NEW ZEALAND:Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has welcomed a draft treaty to ban cluster bombs agreed yesterday by more than 80 countries ahead of final negotiations due to take place in Dublin in May.
The conference on cluster munitions ended in New Zealand yesterday with 82 countries, around four-fifths of those attending, signing the Wellington Declaration, which agrees the outline of a global treaty to ban the weapons.
The declaration states that the munitions cause unacceptable harm to civilians and that their use, production and sale must be outlawed. It also calls for a framework to ensure survivors of cluster bombs are provided with care and rehabilitation.
The five-day meeting was one of several held as part of a Norwegian initiative launched last year. Signatories of the Oslo Declaration committed themselves last February to securing a legally- binding convention that would prohibit cluster bombs, establish a framework for assisting survivors and also provide for the clearance of affected areas.
The process is spearheaded by a small number of countries including Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico and Peru. They aim to secure a complete ban at an international conference in Croke Park, Dublin, on May 19th-30th.
Mr Ahern hailed the "considerable progress" made in Wellington. While acknowledging that "difficult issues" remained, he said the process was on track for a successful outcome in May.
Mr Ahern also reiterated the key role Ireland continues to play in pushing for a ban. The programme for government includes a commitment to campaign for a complete ban on the use of cluster munitions.
New Zealand's disarmament and arms control minister, Phil Goff, said he expected that more of the countries present at the Wellington conference would endorse the draft before the Dublin meeting.
Countries calling for an outright ban face a number of obstacles. The world's leading manufacturers of cluster munitions - including China, Russia and the United States - remain opposed to a ban and did not attend this week's gathering.
Others, including Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan, have proposed a transitional period before a full ban is introduced. They have argued in favour of an exemption for cluster munitions with low failure rates.