Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Amr Abul Atta. (Photo: official website of Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Egypt's permanent representative to the United Nations Amr Abdel-Latif Abul Atta told a Security Council briefing on Tuesday that landmines and explosive remnants of war are used by terrorists around the world to make improvised explosive devices, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Abul Atta made the comments during a Security Council briefing on a comprehensive approach to mine action and explosive hazard threat mitigation.
"Egypt has been among the countries most affected by landmines, with more than 22.7 million mines and explosive devices from the Second World War in its territory, amounting to 20 percent of all landmines around the world," Abul Atta said.
Abul Atta also said that locating mines and clearing them requires significant financial resources, and that mines are a great impediment to the development of areas where they are located.
"Any legal frameworks or instruments should respond to the legitimate concerns of mine-affected countries, while states that laid mines should bear their moral and legal responsibilities and share the burden of disposing those devices," he said.
Representative from Japan, China, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Uruguay, Senegal, and Kazakhstan delivered statements during the briefing.
The speakers said that mine action must extend beyond only removing war remnants to become a part of an effective toolkit for helping communities and countries recover and pursue sustainable peace, the United Nations said on its website.
Short link: