ANKARA - State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Tuesday, ''the government has decided to purify arable fields in border region with Syria from land-mines to contribute to economy.''
Prior to the first meeting of the Working and Coordination Board formed under the structure of the Directorate General of Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) to purify land-mined fields, Sener told reporters, ''after the purification activities, we will have an arable field of 30 thousand 600 hectares. In that case, nearly 6 thousand families will be provided with job opportunities.''
''In accordance with the United Nations Ottowa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines, land-mines in the whole world should be cleared in ten years. Our parliament signed the convention on March 12, 2003. As a result, the Working and Coordination Board has been formed under the structure of the Directorate General of GAP with officials of the General Staff, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Directorate General of GAP. The General Staff will undertake clearing of a total of 615 thousand 419 anti-personnel mines in border region with Syria. Later, the board will choose a method to use these fields,'' he accentuated.
When asked whether or not these fields would be donated or privatized, Sener told reporters, ''any decision has not been taken yet. However, these fields in the region are of great importance in regard to organic agriculture.''
(UK-AÖ) 04.11.2003