Clinton "Bitterly Regrets" not having Joined Mine Ban Treaty
U.S. 'SHOULD HAVE SIGNED MINE TREATY'
President says U.S. was wrong to spurn Canadian-led effort
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/national/001201/4971890.html
by Hilary Mackenzie

The Ottawa Citizen

WASHINGTON -- President Bill Clinton says he bitterly regretted that the U.S. did not sign the landmine treaty in December 1997 but doesn't rule out its passage in the near future.

Casting back over the foreign policy highlights and low points of his eight-year administration, Mr. Clinton described his failure to prevail on the Canadian-led landmine-banning initiative as a major political defeat.

"It is one of the bitterest regrets of the last eight years that we didn't sign it," Mr. Clinton said in an informal talk with the Citizen that ranged from his historic trip to Vietnam to peace talks in the Middle East, and from age-old hatreds in Northern Ireland to the current election travails in the U.S.

Mr. Clinton blamed the way the landmine treaty landed on Congress's doorstep for its failure to pass.

"Emotions were running high," said the dapper president, dressed in a blue silk jacket with a red tie. "It was in the wake of (Princess) Diana's death."

Referring to widespread opposition among U.S. lawmakers, he said: "The way it came up to Congress, there was no way."

Without naming the villains that unfortunately put the United States on the defensive, Mr. Clinton said "a group of countries wanted to put the blame on us ... countries that have never had to deal with landmines.

"But then when it comes to a conflict, like Kosovo, they'll call on us to go in."

"We may still be able to get it done," he said of the treaty.

Mr. Clinton spoke to this reporter on his way to a book signing for his close friend and former national security adviser, Anthony Lake.

(...)

Copyright, December, 2000.

Dear Mr. President-Elect

As medical professionals we are deeply concerned that antipersonnel landmines continue to terrify, threaten, maim, and kill civilian populations long after the weapons of war fall silent. Approximately 70 million armed antipersonnel landmines remain in the earth, lying in wait for innocent children, women, and men in many of the world's poorest countries. Antipersonnel landmines are responsible for more than 22,000 deaths and injuries each year. Even more, the USA alone has some 10 million of depleted uranium landmines.

Humanitarian demining efforts by the United States are laudable but this action is not sufficient to prevent the continuing mortality and maiming. As long as our government remains outside the majority of the world’s nations that have banned this indiscriminate weapon, our ethical and humanitarian silence encourages rogue nations and guerrilla forces to continue to sow their lethal legacy.

Landmines do not only kill, amputate, and blind. They also propel shrapnel, vegetation, and contaminated soil and debris into soft tissue and bone producing severe infection and sepsis. Inadequate hospital and surgical care further endanger landmine survivors. Rehabilitation, both physical and psychological, for survivors is scarce to nonexistent, and this in turn creates an additional socio-economic burden for each country so affected. Entire communities suffer when the presence or perceived presence of antipersonnel landmines threatens daily life.

As health care professionals, we appeal to you and your Administration to help end this public health crisis that affects more than 65 countries. We urge you to send the Mine Ban Treaty, now signed by nearly three quarters of the world's nations, to the United States Senate for accession.

Today we reinforce the sentiment of prominent American members of the faith community, retired ranking military personnel, landmine survivors, and more than 500 non-governmental organizations in the United States. We respectfully request that you reassess current US policy and support the Mine Ban Treaty now.

Sincerely,

The following Physicians and their affliliations