On the international scene, besides urging peaceful solutions to the Iraq dilemma (page 1), and debt reduction for the poorest countries (page 3), USCC legislative priorities include the ongoing campaign to ban landmines.

Every 22 minutes, someone, somewhere is killed or maimed by an antipersonnel landmine -- about 26,000 people per year, mostly civilians. There are an estimated 100 million landmines in over 70 countries. Even though 122 nations signed the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel landmines last December, the U.S. has not done so. Other holdouts like China, Russia and India are more likely to sign if the U.S. shows leadership. USCC conferees in Washington Feb. 24 heard Bobby Muller, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and himself a paraplegic from a landmine in Vietnam, refute the Pentagon arguments for landmines. Muller stressed that 15 top retired U.S. generals, including former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Jones and retired Gulf War commander Norman Schwarzkopf, dissent from the Pentagon line and support a landmine ban. Muller is co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize. He marshalled technical arguments whereby U.S. forces might move away from reliance on landmines, even in Korea, without compromising troop safety. (Muller will speak at the CTA conference next fall in Milwaukee.)

CTA co-sponsors the Catholic Campaign to Ban Landmines (CCBL), and many CTA affiliates are already active in the campaign. CCBL materials have been sent to every parish in the U.S. Posters, brochures, literature and videos are available.

Coordinator of CCBL, Sr. Janice Ryan, RSM at USCC, told CTA News our readers should continue to support the Landmine Elimination Act (S. 896 and H.R. 2459). She added, "We are promoting another bill that will insist the U.S. government address its problems with the Ottawa Treaty and develop alternatives which will allow the U.S. to sign the Treaty. It will also deal with humanitarian and de-mining programs." The bill should be introduced by early April.

For more information, contact Janice Ryan at 202 541-3149. landmines@nccbuscc.org