U.S. Department of State Reviews U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action in the Middle East

The United States is working to protect the lives and limbs of civilians in six Middle Eastern nations - - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and Yemen - - from the deadly scourge of landmines and other unexploded remnants of war. As the end of the sixth year of U.S. support for humanitarian mine action totaling $30 million dollars through Fiscal Year 2002 in the Middle East approaches, it is appropriate to measure the progress made in helping these countries to become mine-safe.

Accordingly, the U.S. Department of State has released a comprehensive review, "U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action in the Middle East: A 6-Year Progress Report," available on line at http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/spec/15722.htm complete with:

• A brief introduction to the U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program (that currently supports mine clearance, mine risk education and mine survivors assistance in a total of 44 mine affected countries around the world) and how countries are chosen for inclusion.
• Profiles of each of the 6 countries' landmine problem and the degree of progress since the U.S. began providing assistance, beginning in 1996 in Jordan, to the most recent mine action initiative supported by the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs to threatened populations in northern Iraq starting this year.
• Selected quotes by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and other notables concerning the global landmine problem and the landmine problem in the Middle Eastern countries that receive U.S. humanitarian mine action assistance.
• Other U.S. Government humanitarian mine action information sources.
• Prior U.S. Department of State public documents concerning U.S. humanitarian mine action in the Middle East.