According to today's UN Journal Guinea-Bissau ratified the treaty 22 May 2001. That brings us to 140 signatures/accessions and 116 ratifications! Last year at the Second Meeting of States Parties the ICBL called for 120 ratifications by the Third Meeting of States Parties in Managua so we have 4 (at least!) to go by September! Please do all you can to get the remaining 24 signatories to ratify before this September. We urge you to choose one or two from the list below - either a country from your region or one your country has ties to, or a common language, and contact them, urging ratification NOW.

A sample letter follows, with the list of countries and date they signed the treaty. Below that is a list of addresses and fax numbers for the Foreign Ministers of these 24 countries. If you prefer, call or visit their embassy in your country and say the same message, short and simple: Ratify Now!! Let's get 120 as soon as possible!

Dear Signatory:

I write to urge you to follow-through on COUNTRY's strong commitment to the ban on the use, production, stockpiling and trade of antipersonnel mines by ratifying the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. COUNTRY signed this important treaty on DATE but has not yet ratified. I urge you to join the 115 other States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. Please prioritize ratification of this treaty immediately, and complete all necessary steps before the Third Meeting of States Parties in Managua, Nicaragua 18-21 September 2001. If there is anything we can do to assist with your ratification process, please let us know. Your support is essential if we are to meet our common goal of a mine free world.

Sincerely,

Mine Ban Treaty Signatories (24 May 2001 ­ 116 States Parties & 24 Signatories)

1. Algeria 3 Dec 1997 2. Angola 4 Dec 1997 3. Brunei Darussalam 4 Dec 1997 4. Burundi 3 Dec 1997 5. Cameroon 3 Dec 1997 6. Chile 3 Dec 1997 7. Cook Islands 3 Dec 1997 8. Cyprus 4 Dec 1997 9. Ethiopia 3 Dec 1997 10. Gambia 4 Dec 1997 11. Greece 3 Dec 1997 12. Guyana 4 Dec 1997 13. Haiti 3 Dec 1997 14. Indonesia 4 Dec 1997 15. Lithuania 26 Feb 1999 16. Marshall Islands 4 Dec 1997 17. Poland 4 Dec 1997 18. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 Dec 1997 19. São Tomé e Principe 30 Apr 1998 20. Sudan 4 Dec 1997 21. Suriname 4 Dec 1997 22. Ukraine 24 Feb 1999 23. Uruguay 3 Dec 1997 24. Vanuatu 4 Dec 1997

List of Foreign Ministers of the 24 Signatories:

ALGERIA Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem 6, rue Ibn Badran El-Mouradia 16050 Algiers ALGERIA FAX: +213-260-5161

ANGOLA Minister of External Relations Mr. Joao Bernardo de Miranda Avenida Commandante Gika Luanda ANGOLA FAX: +244-2-393-246

BRUNEI Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Bolkiah Mohamed Jalan Subok Bandar Seri Begawan 1120 BRUNEI FAX: +673-2-229-904

BURUNDI Minister of External Relations and Cooperation Hon. Severin Ntahomvukiye Boite Postale 1.840 Bujumbura BURUNDI FAX: +257-2-23970

CAMEROON Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Augustin Kontchou Kouomegni Yaonde CAMEROON FAX: +237-220-133

CHILE Minister of Foreign Relations Hon. Maria Soledad Alvear Valenzuela Morande 441 Casilla 91 Correio 21 Santiago de Chile CHILE FAX: +56-2-699-4202

COOK ISLANDS Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Robert Woonton COOK ISLANDS

CYPRUS Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Ioannis Kasoulides Dem Severis Avenue #18-19 1447 Nicosia CYPRUS FAX: +357-2-451-881

ETHIOPIA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mesfin Seyoum Post Office Box 393 Addis Ababa ETHIOPIA FAX: +251-1-514-042

GAMBIA Secretary of State for External Affairs Dr. Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe 4, Marina Parade Banjul GAMBIA FAX: +220-228-060

GREECE Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Yeoryios Papandreou 2, Odos Zalakosta GR-10671 Athens GREECE FAX: +30-1-362-4195

GUYANA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Clement Rohee South Road Takuba Lodge Georgetown GUYANA FAX: +592-2-68426

HAITI Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Joseph Phillippe Antonio Boulevard Harry S Truman Cite de l'Exposition Port au Prince HAITI FAX: +509-238-912

INDONESIA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Alwi Abdurrahman Shihab 6, Jalan Taman Pejamben Jakarta 10640 INDONESIA FAX: +62-21-371-508

LITHUANIA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Antanas Valionis Tumo-Vaizganto 2 LT-2600 Vilnius LITHUANIA FAX: +370-262-0752

MARSHALL ISLANDS Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mr. Alvin Jacklick P.O. Box 2 MH 96960-0002 Majuro MARSHALL ISLANDS FAX: +692-625-4020

POLAND Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Wladyslaw Bartoszewski Al Szuchas #23 PL-00-580 Warsaw POLAND FAX: +48-22-625-7652

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES Minister of External Affairs Mr. Louis Straker Government Buildings Halifax Street Kingstown SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES FAX: +784-457-2880

SAO TOME E PRINCIPE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mr. Joaquim Rafael Branco C.P. 111 Sao Tome SAO TOME E PRINCIPE FAX: +239-12-22597

SUDAN Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail P.O. Box 873 Khartoum SUDAN FAX: +249-11-778-218

SURINAME Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Marie Levens Gravenstraat 8 Paramaribo SURINAME FAX: +597-410-851

UKRAINE Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Anatoliy Zlenko Mykhaylivskaya pl 1 252018 Kiev UKRAINE FAX: +380-44-226-3169

URUGUAY Minister of External Relations Mr. Didier Opertti 18 de Julio #1205 11200 Montevideo URUGUAY FAX: +598-2-921-327

VANUATU Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Serge Vohor Private Mail Bag 051 Port Vila Ripablik blong Vanuatu VANUATU FAX: +678-23142

More information about the Mine Ban Treaty can be found in our Treaty section - www.icbl.org/treaty