Cluster bomb ban to enter into force on Aug. 1

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 16 – Albania was among the first group of countries ratifying an international convention banning cluster bombs making it possible to enter into force Aug. 1.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Tuesday that the international convention banning cluster bombs had received the 30 ratifications required and will enter into force on Aug. 1.
Cluster bomblets are packed by the hundreds into artillery shells, bombs or missiles, which scatter them over vast areas. Some fail to explode immediately and can lie dormant for years until they are disturbed, often by children attracted by their small size and bright colors. A bomblet can kill or maim someone within 10 to 50 yards (meters).
The convention prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions, sets strict deadlines for the destruction of stockpiles and clearance of contaminated land, and obliges states to support survivors and affected communities.
The ban urged all countries to sign and ratify the convention.
But some of the world’s top military powers – including the U.S., Russia and China – and big users like Israel, India and Pakistan, have refused to support the convention, arguing that cluster bombs have legitimate military uses.
The convention has been ratified by Albania, Burkina Faso, Moldova, Norway, Austria, Holy See, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Croatia, Laos, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Burundi, Luxembourg, FYROM, Malawi, Malta, Nicaragua, Niger, San Marino and Uruguay.
The process of drafting the convention was launched when 46 states agreed in February 2007 to conclude a legally binding international treaty banning cluster munitions by 2008. The convention was adopted in Dublin, Ireland by 107 states on May 30, 2008.