New Land Mines Will Self-Destruct, U.S. Says

The Bush administration intends to end the U.S. military’s use of land mines that are not timed to self-destruct, but it will not sign a 150-nation anti-land-mine treaty, a top official said.

The policy will also double, to $70 million, what the U.S. spends annually to find and remove mines considered hazards to people and serving no deterrent purpose, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the new policy, all new U.S. land mines will be detectable to American officials and geared to become inert. But those considered part of deterring attacks will remain in use.