Patrick Leahy: “I am today introducing, with my friend from Pennsylvania, Senator Specter, and Senators Dorgan and Harkin, The…”

“I am today introducing, with my friend from Pennsylvania, Senator Specter, and Senators Dorgan and Harkin, The Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006. This legislation would prohibit the procurement of victim-activated landmines and other weapons that are designed to be victim-activated. It builds on a long history of leadership by the Congress on the issue of landmines, which indiscriminately kill and maim innocent people, as well as U.S. troops, around the world. I will have another statement on this subject when we return from the August recess, but I want to make a couple of points today. First, Senators should know that since 1997 when an international treaty banning the manufacture, use, export and stockpiling of antipersonnel landmines was initialed at Ottawa, 154 nations have signed and 151 have ratified the treaty. This is an extraordinary achievement, for which Lloyd Axworthy, Canada's Foreign Minister at the time, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines deserve enormous credit. Unfortunately, the United States is not a signatory to the treaty and at one time even worked against it. Thanks to the treaty, the manufacture and export of antipersonnel landmines has decreased significantly, and the number of victims has also declined. But mines continue to be a weapon of choice, especially for rebel groups such as the FARC in Colombia and Hezbollah in Lebanon.…”