End of the road for Cluster Bombs

Joint statement from the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC)

Heads of State, Foreign Ministers and senior government representatives from around the world are this week gathering in Oslo, Norway to sign a new international treaty prohibiting cluster bombs. The Convention on Cluster Munitions will be opened for signature on 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and anniversary of the 1997 signing of treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.

Click here to read Amnesty International's media release on the treaty signing.

New Zealand will sign this agreement, but has indicated that the new Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control Hon. Georgina te Heuheu will not be signing on New Zealand’s behalf. Instead Geneva-based Ambassador Don MacKay will join Foreign Ministers from countries affected by cluster bombs (such as Laos) as well as treaty leaders Norway, Austria, Ireland, and Mexico, in being the first to ink the new treaty during the highprofile opening ceremony on 3 December at 10:00am in Oslo (10.00pm NZ time).

New Zealand disarmament expert Ms MaryWareham, coordinator of the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munition Coalition, will represent New Zealand civil society at this historic event. The ANZCMC is a network of over 20 non-government organisations and member of the international campaign that spurred governments to embrace the ban on cluster bombs. In February 2008, the ANZCMC played a key role in supporting the government to host a crucial international disarmament meeting in Wellington to secure support for the treaty.

Wareham has been in Oslo for the past month preparing the Signing Conference, which will be attended by 250 campaigners from 75 countries including cluster bomb victims and deminers from Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Laos, Lebanon, and Serbia. The Signing Conference will take place in Oslo City Hall, location for the annual Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony.

For more information visit www.stopclusterbombs.org.nz

Click here for photographs from the Signing Conference

Aotearoa/NZ CMC members:
Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ, Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace, Campaign Against Landmines, Caritas Aotearoa NZ, Christian World Service, Development Resource Centre, Engineers for Social Responsibility NZ, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War NZ, National Council of Women NZ, National Consultative Committee on Disarmament, Oxfam NZ, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament NZ, Pax Christi Aotearoa-NZ, Peace Foundation NZ, Peace Foundation Disarmament and Security Centre, Peace Movement Aotearoa, UN Association NZ, UN Youth Association NZ, UNICEF NZ, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Aotearoa