many millions of landmines in the ground in 60 to 70 
countries that nobody even knows how many landmines are out there. Very 
often the way we find out where they are is when a child or some other 
noncombatant steps on a landmine, touches a landmine, and is either 
crippled, maimed, or killed from the explosion.
  We also know, whether these are $3, $4, or $5 antipersonnel landmines 
stuck in the ground, they can cost a considerable amount of money to 
take them back out depending on where they are --anywhere from an 
average of $100 on up to as much as $1,000 per landmine.
  I agree that the United States, as the most powerful and wealthiest 
Nation on the Earth, should do everything possible to try to take 
landmines out of the ground. But I note the obvious, Mr. President. It 
is like trying to bail out the ocean, if you continue to put new 
landmines down.
  Next month, in Ottawa, over 100 nations will come together to sign a 
treaty banning the placement and use of antipersonnel landmines. One of 
the most notable exceptions to the signers will be the United States of 
America. I think that is a bad mistake. I think if the United States 
wishes to have leadership and credibility on this issue they should do 
both--help in the demining, but do the right thing, and that is help 
stop further mining.
  Until the use of antipersonnel landmines is treated the same way we 
treat the use of chemical weapons then we will continue to see them and 
we will continue to see the use of antipersonnel landmines against 
innocent civilians. They have become more and more--if not exclusively, 
at least primarily--a weapon against civilians. Worse than that, they 
are weapons that stay long after the war is over. Peace agreements are 
signed, tanks pull away, guns are unloaded, armies march away, and 5 
years later a child on the way to school is destroyed and nobody even 
remembers who was fighting, nobody knows who put the weapon there.
  I just mention, Mr. President, while I support our continued efforts 
to demine and while I take pride in writing much of the legislation to 
get the money for the United States to be involved in humanitarian 
demining up to this point, I note it falls short of the ultimate goal 
until we have a real ban on the use of antipersonnel landmines.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from the great State of Florida.
  Mr. GRAHAM. I appreciate the courtesies of my colleague and good 
friend from Vermont.

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