We won’t be affected by mine ban, National Guard insists

By a Staff Reporter

THE National Guard yesterday insisted it would not be affected if Cyprus ratified the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.

The issue was discussed before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which was told by a Foreign Ministry representative that ratifying the convention was an urgent matter, as the ministry was already committed.

But the committee heard that the National Guard would not be affected if the convention was ratified because it banned anti-personnel and not anti- tank mines.

The Foreign Ministry representative said Greece had already ratified the convention and expected Turkey to follow suit.

Turkey has not ratified the treaty citing the political instability due to the imminent general elections.

AKEL deputy Takis Hadjigeorgiou suggested the ministry should consult with its Greek counterpart on how to proceed on the matter.

The discussion was adjourned at the request of the legal service, which asked to re-examine a specific provision.

The Ottawa Convention bans production, storage, use and sale of anti- personnel mines, as well as ordering the clearance of existing minefields.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.