Venezuela set to trash 90% of landmines ... doubts about actual number

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Landmines Monitor-Venezuela NGO chief, Antonio Gonzalez  says he will be meeting Venezuelan government officials this week to draw up a plan for the destruction of 90% of Venezuela's known landmines. 

The meeting is part of a scheduled follow-up process to the Convention Against the Use, Storage, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personal Mines and Their Destruction, which Venezuela signed in Ottawa (Canada) in 1999. 

Gonzalez admits that there is confusion about the number of mines currently possessed by the Venezuelan Armed Force (FAN).  "We aren't certain whether the actual number is 2,400 or 4,600 personal mines because of contradictions in preliminary reports." 

The government has an October 1st deadline to comply with the treaty.

Gonzalez points out that the majority of the mines are in FAN arms dumps and reveals that 100 landmines have been sown in four fields each in border areas of Apure and Amazonas States. "It happened before Venezuela signed the treaty and we are asking France to donate anti-mine uniforms and equipment to help us ... we are also concerned about mines in the hands of non-State sectors."