CROATIA POINTS TO IMPORTANCE OF FINANCING MINE REMOVAL AND REHABILITATION OF THE INJURED

REHABILITATION OF THE INJURED ( Editorial: --> 5522 ) OTTAWA, Dec 3 (Hina) - Croatia said on Tuesday at the Ottawa conference on a ban on anti-personnel land mines that as soon as the convention on the ban be signed, international efforts should be directed to ensuring sufficient funds for removal of mines in the world and for the rehabilitation of mine victims. The Ottawa conference has gathered representatives of 150 countries and more than 400 representatives of non-governmental organisations this week. After the ceremonial opening, they took part in 20 round table discussions on Tuesday afternoon. "We hope that the implementation of this convention (on the ban of the production and use of mines) will help solve problems more quickly about the removal of mines. It is important that the Convention should stress the need and obligation of states to cooperate and offer both technical and financial help. In this context we saw the problem of mine victims," said a Croatian Foreign Ministry official, Ranko Vilovic, at the round table discussion on the agreement on the mines ban. Following the Serb aggression, about three million mines have been left in Croatia, mostly at former confrontation lines. There are more than 2,200 people in the country injured by this arms. Croatia faces a serious problem concerning these mines, as there is 0.63 mine per capita and 53 per square kilometre, Vilovic added. It is estimated that a process of the mine clearance in Croatia will take about ten years and involve two thousand experts. The cost is estimated to be US$ 471 million. About 4,000 square kilometres should be either de-mined or searched for mines and this will influence the speed of the return of displaced people and the tempo of the economic revitalisation. On behalf of the Croatian Government, a Deputy Foreign Minister Ivo Sanader is to sign the convention on the ban on anti-personnel land mines. (hina) jn mš 031442 MET dec 97