30 November 2004
Minister to attend review of landmines Convention
Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Marian Hobbs leaves this evening for Nairobi to lead New Zealand's delegation to
the first Review Conference of the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines.
"New Zealand has been a long standing, strong, and high profile supporter of the Convention," Marian Hobbs said. "This
includes our role as co-rapporteur and then co-chair this year of the Standing Committee on the General Status and
Operation of the Treaty.
"The Ministerial Forum will be a time to celebrate the enormous progress that has been made since the Convention entered
into force in 1999. But it will also be an opportunity to look to the future and determine the Convention’s next steps.
"We need to find new ways to engage those states remaining outside the Convention. And in particular, we need to engage
the significant landmine producers and users. "The Ottawa Convention stands alone as an unprecedented success in the
disarmament arena in recent times.
"The partnership between States Parties, Inter-governmental Organisations, and Non-Governmental Organisations has
contributed to the now firmly established international norm against the use of anti-personnel mines." The conference
ends on Friday and Marian Hobbs will return to New Zealand arriving on Sunday.
ENDS