Geneva - States are falling behind on their commitments to clear landmines and provide adequate assistance to victims, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday. The international treaty prohibiting anti-personnel mines, known as the Ottawa Convention, entered into force 10 years ago and has been signed by 156 states.
"The first mine clearance deadlines under the treaty expire this year and a number of States Parties are struggling to clean mined areas and destruct stockpiles on time," the ICRC said in a statement.
"Moreover, for most victims of anti-personnel mines, the treaty's promises of adequate care and assistance are still far from being fulfilled," the humanitarian group added.
On Saturday the United Nations will mark the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
In 2007, 1,400 people were killed by landmines and nearly 4,000 were injured in some 78 countries.
Millions of people around the world still live with the threat posed by landmines, which are cheap and relatively easy to place in the ground. Clearing the weapon, however, is difficult and costly.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won a Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts, called on states to "get serious."
"Raising awareness on landmines and explosive remnants of war is essential, but it is not enough," Sylvie Brigot, from the campaign, said. "Those who only pay lip service to dealing with these inhumane weapons need to get serious."
She called on all states to join the Ottawa Convention as well as the newer Convention on Cluster Munitions, which 90 governments signed onto last year.
These two treaties "provide the best framework to alleviate the suffering caused by these indiscriminate weapons and put an end to their use and proliferation," the ICBL said.
Starts party to the conventions are not allowed to use, stockpile, transfer or produce the weapons and must destroy all the ones they have. They must also engage in mine-clearing.
Over the past decade, the ICBL said, casualty rates from landmines have decreased and only Russia and Myanmar have actually used the weapon in recent years along with some militant groups.
Major powers, including the United States, Russia and China have not signed the treaty. Israel, which used cluster bombs during its war in Lebanon in 2006, also has not joined.
