| De-mining plans ignore foundations |
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ISTANBUL - As discussion continues on a draft law to clear mines on the Turkey-Syria border using a company that would hold rights to the land for 44 years, it seems to be forgotten that there are organizations that do these jobs for free and do not claim land rights afterward.
For example, the Turkish government has not contacted the American-British HALO Trust, a foundation that has cleared more than a million mines in the past 20 years in Mozambique, Somali, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh and Afghanistan. Officials of the trust said they were aware of the debate in Turkey and might be interested if asked.
"But we do not have an interest in holding onto the land after the clearing. We hope the land would be returned to its true owner. HALO employs more than 7,000 personnel for nine humanitarian projects; therefore the job can be done by local personnel and support staff trained in Turkey. This is what we have been doing for 20 years."
The HALO officials said in order to talk about numbers for clearing the minefields at the Turkey-Syria border, they would need to know the size of the land, the plant cover, the type of mines, the density in which the mines were laid, and by whom they were laid and with which methods. Since those details are not public knowledge, HALO cannot answer questions about how much would it cost to remove the landmines.
What is the cost?
Per Nergaard, head of the Mine Action Unit for Norwegian People’s Aid, a leading civil society organization in Norway that has cleared mines in nine countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, said Turkey had not asked for their help in fulfilling its obligations from the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, but if it would, they would consider it with a positive approach. On the other hand, DEMIRA Deutsche Minenraeumer e.V, a civil society organization in Germany, is reported to be in communication with the Turkish government about the mine-clearing project. |
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