28 November 2001

Powell Lauds Goals of Humanitarian Demining Efforts

Secretary of State Colin Powell says the goals of a comprehensive humanitarian demining effort must include the mobilization of support for landmine clearance, mine awareness, survivor assistance, and the development new demining technologies for a mine-safe world.

Through mine action programs, such as those already established in 40 countries, a mine-safe world can be a reality in a matter of years, Powell said November 27 at a dinner to honor public-private partnerships in support of humanitarian demining. He said the Bush administration believes that in Afghanistan, where the largest single employer is deminers, demining will play a critical role in the process of national reconstruction. Mine action programs there, as in other war-torn countries, will be necessary to ensure public safety, and will facilitate the creation of a secure economic and political environment, he said.

Powell credited the public-private partnerships with restoring hope and a sense of security by helping mine survivors, transferring demining technology and skills to populations, and increasing awareness about mines and modes of self-protection.

"Over the past 10 years, the results of our collective efforts have been most impressive. We have seen a decrease in reported annual casualties from 26,000 to 10,000," he said. "The rate of reduction is almost 70 percent in Cambodia."

Powell said that since 1993 when the United States launched its humanitarian de-mining effort, the United States has provided over $500 million to support mine action programs worldwide.

Following is a transcript of Powell's remarks:

Secretary Powell: Your Majesty, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so very much for your warm response. And, Linc, I thank you for that very long and gracious introduction. (Laughter.) That guy works for me, too -- or did. (Laughter.)

It is a great pleasure to welcome you here to the Ben Franklin Room. These are the diplomatic rooms of the Department of State and, for those of you who may have never been here before, I hope that in the course of the evening you will take time to wander through these beautiful rooms. These rooms are a source of joy to me. We swear in people here. We have wonderful ceremonies and dinners, such as we are having this evening. And in the other room, in the far end of the wing of this building, you will find the John Adams room, where you will find the desk that it is alleged Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and many other wonderful pieces in these rooms that were provided by generous Americans, who wanted this place to look as you see it this evening, restored to its original glory, so to speak, of what it might have looked like, had it been here 200-odd years ago.

And you can see the contrast, from when you come in downstairs and you see this modern, stark building. And then suddenly, as you come up eight floors, you are transformed and changed and moved back 200 years to our earlier history. So please enjoy these beautiful rooms.

And it is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity this evening to welcome you all to these rooms and to the Department of State on an evening that I have been looking forward to, an occasion I have been looking forward to for many, many months. Because, my friends, we gather tonight to honor the wonderful work that has been done through public/private partnerships for mine action, and to recommit ourselves to this life-saving work.

Our goal is to mobilize support for landmine clearance, mine awareness, survivor assistance, and to find new de-mining technologies that will make the work that we do even more effective.

This dinner is part of a larger celebration, the night of a thousand dinners. Dinners like ours are being hosted by private citizens, by corporations, by nongovernmental organizations, by foundations, all being done on or around the 30th of November all across our country and all across the world, around the globe. I am proud to report that 14 of our American embassies around the world are hosting a dinner this evening. And I said to Linc earlier, "Only 14?" You know, we have about 160 of them around there. And so we will have to have a chat about this tomorrow morning. (Laughter.)

And I readily agreed to host this one, and it is my honor to host it. And then they told me earlier this evening that I was only just the warm-up act for Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, who you will see in a cartoon performance a little bit later on, which will be an effective way of giving the mine warfare and de-mining effort a boost.

You need to know that we who gather here tonight and those who are gathered at these many dinners around the world are making a big difference, making a big difference in the lives of men, women and children all over the world, and in very tangible ways. Thanks to the de-mining efforts that you and all the others around the world gathered support, parents can send their children out to play, free from the fear that they won't come home. Thanks to you, entire villages are reclaiming their fields for agriculture. Thanks to you, survivors of landmine accidents are receiving rehabilitative care and vocational training. Thanks to you, new technologies are being developed that make de-mining more effective and less dangerous for the de-miners. Thanks to you, endangered communities are learning how to protect themselves and how to protect their families. In short, thanks to you and so many others gathered tonight, millions of men, women and children in some 70 countries around the world can look to the future once again with hope.

What you are doing is as selfless as it is visionary, since the danger of landmines is far removed from the everyday concerns of most Americans. Your creative programs, such as Adopt-A-Minefield, and the play "Watch Your Step" have helped communities across our nation, and especially our young people, relate to the plight of others in countries far, far away.

You may be interested to know that one of the places in which Adopt-A-Minefield has been most active is Afghanistan, where it is a component of the United Nations Mine Action Program. The United Nations Mine Action Program for Afghanistan has been the largest humanitarian de-mining program in the world since 1988. The Afghanistan program has also been the largest civilian employer in Afghanistan, with nearly 5,000 de-miners.

That's a tribute to the program, but it is also a statement on how much more we have to do in Afghanistan. The largest single employer should not be de-miners. It is for the moment, but this Administration and the international community is committed to Afghanistan. And when this current crisis is over, we are committed to rebuilding Afghanistan, to giving those people hope. And that hope will begin with cleaning the countryside of mines.

Since it began, the Afghanistan program has received nearly $28 million from American taxpayers. And to date, over 300 square miles of Afghanistan have been cleared, making it the most productive mine clearance program in the world. And, ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you tonight that President Bush and I see the resumption of humanitarian de-mining as an essential and integral part of the international community's Afghanistan rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.

In fact, de-mining has already begun once again in areas that have been freed of Taliban control. Indigenous Afghan de-mining brigades are back in business. And as we secure more and more of the countryside, as our Marines spread out, as our other forces spread out, one of the top priorities that we will be interested in, as we discussed earlier today at the White House, will be to get the de-miners back into those areas that are now safe for them to work.

As experience has shown in war-torn countries from Cambodia to Mozambique, on to Nicaragua, mine action is not only critical to public safety; it is a key factor in the process of national reconstruction. Mine action is about healing the wounds of war, reaching out to its victims, opening economic opportunities for shattered communities, and creating a secure and stable environment where political and economic freedom can thrive.

Our government has made an unshakable, bipartisan commitment to mine action, as the presence tonight of so many of our congressional guests attests. And, in particular, I want to thank Senator Pat Leahy and Senator Chuck Hagel, two of our nation's foremost advocates for mine action. I thank them, I thank all of their colleagues here tonight for the commitment they have made to this effort.

But Bush Administration is proud to carry on this strong tradition of commitment and public/private partnership with those of you assembled. Our partnership has led to impressive results over the past decade. At times, we have differed on the best approach to take. But we all agree -- without question, we all agree -- that the goal is a mine-safe world.

Since 1993 when the United States launched its humanitarian de-mining effort, we have provided over $500 million to support mine action programs worldwide. These funds, combined with resources from other nations, innovative concepts from the NGO community, and thousands of man-years of courageous fieldwork have literally created this new discipline of humanitarian mine action.

Over the past 10 years, the results of our collective efforts have been most impressive. We have seen a decrease in reported annual casualties from 26,000 to 10,000. The rate of reduction is almost 70 percent in Cambodia. That's impressive, but not enough. We have to get the rates down to zero. We have to get the casualty figures down to zero.

Mine action programs have been established in some 40 countries. One thousand square kilometers of land and over 12,000 kilometers of roadway have been cleared one square meter at a time. Hundreds of thousands of mine survivors have been fitted with prosthetic devices and given other forms of rehabilitation. In country after country, de-mining technology and skills have been transferred to local populations, so they can continue the important work once they have been trained and equipped.

Socio-economic surveys of mine-affected communities are ongoing in Yemen, in Chad, in Thailand, in Mozambique and Cambodia, and in Vietnam. And surveys in Lebanon and Afghanistan will begin soon. And next month, Kosovo will be declared mine safe, a remarkable accomplishment, given that conventional wisdom had predicted it would take generations to reach that goal.

The US contribution to all these successes and to the extraordinary achievement in Kosovo in particular are, in great part, due to the exceptional leadership, skill and dedication of one of the Department's finest officers. The State Department is very, very proud of the fellow who has been in charge of this effort since 1998, and that's Don Steinberg.

Until a few weeks ago, he was our special representative for mine action. Don's passion for humanitarian de-mining dates back to his three-year tour as our ambassador to Angola, one of the most mine-infested countries on earth. Now, Don serves as my deputy director for policy planning, and you will be glad to know that he is at the center of our reconstruction effort for Afghanistan.

Don, where are you? I think you are deserving of the applause of all assembled. (Applause.)

A lot of this work got its energy in the previous administration, and there is somebody else here with us this evening who had a lot to do with it, and I think he is also deserving of your recognition and applause, and that's Tony Lake. (Applause.)

And tonight I am pleased to formally introduce you to Don's successor as special representative, somebody who has already been to the lectern, Lincoln Bloomfield, Jr. Linc already serves as my Assistant Secretary of State for Political and Military Affairs. And Linc comes to his new duties with a broad range of experiences that exemplify the public/private cooperation that we honor this evening. Linc's government background has been mostly in the areas of national security, Middle Eastern and Asian affairs. He also has extensive experience as well in the private sector. And he is known to many of you from his membership on the board of directors of the Landmine Survivors Network. In Linc, you will find a strong advocate and energetic partner, and I have given him the mission of making sure that we give all of our energy to this very important program.

Linc and Don would both be the first to say, however, that this dinner isn't about us in government; it's about all of you, our partners in mine action, from the corporate foundation and NGO worlds, and the thousands of our fellow citizens all across the country who care deeply about this important issue. Without your efforts, without your commitment, without your passion, without your dedication, the world's governments cannot even hope to put a dent in the problem.

I will mention just a few of the many outstanding Americans here with us this evening who have made pioneering contributions to mine action. These extraordinary citizens have not only given their hearts and souls to this important cause, they have inspired countless others to do the same thing. They have been a constant source of ideas, and they have taught all of us how to be more effective in mine action.

Bobby Muller, Nobel laureate, war hero. (Applause.) War hero and President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. The guy nobody can say no to, who by sheer force of personality and will, got the global landmine movement rolling.

Jerry White and Ken Rutherford, both landmine survivors and co-founders of the Landmine Survivors Network. They reach out to fellow survivors throughout the world, helping them to fully participate in the life of their community and their country.

Michael Lundquist, who has created path-breaking, community-based programs in Nicaragua and Honduras, providing artificial limbs to some of the poorest of the poor.

Dennis Barlow, from the Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University. Dennis and his team are the world's go-to people when you need landmine data.

Arlene Willis, founder of an NGO dedicated to the memory of her brother, who was killed by a landmine in Vietnam. Arlene's foundation provides treatment and vocational training to landmine survivors.

And the list goes on and on and on. Each and every one of you here tonight has contributed to this noble cause. For your hard work, for your dedication, and for your vision, I salute you. In just 10 years, thanks to your indispensable support the mine action community has grown from a few local de-mining efforts to a worldwide movement backed by people of all cultures and creeds, on all continents, a movement that extends from grassroots levels to the halls of government, a worldwide effort that reaches out to the least of God's children in the remotest villages, and as high as the loftiest ideals of the United Nations Charter.

My friends, the remarkable achievements of the past decade show that a mine-safe world is more than just a hope. The international community can reach this goal in years, not decades. We can do it within the span of a generation. We have the people, we have the know-how, we have the infrastructure. We will have the support and the resources, if your magnificent work over the last 10 years is any indication of the potential that exists throughout the world. Your work is noble, our work is noble.

On behalf of President Bush, on behalf of the American people, I can say to you that you will have no greater champions working alongside of you than the men and women of this administration. So on behalf, once again, of the President, on behalf of the American people, I thank you for your dedication and your commitment, and I thank you for being here this evening. Thank you so very much. (Applause.)

I now have the added pleasure of introducing somebody that you all know, somebody who is one of the world's foremost champions of mine action. Her name means "light." And, as patron of the Landmine Survivors Network, she has brought light to the lives of countless men, women and children who have suffered injury in landmine accidents.

Her commitment to the canine mine-detecting dog program is helping to light a safe path for all of god's creatures. Indeed, her ceaseless work for landmine clearance and for education has made the future brighter for people all over the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce a great friend of mine, somebody we all know and love, Her Majesty Queen Noor Al-Hussein. (Applause.)