Lebanon rejects Canadian call land mine ban treaty

Lebanon on Friday rejected a call by Canada's Foreign Minister to sign an international convention banning land mines, saying it will sign only after Israel does.

The announcement was made by Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz, after a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Lloyd Axworthy.

"It is an important issue for us, but we will not be dragged into signing the treaty as long as Israel does not abide by it," Boueiz said.

Axworthy was in Beirut for a 24-hour visit, part of a Middle East tour which includes Syria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian self-rule territories. He will then move on to Qatar, to attend the Middle East and North Africa Economic Summit in Doha.

Discussions in all the countries focused mainly on Middle East peace and the campaign to get countries in the region to sign the Convention to Ban Anti-Personnel Mines at a conference Ottawa is hosting in December.

In Lebanon, Axworthy met with President Elias Hrawi and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The highlight of his visit, however, was a trip to southern Lebanon, where he met with children who are victims of land mines and other victims of the war with Israel.

One of the children was in a wheelchair, another had lost two fingers in the explosion of a booby-trapped toy blamed on Israeli commando troops, a third was injured in the shoulder by Israeli shelling this year.

"We know that there are always good reasons given for the military use of land mines. But we forget that 90 percent of victims are civilians, mainly children, women, farmers and workers. They're the ones who pay the price," he said.

"There are alternatives to land mines to serve a military purpose. You do not need them and the proof is evident here with a huge price being paid by civilians as a result," he added.

Axworthy left Beirut for Damascus Friday afternoon.