Media Center

Press Advisory

Towards a Landmine Free Americas: The Silent Work of the OAS International Mine Action Program to Eliminate Antipersonnel Landmines

Various countries around the world, some of them in the Western Hemisphere, have been affected by landmines, one of the most pervasive problems facing humanity today. Their toll on mine-affected communities is devastating, and the consequences of their use are felt even after hostilities cease. Antipersonnel landmines are indiscriminate weapons by nature - they do not distinguish between a soldier's footstep and a child's footstep.

In 1991, the Organization of American States (OAS) created a pilot program to remove land mines in Nicaragua, aware of the threat antipersonnel landmines represent for the region. The Mine Action Program, which began in Central America, now operates in several countries in the hemisphere.

In a program to be transmitted on Tuesday, August 16, 2005, via radio, television and Internet Colonel (R) William A. McDonough, General Coordinator for the OAS Office of Humanitarian Mine Action (OHMA), will speak about the OAS demining effort in the Hemisphere. Prior to assuming his current role, Col. McDonough served more than 30 years in the United States Army, retiring as a Colonel. In his final military assignment, Colonel McDonough was a member of the International Staff of the Inter-American Defense Board. In that capacity, he worked closely with the OAS mine action program on the initial development and implementation of demining assistance plans and operational procedures for humanitarian demining in Central America.



WHAT: Special broadcast about the OAS Mine Action Program.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 16, 2005

TIME: 3:00 p.m.



Media organizations interested in down-linking the signal of the transmission may do so using the coordinates in the attached technical bulletin.

-More-

TECHNICAL BULLETIN:
A) BROADCAST

* TELEVISION
To down-link the signal from satellite:
NEWSKIES 806
319.5 Degrees East
DL Freq: 4123.25 Mhz
L Band DL Freq: 1026.75 MHz
FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 8.90 MS/sNetwork ID: 2
Virtual Channel 322
* Satellite frequencies provided by VOA Television

RADIO
To down-link the signal from satellite:
NEWSKIES
40.5 deg W, 319.5 deg E. LA NET, WHA Region
Band: C/Downlink Freq. Network ID: 2
FEC Rate: ¾ Video Standard:
525, NTSC
Symbol Rate: 8.90 ms/S C Band L.O. 5150 mHZ
Polarity H, Receive polarity is RHC.

WEBCAST
The Organization of American States website will provide a webcast of the panel discussion at www.oas.org by clicking on Live Transmission.

The webcast will be provided in English and Spanish.
VIDEOS (on demand) will also be available through: http://www.oas.org/OASpage/videosondemand/home_spa/videos.asp

B) RE-BROADCAST

At a later date, the program will be re-broadcasted through a number of cable and satellite networks; among them are Hispanic International Television Network (HITN-TV), and EDUSAT.


For more information please contact:
Mario Martinez y Palacios
[email protected]
Tel. (202) 458-3984

Gabriel Gross
[email protected]
Tel. (202) 458-3752

Reference: AVI-094/05