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Monday 29 September 2008
(Sofia, September 18, 2008) – Today the Cluster Munition Coalition challenged governments of southeast Europe to sign the new international treaty banning cluster bombs when it is opened for signature this December.
The campaign issued its call at the opening of a regional meeting on cluster munitions in Sofia, Bulgaria.
“We challenge all governments to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions this December,” said Mr. Thomas Nash, coordinator of the international Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). “Last month’s use of cluster munitions in Georgia was an unwelcome reminder of the need for this comprehensive ban agreement, and not weak regulations that are easily ignored,” he added.
In May 2008 more than 100 states agreed to ban cluster bombs because they kill and injure too many civilians both during and after attacks. The Convention on Cluster Munitions will be opened for signature in Oslo, Norway on 3 December 2008.
“We urge Greece, Turkey, Romania and all states that have not yet endorsed the cluster bomb ban to sign the Convention this December,” said Ms. Muteber Ögreten, coordinator of the Initiative for a Mine Free Turkey, a CMC member.
“This is the most significant humanitarian and disarmament treaty in more than a decade. Signing it will help prevent civilian casualties and reinforce peace within our region,” she added.
At total of 24 states from the Regional Cooperation Council (the successor of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe) adopted the Convention on Cluster Munitions in May 2008.It is uncertain if the other RCC member states will sign the Convention this December: Finland, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Turkey, and the United States.
“This region has experienced first-hand the humanitarian consequences of this deadly weapon and should not hesitate to ban it,” said Serbian cluster bomb survivor and former deminer Mr. Branislav Kapetanovic. “This Convention is an important means to enhance the protection of civilians in armed conflict”.Kapetanovic lost both hands and feet in November 2000, when a BLU 97 submunition he was he attempting to clear from an airstrip after a NATO air strike exploded.
In Southeast Europe, cluster munitions have been used in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.Globally at least 77 countries have stockpiled cluster munitions, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovakia.
Nash, Kapetanovic, and Ogreten are part of a civil society delegation attending the Sofia Conference on the Convention on Cluster Munitions from 18-19 September 2008.Ten governments from the region are participating in this regional meeting hosted by the government of Bulgaria to discuss the new international treaty banning cluster bombs and requiring their clearance and assistance to survivors.
See also:
CMC Fact Sheet on Cluster Munitions in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia
CMC Website on the Sofia Conference
For more information, please contact:
Thomas Nash, Coordinator, Cluster Munition Coalition, +44-7711-926-730.
Mary Wareham, Human Rights Watch, +359-2-9-334-334 x 224 In London, Natalie Curtis, CMC +44 (0)20 7820 0222 or + 44 (0) 7515 575174
