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US emphasizes efforts to join Ottawa Treaty on APLs

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (KUNA) -- The US on Tuesday stressed its commitment to the Ottawa Treaty (the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention) that prohibits the use, production and transferring of anti-personnel landmines (APLs), even though they are still in use in the Korean Peninsula.
"We will not use these mines outside of the Korean Peninsula, where our actions are governed by the unique situation there" said US Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki in a statement today.
Psaki added that the US "will not assist, encourage, or induce others to use, stockpile, produce or transfer anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula" assuring "we will diligently undertake to destroy stockpiles of these landmines that are not required for the defense of the Republic of Korea" She described this announcement as "a significant step forward in aligning ourselves with the international humanitarian movement embodied by the Ottawa Convention, which includes over 160 states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations" hoping that it would ultimately allow the US to join the Ottawa Convention.
In a related development, US Secretary of State John Kerry participated today in a high-level discussion with foreign government leaders and UN officials to call to attention the "on going and systematic human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)".
The event, in which a broad array of international partners participated, focused the international spotlight on the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the DPRK and called on the international community to hold accountable the institutions and individuals responsible for these egregious violations of human rights. (end) yt.msa