Spindelegger: “A milestone in the fight against cluster munitions”
International Convention on Cluster Munitions shall enter into force on 1 August 2010
Vienna, 17 February 2010 – “Yesterday, Burkina Faso became the thirtieth state to deposit the instrument of ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions with the United Nations in New York. The Convention can now enter into force on 1 August 2010. This is a milestone in the international fight against this particularly cruel weapon,” stated Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger.
As one of the initiators of the international process against cluster munitions, Austria has, since the beginning of 2007, been consistently committed to a far-reaching ban on the use of such weapons as well as to comprehensive support for the victims. In January 2008 Austria became the first country in the world to take a decision on a complete ban on cluster munitions. The Vienna Cluster Munitions Conference, which was held in December 2007 and brought representatives from 138 states to Vienna, won over numerous new supporters of an international ban. The result was the draft of an international law convention supported by a majority of states, which was adopted in May 2008 at a conference in Dublin. The Convention on Cluster Munitions was formally signed by 94 states on 3 December 2008 in Oslo. The Convention puts a ban on the production, possession, trade and deployment of cluster munitions.
“The Convention must now be implemented as swiftly as possible. Austria will also make a substantial contribution in this area, and continue to try to convince others throughout the world as to its efficacy. We have found that the stigmatising effect of the Convention also influences states that have yet to ratify,” concluded Spindelegger.
Contact:
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