Landmine Clearance in South Sudan

U.S. Department of State Contractors Receive Joint Military Commission Medals for Landmine Clearance in South Sudan

The U.S. Department of State congratulates its RONCO Consulting Corporation contractors who received service medals from the Joint Military Commission for clearing landmines and contributing to the peace mission in the Nuba Mountains of South Sudan.

The deminers cleared roads of landmines left from fighting so that internally displaced Sudanese could safely return to their homes, farms and grazing lands, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s worldwide humanitarian mine action program. The Joint Military Commission is responsible for monitoring implementation of the 2002 truce agreement in the Nuba Mountains. The U.S. Department of State’s humanitarian mine action program helps those peace efforts.

The Joint Military Commission’s recognition reflects the effectiveness of the Department of State’s mine action assistance to Sudan over the years. The U.S. Department of State’s unique Quick Reaction Demining Force, which is supervised by these RONCO contractors, deployed to the Nuba Mountains in 2002 to facilitate the safe return of displaced Sudanese. Department of State-sponsored demining operations continued there in 2003 and 2004. Also in 2004, Department of State contract deminers cleared landmines and unexploded ordnance near the Rumbek airfield in South Sudan to enable runway improvement so that large cargo aircraft could deliver more relief aid (see the related Media Note at state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2004/).

The Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement currently manages humanitarian mine action programs in 25 countries, including Sudan, and also oversees efforts to reduce illegal trafficking in and increase the international safeguarding of small arms and light weapons. To learn more, visit state.gov/t/pm/wra. 2005/335 Released on March 18, 2005

Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC March 18, 2005

National Poison Prevention Week, 2005

National Poison Prevention Week, 2005 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

National Poison Prevention Week reminds us that young children need constant close supervision by responsible adults to keep them safe. This week highlights the dangers of accidental poisonings, steps that can be taken to reduce risks, and what to do in case of an emergency.

Poison control centers receive approximately one million calls each year about children who have ingested dangerous medicines or chemicals they have found around their homes. Since the first National Poison Prevention Week 43 years ago, many deaths and injuries have been prevented through increased public awareness, the use of child-resistant packaging, and a national network of poison control centers. We must build on this progress by taking additional precautions to keep our children safe. All potentially hazardous products, including those encased in child-resistant packaging, should be stored out of the reach of children. Parents can educate themselves about poisons and receive safety information by visiting the Poison Prevention Week Council website at www.poisonprevention.org. In case of an emergency, families should keep the toll-free number, 1-800-222-1222, on hand in order to reach the nearest Poison Control Center. By properly supervising children, taking preventive measures, and knowing what to do in an emergency, we can help protect our young people from the risks of accidental poisonings.

To encourage Americans to learn more about the dangers of accidental poisonings and to take appropriate preventive measures, the Congress, by joint resolution approved September 26, 1961, as

amended (75 Stat. 681), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of March each year as "National Poison Prevention Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 20 through March 26, 2005, as National Poison Prevention Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by participating in appropriate ceremonies and activities and by learning how to prevent poisonings among children.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

GEORGE W. BUSH

# # # For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary March 18, 2005