WASHINGTON, December 8 (Sputnik) — The United States confirmed its commitment to no longer hold its anti-personnel landmines and to destroy its stockpiles, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday.
"In 2013 I'm proud to tell you that fewer people were killed and injured by mines and other explosive remnants of war than in any other year since the turn of the century," Kerry said at a press conference.
"But much work still remains to be done, including regarding our own stockpiles,” secretary of state added.
Kerry reminded that US President Barack Obama’s announcement to “begin destroying our anti-personnel landmine stockpiles not required for the defense of South Korea” brought the international community one step closer to the landmine-free world.
Since 2013, the Department of State has given over $142 million in conventional weapons destruction (CWD) funds to some 49 countries that helped post conflict communities to recover and clear landmines and other explosives. Kerry added that the United States has helped 15 other countries declare themselves free of landmines.
According to the State Department’s report titled “To Walk the Earth in Safety,” the United States has significantly expanded its cooperation with partners in Asia, Africa and with non-governmental organizations in efforts to reduce and destroy landmines.
“The annual To Walk the Earth in Safety Report… powerfully chronicles the progress we [United States] have made in clearing landmines from both battlefields and backyards,” said Kerry in a statement. "But this work is far from finished. Too many of these armaments remain concealed, poised to maim anyone who takes a wrong step."
"Today, I released the annual To Walk the Earth in Safety Report, which powerfully chronicles the progress we have made in clearing landmines from both battlefields and backyards, Kerry said in a statement on Monday.
In June 2014, the United States vowed to not produce or acquire any anti-personnel munition including landmines that did not comply with the Ottawa Convention that prohibits the use of stockpiling, producing and transferring landmines.
"We are diligently pursuing other solutions that would ultimately allow us to accede to the [Ottawa] Convention," Kerry said.
Since 1993, the United States has given over $2.3 billion in assistance to over 90 countries for conventional weapons destruction programs that provide expertise, medical assistance and equipment to clearing landmines and other explosives, according to the department.
