Putin puts his signature on landmine pact

[bemildred]

Attaboy, Vlad.

Moscow - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed off on Russia's long-stalled ratification of the international protocol restricting the use of some categories of landmines.

The 1996 protocol, which had been ratified by 44 nations, restricts the use of the deadliest landmines and bans those mines that are impossible to detect.

The protocol had been held up in the lower house of parliament, the state Duma, since 2000 and came to a vote only last month, after Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov told legislators that further delays could hurt Russia's image abroad.

The Duma ratified the protocol with qualifications introduced by the Defence Ministry, which said, among other things, that Russia could set up properly marked minefields in border areas.

IOL

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Um

Isn't it the case that WE have yet to sign this?

[bemildred]

2. Yes it is. nt

[vpigrad]

3. But since they mostly kill women and children..

Bushie will never sign this!

[Menshevik]

4. Hmmm

Will he be removing all those landmines from Chechnya then? :eyes:

[bemildred]

5. I think Chechnya is driving him nuts.

I think in the end the whole N.Caucasus will blow up in his face.
Still, it's nice he signed the treaty.

[Harold]

6. Well, we certainly never will

America is among the only wealthy countries to have not signed
same with the Kyoto treaty and abolishing the death penalty
If you look at a list of the countries that execute the most
people per year the US is right up there with North Korea