Inhofe's Statement on Ottawa Landmine Ban

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today made the following statement in response to reports that the Obama Administration intends to abide by the Ottawa Convention banning land mines, despite the law requiring the Senate to approve international treaties:

"The president's decision to abide by the Ottawa Convention banning land-mines endangers U.S. security and that of its closest allies. It's also a brazen attempt by the president to circumvent the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to provide advice and consent to international treaties that bind the United States.

"The president's decision runs counter to an assessment provided recently by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which concluded that "accession to the Ottawa Convention in the near term would add grave military risk to the ability of the United States to pursue its national security interests and support is allies and partners.'

"In 2009, the State Department said in a press conference that "we made our policy review and we determined that we would not be able to meet our national defense needs, nor our security commitments to our friends and allies if we sign this convention.'

"Like his misguided vision of a world without nuclear weapons, the president's land mine policy seriously weakens the United States at a time when threats to the nation are on the rise.

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