Demining Donor Meeting [Archives:1998/38/Front Page]

archive
September 21 1998

“The purpose is threefold,” explained Dr. Mutahhar Al-Saeedi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, who will be chairing the meeting of donors on September 22nd. “We plan to give a full description of the situation in the country, explain the direction of our demining effort, and go over estimates of the financial needs,” he added.
Several donor countries are sending representatives to a meeting tomorrow.
Landmines were buried at different periods of our recent history in different parts of the country. These include a crescent-shaped area around Aden. The landmines were supposed to stop the advancing unionist forces in the civil war of 1994. Another area of major concern is the central regions of Ibb and Al-Baidha which witnessed the planting of anti-personnel landmines during the mid 1980s.
Many countries, such as the USA, Canada and Norway as well international NGOs, notably Sweden’s Radda Barnen, have assisted the Yemeni Mines Awareness Committee in pushing ahead with its program. A national office in Sanaa and a branch office in Aden are being set up to coordinate the effort of getting rid of the mines.
The Republic of Yemen was the 34th country, and the 2nd Arab country, to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention).

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