Colombia Hosts Land Mines Summit

Colombia is hosting the lengthily titled Second Review of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Landmines and their Destruction.

Delegates from more than 100 nations are attending the event in Cartagena to look at the progress of the treaty.

Officials say the number of mine casualties is falling but there are still too many.

[Urg Streuli, President of the Review Conference Summit]:
"The number of mine victims dropped from over 20, 000 to around 6 or 7, 000. This is a great achievement but 6 or 7, 000 victims world-wide, this is far too much. Our aim will only be achieved by no more new victims."

Afghanistan is a case in point.

It's one of the many nations in the world where decades of conflict have seen land mines liberally scattered over large areas with no clear maps to track exactly where they lie.

The international treaty bans the use, stockpiling, production or sale of such weapons.

It's been adopted by 156 countries.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says in total 39 states remain outside the mine ban convention.

They include the United States, Russia, China and India.

While the number of mine victims is falling the Cartegena conference is being urged to put more emphasis on help for those who are already casualties, and those whose fate will be to join their ranks.

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