Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty to take effect in Finland on 1 July

MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
http://formin.finland.fi/english

Press release 162/2012
29 June 2012

Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty to take effect in Finland on 1 July

The Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines will take effect in Finland on 1 July 2012. The Parliament accepted Finland's accession to the Treaty on 25 November 2011 and the President of the Republic made the decision on accession on 22 December 2011. The UN Secretary General deposited Finland's accession on 9 January 2012.

The Ottawa Treaty, negotiated in 1997, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and defines their destruction. Finland has a plan for destroying the anti-personnel mines currently in possession of the defence forces. The mines will be destroyed in accordance with the Treaty within four years of the Treaty having taken effect. The Ottawa Treaty also governs destruction of anti-personnel mines in mined areas. Since Finland hasn't got any mined areas, the obligation does not apply to Finland.

Finland has supported humanitarian mine action since 1991. Humanitarian mine action refers to mine clearance, promotion of mine awareness and helping of the victims of mines. This year, humanitarian mine action will receive EUR 5.5 million from seven countries. The targeted amount is EUR 6 million in aid by 2014.

Further information: Head of Unit for Arms Control Markku Virri, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 40 158 5453, Col., Engineer Inspector Harri Kauppinen, Defence Command, puh. +358 299 410 507 Counsellor Anna Gebremedhin, Unit for Humanitarian Assistance, tel. +358 40 583 0149