UPDATE - Shortly after this story was posted [25 November 2009], the US issued a ‘correction‘ indicating that a policy review is still underway so the Obama administration has not yet decided if it will join the Mine Ban Treaty.  The amendment came after an international outcry (see original story below). As Senator Leahy’s press secretary has noted: “This has all the appearances of backpedaling, with no guarantee of a different outcome … But one thing is certain: (Leahy’s) going to keep the pressure on, and for as long as it takes.” The original post follows. Please continue to pressure the US to do the right thing and ban landmines now…

On 24 November 2009, a spokesperson from United States foreign service let slip that the Obama administration has conducted a review of its policy on antipersonnel landmines and has decided that the US will not join the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.  This decision represents a major setback for campaigners hoping for US action on landmines. It does not bode well for expectations of US signature of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The spokesperson cited the US role as a “global provider of security” and said, “we determined that we would not be able to meet our national defense needs, nor our security commitments to our friends and allies if we sign this convention.” Yet United States has not used antipersonnel landmines since 1991 and its key allies have endorsed the Mine Ban Treaty including all NATO members, Australia, and Japan. Even Afghanistan and Iraq have joined the Mine Ban Treaty meaning any US use of the weapon in those countries would be in violation of the agreement.

The policy decision comes days ahead of the opening of the Second Review Conference of the Mine Ban Treaty to be held in Cartagena, Colombia. More than 100 governments have registered to attend this historic meeting, also known as the “Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World.” New Zealand’s Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon. Georgina Te Heuheu, is expected to represent the New Zealand government, while ANZCMC coordinator Mary Wareham will represent New Zealand civil society.

The US policy decision has cast a long shadow over the Cartagena Summit. US Senator Patrick Leahy, godfather of congressional initiatives to tackle landmines and cluster munitions, called the decision a “lost opportunity” and described the move as a “default of U.S. leadership and a detour from the clear path of history.”  The US Campaign to Ban Landmines slammed the decision and said “we were taken by surprise that the review has already been concluded behind closed doors without the consultation of non-governmental aid workers, legislators, and important U.S. NATO allies.”  US NGO Human Rights Watch called the decision “reprehensible” and it “lacks vision, compassion, and basic common sense, and contradicts the Obama administration’s professed emphasis on multilateralism, disarmament, and humanitarian affairs.”

Take Action - Participate in the HRW action calling on President Obama to ban landmines now.

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