UN Rejects US Proposal to Regulate Cluster Bomb Convention
The US has presented a proposal to regulate cluster munitions rather than ban, at a UN meeting in Geneva.
This bid met the objection of 50 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin American, including many countries that have signed the 2008 Oslo Convention on banning Cluster Munitions, and therefore it was rejected during the meeting on Friday.
In a joint proposal with Russia, China, India, "Israel", and Belarus, the US expressed its will to legitimize the use of cluster bombs, as it represents one of the world's major cluster bomb manufacturers that haven't signed the convention yet. US officials present at the UN meeting claimed that cluster munitions are a military necessity that is needed to hit targets spread over wide areas.
Objecting countries stressed that cluster munitions must be banned because of their high failure rate and indiscriminate performance, and they tent to kill and disfigure civilians long after the end of conflicts.
"The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Cluster Munitions. Separate articles in the Convention concern assistance to victims, clearance of contaminated areas and destruction of stockpiles", the convention's website read.
So far, 111 UN member states have signed up and acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, many of which regarded the said US proposal as a "step backward".
Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org team
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