Kuwait calls for limiting hazards of war ordnance

The State of Kuwait on Tuesday called for tackling some wars repercussions by means of dismantling abandoned lethal ordnance and explosives and aiding the affected communities.
Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghnem, the State of Kuwait's Permanent Delegate at the UN and international organizations, called on parties to Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War (to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons), to abide by all its provisions and back up international efforts aimed at destroying the explosives left behind after wars, "rebuilding the affected communities and offering help to the victims" of conflicts.
Limiting hazards caused by the explosives, abandoned after wars, is a very significant issue, considering their dangerous effects on peoples of the globe, said Ambassador Al-Ghnem, while addressing the 8th conference of the protocol's signatory states.
"Such a common objective can only be attained with partnership among the affected states, influential parties, ensuring continuous international cooperation, information exchange, offering financial and technical aid, organizing awareness campaigns to educate communities about negative effects of the explosives and wars' ordnance, particularly on human beings and the environment," the Kuwaiti diplomat said.
Kuwait, which signed the UN convention and its five affiliate protocols on May 24, 2013, started defusing lethal ordnance, namely mines, following the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation. The deadly ordnance had been planted along the coast, at sea, around oil and economic installations.
The teams that were involved in the combing operation faced enormous difficulties, partly due to the terrain nature, where many mines were concealed with moving sand dunes. Mentioning other problems, he noted lack of information and maps' inaccuracy of polluted regions. Moreover, the summer scorching heat triggered explosion of many of these abandoned ammunitions.
The thorny demining operation had cost up to USD 31,000-67,000 per one square km, he said, indicating that the Kuwaiti authorities had to carry out the clear-up operation carefully out of the keenness on lives of citizens and residents of the country.