Ingram opens new small arms destruction facility in Bosnia
30 Nov 06
A new Explosive Waste Incinerator to remove tonnes of arms and explosives from circulation in the Balkans will be opened by Minister for the Armed Forces Adam Ingram in Bosnia today, Thursday 30 November 2006.
The Mittal Steel Works in Zenica, Bosnia, is being used to smelt the weapons that are part of the Small Arms Project
[Picture: Harland Quarrington]
In July 2006 the MOD committed to destroying two hundred and fifty thousand small arms and light weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina within a year and this new facility adds the equally important capability to destroy explosives.
The project to destroy small arms in Bosnia is a real 'Swords to Ploughshares' story with the molten metal from the weapons, which once destroyed homes and livelihoods, now being used to reconstruct Bosnia & Herzegovina and create new housing.
The UK's Global Conflict Prevention Fund has helped to destroy over one million weapons around the world in addition to providing advice on stockpile security and management. In Bosnia alone, the UK MOD, through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, has helped destroy some 200,000 small arms this year. Destroying the arms is just part of the equation; helping states secure and manage existing stockpiles is also vital to keeping them out of the wrong hands.
Mr Ingram said:
"This is a superb new facility which will save many lives in Bosnia and potentially around the world. Around the world, small arms and explosives kill more people than any other sort of weapon. This is why the MOD is determined to reduce the illegal flow of such weapons.
"We have seen real progress this year, with some 200,000 weapons already destroyed and by March we will have destroyed some 250,000 small arms in Bosnia alone."
The large-scale reduction of small arms in Bosnia, now recycled to produce metal rods for building projects
[Picture: Harland Quarrington]
Around the world the UK has helped destroy over one million small arms thanks to our Global Conflict Prevention Fund. We have also supported similar programmes in Ukraine, Albania and Mozambique. The UK is not alone in doing this; with international partners, even more weapons can be taken out of circulation.
We are focusing on weapons which are most at risk from falling into the wrong hands. Just as important are efforts to help countries secure and manage its weapons and of course our efforts to bring about an Arms Trade Treaty. The UK government is working hard to secure a legally binding Arms Trade Treaty to cover the trade in all conventional arms.
£27.8 million has been spent on various Global Conflict Prevention Pool projects since 2001 including several hundred thousand pounds annually on small arms destruction. In May 2006, the MOD assumed responsibility for managing a destruction fund of £500K per year on behalf of the GCPP.