Today's Date:

France, who played an active role in the negotiation of the Ottawa Convention, has firmly committed herself to the fight against anti-personnel landmines. This commitment is reflected, at the political level, by diplomatic efforts to promote the universalization of the Ottawa Convention and, financially, by the support she gives to a number of projects to combat these inhumane weapons and their grave consequences.

France's policy on combating landmines gives priority to strengthening local capabilities by training deminers and providing logistical support.

France's direct involvement in demining is not confined exclusively to that carried out by her armed forces. During 2000, she gave financial support to numerous humanitarian mine clearance operations.

In this respect, France has made, inter alia, the following contributions: support for the Cambodia Mine Action Center through the fiduciary fund of the United Nations Development Programme, totalling FF 5.3 million over two years, for depollution of the temple complexes in Kaoh Kong and Preah Vihear; a subsidy of FF 5 million over two years to Handicap International for depollution of the northern part of the Inhambane region of Mozambique and resettlement of the population; FF 300,000 of financial aid to Handicap International for demining in Kosovo; a subsidy of FF 300,000 to the Slovene demining fund for a proximity demining programme in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and FF 900,000 of financial support to the United Nations Mine Action Service's South Lebanon demining programme.

The operations undertaken in foreign theatres by the French armed forces are difficult to quantify financially, but can also benefit the civilian populations, especially when they result in the clearing of communication routes. This is often the case even if, in fact, these operations are not strictly speaking humanitarian demining actions./.