Statement at the conclusion of the First CCW Review Conference, May1996

STATEMENT BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION AT THE CLOSING PLENARY OF THE CCW REVIEW CONFERENCE

REVIEW OF LAND-MINE POLICY AND A SUSPENSION OF THE OPERATIONAL USE OF ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES

Thank you, Mr President,

Mr President,

I wish to associate my delegation with the very merited expression of congratulations and appreciation to you and the other officers of the Conference in the Statement by the distinguished coordinator of the Group of Non-Aligned States.

Mr President,

I have taken the floor in order to read out a statement issued in Pretoria this afternoon by the Department of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Government of National Unity, and I quote,

"The issue of land-mines is a subject which continues to enjoy international and domestic attention. The number of casualties caused by the indiscriminate use of land-mines, especially anti-personnel land-mines, is particularly distressing.

The South african Government therefore supports efforts to achieve an international prohibition on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of all anti-personnel land-mines.
As part of its support for the global elimination of anti-personnel land-mines, the South African Government has been progressively reviewing steps to address the massive land-mine problem which besets our region, the African continent and other parts of the world. The Government adopted a moratorium on the export of all types of land-mines and in September 1995 this was extended to a prohibition on the export of so-called long-lived anti-personnel land-mines and the phasing out of the use of these mines.
The South African Government, committed to the global elimination of anti-personnel land-mines, has decided unilaterally to suspend the operational use of anti-personnel land-mines by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

In this context the SANDF has been re-evaluating the future military utility of anti-personnel land-mines and will shortly report to Cabinet.
In addition, the Government, having earlier decided to impose a moratorium on the export of land-mines, has now decided to replace this moratorium with a prohibition on the export of all types of land-mines."

I thank you Mr President.