U.S. to Lead Effort Against Land Mines, Albright Says

WASHINGTON â€”  The Clinton administration announced plans Friday to lead an international effort to clear the world of land mines by 2010.

The administration has been criticized for rejecting a treaty banning anti-personnel mines. But Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the best way to protect civilians is to “pull mines from the soil like the noxious weeds that they are.�

She said a more aggressive approach to land-mine clearance is needed because at current removal rates the task won’t be completed until decades into the next century.

Albright said the administration expects to contribute $80 million to the global effort in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, twice the figure for last fiscal year. And she expressed hope that global efforts will reach $1 billion annually, five times the current figure.

An estimated 100 million land mines in more than 64 countries are believed to cause about 26,000 casualties each year.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), a leading advocate in Congress for the land-mine treaty, praised the administration’s effort but said it is no substitute for a ban.

“Why spend billions of dollars to get rid of the mines, if they are only going to be replaced with new mines?� he said. “We need to destroy the mines in the ground, and we need to stop laying of new mines. Both are necessary to rid the world of these insidious weapons.�

On Sept. 17, more than 100 countries approved, without U.S. backing, a treaty that would ban anti-personnel mines. It is to take effect in December.

Despite intense international pressure, President Clinton rejected the treaty on grounds that such weapons were needed on the Korean peninsula. Beyond that, treaty critics contend the pact cannot be effectively policed.