Phnom Penh, 29 nov (EFE).-Colombia stressed today “significant progress” in the integral assistance to the victims of anti-personnel mines on its territory, during his speech at the meeting on the Ottawa Convention being held in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.
“The Colombian State has been reported significant progress in the implementation of the measures on comprehensive assistance to victims referred to in the Plan of action of Cartagena.” “However, still face great challenges”, said Ana MarÃa DÃaz Uribe, Coordinator of the presidential programme for the Integral action against anti-personnel mines (Paicma).
A total of 438 Colombians were victims of anti-personnel mines between January and October of this year.
“Although this (the fact) shows a decrease of 23 per cent of victims compared with the same period of the 2010, Colombia still faces a problem of major proportions”, said Diaz during his speech.
The Colombian presented himself as an “unprecedented” Act victims and restitution of lands sanctioned by President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon this year, which opens another via official attention to integral of the affected.
In this sense, DÃaz stated that 100 percent of the affected civilians have been contacted and oriented in 2011,
Is an important fact because in Colombia the victim or the family of the dead by a mine has six months to inform the authorities and processing compensation or reparation, as otherwise he loses his rights.
Colombia, one of the countries with more cases of accidents of landmines, hosted the second Conference of review of the Ottawa Convention, in 2009, which was closed down in order to provide greater assistance to the victims.
The meeting in Phnom Penh, which began yesterday with the assistance of more than one hundred countries responsible for reviewing the progress made with the Plan of action of Cartagena, will close Friday.
The Ottawa Convention, which regulates the use, Stockpiling, production, sale and destruction of anti-personnel mines, came into force in 1999, with the aim that the world was free of these artifacts in 2009.
It has been ratified by 158 countries, of which 153 have confirmed that they already do not have devices stored.
Not signatory Governments include China, India, Russia, United States, Israel, Morocco, Cuba or Singapore. EFE
