Brown commitment to cluster bomb ban makes treaty in 2008 "a near certainty"

13 NOVEMBER 2007 - GENEVA

Confidence grows for a new cluster bomb treaty despite disappointment in Geneva.

Gordon Brown's demand for an international ban in his Lord Mayor's speech Monday has given a major boost to the new treaty effort. Blocking by Russia resulted in a "go slow" outcome from the Geneva meeting ending Tuesday but Gordon Brown's intervention has given strong support to those states that want to see urgent action.

"Gordon Brown showed real leadership in his Lord Mayor's speech backing the call for a ban on the use, sale and stockpiling of cluster munitions" said Simon Conway, Director of Landmine Action. "This is not just a commitment to protecting civilians from one abhorrent weapon, but about reshaping how countries work together to protect civilians."

Brown's Lord Mayor's speech called upon states to act on their responsibility to protect civilians and described the weakness of international institutions that are "not fit for purpose" in an interdependent world. And the speech has already made a practical difference:

"Gordon Brown's commitment makes a cluster bomb ban a near certainty in 2008." said Richard Moyes, Policy Director of Landmine Action. "This is a strong boost to international security, arms control and humanitarian protection,"

Last week, in Geneva, Ban Ki-moon the UN Secretary General described the "atrocious, inhumane impact of cluster munitions" and called for a "legally binding instrument of international law".

In December, in Vienna, states that support the Oslo Declaration calling for an urgent treaty on cluster bombs will meet again to push forward their work for a ban:

"Britain should now commit to destroy its remaining stockpile of cluster munitions and should back the strongest ban on these weapons in Vienna," said Simon Conway.

Notes to editors:

Contact: Simon Conway, Director, Landmine Action Mobile: 07843 387 149 sconway@landmineaction.org

Contact: Richard Moyes, Policy & Research Manager, Landmine Action Mobile: 07875 509 120 rmoyes@landmineaction.org

Cluster munitions are weapons that can disperse hundreds of smaller submunitions - sometimes referred to as "bomblets" - over wide areas. They have indiscriminate wide area effects that kill and injure civilians during attacks and they leave severe and lasting humanitarian and development consequences from large quantities of post-conflict unexploded ordnance.

83 states are participating in the Oslo Process that is working for a ban on cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.

The dates of the future Oslo Process conferences are: Vienna 4-7 December; Wellington 18-22 February; Dublin 19-30 May.

The meeting of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in Geneva has set up an expert group to report back at the end of 2008.

At least 75 countries stockpile cluster munitions and 34 are known to have produced more than 210 types of cluster munitions. 14 states have used cluster munitions in at least 29 countries and territories.

Landmine Action is a co-chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) an international network of over 200 civil society organisations in 50 countries committed to protecting civilians from the effects of cluster munitions. Members of the CMC network work together on an international campaign calling on governments to conclude a new international treaty banning cluster munitions by 2008.