[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 21 (Monday, May 25, 1998)]
[Page 934]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Washington Conference on Humanitarian Demining

May 20, 1998

    It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Washington 
Conference on Global Humanitarian Demining.
    This Conference fulfills a commitment I made last October when 
Secretary Albright and Secretary Cohen announced the ``Demining 2010 
Initiative.'' We set as our goal the elimination, by the end of the next 
decade, of the threat posed by landmines to civilians. Landmine 
contamination is not only a pressing humanitarian problem, but it 
affects virtually every aspect of life in countries recovering from 
civil war or armed conflict.
    We long ago realized that reaching this goal would require a 
concerted effort by the international community, and we have been 
heartened by the response--your response--so far. Each of the countries 
and organizations represented at this conference plays a critical role 
in this effort, and your presence here is testimony to the importance 
the international community attaches to this enormous task.
    Almost 4 years ago I called for the global elimination of landmines. 
Since then, the U.S. has been at the forefront of the efforts to rid the 
world of these hidden killers. Not only have we destroyed millions of 
landmines in our own arsenal and banned their export, but we have also 
provided a substantial share of the global resources for humanitarian 
demining.
    The Washington conference is an opportunity for us to set a course 
for the future together and move toward a goal we all share: to 
eliminate as quickly as possible the scourge of antipersonnel landmines 
that kill and main civilians. This conference builds on the efforts of 
many other countries and individuals, including, of course, the 
remarkable accomplishment of the Ottawa process, making this a truly 
global endeavor.
    We have come a long way, but much remains to be done. It is my hope 
that the Washington conference will inspire a new commitment on the part 
of all present to ensure an increase in the level and effectiveness of 
effort and resources the world dedicates to the challenge of 
humanitarian demining.