NGOs kick off 3-day conference on impact of cluster munitions

Source: Daily Star, 02-02-2007
TYRE: A three-day conference on the impact of cluster munitions kicked off in Tyre Thursday.
The event, organized by the Lebanese and Norwegian Red Cross offices, is playing host to representatives of the international humanitarian organization from 15 countries who were invited to the conference to learn about the latest advances in the clearing of cluster bombs and other munitions.
Day one of the conference was held at the Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC) in Tyre that operates as part of the UN peacekeeping force in the South. Representatives from the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL briefed the audience on the difficulties often faced during de-mining operations.
"The main aim of the conference is to have the International Red Cross and Red Crescent become more familiar with the latest techniques used to fight cluster bombs in Southern Lebanon between 2001 and 2002," said Ayad Munzer, the local Red Cross media relations officer.
The International Committee of the Red Cross stepped up a campaign against the use of cluster bombs in armed conflicts in 2001, saying the level of indiscriminate civilian deaths caused by the munitions far outweighed any military advantages.
"Unfortunately, while we made huge efforts fighting cluster bombs over the past few years, the 2006 summer war brought everything back to step one," Munzer added.
The media officer explained that 55 Red Cross teams were working with UNMACC and the Lebanese Army to clear some 24 million square meters of land in the South littered with unexploded ordnance.
Benett Apeland, a representative of the Norwegian Red Cross, said the humanitarian organization did not specialize in clearing cluster bombs.
"We don`t have the expertise or the technical know-how," he added. "However, our duty is to raise awareness on the presence of cluster bombs anywhere in the world, in addition to providing assistance for distraught countries and human beings."
The conference is also expected to tackle issues pertaining to the impact of cluster bombs on the lives of those residing in affected areas and the means by which organizations such as the Red Cross can prevent the use of such weaponry.
Sources at the conference told The Daily Star that members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent would be encouraged to press their respective governments to provide Lebanon with financial aid and/or technical assistance.