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PRESS RELEASE

 

Subject: Maria Damanaki’s Parliamentary Question on Munitions Containing Depleted Uranium in Greece Based on GHM Press Release

 

11 January 2001

 

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) makes public the question tabled today by the Synaspismos (Coalition) MP Maria Damanaki concerning landmines containing depleted uranium in Greece, the existence of which was disclosed in a GHM press release of 8/1/2001. That text follows below.

 

QUESTION

To the National Defense Minister

 

Subject: Stored landmines

 

In my timely question of 14/11/2000 I requested that Greece ratify the international convention of Ottawa for the ban on antipersonnel mines.

In the response given in Parliament, the Minister admitted the existence in Greece of stored antipersonnel mines for the realization of defensive operations.

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) in a recent release (8/1/2001) reports that our country possesses antipersonnel mines containing depleted uranium.

 

The Minister is asked

 

1.      Is it true that Greece is storing mines containing depleted uranium? What is their number?

2.      What are the proposed plans for their withdrawal?

3.      What are the plans for the ratification of the Ottawa convention banning the use of antipersonnel mines?

 

The inquiring MP

Maria Damanaki

 

GHM PRESS RELEASE REFERRED TO IN THE QUESTION

 

Subject: Weapons of Depleted Uranium in Greece (too)

 

8 January 2001

 

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) calls upon all involved institutions – political parties, media, scientific institutions, etc. – to responsibly and impartially deal with the extremely grave matter of munitions containing depleted uranium, used or stored, in Greece or abroad. Should there be incontrovertible scientific proof of their long-term serious adverse effects, it must lead to the prosecution of all those parties responsible in initiating and/or cooperating and/or tolerating their use, wherever they are, no matter how powerful they are (for example, all member-states of NATO share responsibility for its actions). At the same time, future use of such munitions must be banned. In addition, the Greek government has an immediate obligation to disclose the number of such munitions currently in its possession, and proceed with transparency to withdraw them. On this occasion, Greece is called upon to ratify forthwith the International Mine Ban Treaty, which it has signed, given reports that it, too, possesses antipersonnel mines containing depleted uranium. The Convention has been ratified by more than 100 states – not Greece among them!

 Specifically, it has been public knowledge for years that Greece purchased 504 similar antipersonnel mines (ADAM M692 worth $2.6 million) from the U.S. prior to 1992, when a moratorium on the export of antipersonnel mines was put into effect. At the same time, Greece is reported to host additional landmines as part of its allied commitments. This data is contained in reports published by Human Rights Watch in 1997, available on the following websites:

http://www.hrw.org/hrw/campaigns/mines/III.4.exports.html http://www.hrw.org/hrw/reports/2000/uslm/USALM007-05.htm

 The reports are based in part on official documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Defense by the Human Rights Watch Arms Project under the Freedom of Information Act. These munitions containing depleted uranium appear to be of a different type than what was reported in today’s press as Greece’s reported holdings of 40,000 projectiles containing the same material.