Transcribed Statement of the Ambassador of Argentina
Mr. Horacio Solari

11/9/01

Sir,

May I at the outset convey to you most sincerely our congratulations on the manner in which you are conducting the business of the Conference on Disarmament and wish you every success as President. Sir, Argentina fully shares the purposes and thinking underlying the Ottawa Convention. It embraces the objective of prohibiting anti-personnel landmines. Since this is consistent with Argentine policy and arms limitation policy. In this way we can restrict one kind of weaponry characterized by particularly cruel effects for those injured and indiscriminate consequences. This aim of my country is reflected in the international community by its conviction that we can make our region a mine-free zone. This is an objective that can indeed be obtained. The declaration of Bolivia and Chile as a peace zone signed by the respective delegations of the countries on 30 July 1998 declares the region as an anti-personnel mine-free zone and seeks to extend this to the entire hemisphere in accordance with OAS resolutions on the subject. Argentina views the 3rd meeting of states parties in Manague, Nicaragua from 18-21 September this year as a substantive decisive step forward of observance for the effective implementation of the provisions principles and purposes of the Convention. To achieve humanitarian mine clearance and prohibit such weapons around the world at large the Managua meeting will be an excellent opportunity for sharing regional experience with regard to the destruction of existing stocks in the Americas and the technical and technological capacity and trained personnel in the region to carry the process through.

Mr. President,

We must remember that the entry into force of the Convention has given the international community an invaluable instrument that is indeed essential for strengthening the principles of humanitarian international law. The importance of the principles and purposes laid down in that instrument has been reflected in the general accession of a considerable number of countries, all of them committed to putting an end to the suffering and death caused by anti-personnel mines. In this context we express our full satisfaction, indeed we welcome the recent ratification just mentioned by the Republic of Chile to the Ottawa Convention, reflecting yet again the commitment to the process required for the full elimination of anti-personnel mines from the region. The growing number of ratifications of this instrument demonstrates that far from harming states' security the Ottawa Convention is a measure, which fosters trust and confidence building among countries. This has been made clear by the express intentions of the countries of the Rio Group before the Oslo meeting to the effect of undertaking though their provisions to see this as a guarantee of security for the Latin American region. We therefore are very pleased to hear what has been said by Chile. It is fundamental that those countries that have still not signed the Convention do so as soon as possible so as to facilitate coordinated effective action by the international community to attenuate the indiscriminate consequences of the use of such weapons. So Argentina ratified this Convention on 14 September 1999 and deposited the instrument of ratification and submitted the report provided for pursuant to Article VII of the Convention. Argentina's commitment to the principles and purposes enshrined in the Ottawa Convention that is also reflected in the contribution it makes to humanitarian mine clearance through international cooperation. I thank you sir.