EU Member States must sign UN Cluster Bombs Convention says local MEP

5.00.00pm GMT Wed 19th Nov 2008

Liz Lynne MEP will today be taking part in a debate in the European Parliament that will seek to ask the European Council what steps have been taken to encourage Member States to sign the UN Convention on Cluster Munitions when the documents opens for signatures in December.

The LibDem MEP for the West Midlands, who is a member of the European Parliament's Sub- Committee on Human Rights, has been a long time campaigner for an end to the use of cluster bombs and in October 2007 co- authored a resolution before the Parliament calling on Member States to sign the UN Convention.

The text of the Convention was agreed by over 100 countries at a summit in Dublin in May this year, but since then some countries have backtracked on their support for the text, which seeks to outlaw the use of all cluster munitions.

The UK had previously been one of those countries seeking to water down the Convention, but the Government has recently confirmed its intention to sign and begin destroying its cluster bomb supplies.

Today's debate will ask what the Council has done to ensure that EU countries sign up to the Convention and pledge their support for outlawing the use of these horrific weapons.

Speaking before the debate Liz said:

"It is absolutely essential that we ban the use of cluster bombs. They cause untold suffering for thousands of men, women and children across the world and kill indiscriminately. Ninety percent of all cluster bombs casualties are civilians and we simply cannot allow the use of these weapons to continue.

"I am very pleased that the UK have said they will be signing the Convention, I hope that the Government will also set about ensuring that the UK ratifies the Convention as quickly as possible.

"It is also very important that we continue to encourage other countries to sign so that the Convention has real impact. If all EU Member States were to sign then it would send a clear signal to the rest of the world that the countries of the Europe Union are totally in favour of this initiative.

"I very much hope that come 3rd December, when the Convention officially opens for signatures we will see EU countries be the very first to pledge their support for the ban."

ENDS