Team:Edinburgh/mapxmlireland



Ireland <![CDATA[The Republic of Ireland signed the Mine Ban Treaty in Ottawa on 3 December 1997, and deposited its instrument of ratification at the United Nations the same day--the second nation to ratify, after Canada. This was a fitting demonstration of Ireland’s commitment on this issue. The government was one of the few to support a call for a ban as long ago as 1994, at the beginning of the review process of the Convention on Conventional Weapons. Ireland became a member of the core group of countries responsible for developing and promoting the Ottawa Process, and continues to play an important role in the movement to eliminate once and for all antipersonnel landmines. In his speech at the signing conference, Foreign Minister David Andrews said, “International public opinion will not tolerate for much longer the absence of countries, in particular significant states from the roll call of States Parties to this most significant instrument for the abolition of lethal devices which serve no military purpose and the use of which or the preparation for the use of which must quickly be deemed unacceptable anywhere by anyone.”

Ireland has continued to play a key role since the signing of the Treaty. The government has taken a particular interest, along with other core group states, in the development of the Landmine Monitor initiative of the ICBL. The government hosted a meeting of Monitor researchers in Dublin in September of 1998, providing facilities for the meeting and logistical support as well. Foreign Minister Andrews addressed the meeting, and remarked, “The unique capacity which you are proposing to develop in the Landmine Monitor will, I believe, become the benchmark for the evaluation of progress in realizing the objectives of the Convention. It will become the basis for scrutiny by the international community of States Parties’ treaty implementation; and it will become a working resource for focusing on the needs of demining and mine victim assistance.” He also announced that the government of Ireland would contribute US$150,000 to the Landmine Monitor.

Despite the legacy of a long conflict on the island of Ireland spanning the last thirty years, there exists no record of any civilian, or member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Garda, the British Army, the Irish Defence Force or any person engaged in paramilitary activities ever being injured or killed by antipersonnel landmines. No antipersonnel landmines have been found in the ground in the State or along the Northern Ireland border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. (It is, however, common knowledge that commercial and homemade explosives were used by the paramilitaries in the Northern Ireland conflict.)

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