"Against a Lethal Harvest" by Queen Noor of Jordan. 

As war raged in Kosovo this spring, the planting began. Over fields, in forests, in backyards and churchyards, the crop went in. It was no great challenge. One needs only to dig a few inches into rocky soil, or grass, or leaves to be assured of a bountiful harvest.

That harvest will be measured in human lives and limbs. Because what this spring planting brought to Kosovo is land mines.  One light step and a land mine detonates, regardless whether it is the boot of a soldier or the sandal of a child. And though the United Nations High Commission for Refugees is warning Kosovo's ethnic Albanians to delay their return home because of the potential dangers, tens of thousands are streaming across the hills to return.

It was reported that, in the first few days of refugees returning to their homes, 25 civilians had been injured or killed by mines. The obvious question is: What can be done? In an era of high-tech warfare, it is incredible that there is no high-tech solution for clearing a $3 weapon out of the ground.

De-mining is a slow, painstaking process. It took French forces eight anxious hours to comb through an area a little larger than two football fields. Sixteen de-miners from Cambodia are in Kosovo. The team includes well-trained amputees who lost limbs to land mines and now courageously de-mine so others might be spared this horror.

Serb forces stated that they could locate about 80 percent of the mines they planted. But they have not done so to date.  During the war, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) not only laid its own mines but also dug up Serb mines and replanted them elsewhere.

Kosovo has turned from a vibrant province in Yugoslavia to one of the most heavily mined places in the world. It is ironic that in the same three months, the international treaty to ban landmines came into force. One hundred and thirty five countries have signed the treaty. But not Yugoslavia, not Russia, and, surprisingly, not the United States, to say nothing of opposition militias using land mines, such as the KLA.

The treaty, in its infancy, could not keep Kosovo's fields innocent and pristine. Without the weight of U.S. assent, the political will to enforce the ban is weakened and vulnerable to collapse.  The Clinton administration has pledged that the United States will sign by the year 2006 only if military alternatives to anti-personnel mines are developed. On June 17, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reaffirmed that the United States could not support the ban because American troops use mines as an "efficient" way to defend the border between North and South Korea.

I have spoken to Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf about this line of reasoning. He and other former commanders of U.S. forces in Europe and Korea unequivocally agree that "the ban is not only humane but also militarily responsible."

I very much hope President Clinton will re-examine current U.S. opposition to the ban. I understand the United States has made progress already in identifying alternatives to mines. Certainly, the American people, mindful of the risks posed to American soldiers and many others from the million mines in Kosovo, would appreciate a fresh look at the U.S. stance.

Amid the millennial talk of peace, the world remains sadly burdened with unresolved hatreds and disputes. As long as this is the case, the armies of free nations will be relied on to uphold shared principles in the face of aggression. But surely the expertise, ingenuity and will of America's leaders can produce new ways to achieve vital military objectives without reliance on land mines.

Perhaps a commission with recognized military and defense technology experts appointed by the President could help the Clinton administration and the Congress resolve concerns and achieve a swift transition to a military that is at once strong, secure and mine-free.

Everyone in Kosovo is in my thoughts and prayers - every refugee, displaced person, NATO soldier, relief worker and journalist. Inevitably, much suffering lies ahead. But with the power of the United States behind the land-mine ban, I believe people all over the world can plant their winter wheat, carrots, and cabbage without fear and harvest life instead of death.