The Obama Administration recently made a public commitment to not produce or otherwise acquire any anti-personnel landmines in the future. The announcement, made by spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden of the U.S. National Security Council, was delivered at the Third Review Conference of the Ottawa Treaty in Maputo, Mozambique.
Since the announcement by Obama’s administration, the new U.S. stand on anti-personnel landmines has been supported by the Pentagon. The U.S. Department of Defense has released a press briefing by Rear Admiral John Kirby, which confirms the Pentagon’s commitment to support the American policy not to purchase, procure or otherwise develop anti-personnel landmines.
Although the U.S. still remains outside the Ottawa Treaty, these recent developments in policy are viewed internationally as positive and important to the movement to ban globally the production and use of all landmines.
Please click this link to view the Pentagon briefing:
http://www.defense.gov/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=5455
