[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E871-E873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONGRESS CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF LANDMINE POLICY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2010

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, today 68 members of the United States 
Senate sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama calling for a 
comprehensive review of the U.S. policy on anti-personnel landmines, 
urging the Administration to identify any obstacles to joining the 
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and 
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and Their Destruction. I am proud to 
say that 57 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives also sent a 
bipartisan letter to the President in support of their Senate 
colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has not exported anti-personnel mines 
since 1992; it has not produced anti-personnel landmines since 1997; 
and it has not used anti-personnel landmines since 1991. During the 
past decade, the United States has become the world's largest 
contributor to humanitarian demining and rehabilitation programs for 
landmine survivors. I firmly believe that it's time for the United 
States to formally join the 158 nations of the world who are parties to 
Convention banning anti-personnel landmines so that we can receive the 
credit for which our nation is long overdue and restore our leadership 
in shaping the Convention in the future.
  I know that there are military questions that require review so that 
all sectors of our government are united in joining the Convention. I 
believe there are answers to these questions, answers that our NATO 
allies and other nations have confronted and overcome over the past 
decade as they complied with Convention's requirements. There is a 
wealth of experience and knowledge among our NATO allies, all of whom 
are parties to this Treaty, on adopting new military strategies and 
tactics, working with non-Treaty States, and identifying alternative 
weaponry as we abandon, once and for all, this indiscriminate, rogue 
weapon. I encourage our military leaders to reach out to our NATO 
partners and consult with their military counterparts on how they 
adapted and complied with the Landmine Ban Treaty.
  Mr. Speaker, I have seen first-hand the results of anti-personnel 
landmines on civilians and soldiers in El Salvador and Colombia. I have 
talked with survivors from around the globe, including men and women 
who proudly wear the U.S. military uniform. I have met with landmine 
survivors, including children, who were only working their fields or 
walking to school when they stepped on a landmine. They are not 
victims, Mr. Speaker--they are survivors and leaders in a global 
movement to ban this weapon from all current and future arsenals. They 
are clear-eyed, sophisticated individuals who are determined that no 
one--in uniform or civilian--shall ever be harmed again by these 
weapons.
  I believe, Mr. Speaker, that it is in our best national and security 
interests to join the Convention. Clearly, the bipartisan letter by our 
Senate colleagues and the supporting House letter show that the time 
has come for the United States to once again take up its leadership on 
this international issue. I ask unanimous consent to enter the House 
and Senate letters and related materials into the Congressional Record.


                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                     Washington, DC, May 18, 2010.
     Hon. Barack Obama,
     The White House,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We are writing to convey our strong 
     support for the Administration's decision to conduct a 
     comprehensive review of United States policy on landmines. 
     The Second Review Conference of the Convention on the 
     Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer 
     of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, held last 
     December in Cartagena, Colombia, makes this review 
     particularly timely. It is also consistent with your 
     commitment to reaffirm U.S. leadership in solving global 
     problems and with your remarks in Oslo when you accepted the 
     Nobel Peace Prize: ``I am convinced that adhering to 
     standards, international standards, strengthens those who do, 
     and isolates and weakens those who don't.''
       These indiscriminate weapons are triggered by the victim, 
     and even those that are designed to self-destruct after a 
     period of time (so-called ``smart'' mines) pose a risk of 
     being triggered by U.S. forces or civilians, such as a farmer 
     working in the fields or a young child. It is our 
     understanding that the United States has not exported anti-
     personnel mines since 1992, has not produced anti-personnel 
     mines since 1997, and has not used anti-personnel mines since 
     1991. We are also proud that the United States is the world's 
     largest contributor to humanitarian demining and 
     rehabilitation programs for landmine survivors.
       In the ten years since the Convention came into force, 158 
     nations have signed including the United Kingdom and other 
     ISAF partners, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan which, like 
     Colombia, are parties to the Convention and have suffered 
     thousands of mine casualties. The Convention has led to a 
     dramatic decline in the use, production, and export of anti-
     personnel mines.
       We note that our NATO allies have addressed their force 
     protection needs in accordance with their obligations under 
     the Convention. We are also mindful that anti-personnel mines 
     pose grave dangers to civilians, and that avoiding civilian 
     casualties and the anger and resentment that result has 
     become a key priority in building public support for our 
     mission in Afghanistan. Finally,

[[Page E872]]

     we are aware that antipersonnel mines in the Korean DMZ are 
     South Korean mines, and that the U.S. has alternative 
     munitions that are not victim-activated.
       We believe the Administration's review should include 
     consultations with the Departments of Defense and State as 
     well as retired senior U.S. military officers and diplomats, 
     allies such as Canada and the United Kingdom that played a 
     key role in the negotiations on the Convention, Members of 
     Congress, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and 
     other experts on landmines, humanitarian law and arms 
     control.
       We are confident that through a thorough, deliberative 
     review the Administration can identify any obstacles to 
     joining the Convention and develop a plan to overcome them as 
     soon as possible.
           Sincerely,
         Patrick J. Leahy; Richard G. Lugar; Jack Reed; Daniel K. 
           Inouye; Olympia J. Snowe; Joseph I. Lieberman; George 
           V. Voinovich; John F. Kerry; Orrin G. Hatch; Carl 
           Levin; Charles E. Schumer; Robert F. Bennett; Jeff 
           Bingaman; Susan M. Collins; Max Baucus; Judd Gregg; 
           Arlen Specter; Sheldon Whitehouse; Harry Reid; Benjamin 
           L. Cardin; Dianne Feinstein; Ben Nelson; Lisa 
           Murkowski; Robert Menendez; Barbara A. Mikulski; 
           Christopher J. Dodd; Sherrod Brown; Kent Conrad; Mike 
           Crapo; Richard Durbin; Ron Wyden; Byron L. Dorgan; Evan 
           Bayh; Michael F. Bennet; Russell D. Feingold; Maria 
           Cantwell; Bill Nelson; Patty Murray; Blanche L. 
           Lincoln; Mark R. Warner; George S. Lemieux; Mary L. 
           Landrieu; Tim Johnson; Thomas R. Carper; Herb Kohl; 
           Robert C. Byrd; Jon Tester; Edward E. Kaufman; Mark L. 
           Pryor; Tom Udall; Claire McCaskill; Mark Udall; Kirsten 
           E. Gillibrand; Frank R. Lautenberg; John D. 
           Rockefeller, IV; Daniel K. Akaka; Kay R. Hagan; Jeanne 
           Shaheen; Al Franken; Jeff Merkley; Debbie Stabenow; 
           Mark Begich; Tom Harkin; Roland W. Burris; Robert P. 
           Casey, Jr.; Amy Klobuchar; Barbara Boxer; Bernard 
           Sanders.
                                  ____



                                Congress of the United States,

                                     Washington, DC, May 18, 2010.
     Hon. Barack Obama,
     President of the United States, The White House, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We write to add our voices to our 
     bipartisan Senate colleagues and convey our strong support 
     for the Administration's decision to conduct a comprehensive 
     review of United States policy on landmines. The Second 
     Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the 
     Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel 
     Mines and on Their Destruction, held recently in Cartagena, 
     Colombia, makes this review particularly timely. It is also 
     consistent with your commitment to reaffirm U.S. leadership 
     in solving global problems and with your remarks in Oslo when 
     you accepted the Nobel peace Prize: ``I am convinced that 
     adhering to standards, international standards, strengthens 
     those who do, and isolates and weakens those who don't.''
       These indiscriminate weapons are triggered by the victim, 
     and even those that are designed to self-destruct after a 
     period of time (so-called ``smart'' mines), pose a risk of 
     being triggered by U.S. forces or civilians, such as a farmer 
     working in the fields or a young child. It is our 
     understanding that the United States has not exported anti-
     personnel mines since 1992, has not produced anti-personnel 
     mines since 1997, and has not used anti-personnel mines since 
     1991. We are also proud that the United States is the world's 
     largest contributor to humanitarian demining and 
     rehabilitation programs for landmine survivors.
       In the ten years since the Convention came into force, 158 
     nations have signed, including the United Kingdom and other 
     ISAF partners, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan which, like 
     Colombia, are parties to the Convention and have suffered 
     thousands of mine casualties. The Convention has led to a 
     dramatic decline in the use, production, and export of anti-
     personnel mines.
       We note that our NATO allies have addressed their force 
     protection needs in accordance with their obligations under 
     the Convention. We are also mindful that anti-personnel mines 
     pose grave dangers to civilians, and that avoiding civilian 
     casualties and the anger and resentment that result has 
     become a key priority in building public support for our 
     mission in Afghanistan. Finally, we are aware that anti-
     personnel mines in the Korean DMZ are South Korean mines, and 
     that the U.S. has alternative munitions that are not victim-
     activated.
       We believe the Administration's review should include 
     consultations with the Departments of Defense and State as 
     well as retired senior U.S. military officers and diplomats, 
     allies such as Canada and the United Kingdom that played a 
     key role in the negotiations on the Convention, Members of 
     Congress, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and 
     other experts on landmines, humanitarian law and arms 
     control. We are confident that through a thorough, 
     deliberative process the Administration can identify any 
     obstacles to joining the Convention and develop a plan to 
     overcome them as soon as possible.
       We look forward to hearing from you on plans for the 
     review.
           Sincerely,
         James P. McGovern; Edward J. Markey; Janice D. 
           Schakowsky; John Lewis; Nick J. Rahall II; Darrell E. 
           Issa; Bob Filner; Sander M. Levin; Rosa L. DeLauro; 
           James L. Oberstar; Collin C. Peterson; John Conyers, 
           Jr.; Carolyn B. Maloney; Eleanor Holmes Norton; Betty 
           McCollum; Peter Welch; Fortney Pete Stark; Charles B. 
           Rangel; James P. Moran; Chaka Fattah; Raul M. Grijalva; 
           Lloyd Doggett; Michael M. Honda; Barbara Lee; Maurice 
           D. Hinchey; Paul W. Hodes; Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.; Keith 
           Ellison; Jerrold Nadler; Gary L. Ackerman; Jackie 
           Speier; Tammy Baldwin; Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr.; 
           Sam Farr; Lynn C. Woolsey; Peter A. DeFazio; Melvin L. 
           Watt; Michael H. Michaud; John J. Hall; John W. Olver; 
           Earl Blumenauer; Marcia L. Fudge; Dennis J. Kucinich; 
           Jim McDermott; Dale E. Kildee; Robert A. Brady; Lois 
           Capps; Judy Chu; Rush D. Holt; Carol Shea-Porter; 
           Michael E. Capuano; John Garamendi; Jose E. Serrano; 
           Bobby L. Rush; Maxine Waters; Eni F. H. Faleomavaega; 
           Susan A. Davis.
                                  ____


    [From the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines, May 18, 2010]

Senators and Representatives Support Ban on Landmines: Letters Sent to 
                            President Obama

       Washington, DC.--A letter signed by 68 senators, asking the 
     administration to join the 1997 Landmine Ban Treaty, was 
     delivered to President Obama on Tuesday. The signers include 
     10 Republicans and two Independents and constitute more than 
     the two-thirds of the Senate needed to ratify a treaty.
       Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT-D) and Sen. George Voinovich (OH-R) 
     circulated the Senate letter, and a similar letter in support 
     of the Senate initiative, circulated by Rep. James McGovern 
     (MA-D) and Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-R) in the House of 
     Representatives, was also delivered to President Obama. The 
     existence of the letters was made public on May 8, but the 
     final versions, with all signatures, was delivered Tuesday.
       In describing the use of antipersonnel landmines, Sen. 
     Patrick Leahy said, ``The idea that a modern military like 
     ours would be using indiscriminate, victim-activated weapons 
     today is hard to reconcile with our current military 
     objectives, particularly when you consider that the two 
     countries (Iraq and Afghanistan) where our troops are 
     fighting are parties to the treaty and the members of the 
     coalition that we are leading in Afghanistan are also parties 
     to the treaty.''
       The Administration launched a review of U.S. landmine 
     policy late last year, and in the letters the legislators say 
     that they are ``confident that through a thorough, 
     deliberative review the Administration can identify any 
     obstacles to joining the Convention and develop a plan to 
     overcome them as soon as possible.''
       Rep. James McGovern, who circulated the letter in the 
     House, said, ``A thorough review will show that the U.S. can 
     play an even greater role in the world on landmines by 
     formally joining the ban. The Senate letter demonstrates the 
     support is there.''
       The Congressional letters follow a letter sent to President 
     Obama on March 22 by leaders from 65 national nongovernmental 
     organizations that also urge the U.S. to relinquish 
     antipersonnel landmines and join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty 
     without delay.
       ``The strong support these letters have received shows that 
     Congress is firmly behind accession to the Mine Ban Treaty,'' 
     said Zach Hudson, the coordinator of the U.S. Campaign to Ban 
     Landmines (USCBL). ``The U.S. has not used these barbaric 
     weapons in 19 years. With these letters, Congress adds its 
     voice to that of the American people in calling on our 
     government to join our NATO allies--and all of the 158 
     nations that have joined this treaty--and eliminate the use 
     of landmines once and for all.''
                                  ____


                [From the Washington Post, May 8, 2010]

  Senate Pushes Obama Administration to Sign Treaty Banning Land Mines

                 (By Craig Whitlock and Glenn Kessler)

       More than two-thirds of the Senate is urging the Obama 
     administration to consider signing an international treaty 
     that bans land mines, reviving a dormant campaign from the 
     1990s that left the United States divided from its closest 
     allies.
       Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said in an interview Friday 
     that 68 senators had signed a letter to President Obama to 
     support a ``comprehensive review'' of U.S. policy on land 
     mines. The letter is an indication that there are enough 
     votes in the Senate to ratify the treaty--at least 67 would 
     be required--if Obama signs the measure, which has languished 
     in Washington for a decade.
       ``We want to show we have enough people to ratify a 
     treaty,'' Leahy said. ``I think there's an excellent 
     opportunity that we'll finally do it.''
       The pressure from Congress leaves the White House in an 
     awkward position as it tries to navigate between Obama's 
     desire to work closely with allies on security issues such as 
     nuclear disarmament, while at the same time listening to 
     advisers at the Pentagon, many of whom are leery of such 
     campaigns.
       The mine ban treaty was the result of a grass-roots 
     movement championed by celebrities, including Princess Diana, 
     and ordinary citizens such as Jody Williams, a Vermont native 
     who won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her role as founding 
     coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines. 
     About 5,000 people a year--the majority of them civilians--
     are killed or maimed by mines scattered across 70 countries.

[[Page E873]]

       Neither President Bill Clinton nor President George W. Bush 
     signed the treaty, which was negotiated in 1997 and took 
     effect in 1999. Their rejections left the United States at 
     odds with more than 150 countries that embraced the accord, 
     including every member of NATO.
       The treaty prohibits the manufacture, trade and stockpiling 
     of land mines. The United States has not used antipersonnel 
     mines since the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and stopped 
     producing them in 1997, but the military keeps about 10 
     million of them in reserve.
       In November, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly announced 
     that the Obama administration had decided against signing the 
     treaty, saying, ``We would not be able to meet our national 
     defense needs nor our security commitments to our friends and 
     allies.'' But after Leahy and human-rights groups condemned 
     the decision, the State Department said it would revisit the 
     issue and conduct a broader policy review.
       White House and State Department spokesmen emphasized 
     Friday that the administration is in the midst of a 
     comprehensive review, cutting across all affected agencies, 
     that will not be completed for some months. But two senior 
     U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity 
     indicated that the administration is actively looking for 
     ways to come into compliance with the treaty without 
     endangering national security needs.
       ``We are asking that if you come into compliance, what 
     would be the costs and the benefits--and if there are costs, 
     how can they be addressed in other ways,'' one senior 
     official said.
       The official described the administration's review as ``a 
     herculean effort'' intended to ``cut through reflexive 
     reactions'' to the issue of eliminating land mines from the 
     Pentagon's arsenal.
       Officials also said they welcomed the indication of 
     bipartisan support represented by the Leahy letter.
       Another senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of 
     anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the 
     administration is looking at what new technologies could be 
     used to bring the United States into compliance with the 
     treaty while also allowing it to respond to threats such as 
     North Korea. Some military officials want to maintain the 
     U.S. stockpile in case it is needed to slow an invasion of 
     South Korea by the North. About 30,000 U.S. forces are 
     stationed in the South.
       The Pentagon declined to say whether it would support the 
     treaty, citing the Obama administration's review. ``It would 
     be premature at this time to provide any statement until the 
     review is complete,'' said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press 
     secretary.
       Leahy, who has fought for a land-mine ban for many years, 
     said there was bipartisan support in Congress for ratifying 
     the treaty. Ten Republicans have signed the letter to Obama, 
     which Leahy said will be delivered to the White House next 
     week. The lead Republican co-sponsor is Sen. George V. 
     Voinovich (Ohio), Leahy aides said.
       In November, Leahy criticized the Obama administration's 
     initial decision to reject the treaty as ``a default of U.S. 
     leadership.'' Since then, he said, White House and State 
     Department officials have left him with the impression that 
     they are seriously considering adopting the treaty, 
     especially if he can help deliver the votes in a Senate that 
     is usually sharply divided along partisan lines.
       ``It's been a much more positive response than I've seen in 
     a long, long time,'' Leahy said of his talks with 
     administration officials.
       Leahy noted that Obama has pushed for a global reduction in 
     nuclear arms; ignoring land mines, he added, could undercut 
     U.S. diplomacy on that front. ``If we want to keep the high 
     moral ground, then we have to do it,'' he said.
       Although Clinton did not sign the international mine ban, 
     he ordered the Pentagon in 1998 to develop alternatives to 
     antipersonnel mines, with the goal of giving them up 
     completely by 2006.
       In 2004, in response to objections from the Pentagon, Bush 
     adopted a different policy that permits the U.S. military to 
     use sophisticated mines that are designed to self-destruct 
     within a fixed number of days. The idea was to reduce 
     civilian casualties from unexploded mines left on the 
     battlefield.
       At the same time, Bush set a deadline of 2010 for the U.S. 
     military to end the use of antipersonnel or anti-vehicle 
     mines that lack timers. Obama administration officials have 
     said that they are on track to meet that deadline this year.
       Neither China nor Russia has ratified the international 
     mine ban treaty. Human rights groups say there is little 
     pressure for them to do so as long as the United States 
     doesn't sign.

     

                          ____________________