Patrick Leahy: “The Pentagon said publicly that they would uphold the pledge of the President of the United States, but behind the…”

“The Pentagon said publicly that they would uphold the pledge of the President of the United States, but behind the scenes they worked assiduously to undermine the Clinton policy. Today, we see the result in an announcement that the White House and Pentagon carefully leaked to the press last night in an attempt to put a positive spin on what anyone who knows the issue can see is a step backward. We see that the Bush administration has abandoned any pretext of joining other civilized nations to eliminate these outmoded, indiscriminate weapons. Before I explain why the administration's policy is so deeply disappointing to those of us who have worked on this issue for years, I want to be clear of my respect for Secretary of State Powell, for Assistant Secretary Lincoln Bloomfield, and others in the State Department who administer our humanitarian demining programs. These programs save lives and limbs, and this administration's plan to increase funding for these programs by $20 million is constructive. It is far too little, especially for the wealthiest Nation on earth, but it is a positive step. I also want to emphasize that, except for in Korea, the United States no longer uses the type of landmines which pose the gravest risk to innocent people, the way some nations and rebel forces do. Instead, we are helping countries clear their minefields.”