A total ban on the use of landmines by British troops came into force yesterday in a move designed to pay tribute to the campaign by Diana, Princess of Wales, to outlaw the weapons.
The British Defence Secretary, Mr George Robertson, said the moratorium which was already in place since last May on the use of anti-personnel landmines, would become a total ban, without exception.
Last May the moratorium had allowed British armed forces to use the weapons in exceptional circumstances, such as defending an occupied zone. Mr Robertson has now dropped that clause and banned their use completely.
Half of Britain's one million landmines have already been destroyed.
The move came in the same week as the British parliament ratified the Ottawa Convention on outlawing landmines. The pact may not come into force for several months. It has to be ratified by a minimum of 40 countries. Only 27 have so far done so.
But for London, the ban also means that the government has achieved its target of a ban in place by the anniversary on August 31st of Princess Diana's death.
In a written answer to a question in the House of Commons confirming the ban, Mr Robertson declared: "We intend this to be an international example."
Earlier he told the BBC: "The most professional army in the world now has said that this is not a system that is morally correct or militarily useful. We must now go out there and use Britain's moral authority to make sure that our position becomes the international standard."