Letter
Joint Letter to President Obama Urging the U.S. to Join the Mine Ban Treaty (2010)
Joint Letter, signed by leaders from over 60 NGOs, including Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace and Ken Hackett, President, Catholic Relief Services to President Barack Obama Urging the U.S. to Join the Mine Ban Treaty, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines, March 22, 2010.
The signatories urge the President to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty and to submit it to the Senate for advice and consent before the end of 2010.
Key factual points cited:
- Seventy‑seven national organizations requested a policy review in February of the prior year; the administration announced a review in November and attended the Cartagena Summit.
- The Mine Ban Treaty is described as the international standard; 156 countries are parties, and in the Western Hemisphere only the United States and Cuba remain outside.
- The U.S. has not used antipersonnel landmines since 1991, has not exported them since 1992, and has not produced them since 1997; it did not use them during operations in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
- Previous U.S. commitments included a 1998 Clinton goal to join by 2006 and a 2004 Bush policy ending U.S. use of persistent landmines by 2010.
- The U.S. is the largest donor to mine clearance and victim assistance programs.
Humanitarian and operational arguments cited:
- Antipersonnel landmines are indiscriminate, injure and kill civilians and soldiers alike, and hinder stability, development, and humanitarian recovery in fragile states.
- Their use undermines efforts to win local support during modern conflicts; the global consensus finds their humanitarian costs outweigh military utility.
- There is no military need asserted for future deployment, including potential conflict on the Korean peninsula.
The letter asks for a prompt decision to accede and for the President to transmit the treaty to the Senate in 2010, offering stakeholder participation and assistance in the policy review.