POLITICIANS 'SHOULD BE BRAVE AND BAN CLUSTER BOMBS'

12.03.14pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 29th Oct 2007

On the eve of a major regional conference on cluster bomb production and use, one Liberal Democrat MEP and long-time campaigner against their use has called on European governments to be brave and take a moral stand on pushing the Oslo process forwards, in order to achieve a widespread ban.

Liz Lynne, MEP for the West Midlands region and Member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, co-tabled a European Parliamentary resolution calling for European and global action on cluster munitions which was adopted with a large majority last week. She feels that if politicians are brave, the conference could produce real progress towards an end to the cluster bomb.

Speaking today she said:

"Every year thousands of civilians, many of them children, are indiscriminately killed or injured by cluster bombs. Dreams are shattered and lives are destroyed.

"Last week the European Parliament laid down the gauntlet but it is now up to national governments to take up the challenge of stopping the use of these horrific weapons. Anything less on the part of the governments that still use, stockpile or manufacture cluster bombs would be an act of cowardice.

"The shocking fact is that cluster munitions are stockpiled in over 15 EU Member States and at least 10 EU Member States are producing them - France, Spain, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Bulgaria. It is my view that these countries, as well as of course those who have used them, including the UK, have blood on their hands.

"Diplomatic manoeuvres by the UK Government and others to suggest there are "dumb" and "smart" cluster munitions must be given short shrift. They all kill and maim. The word 'smart' could not be more misleading or more inappropriate.

"We need an immediate moratorium on the use, investment, stockpiling, production, transfer or export of all cluster munitions. All states which have used them must accept responsibility for their clearance and financial assistance must be offered to the communities affected by unexploded bomblets."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Please find the European Parliament's statement on the resolution adopted last week, with a link to the text itself here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/028-12353-295-10-43-903-20071024IPR12335-22-10-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm

On the 1st of March 2007, Liz Lynne launched a Written Declaration at the European Parliament in order to trigger a debate on the subject in the European Parliament. This was in part to mark the 8th anniversary of the Ottawa treaty on landmines, because despite unexploded bomblets having much the same effect as landmines, they were not included in this treaty.

Liz Lynne MEP ran a petition in her West Midlands region constituency asking individuals to protest to the Prime Minister against the use of cluster munitions which received an encouraging response from her constituents.

In February 2007, 46 countries signed up to a declaration in Oslo, to 'work towards a ban on cluster munitions'.

It is estimated the 98% of cluster bomb casualties are civilians. The Israeli Military dropped four million bomblets on Lebanon in summer 2005. At least 300,000 of these failed to go off but are still live in the country. Cluster munitions have also been widely used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Serbia.