Crown Prince patronizes ceremony announcing Jordan minefield-free
Dead Sea - Deputizing for His Majesty King Abdullah II, His Royal Highness Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Tuesday patronized a ceremony announcing that all minefields in Jordan have been cleared, making the Kingdom the first Middle Eastern country to complete its mission in this field. Jordan removed more than 300,000 anti-personnel and tank mines in the areas along the Jordan Valley and Wadi Araba and the northern areas.
Mines, which were planted over 50 years in 500 fields in the western and northern borders, left many victims, 900 of whom are still alive and are cared after by the National Commission for Demining and Rehabilitation NCDR.
During the ceremony attended by a number of princes and senior officials, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II presented decorations to various sponsors and donors who helped the NCDR in its work.
His Highness Prince Mired bin Raad, President of the NCDR, told the ceremony, attended by Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, that by successfully removing all mines on its territory, Jordan has fulfilled its international legal obligations as a signatory of the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines.
The Norwegian Crown Prince, whose country played a pivotal role in Jordan's demining efforts, said Jordan is now a mine-free country in a region where mines still pose a major challenge and threaten people's lives.