St. Joseph
Church
Bristol, Connecticut
Deacon Robert M. Pallotti
Pastoral Minister
The Roman Catholic Teaching on
the Banning of Landmines and the Ottawa
Treaty, 1997
In 1995 The U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bishops
published a pastoral letter entitled, Sowing Weapons of War: A Pastoral Reflection on
the Arms Trade and Landmines. This pastoral letter addressed the "scandal"
of the arms trade and the unfortunate role that the United States has played as the
leading arms exporter.
"The arms trade is a scandal. That
weapons of war are bought and sold almost as if they were simply another commodity like
appliances or industrial machinery is a serious moral disorder in today's world. The
predominant role of our won country in sustaining and even promoting the arms trade,
sometimes for economic reasons, is a moral challenge for our nation. Jobs at home cannot
justify exporting the means of war abroad." p.1
The pastoral letter calls for policies directed
toward curbing the arms trade. The letter offers five specific policy options that are
directed toward the end of greatly reducing the arms trade. These five policy options are:
+ STRICT CONTROLS ON U.S. ARMS TRANSFERS. Together with other
countries, the United States should strictly enforce existing controls, strengthen them
where necessary, and seek to reduce substantially weapons transfers. Continued high levels
of U.S. military aid, government subsidies, and other efforts to promote arms sales abroad
should be ended. Proposals, such as the Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers, that
would bring greater openness and accountability to arms transfer decisions deserve
support.
+ CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY. Government controls do not
absolve those involved in the arms industry of moral responsibility for their decisions to
sell arms. They have a moral obligation not only to ensure strict compliance with export
controls, but also to avoid sales that will probably be used for illegitimate purposes or
that will threaten stability and peace.
+ NONMILITARY WAYS TO PROTECT JOBS. The sometimes dramatic
effects of defense cuts on local economies should be dealt with through economic
development and conversion programs, efforts to strengthen the nonmilitary economy, and
programs to assist the unemployed. The sometimes dramatic
effects of defense cuts on local economies should be dealt with through economic
development and conversion programs, efforts to strengthen the nonmilitary economy, and
programs to assist the unemployed.
+ INTERNATIONAL CONTROLS. Since no single country is
responsible for the proliferation of arms and no one country alone can stop it, strict
national regulations of arms transfers must be combined with legally binding international
norms, with strict verification measures, for all arms transfers. The U.N. Register of
Conventional Arms, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and other multilateral
efforts to control the proliferation of weapons deserve widespread support.
Since no single country is
responsible for the proliferation of arms and no one country alone can stop it, strict
national regulations of arms transfers must be combined with legally binding international
norms, with strict verification measures, for all arms transfers. The U.N. Register of
Conventional Arms, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and other multilateral
efforts to control the proliferation of weapons deserve widespread support.
+ IMPROVED COOPERATIVE SECURITY. International controls will
only be effective and the demand for weapons will only be reduced if there is a
strengthening of international mechanisms of cooperative security, including conventional
and nuclear arms control agreements. It is particularly appropriate as we commemorate the
50th anniversary of the United Nations that the United States does its share and
encourages other nations to do their share in providing the financial, political, and
other support necessary for the United Nations to fulfill its mandate to reduce and
resolve conflicts in the world.
Banning Landmines
The letter goes on to call for an international ban on landmines. It
also calls upon the United States to take the lead in helping to realize this goal. To
date, the United States has not signed the Ottawa Treaty that would lead to a
world-wide ban on landmines.
"The United States should lead an
international effort to reduce and ultimately ban the use of anti-personnel landmines,
just as was done with chemical and biological weapons. The current moratorium on the U.S.
exports of landmines is commendable; it should be made permanent and should be extended
globally."
The letter concludes with the following statement:
"...That our own country
should be the leader in this deadly market in arms is a
source of shame, not pride. A nation, we should seek to market our ideals, not our
weapons. We must "seek peace and pursue it" (Ps. 34:15). In the name of peace,
development, an human rights, we need an ethic of responsibility and a policy of effective
restraint to control the trade in arms."
"We urge Catholics involved in decisions to transfer arms to
reflect on the moral implications of their decisions. Acting on the biblical injunction to
"beat swords into plowshares," we call on our dioceses and parishes to encourage
Catholics to press for an abolition of landmines and a reversal of current arms trade
policies. As Christians, we believe we are called to build an authentic peace that is
based on respect for human dignity and a commitment to the common good, not on the balance
of weapons.
Spreading weapons of war around the world undermines our efforts to
build this authentic peace." p.8
The following material is a summary of the major aspects
of the 1997 Ottawa Landmine Convention.
Major Aspects of the Ottawa Landmine Convention,
1997
On December 3-4, 121 states signed a universal
ban on anti personnel landmines (APLs) in Ottawa, Canada. Formally titles the Convention
on the Prohibition of the use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti Personnel
Mines and on Their Destruction, the Ottawa treaty is a succinct legal instrument
that will obligate each state party to eliminate landmines from its offensive arsenal and
territory within a time bound framework, in addition to outlawing the use of such weapons.
As of February 27, 1998, there were 124 signatories and five states parties to the treaty.
While supporting states view the convention as establishing a new
legal norm to address the serious humanitarian crisis caused by landmines , many
countries, including the United States, Russia and China as well as states in regions of
tension such as the Middle East and South Asia, did not sign the treaty.
Although nearly three quarters of the signatories of the Ottawa
treaty are considered to be unaffected by landmines, some of the world's most mine plagued
states did agree to the accord, including Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia,
Croatia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Sudan.
The Ottawa Treaty
When compared to other multilateral arms control treaties, the
Ottawa treaty's 22 articles are a model of simplicity. Although lacking the extensive
implementation, verification and compliance components contained in other major treaties,
convention supporter share a strong commitment to realizing a near term global landmine
ban.
Treaty Scope
The Ottawa treaty's general obligations outlined in Article 1 are
unambiguous: no APL use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling or transfer to
anyone, and a commitment to destroy all anti-personnel mines. Article 2's definition of an
APL "...a mine designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a
person" excludes anti tank and anti vehicle mines that are equipped with
"anti-handling" devices to discourage tampering.
Destruction
Under Article 4's destruction provision, each state party must
destroy or ensure the destruction of all stockpiled mines it owns,
possesses, or that are under its jurisdiction or control within four years of the
treat's entry into force for that country.
Entry Into Force
Article 17 stipulates that the convention will enter into force on
the first day of the sixth month after the month in which the 40th instrument of
ratification is deposited.
Compiled by Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created 8/14/1998
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