Washington -- Secretary of State Albright says the goal of the United States is "to eliminate the threat landmines pose to civilians, everywhere on the face of the earth, by the end of the next decade."

Speaking to 100 delegates from around the world who are seeking an end to the landmines crisis, Albright said this goal "is both right and reachable -- if only the international community will work together."

Albright spoke to those attending the Washington Conference on Global Humanitarian Demining May 21 and told them they "are right to be working on a donor mechanism to allow donors and international organizations to work together so that their efforts and resources yield more, not less, than the sum of their parts."

She pointed out that President Clinton was the first world leader to set the goal of eliminating anti-personnel landmines (APL) globally. Albright also noted that the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program has risen from $40 million to $90 million in one year and indicated that U.S. support would expand substantially in 1999 and beyond.

The financial commitments needed to remove threatening mines are within reach, she said, noting that the U.S. Demining 2010 Initiative envisions $1,000 million being raised annually by the international community for global humanitarian demining.

"Because of the sheer number of mines strewn about our planet today, and because of the limitations of technology and the costs of clearance," Albright explained, "the goal we have set for ourselves is daunting."

"Landmines keep killing and maiming and pushing people out of their homes long after the guns fall silent. They are cheap to buy, easy to use, hard to detect and difficult to remove. They prey on the innocent, the young, the unwary and the unlucky," she said. "They inflict the greatest damage on societies that can least afford to clear mines, warn civilians, care for victims, or deal with the loss of farmland made unusable by mines," the secretary added.

For that reason, Albright said, "a better baseline estimate of the extent of the landmine problem" is needed "including not just numbers of mines, but the acreage contaminated and the people at risk." That information, in turn, must be made accessible to all, she emphasized.

Following is the text of Albright's remarks as delivered:

(begin text)

Thank you, Rick. You've arranged a splendid conference -- and attracted an audience for this evening that is as impressive as our shared purpose is important.

From Bobby Muller and Jody Williams to my old friends Rafee Ahmed, Jenette Kahn and Michael Sonnenfeldt to the Honorable Kathleen Sullivan to the host of other diplomats, dignitaries and NGO friends I wish we had time to cite by name, it is hard to imagine a gathering like this one having greater credibility or clout.

I want to thank the organizers -- and every one of you who turned out tonight -- for adjusting schedules and thus enabling me to speak to you on this most vital subject at this most pivotal time.

Near the start of this century, just 10 percent of wartime casualties were civilians. But as the century wanes, 90 percent of the casualties in contemporary conflicts are civilians.

That head-turning fact is not due entirely to landmines. But the landmine crisis does reveal much about modern conflict. And how we respond to it will be no less telling about the international community's ability to address pressing global crises.

Most of us in this room are all too familiar with the grim statistics, the characteristics, the obstacles and objectives that define the landmine issue. More important, we are familiar with the staggering human costs.

Landmines keep killing and maiming and pushing people out of their homes long after the guns fall silent. They are cheap to buy, easy to use, hard to detect, and difficult to remove. They prey on the innocent, the young, the unwary, and the unlucky. They inflict the greatest damage on societies that can least afford to clear mines, warn civilians, care for victims, or deal with the loss of farmland made unusable by mines.

Because of the sheer number of mines strewn about our planet today, and because of the limitations of technology and the costs of clearance, the goal we have set for ourselves is daunting.

But great accomplishments rarely come without great goals. And President Clinton has made it our goal to eliminate the threat landmines pose to civilians, everywhere on the face of the earth, by the end of the next decade.

I hope you will embrace this goal in this conference. And I urge you to do so.

For this is a goal that is both right and reachable -- if only the international community will work together, with unity, passion and purpose. For proof, we need look no further than Afghanistan. There, facing difficult circumstances, NGOs have learned to play distinct roles in what has become a coherent national program. Indigenous capacities are now formidable. The need for expatriate supervision is minimal. And we now expect the top priority minefields in that war-ravaged country to be cleared within three years.

Landmines keep killing and maiming and pushing people out of their homes long after the guns fall silent. They are cheap to buy, easy to use, hard to detect and difficult to remove. They prey on the innocent, the young, the unwary, and the unlucky. They inflict the greatest damage on societies that can least afford to clear mines, warn civilians, care for victims, or deal with the loss of farmland made unusable by mines.

So we know how to attack this problem; we have learned the elements of effective mine action. What we must do now is combine this knowledge with the awareness, the commitment, the resources, the coordination, and the leadership to design and carry out a truly global strategy.

In terms of the public awareness, national energies and total resources that can now be harnessed, we embark on this great enterprise with the wind at our backs. I want to acknowledge Senator (Patrick) Leahy, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the Ottawa process for bringing enormous attention to the truth that it is wrong to endanger civilians with landmines. They have done a great service by moving the world toward faster action to end the dangers landmines pose.

In this connection, let me express my pleasure at the recent understanding reached between the administration and Senator Leahy. While the United States' unique responsibilities precluded us from signing the Ottawa Convention when it was concluded last fall, it's worth remembering that President Clinton was the first world leader to set the goal of eliminating APL worldwide. The new understanding underscores America's strong commitment to finding alternatives to both anti-personnel landmines and mixed munitions, our obligation to provide for the safety and security of our armed forces, and our clear intention to sign the Ottawa Convention by 2006 if by then we can find and field such suitable alternatives.

Second, as this conference amply attests, today the political will to solve the humanitarian problem is there. As I have looked at your program materials -- and as I look now across this room -- it's clear that countries are represented here at high levels. NGOs are bringing enormous expertise, commitment and energy. And the private sector is finding innovative ways to harness donor generosity and participation.

Third, the necessary financial commitments are also within reach. The fiscal aim of our 2010 initiative is for the international community to raise $1 billion ($1,000 million) annually for global humanitarian demining. It is already clear that resources are rising rapidly as we turn our collective energies to this problem.

Of course, the best leadership is often by example -- and as the world's demining leader, the United States will continue to ramp up our own financial commitment. In 1997, the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program contributed $40 million. In 1998, we will contribute more than $90 million. And we are working to substantially expand our support in 1999 and beyond.

But our shared task is far more than financial. And it is not enough that it be shared; it must be shared effectively -- with one hand aware of what the other is doing.

That is why we need a better baseline estimate of the extent of the landmine problem -- including not just numbers of mines, but the acreage contaminated and the people at risk -- and why we must make this information base accessible to all.

That is why you are right to be working on a donor coordinating mechanism, to allow donors and international organizations to work together so that their efforts and resources yield more, not less, than the sum of their parts.

And that is why -- at a time when the most common demining instrument is still a stick -- we have to improve our means of getting advanced demining technology out into the field where and when it is most needed.

As Secretary of State, I often face crises in which the path the international community should take to make things better is, to put it mildly, shrouded in mist.

But the landmine crisis is different. For this is a crisis where the way out is marked. It came through Ottawa and Tokyo; through Copenhagen, Oslo and Bonn; and it is passing now through Washington.

And here, tonight, gathered in this room, is the group that can provide the impetus and leadership that is the final ingredient needed to solve this problem. Here, in this room, is the group that can make it happen.

As a direct result of your efforts, life will get better for the millions and millions of innocent children, women and men whose lives are daily diminished by the hidden killers in their midst. You know that. I know that. It is happening every day, mine by mine, acre by acre, as ordinary people reclaim their lands and come closer, with every safe and silent step, to what those of us in this room are fortunate to know as the quiet miracle of a normal life.

You are doubly fortunate to have this opportunity to make such a tangible difference for the better.

And the seen and unseen victims of landmines everywhere are fortunate to have you hard at work to end this crisis -- in a matter of years, not decades. Best of luck with the rest of your conference, and with all your efforts. For this is God's work you are doing. And so I say, "Godspeed."

Thank you very much.

(end text)