Colombo, March 3

Sri Lanka’s government today announced it would ban landmines and promised to destroy its stockpiles of the explosive devices, nearly seven years after its protracted civil war ended.

Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said the cabinet had decided to sign the 1997 UN treaty which banned anti-personnel mines.

Sri Lanka had been among a few dozen nations to resist the treaty known as the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of mines.

“We decided to sign the Ottawa Convention because we have no intention of going to war again,” de Silva told reporters in Colombo.“We have also agreed to destroy stockpiles of landmines,” he said. He did not say what quantities of the explosives remained in the military’s hands.

Sri Lanka had previously refused to become a signatory to the treaty, arguing that it was forced to use landmines because the Tamil Tiger separatists, used them extensively.

Security forces crushed the Tamil Tiger leadership in a major offensive, ending the 37-year civil war.