Iran raps intl. indifference to landmines
Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has deplored the double standards of international bodies on the elimination of landmines, calling for stronger global cooperation to help tackle the menace.
Speaking at the First International Conference on Demining in Tehran on Tuesday, Brigadier General Vahidi said it is possible to witness a world devoid of landmines if there is greater cooperation at the international level.
He added, however, that double standards and contrasting policies on the matter are among the problems at the international institutions.
The Iranian defense minister also stressed that while the international community must fight for the clearance of anti-personnel landmines worldwide, it must identify the root causes of the threat, and stop them.
Meanwhile, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mission in Iran Pierre Ryter expressed the ICRC’s readiness to assist Iran in purging mine-infested areas from the unexploded ordnance.
On April 4, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his message on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, called for the elimination of landmines and the explosive remnants of war for a safe and sustainable world.