Croatia assumed the co-presidency of the Committee for the Protection of Mine Victims...

On 18 September 2003, the Republic of Croatia, together with Australia, assumed the co-presidency of the Committee for the Protection of Mine Victims and their Social and Economic Reintegration at the 5th Conference of the Member States signatories of the Ottawa Convention. The Conference will be held from 15 - 19 September 2003 in Bangkok. The Croatian delegation at the Conference in Bangkok was headed by Ms. Diana Pleština, Ambassador and Foreign Minister Adviser for Demining.

The above named Committee is one of the four Committees established by the Member States of the Ottawa Convention at their first meeting in Maputo (Mozambique) in 1999. Past efforts of the Committee have been focused on the development and collection of data on mine victims, building of guidelines for making a data basis, reporting on their situation and coordination of donations for assisting mine victims. The intent of the Republic of Croatia, in its co-presiding capacity, is to draw attention of the Member States to decreasing donations for mine victims whose number, on the contrary, is increasing.

Croatia was also chosen as a host of the Conference of the international organisation Landmine Monitor (LM) - a research non-governmental organisation, member of the International Campaign for Antipersonnel Mines, and winner of Nobel Prize for peace in 1997, headed by Ms. Jody Williams. The Conference is to be held in June 2004 in Bizovačke Toplice to be attended by various delegations.

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