House of Lords written question – answered at on 7 May 2002.
The Bishop of Guildford
Bishop
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy in respect of the main recommendation in the Landmine Action report Explosive Remnants of War, namely that the users of explosive munitions should be legally responsible for the clearance of unexploded ordnance or for providing financial assistance sufficient to ensure its clearance.
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Minister of State (Middle East), Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Minister of State (Trade), Department of Trade and Industry, Minister for Trade and Investment and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords (also Department of Trade and Industry), Minister of State (Trade and Investment) Deputy Leader of the House of Lords (also FCO), Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government are committed to addressing the problems caused by explosive remnants of war. In international discussions, we are ready to explore steps to facilitate and make more effective the clearance of unexploded ordnance. We support the development of a new protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons. But we are not convinced that a legal responsibility on the user is the best approach for a protocol. Legal responsibility is unlikely to be acceptable to countries unable to carry out or pay for post-conflict clearance. Moreover, it is not clear how such an obligation would apply when there are multiple parties to a conflict, or how the user would be identified in all cases. The practical and legal implications of this recommendation are thus wide-ranging and need to be considered fully.
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