A withdrawal by Poland and the Baltic countries from the treaty banning anti-personnel mines would be "catastrophic," says Elliot de Faramond, disarmament advocacy officer at Handicap International. The organization, co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its fight to ban anti-personnel mines, recalls that these mines "have never had a deterrent effect" and mainly cause civilian casualties. "There is a huge risk that it will snowball and that other countries may take the same path," he adds. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES