The international
community must get serious about enforcing humanitarian laws that make
it possible to secure or destroy explosive devices leftover from a war
before those devices harm innocent civilians or fall into the hands of
terrorists, a Vatican official said.
Archbishop Silvano M.
Tomasi, the Vatican's representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva,
addressed a U.N. conference reviewing compliance with an international
agreement on the restriction and use of certain conventional weapons;
the conference was held in Geneva Nov. 12-13.
The focus of the
conference was on laws dealing with the tracking and disposal of
"explosive remnants of war," such as landmines and roadside bombs.
Failure
to implement the agreement, Archbishop Tomasi said, has meant that many
explosive weapons are not monitored during a conflict or removed after a
conflict ends.
As a result, they fall into the hands of terrorist
groups and criminal organizations, and pose a threat to innocent
civilians, he said.
Any hesitation in documenting or removing the
explosive remnants of war, the archbishop said, "means more victims and
bigger economic and social costs, and long-term hampering of
development."
In past and present conflicts, civilians' safety
has not been a priority, and "international humanitarian law was merely a
set of non-respected rules," he said.
Archbishop Tomasi called
for full adherence to the international agreements and international
cooperation in monitoring compliance.
"This is the only way to protect
the civilian population, and in some cases the national community as a
whole, from the consequences of explosive remnants of war."
The
international community has a moral responsibility to protect civilians
from explosive weapons during and after conflicts, the archbishop said.
"Civilians should not have to pay twice for the absence of a secure,
free and peaceful environment."