§ Mr. MudieTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policies on the sale of landmines. [6359]
§ Mr. David DavisOur national moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land mines comprises, since March 1995, a total ban on the export of non-self-destructing or non-detectable anti-personnel landmines; plus a ban on the export ofall anti-personnel 58W landmines to countries which have not ratified the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention. Our aim is to restrict the availability of long-lived anti-personnel mines, which are the most dangerous to civilians; and to ensure that even self-destructing mines can be acquired only by responsible countries. We are pressing for international agreement on these lines, inter alia in the context of the current review of the 1980 UN weaponry convention.