Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 4, 2006
Update on United States Aid to Lebanon to Clear Explosive Remnants of War
The United States is committed to reducing the risk to Lebanese civilians posed by explosive remnants of war. From 1998 to the recent conflict, the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program invested more than $17 million dollars to rid Lebanon of persistent landmines and explosive remnants.
Since the onset of the most recent conflict, the United States has dedicated more than $9 million more for quickly and safely clearing these hazards:
* The Department of Defense transferred $5 million to the Department of State, with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) receiving $2.8 million, and $2.2 million contracted through RONCO Consulting Corporation supporting the Lebanese Army Engineer Regiment’s clearing cluster munitions and other unexploded ordinance in south Lebanon.
* The Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs provided an initial emergency grant of $420,000 to the MAG. The office also provided an initial $30,000 supporting the United Nations Joint Logistics Center for explosive remnants of war data collection and mapping capability in Lebanon, through its partnership with the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. RONCO Consulting Corporation received $384,000, equipping two, 25-person teams to sweep for and mark explosive remnants of war for safe removal.
* The Department of State’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs is providing $2 million to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to sustain the operations of UNDP-controlled explosive clearance teams provided by the MAG and BACTEC International Limited.
* The U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded a grant of $1.2 million to the MAG for emergency unexploded ordnance and battle area clearance.
For more information on United States assistance to Lebanon, see the 6th edition of "To Walk the Earth Safety" at www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/walkearth/2006.
The U.S. Government's assistance to Lebanon to eliminate unexploded ordinance is commendable. However, it should be noted that the the Bush administration failed to support an immediate cease-fire in the conflict, and pointedly failed to pressure the Israeli government to refrain from using cluster munitions, particularly in civilian areas around Beirut. Use of cluster munitions in civilian areas is a clear violation of international law. These remarkable failures by the U.S. Government along with Israel's reckless war strategy contributed significantly to the present danger of unexploded ordinance and the current humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
