Oman destroys its stockpile of anti-personnel mines
164 States Parties are part of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention
In 2015, the year that Oman joined the Convention, it reported over 15,000 stockpiled anti-personnel mines
Oman has completed the destruction of its stockpile of antipersonnel mines according to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC).
“The sultanate is honoured to declare that we have completed the destruction of anti-personnel mines according to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention well ahead of our 2019 deadline,” said Col Yahya Adbulla Sulaiman al Amri who presented the state- ment before the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties which took place at the United Nations office in Geneva recently.
Oman, one of the newest States Parties, said that finalising its destruction obligation shows that it is ‘is fully committed in implementing the obligations under the Convention within our deadlines’.
In 2015 the year that Oman joined the Convention, it reported over 15,000 stockpiled anti-personnel mines under its ownership or possession. “Oper- ations carried out by the sultanate’s armed forces began on September 13, 2015 and concluded on September 25 this year.
“All stockpiled anti-personnel mines have been destroyed, opting to keep a small number permitted for training purposes under the Convention,” according to a statement from the APMBC.
The Convention President, Ambassador of Afghanistan to Switzerland and the UN in Geneva, Suraya Dalil congratu- lated Oman for its steady resolve. “Destruction of stockpile is one of the successes of the Convention. Oman’s destruction efforts guarantee that those landmines will never be used. Oman should be very proud for its contribution towards a world free of these weapons,” said Ambassador Dalil.
During the destruction phase, Oman ‘took every effort to carry out the destruction in an environment-friendly manner and at internationally-approved facilities through controlled explosions in Wadi al Ma’awel and Wadi Adawnab where neither water nor air qualities or wildlife were affected thanks to small controlled explosions,’ added the Omani delegation.
While Oman has declared completion of its stockpile destruction obligation, it still has a mine clearance obligation under the Convention.
Together, the 164 States Parties have destroyed more than 51mn landmines and 158 States Parties have fulfilled their stockpile destruction obligation.