Mr President,
I am speaking on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your appointment as President of the 11th Conference of States Parties to Amended Protocol II of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Last year’s Conference marked the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of Amended Protocol II on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices. The conclusions and recommendations of that Conference, and our work since then, have helped to revitalise the Protocol’s implementation and thus strengthen the effectiveness of this legal instrument.
The European Union attaches great importance to the full implementation of Amended Protocol II, which is an important instrument of international humanitarian law. Compliance with its prohibitions and restrictions helps to both limit the devastating effects of mines, booby-traps and other devices on civilian populations as well as improve the security of military personnel in the field.
In particular, the obligations of Amended Protocol II concerning recording of data relating to minefields, demining and protection of civilians against consequences arising from the existence of minefields – along with the provisions relating to international cooperation – are essential in facilitating humanitarian assistance and post-conflict reconstruction and ensuring the security of peace-building operations. Amended Protocol II also allows countries affected to benefit from technical and material assistance.
The universality of Amended Protocol II remains a priority objective for the European Union. The European Union welcomes the accession of Georgia since the 10th Conference, bringing the current number of States Parties to the Protocol to 93. We call on States that have not yet done so to accede to Amended Protocol II. The European Union notes that through its Joint Action of 2007 in favour of the universalisation of the CCW, and the six regional seminars organised through it with UNODA as implementing agency, as well as the contribution the European Union has given to the Sponsorship Programme, have helped to support the objective of a wider adherence to the Convention and its Protocols.
The European Union was pleased to see the establishment at the last Conference of an informal, open-ended Group of Experts, as has existed in the past. During its meeting in April the group focused its attention on issues related to the operation and status of the Protocol and the particular concerns caused by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). We thank the Friends of the President, Mr Abderrazzak Laassel of Morocco and Mr Reto Wollenmann of Switzerland, who presented useful discussion papers.
The European Union attaches great importance to confidence-building measures. The submission of national annual reports helps to consolidate the transparency and cooperation required by the Protocol. The recommendation emanating from the Group of Experts to analyse the implementation of the reporting obligations and the content of national reports is welcome, as is the proposal to synchronise, if possible, the submission of such reports with reports required under other legal regimes, such as the CCW Protocol V. The European Union recommends that the Group of Experts should continue to consider the legal possibility and the feasibility of denouncing the original CCW Protocol II. Also, the European Union encourages States that are not yet States Parties to Amended Protocol II to consider submitting national reports on a voluntary basis.
The discussion on IEDs in the Group of Experts was lively and saw a number of valuable presentations from States Parties and various organisations. It illustrated the many complex, multi-faceted and troublesome aspects of these weapons. The European Union would concur with the view expressed in the report of the Friend of the President that the issue of IEDs could continue to be explored by the group in the context of the Amended Protocol II and – when appropriate – in synergy with related activities under CCW Protocol V.
In conclusion, Mr President, it is essential that we continue this process of giving fresh momentum to Amended Protocol II and demonstrate that it produces tangible results. The European Union has complete confidence that you will perform this work wisely and effectively, and would like to assure you of our full support.
Thank you, Mr President.