Political Quotes

“There is no doubt that antipersonnel landmines have some use. Any weapon does. But to those who would argue that whatever use they have outweighs the devastation they inflict on whole societies, I would answer that the commanders of our forces in South Korea, Vietnam, NATO, and Desert Storm say otherwise. They say we can get rid of these landmines. These generals have used antipersonnel landmines and have seen what they do. They say these indiscriminate weapons made their jobs more dangerous, not safer. They remember their troops being blown up by their own minefields. Today, it is landmines that our troops fear the most in Bosnia. No army is going to challenge our men and women in Bosnia, but there are hidden killers everywhere. A $2 antipersonnel mine will blow the leg off the best-trained, the best-equipped, the best-motivated American soldier. In the 2 months since February, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and, yesterday, Germany, have announced they will unilaterally, effective immediately, ban their use of antipersonnel landmines.”