Poland seeks to resume production of anti-personnel mines, minister says

Poland is ready to start work on resuming the production of anti-personnel mines, its defence minister said on Thursday, after Warsaw joined the Baltic states this week in announcing a plan to withdraw from a treaty that bans their use.

Quitting the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations, will allow Poland and the three Baltic republics to start stockpiling and using anti-personnel mines again, part of their response to what they say is a rising threat from Russia.

"Poland and our neighbors cannot be limited by conventions that in some way hinder our deterrence or defence policy," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told a press conference, when asked about plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention.

"The role of politicians is to undo the corset which has been put on the military today and we as Poland and our allies from the Baltic states are doing so," he added.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that passing legislation to pull out of the Ottawa Convention would take several months and that another six months would be needed to implement this at the United Nations.

"Also, obtaining the ability to produce these mines is a task for the arms industry," he said, adding that he had information that there was readiness to do so.

Polish arms company Belma told Reuters by email that it already produces anti-tank mines and could re-equip its machinery in a short time.

(Reporting by Karol Badohal)