Dear X:
Human Rights Watch, on behalf of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL), will release alist of U.S. companies identified as manufacturers (past and present) of antipersonnel mines, minecomponents, and mine delivery systems. Your company is currently onthe list, based on primary sourcematerial provided mainly by the U.S. government.
The USCBL, a coalition of more than one hundred non-governmental organizations across thecountry, will be launching a major public awareness initiative aimedat stigmatizing companies involved inthe production of antipersonnel mines. The USCBL will be widely publicizing the names of companiesand calling on shareholders and other citizens to take actions to encourage them to no longermanufacture antipersonnel mines.
Antipersonnel mines are indiscriminate weapons that kill or maim an estimated 26,000 civilianseach year in more than twenty-six countries around the globe. The U.S. first endorsed the goal of theelimination of antipersonnel mines in 1994, and in May 1996 President Clinton announced, "The UnitedStates will seek a worldwide agreement as soon as possible to end the use of all antipersonnel landmines. The United States will lead this global effort to eliminate these terrible weapons and to stop the enormousloss of human life." More than forty nations, including many of our NATO allies, have called for animmediate ban on antipersonnel mines. Among the countries that have recently prohibited production ofantipersonnel mines are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway,Portugal and Switzerland.
Human Rights Watch and the USCBL call on your company to make the decision to not take partin the production of antipersonnel mines. We encourage you to do so prior to the publication of our listof U.S. manufacturers. We intend to release simultaneously the names of those companies that havemade the moral and humanitarian decision to disassociate themselves from mine production. You may beinterested to know that Motorola has recently adopted a new policy that we hope will be emulated by allother companies involved in mine production. Motorola has announced that it "will do everythingreasonably possible to make sure that Motorola does not knowingly sell any part that is intended for usein an antipersonnel mines."
In order to incorporate any response from your company into our release of the list of U.S.manufacturers, we need to hear from you no later than [date]. Please do not hesititate to contact me, ormy colleague Andrew Cooper, if you have any questions. Thank you for your attention to this urgentmatter.
Sincerely,
Stephen Goose
Program Director, Human Rights Watch Arms Project
Chair, USCBL Steering Committee
