NEW YORK, Nov 28 (Hina) - The clearance of anti-personnel mines in Croatia could take another ten years and cost more than a billion dollars, Croatia's permanent representative to the United Nations said in New York on Tuesday.
Ambassador Ivan Simonovic addressed a General Assembly session which tackled the mine issue. After the early 1990s Serb aggression, Croatia was left with about one million mines and unexploded ordnance scattered throughout its territory, he said, reminding that about 600 square kilometres were mine-fields, while dangerous ordnance covered almost 4,000 square kilometres. In the past few years, mine clearance cost Croatia about $150 million, with only ten percent covered by donations from some countries or organisations, said Simonovic. He added Croatia supported the implementation of the Ottawa anti-personnel mine convention, and that it would resume cooperation i
NEW YORK, Nov 28 (Hina) - The clearance of anti-personnel mines in
Croatia could take another ten years and cost more than a billion
dollars, Croatia's permanent representative to the United Nations
said in New York on Tuesday.
Ambassador Ivan Simonovic addressed a General Assembly session
which tackled the mine issue.
After the early 1990s Serb aggression, Croatia was left with about
one million mines and unexploded ordnance scattered throughout its
territory, he said, reminding that about 600 square kilometres were
mine-fields, while dangerous ordnance covered almost 4,000 square
kilometres.
In the past few years, mine clearance cost Croatia about $150
million, with only ten percent covered by donations from some
countries or organisations, said Simonovic.
He added Croatia supported the implementation of the Ottawa anti-
personnel mine convention, and that it would resume cooperation in
the next stage.
The ambassador told the General Assembly Croatia adopted a National
Mine Action Programme, that it cooperated with authorities in
neighbouring Bosnia in mine clearance in border areas, and that in
December it would host a regional demining conference as part of the
Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. Croatia expects Zagreb
will be the headquarters of a regional centre for personnel
training and equipment testing.
Simonovic reminded Croatia did not possess plans of mine fields
planted by the ex-Yugoslav federal army or Serb paramilitary units,
and urged new authorities in Belgrade and all who could help to come
forward.
(hina) ha