United Nations Examines Landmine Problem in Egypt
RALPH WENGE, CNN ANCHOR: On many old battlefields around the world, rifles have fallen silent, guns have cooled, and soldiers have gone home. But 100 million landmines remain in the ground, waiting to maim or kill people who may not have even been alive when the wars were fought. More than half of those landmines are in the Middle East, and 23 million are in Egypt, more than any other country in the world. Egypt TV reports on the problems the mines are causing and the effort to get rid of them.</s>SHAHIRA AMIN, EGYPT TV: Of all the countries in the world suffering from the problem of landmines, Egypt is the worst affected. The 22 million ominous metal objects planted by the Allied forces in World War II remain buried beneath the sand in the western desert. They pose a serious threat to the civilian population and are hampering development efforts in the region. Muhammad Hamiz (ph), a local Bedouin says, "We cannot make use of the desert. We are unable to plant crops or build settlements. It is a problem that requires attention." The millions of mines scattered across the desert require a massive effort in budget for their removal. Worse still, there are no maps or charts to guide the demining operation. The little assistance granted by Britain, Germany and Italy in the past has fallen far short of Egypt's requirements. The size and gravity of the problem has prompted authorities here to seek the help of the international community. In response to their plea, a team of U.N. experts was in Egypt recently to assess the landmine situation.</s>MARY FAWLER, LANDMINES COMMITTEE: We were invited by the government of Egypt to come at this time. We don't go into a country unless we are invited by the government to do so. And we are very happy to have received this invitation. And we are, as we mentioned earlier, just at the very beginning of this assessment mission, and we are gathering a lot of information.</s>AMIN: A large number of victims gathered to meet the U.N. team, hoping the encounter would help prevent further suffering. For this 20-year-old who lost both his legs a mine accident several years ago, the future holds no hope, he says. These people hope the U.N. team will convey to rest of the world the cry of this simple community, striving to exercise a basic human right: the right to live without fear. (on camera): It's been almost 60 years since the war has ended, but the landmines' threat continues, hindering the country's development, and killing and injuring innocent civilians. Shahira Amin for Egyptian Television for CNN WORLD REPORT.