Phnom Penh, 30 nov (EFE).-Ecuador cleaned up 70,000 square meters of landmines over the last year, seven times more than expected initially, today announced its delegation to the meeting of the Ottawa Convention being held in Phnom Penh.
The Counsellor of the foreign service of Ecuador, Veronica Aguilar, said that the initial goal of clean 10.150 square metres was able to overcome with the introduction of machinery in some affected areas.
“Until 2013 will do mine clearance in the South of Loja and Zamora, which can enter with machinery”, he said Aguilar, however, warned that in other areas the tasks will be more expensive.
“Our productivity low when we entered the forest and have to manually clear under very difficult weather conditions,” added.
Ecuador expected to disable more than 16,000 antipersonnel mines that are buried since 1995 on the border with Peru of El Oro, Loja Andean coastal provinces and the Amazon of Morona Santiago, Pastaza and Zamora Chinchipe.
Ecuador joined the Ottawa Convention in October 1999 and in 2008 won an eight year extension to the ten initially giving the Treaty to clean mine the country and eliminate the arsenal of such explosives.
This meeting in Phnom Penh began Monday with the assistance of more than one hundred countries responsible for reviewing the progress made with the Plan of action of Cartagena, and 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.
Governments not signatories include China, India, Russia, United States, Israel, Morocco, Cuba or Singapore.
Picture of file (18/02/99) of two military Ecuadorian storing anti-personnel mines were deactivated during the demining along the border with Peru. EFE/file
