Jack Reed: “Mr. President, I am here to support, as an original cosponsor, the Leahy-Hagel landmine legislation, which would ban…”

“Mr. President, I am here to support, as an original cosponsor, the Leahy-Hagel landmine legislation, which would ban deployment of landmines after January 1 of the year 2000. The fact that this legislation has already acquired 56 cosponsors in the Senate is testimony to the compelling force of their logic and their argument. We should, in fact, ban landmines across the world, and we should begin with this legislation. Antipersonnel landmines have always been one of the greatest dangers facing our troops--one of the most horrific weapons on the battlefield. Indeed, the only United States casualty we have sustained in operations in Bosnia was an individual who was killed by a landmine. These landmines are scattered across the world. One hundred ten million active landmines are hidden in as many as 64 countries. And while 100,000 landmines a year are identified, deactivated and removed, another 2 million to 5 million are planted. These landmines claim about 2,000 victims a month. These are civilians. These are children. These are women. These are individuals who are not combatants but are simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.”