It seems as if Obama is still open to banning land mines. Sending delegates to Mine Ban Treaty.

[Maraya1969]

GENEVA, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Campaigners to halt the use of landmines hope finally to bring the United States under President Barack Obama into the fold of countries that have banned a weapon that maims and kills thousands every year.

They said the United States has registered to send a delegation to a major review conference of the Mine Ban Treaty which will be held in Cartagena, Colombia from Nov. 29- Dec. 4.

If the United States, which until now has shunned the agreement, signs up to the pact, activists hope it will have a knock-on effect on other powers which have failed to ratify, including China and Russia.

"We are hoping that this is a first step in that direction," Stephen Goose, a long-time campaigner now with Human Rights Watch, told a news briefing.


The United States has not used landmines since 1991, prohibited their export a year later and halted production in 1997, the ICBL said in its annual Landmine Monitor Report 2009 published on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLC546596._CH_.2400

[Whisp]

1. well according to some posts here....

Obama personally set up a boxfull of landmines under an elementary school somewhere in Kansas.

http://www.du.com/pissers/moaners/kneejerkinjerks/duboard.php

[Aramchek]

2. so the outrage was premature once again? how unexpected...

[Captain Hilts]

3. He is, then he isn't, then he is....nt

[cali]

4. Look, all he has to do is sign the treaty. this is a no brainer and he and his

administration should not be waffling.

[Maraya1969]

7. The conference is going on between Nov. 29 - Dec. 4. That is when they will sign

the treaty if they are going to sign it.

[sandnsea]

5. All from the exact same press conference

The mine ban treaty is being reviewed. An announcement that we were sending a delegation to Colombia and contributing tons of money to removing landmines. And an answer to a question indicating we weren't signing the treaty. It's hard to decipher whether anything has happened since this presser, or whether it's all conjecture based on the same 200 or so words.

Scroll down:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/nov/132362.htm

[EFerrari]

6. Refusing to ban them before the conference is a way of limiting expectation. n/t