Ambassador Brings Global De-mining Message to LBJ School

When U.S. Ambassador Don Steinberg came to lunch, he brought land mines.

Steinberg, who has served as President Clinton's representative on global de-mining since 1998, came to Austin on a lobbying tour through Texas. He is trying to get businesses, churches and other civic organizations to participate in the Adopt-a Minefield program, which raises money to de-mine former battlefields. The program concentrates on minefields which have been labeled by the United Nations as the 100 worst in the world. Among the countries that include these fields are Bosnia, Croatia, Mozambique, and Cambodia.

When he stopped by the LBJ School for a brown bag lunch on September 21, he brought a couple of inert examples of widely used land mines.

"These are weapons of terror," Steinberg said. He explained that insurgents usually plant land mines in areas where people retrieve food and water, around schools, and in other high-traffic zones to destabilize a region by keeping area residents in refugee camps.

Steinberg explained that his goal was to safeguard civilians from land mines around the world by the end of the decade. "It's not an easy process," he said. "(Land mines) have not been planted in nice, easily visible places."

Steinberg discussed some of the methods of mine removal. He said microbes have been engineered that will produce a phosphorescent glow when they come into contact with gunpowder. Unfortunately, he said, the microbes cause permanent damage to soil. Because agricultural fields are frequently targets, this poses a major problem for farmers.

Many de-miners use special-trained dogs to detect mines. Steinberg said the best dogs for the job are poodles. "Most of the people who work as de-miners are these big burly military men and they are not going to be caught walking around with a poodle," Steinberg said. As a result, the workers often use German shepherds.

As part of his lobbying efforts, Steinberg has gained assistance from DC Comics in an effort to teach kids about land mines. "(DC Comics President Jenette Kahn) said 'Superman and Wonderwoman work for me,'" he said. DC Comics has produced millions of comic books to hand out to kids in Bosnia, Kosovo and Latin America. As a result, Steinberg said, many kids are now informing police when they see land mines.

"We are committed to the fight against land mines. We are committed to stigmatizing these weapons," Steinberg said.

Steinberg, a Los Angeles native, has also served as U.S. Ambassador to Angola, President Clinton's Special Assistant for African Affairs, and White House Deputy Press Secretary for National Security Affairs.

September 26, 2000

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September 26 , 2000

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