Posted on 03/03/2004 7:29:13 PM PST by archy
US to Alter Land Mine Policy
By Joshua Kucera, JDW Staff Reporter,
Washington, DC
The US announced on 27 February that it would continue to use some land mines indefinitely and would not sign an international treaty outlawing the weapons, reversing the position of the previous administration.
The Bush administration said it would allow the military to continue to use 'smart' land mines, which can be deactivated when a conflict is over. It also said it would continue to use the more traditional persistent land mines until 2010 on the Korean peninsula, rather than 2006 as was the policy of former US President Bill Clinton.
However, it has agreed to abandon the use of persistent anti-tank mines, a policy which goes beyond the requirements of the Ottawa Convention, which bans all mines that explode automatically on proximity, presence or contact of a person. The US said the anti-tank mine ban is the first of its kind in the world.
Within a year all land mines that the US uses will include sufficient iron to be detectable by ordinary metal detectors, and from now until 2010 the use of any persistent anti-tank land mines will require special presidential authorisation. The US will only use persistent anti-personnel mines in South Korea.
The US military favours keeping land mines, especially in South Korea, where it maintains large stockpiles in the event of a North Korean invasion.
US officials said the new policy actually is stronger than the Ottawa Convention.
LOL
?....Whatsa 'drug-mine'...?
:-(
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